Commissioner's Messages to Superintendents - Kentucky Department of Education

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 51412

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:37:08 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 5/14/12

The Monday E-mail contains information about the following KDE related items:

- 2012 Migrant Education Programs Regional Service Centers RFA Awards

- Kentucky Teacher - Summer reading, Appalachian teachers, photo blog

- Funding for electric vehicles available (Attachment)

- Fall 2012 Young Artist Award Competition is now open

- VSA accepting entries for 2012 Visual Art Programs

- 2012 Fall China Trip hosted by the UK Confucius Institute

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

2012 Migrant Education Programs Regional Service Centers RFA Awards

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is pleased to announce that the review process for the 2012 Migrant Education Programs Regional Service Centers RFA is complete. Awards will be posted to the following website within 24 hours: http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Grant+Information/Competitive+Grant+Awards/.

We appreciate everyone’s participation in the grant process and hope that you will continue to seek and apply for beneficial grants for your regions, districts, and schools as they become available.

Awards are contingent upon available funding and regions, districts, and schools meeting all programmatic and budgetary requirements.

For information about the regions receiving funds or if you have budget-related questions, please contact Thelma Hawkins at thelma.hawkins@education.ky.gov or at (502) 564-1979. If you would like copies of your score sheets or have questions related to the application process, please contact Jason Kendall at jason.kendall@education.ky.gov or at (502) 564-2351. All other questions should be addressed to Judy Littleton at judith.littleton@education.ky.gov or at (502) 564-1479.

Summer reading, Appalachian teachers, photo blog

Kentucky Teacher, the Kentucky Department of Education’s flagship publication, isn’t just for teachers. It’s for anyone interested in keeping abreast of what is happening in Kentucky education – at the state level and in Kentucky schools.

Online since November 2010, Kentucky Teacher offers feature articles that highlight successful classroom practice, news about current reform initiatives, recognition of outstanding efforts, helpful information, resources and more.

In this coming week’s issue:

· Summer is almost here, and that means summer reading assignments that students dread. Learn how teachers are taking a new approach to summer reading lists in hopes of getting students to really read and expand their literacy skills while they’re out of school.

· Teach for America Appalachia, which placed 22 teachers in eight school districts in eastern and southeastern Kentucky, is about to complete its first year. Find out how the first year went, and what the program’s expansion plans are for the 2012-13 school year.

· KDE photographer Amy Wallot offers some awesome photos from her travels around the state. Check out her blog to see where she’s been and what’s been going on in Kentucky classrooms.

While you’re on the website, sign up to receive e-mail updates whenever new stories or features are added to Kentucky Teacher.

We also love hearing from our readers, so send your comments, feedback or story suggestions to us at kyteacher@education.ky.gov.

Kentucky Teacher is produced by KDE’s Division of Communications.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

Funding for electric vehicles available (Attachment)

Pursuant to a consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Kentucky Utilities Company (KU) offers $250,000 in grant funding for acquisition of plug-in electric vehicles in fleets owned by governmental and quasi-governmental bodies, including school districts.

KU will reimburse selected applicants for the incremental cost of electric vehicles funded under the program (e.g., the additional cost of a plug-in electric vehicle compared to the most comparable conventional gas or diesel vehicle). In addition, for each applicant selected for funding, the company will also fund the cost of one fast charge station at a cost not to exceed $3,500.

The funded electric vehicle must replace or displace a conventional (gas or diesel) vehicle that would otherwise be utilized in the absence of the grant funding. The funded vehicle must be ordered by September 15, with delivery no later than December 31.

The funded vehicle must be operated by the applicant for the period of at least calendar years 2013, 2014 and 2015 (operational commitment period). Any applicant selected for funding must certify that it does not otherwise have a legal obligation to reduce emissions through replacement of the conventional fleet vehicles. Selected applicants also must submit annual vehicle operating reports that identify dates of vehicle operation and annual vehicle mileage for each year of the operational commitment period.

KU will select parties for funding based on the following criteria:

extent to which emissions reductions resulting from proposed use can be demonstrated and quantified additional environmental benefits resulting from proposed use experience or demonstrated interest of applicant in deploying electric or other alternative fuel vehicles extent to which the proposed use will promote use of electric or other alternative fuel vehicles by others, with consideration of public visibility of project, signage on vehicles and public outreach programs extent to which the proposed use will promote mitigation of the impact of air pollution on low-income, disadvantaged or minority persons

The deadline to submit application is June 15. Applicants will be selected in mid-July.

The application for the program is attached. For more information, contact Melissa Howell at the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, kycleanfuels@insightbb.com.

Fall 2012 Young Artist Award Competition is now open

The Arts Education Partnership (AEP) is seeking student art submissions for the design of the front cover of its Fall 2012 National Forum program booklet. Students may submit their work for a chance to win the Young Artist Award.

The theme of this National Forum is inspired in part by this quote:

Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Realize that everything connects to everything else.(Leonardo da Vinci)

Middle and high school students ages 12-18 living in the southeast region (this includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee) are invited to send an original work of visual art that responds to, reflects or is inspired by this quote by Friday, June 29 5p.m. ET. The winning artist will have his or her artwork displayed on the front cover of the National Forum program booklet and will receive a monetary prize and recognition in a special ceremony at the National Forum.

Click here for more information about the contest and how to enter.

The Young Artist Award is a part of the AEP Youth in Arts Program. Click here to learn more about this award.

VSA accepting entries for 2012 Visual Art Programs

VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, is accepting entries from artists ages 5-25 for the following programs:

Sustaining/Creating is a national juried exhibition for emerging artists with disabilities, ages 16-25. Sustaining/Creating asks emerging artists to showcase work that illuminates innovative viewpoints on sustainability and contemporary creativity. Fifteen artists will be selected for an exhibition at the Smithsonian and will share $60,000 in cash awards. Entry deadline is July 8.

Yo Soy…Je Suis…I am…: International Art Program for Children with Disabilities encourages children with disabilities, ages 5-18, to create a self-portrait that illustrates who they are and who they will be. Self-portraits allow artistic freedom for children with disabilities to celebrate the unique qualities they have to share with the world. Entry deadline is July 15.

Click here for more information on each art program.

2012 Fall China Trip hosted by the UK Confucius Institute

The UK Confucius Institute is pleased to announce the 2012 Fall China Trip – a 12 day education trip hosted by the UK Confucius Institute and designed to help education decision-makers start and expand their Chinese language and culture programs. Last year, six Kentucky Superintendents and Principals traveled to China and visited Chinese schools and experienced Chinese history, culture and felt the contemporary pulse of China’s development – economically, culturally and politically. Since this trip is sponsored by the UK Confucius Institute, all expenses within China are paid by the UKCI, and participants will bear the responsibility for international round trip airfare and Visa application fee.

The travel dates are: November 1 thru November 12, 2012.

Application deadline is July 9, 2012. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please go to http://www.uky.edu/Confucius/opportunites_teachers.php to review itinerary and to register.

For further information, please contact Huajing Maske, Director of the UK Confucius Institute at Huajing.maske@uky.edu .

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 5712

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:48:03 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 5/7/12

Monday E-Mail combines several items into one communication.

- Coordinated School Health Symposium set for June 24-25

- KDE to Host District Finance Officer Productivity Improvement Regional Meetings

- Kentucky Writing Project Summer Academies (Attachment)

- Top school, teacher of the year, testing guru’s book review on tap

- AOC to charge schools for criminal record reports

- U@18 program prepares high schoolers

- Kentucky State Fair Education Program spotlights War of 1812

- New STEM opportunity on International Space Station

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Coordinated School Health Symposium set for June 24-25

The Coordinate School Health Symposium is sponsored by the Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) and the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Coordinated School Health (CSH) Team. The symposium is set for June 24-25 at the Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington. The theme will be “Coordinated School Health: The Missing Link in Unbridled Learning.”

On Sunday, June 24, there will be a Healthy Schools Celebration kickoff event to recognize schools across the state in their CSH efforts, with opening remarks from Dr. Steve Davis, acting commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, and Felicia Smith, KDE associate commissioner. On Monday, June 25, there will be a keynote speaker (John Skretta), breakout sessions showcasing CSH initiatives from across the state and district/school planning time. Skretta is a 2010 Alliance For A Healthier Generation Healthy Schools Champion and superintendent of the Norris School District in Nebraska.

Registration information can be found here and online at KSBA’s website. For more information, contact KDE CSH Project Director Jamie Sparks at jamie.sparks@education.ky.gov.

KDE to Host District Finance Officer Productivity Improvement Regional Meetings

The Kentucky Department of Education was awarded a $10,000 grant by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) to participate in the Resource Reallocation Policy Academy that will focus on how best to efficiently reallocate state education resources in support of increasing educational performance. The NGA Center will assist states in developing a plan for implementing recommendations on resource allocation and reallocation.

KDE’s focus will be to benchmark and track productivity improvements within school districts, identify best practices that reduce expenses, and communicate these best practices across the state for all districts to benefit. Regional meetings for district finance officers will be held in May to identify target areas for tracking:

Date

Time

Location

Regional Area

5/17/12

1 – 4pm ct

Kentucky Dam Village State Park

Paducah (west)

5/18/12

10am – 2pm ct

Dale Hollow Lake State Park

Monticello (south)

5/21/12

1 – 4pm et

Natural Bridge State Park

Lexington (east, north)

5/23/12

1 – 4pm ct

Rough River State Park

Elizabethtown, Louisville (central, north)

5/30/12

1 – 4pm et

Capital Plaza Tower, Frankfort

Frankfort (central)

Registration information for the regional meetings will be provided to finance officers.

The grant was made possible through funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

For more information, please visit www.nga.org/cms/center/edu.

Kentucky Writing Project Summer Academies (Attachment)

This summer, the Kentucky Writing Project (KWP) is offering summer academies for teachers of English learners -- Focus on English Learners & Culturally/Linguistically Diverse Students: Meeting the New Common Core Standards for Literacy -- in four different locations throughout the state.

The academies focus on the language learning needs of English learners as they relate to the Kentucky Core Academic Standards (KCAS) and how to integrate language in content areas for all students using KCAS. The academies will be led by teacher leaders who will demonstrate projects from their own classrooms and engage participants in developing materials for use in the 2012-13 school year.

Successful participants will receive 18 hours of professional development credit and a $100 stipend. Stipends will be awarded to participants who complete a plan during the academy, then submit documentation that shows how they have shared and implemented their learning in their schools and districts.

With the $75 registration fee participants will receive:

· experienced Teacher Leaders to assist in learning about meeting students’ needs

· resources to take back to school

· research-based strategies for improving student learning and literacy

· time and assistance as they develop their plans for classroom projects

· opportunities for follow-up online and at the KWP Fall Conference.

The dates and locations of the academies are:

June 6-8

Northern Kentucky Writing Project

Highland Heights

June 18-20

Bluegrass Writing Project

Lexington

June 6-8

Louisville Writing Project

Louisville

July 10-12

Western Kentucky University Writing Project

Bowling Green

Participants must be certified staff employed by a Kentucky public school or district for 2012-13. Electronic registration is available at www.kywritingproject.org, or mail the attached registration form to Jean Wolph, Louisville Writing Project, CEHD 105-UofL, 1905 S. 1st St., Louisville, KY 40292; or e-mail to jean.woph@louisville.edu.

The registration deadline is June 1. The KDE contact is Jayne Kraemer at jayne.kraemer@education.ky.gov.

Top school, teacher of the year, testing guru’s book review on tap

In this coming week’s issue:

· Find out how high expectations, continuous collaboration and a caring staff earned Southside Elementary (Pike County) recognition as a 2011 National Blue Ribbon School.

· So what’s the focus on formative assessment in Kentucky classrooms all about? Associate Commissioner for the Office of Assessment and Accountability Ken Draut reviews W. James Popham’s book, Transformative Assessment in Action: An Inside Look at Applying the Process. Find out why KDE’s lead testing professional called it the best testing book he’s read in 25 years.

· Kentucky Teacher of the Year Kimberly Shearer reminds us that improving student achievement isn’t a solitary activity and why collaboration is so important.

While you’re on the website, sign up to receive e-mail updates whenever new stories or features are added to Kentucky Teacher.

We also love hearing from our readers, so send your comments, feedback or story suggestions to us at kyteacher@education.ky.gov.

Kentucky Teacher is produced by KDE’s Division of Communications.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

AOC to charge schools for criminal record reports

For nearly 20 years, the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has provided free criminal record reports for personnel and volunteers at Kentucky’s public and private schools. In 2011 alone, the AOC Records Unit processed nearly 217,000 criminal record reports for schools statewide.

While AOC had hoped to continue providing this important service for free, deep cuts to the Judicial Branch budget have required the AOC to make difficult decisions in order to balance its budget.

In April, the Kentucky General Assembly passed a budget that reduced the Judicial Branch’s operating funds by $16.2 million for each year of Fiscal Years 2013 and 2014. This is the latest of many cuts the court system has sustained since 2008.

As a result of these reductions, the court system has cut its operations, programs and personnel. AOC also is taking the step of charging schools $10 for each criminal record report. The $10 fee for schools will take effect July 1 and is discounted from the $20 fee for our other customers.

The AOC Records Unit will be switching the status of all school system accounts from free to fee-based. Schools will continue to use the same process to submit requests and retrieve reports through our online service called AOCFastCheck. The primary difference is that the AOC will require payment in advance for all requests.

At your earliest convenience, please contact Jason Cloyd or Jimmy Lawson in the AOC Records Unit at recordsunit@kycourts.net or (800) 928-6381 to set up a method for payments.

It is important to note that only school systems with an account registered with the AOC will be offered the $10 rate. Individuals who request background checks will be charged $20.

U@18 program prepares high schoolers

Your school or school district is invited to participate in the U@18 program, sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Kentucky Bar Association (KBA). U@18 is a classroom presentation by a volunteer attorney, designed to introduce high school juniors and seniors to the change in legal status that occurs when one reaches the age of 18, i.e., the “age of majority.” This project has been endorsed by the Kentucky Education Association.

Through television and movies, most young adults are aware that potential criminal responsibility becomes more serious as an adult. However, many are uninformed of their basic rights and responsibilities as renters, consumers, property owners, voters, spouses and employees. Through KBA’s program, which includes both a classroom visit from a young attorney and an interactive showing of the new and exciting U@18 video to each group of student participants, a basic overview of these topics is provided, with an emphasis on practical and straightforward information.

Volunteers present this important and timely material through an engaging and professionally produced video. The key component of the U@18 program remains, however, a classroom visit from a young attorney. YLD members (that is, attorneys in their first ten years of practice) from around the state are prepared to make a one-hour presentation to your students, preferably seniors who are about to or who have reached the age of 18, expanding on the scenarios and information portrayed in the video and answering questions.

These visits bring the material to life and engage students in thoughtful dialogue about the law, society and their role as a citizen. Having only YLD members make classroom presentations also can provide positive role models for those young adults considering a career in the law.

If you are interested in having a U@18 presentation in your school, contact Mary Ann Miranda at (859) 333-2613, mary_a_miranda@yahoo.com or mary_a_miranda@kyed.uscourts.gov.

Kentucky State Fair Education Program spotlights War of 1812

The Kentucky State Fair, set for August 16-26, has a great way for you and your students to kick-off the 2012-13 school year. The Education Program is spotlighting a new thematic exhibition, “War Hawks & Valiant Volunteers: Kentuckians in the War of 1812” and the return of “United We Stand, Divided We Fall: Kentucky and the Civil War +150” and Discovery Farm sponsored by Kentucky Pork Producers.

There are several additional educational opportunities that are being put together for the 2012 Kentucky State Fair. More information will be released in the coming months about all the exciting opportunities for field trips, so stay tuned.

A full schedule of activities, student worksheets and post-tour lesson plans are planned to complement Kentucky’s Core Academic Standards. As students and teachers experience “the ultimate field trip,” they will no doubt be surprised by what they learn on this fun adventure at the Kentucky State Fair. For additional information, please visit www.kystatefair.org.

A special discounted admission is available to school groups booked and confirmed in advance. The admission is $2 per student, teacher or chaperone accompanying your group. Parking is $8 per vehicle. If you are interested in scheduling a field trip to the fair, please fill out a booking form and return it by August 1.

You can book your field trip online at www.kystatefair.org (click on Education and then Field Trip Program) or download a booking form and fax or mail it in.

For more information, or if you have questions, please contact Lauren Beckley at (502) 367-5208 or via e-mail at lbeckley@ksfb.ky.gov.

New STEM opportunity on International Space Station

The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, in partnership with NanoRacks, invites communities across the U.S. to participate in SSEP Mission 3 to ISS.

SSEP immerses a community of students in real scientific research of their own design, using a highly captivating spaceflight opportunity on the International Space Station (ISS) - America’s newest National Laboratory. This will garner the community significant media attention for STEM education.

Each participating community will be provided all launch services to fly a real microgravity research mini-laboratory on ISS from early April to mid-May 2013 and a kit for assembly and loading of their mini-lab.

An eight-week experiment design competition in your community, held in the fall of 2012, will allow grade 5-12 student teams to design real microgravity experiments vying for the community’s reserved mini-lab slot on ISS. Your student teams write very real and grade-level-appropriate research proposals and go through a formal proposal review process, then one experiment is selected to fly for your community. This is a true science immersion program where students are asked to be real scientists and go through the exact same process as professional researchers vying for research resources and research opportunities.

All participating communities must be aboard by September 12, requiring submission of an Implementation Plan well in advance of program start in a community.

The National Announcement of Opportunity includes links to all aspects of the program, including program operations, how to participate, profiles of the 40 communities participating to date, summaries of all selected flight experiments, media coverage and program testimonials from community leadership. The announcement may be seen at http://ssep.ncesse.org/?p=9708.

For more information, contact Jeff Goldstein, center director and SSEP program creator at (301) 395-0770.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 43012

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:17:48 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 4/30/12

The Monday E-mail contains information about the following KDE related items:

- FY 2013 Tentative Budget Submission

- 2012 Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Education Program RFA Awards - CORRECTION

- Kentucky Behavior Institute 2012

- First Lady’s Letter to Send Home on Summer Reading Programs (Attachment)

- Kentucky Teacher – Laws, Evaluations, Thanks and Photo Blog on Tap Next Week

- Join HumanaVitality^SMand get moving this summer!
- UofL's Planetarium Offers Science Adventure Summer Camps

- Center for Performance Excellence Conference and Awards Celebration (Attachments)
- PD opportunity for middle and high school teachers (Attachment

- EncycloMedia survey

- National Anthem singing contest

- NASA's Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Podcast

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

FY 2013 Tentative Budget Submission

In accordance with KRS 160.470(6)(a) and 702 KAR 3:110, Tentative Budgets are due to the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) by May 30, 2012. The Tentative Budgets will be submitted via the web submission process, the same as last year’s submission process. The application will be open from May 15, 2012 through May 30, 2012, and will only allow one submission from each district. Districts are required to submit two tentative budget files (TED and TSF) to KDE. The link to the SEEK Web Application used for submitting Tentative Budgets is: http://odss.education.ky.gov/webforms.

Please refer to: KDE’s Tentative & Working Budget Submission Guide, the Tentative Budget Report Guide (STW-GL-6), and the Tentative and Working Budget Frequently Asked Questions document located at the KDE website link found below. The guides referenced above consist of a list of the submission errors edit checks that will be utilized by KDE as part of the Tentative Budget analysis process, MUNIS instructions to generate and submit the Tentative Budgets, and the frequently asked questions document. All errors need to be corrected by the district before the Tentative Budget will successfully upload to KDE.

http://www.education.ky.gov/kde/administrative+resources/finance+and+funding/school+finance/munis/user+guides/budget+general+ledger/afr+statewide+budget+general+ledger+reports.htm

Common accounting error notices when creating the Tentative Budget files in MUNIS include:

Transfers in must agree to transfers out. Budgets must balance for each fund. Start and actual completion dates of projects must be entered correctly to prevent negative budgeted amounts. Beginning Balance of Object code 0999* is not a negative balance.

If you have any questions related to Tentative Budgets, please send an e-mail to finance.reports@education.ky.gov. The subject line should state Tentative Budget and a KDE representative will ensure that you get a response within 24 hours.

2012 Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Education Program RFA Awards - CORRECTION

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is pleased to announce that the review process for the 2012 Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Education Program RFA is complete. Award listings will be posted to the KDE Competitive Grant Awards site within 24 hours: www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Grant+Information/Competitive+Grants+from+KDE/.

We appreciate everyone’s participation in the grant process and hope that you will continue to seek and apply for beneficial grants for your districts/schools as they become available.

Awards listed are contingent upon districts/schools meeting all programmatic and budgetary requirements. In addition, awards are contingent upon receipt of final federal award notification.

For information about schools and districts receiving funds, or if you have budget-related questions, please contact Thelma Hawkins via e-mail at thelma.hawkins@education.ky.gov or by phone at (502) 564-1979. If you would like copies of your score sheets or have questions related to the application process, please contact Jason Kendall via e-mail at jason.kendall@education.ky.gov or by phone at (502) 564-2351. All other questions should be addressed to Mary Marshall at mary.marshall@education.ky.gov or (502) 564-3791.

Kentucky Behavior Institute 2012

The Kentucky Behavior Institute is set for June 27-28 in the Lexington Convention Center and Rupp Arena.

The goal is to reduce barriers to learning and provide support for teachers, administrators and others who must respond effectively to challenging student behavior, in order to provide high-quality teaching and learning in schools.

The institute includes more than 75 sessions featuring national experts, master teachers and successful administrators in Kentucky schools. National speakers will address a variety of topics.

Sessions are designed to increase knowledge and skills necessary to improve school climate, implement school-wide instructional discipline practices, reduce behavioral barriers to learning, prevent school violence, teach responsible behavior, motivate troubled youth, increase student attendance, eliminate bullying, reduce dropout rates, implement proactive classroom management strategies, provide effective social competence instruction, redirect students who misbehave into preparation for college and careers, develop school-based programs for youth with emotional-behavioral risks, challenges or disabilities, and enable leadership to develop effective problem-solving processes to help students/teachers in trauma.

Register online at http://cksec.org/ccbd/index.php, and see details, schedules and registration forms at http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/behave/misc/bi01.html.

For more information, contact Mitch Kirchner at (859) 806-3569 or mitch@mitchsmeetings.com.

First Lady’s letter to send home on summer reading programs (Attachment)

Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear has joined with the Kentucky Department of Education in supporting the Kentucky Public Libraries’ Summer Reading Programs. A letter from Mrs. Beshear is attached for schools to send to parents in May encouraging families to support reading throughout the summer months. Please send the letter home with your students, as appropriate.

Teachers and parents are encouraged to help children use “Find a Book, Kentucky” (http://www.lexile.com/fab/ky) to build personal reading lists for summer reading and then locate their selections at their school library or local public library. “Find a Book, Kentucky” uses the widely-adopted Lexile^® measure to match a reader with books that will provide the right level of challenge to support reading growth. New this year: The Kentucky Department of Education encourages students to “Pledge to Read” during the summer on the “Find a Book, Kentucky” site. Look for the “Submit your summer reading pledge” icon to indicate participation.

Each school’s certified school librarian has additional resources to promote Summer Reading Programs. For more information about specific activities, contests, and reading events for the Summer Reading Program in your county, contact your local public library (http://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/Pages/LibraryDirectory.aspx).

Laws, evaluations, thanks and photo blog on tap next week

Kentucky Teacher, the Kentucky Department of Education’s flagship publication, isn’t just for teachers. It’s for anyone interested in keeping abreast of what is happening in Kentucky education – at the state level and in Kentucky schools.

In this coming week’s issue:

· Learn how the recent session of the General Assembly may impact Kentucky educators, schools and districts. KDE legislative liaison Tracy Goff Herman provides a wrap-up on the bills that passed and those that didn’t.

· Check out what educators piloting the proposed Teacher and Leader Professional Growth and Effectiveness System think about the new system, and the kinds of conversations it is prompting about teaching and learning.

· Commissioner Terry Holliday shares some end-of-the-school-year comments as part of a special videotaped Commissioner’s Comments, and also offers a heartfelt thank you to Kentucky teachers in recognition of Teacher Appreciation Day on May 8.

· KDE photographer Amy Wallot goes high tech in her photo blog on Thursday.

While you’re on the website, sign up to receive e-mail updates whenever new stories or features are added to Kentucky Teacher.

We also love hearing from our readers, so send your comments, feedback or story suggestions to us at kyteacher@education.ky.gov.

Kentucky Teacher is produced by KDE’s Division of Communications.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

Join HumanaVitality^SMand get moving this summer!

Are you making plans for the upcoming summer break? Just like planning for vacation, you should also plan some time for your health. Your Kentucky Employees’ Health Plan (KEHP) has made it easy for you to improve and manage your health by offering you a new incentivized online wellness program, which is free to health plan members. Here are some quick steps to get your started and keep you healthy all summer long.

1. Register online by visiting http://LivingWell.ky.gov and click on “Log-in” under HumanaVitality.

2. Complete the brief Health Assessment to start earning Vitality Points^TM.

3. Get your Vitality Check®. With just a few minutes of your time, you can have a starting point for improving your health, know your risks and prevent any future health surprises. The Vitality Check is a blood screening and biometric assessment that measures body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood glucose and total cholesterol. You will earn 2,000 Vitality Points per year just for receiving your Vitality Check. If your results are in a healthy range, you will earn up to 2,000 additional Vitality Points. Click here for more information and to find a Vitality Check location near you.

4. Get started on your Personal Pathway^TM a customized plan that will recommend goals and related activities. As you complete your goals you earn more Vitality Bucks.

5. Spend your Vitality Bucks® at the HumanaVitality Mall. Redeem items including: iTunes® gift cards, movie tickets, hotel stays, sports equipment, apparel and much more with your Vitality Bucks.

If your spouse or children are included on your health plan, they are eligible to participate as well. For more information on HumanaVitality, visit http://LivingWell.ky.gov and follow HumanaVitality on Facebook.

UofL's Planetarium Offers Science Adventure Summer Camps

Cosmic fun of galactic proportions at the University of Louisville’s summer camps sparks a lifelong love of science and discovery. From astronaut training to rocket launching to kaleidoscope making, kids have a blast exploring space, science and art at the planetarium.

Visit http://louisville.edu/planetarium/kids-programming/summer-camps.html for details and registration, or call the planetarium at (502) 852-6664.

Center for Performance Excellence Conference and Awards Celebration (Attachments)

The Kentucky Center for Performance Excellence is planning its Seventh Annual Conference and Awards Celebration to recognize the interest and commitment of eight Kentucky organizations on their excellence journeys.

The event is set for May 31 at the Griffin Gate Marriott in Lexington. Presenters include four National Award Winning organizations that have proven their ability to turn adversity into advantage applying the principles and core values of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program criteria.

For more details, see the attached flyers.

PD opportunity for middle and high school teachers (Attachment)

Kentucky State University’s-School of Education has been awarded a grant from the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development (CCLD) to offer high-quality professional development opportunities that focus on the literacy development of students in grades 6-12. More specifically, the grant activities will provide information, resources and instructional strategies related to the teaching and assessment of literacy (Common Core Standards for English/language arts) when working with diverse students.

Grant participants will be expected to:

(1) complete four to five online course modules

(2) attend two online webinars

(3) attend a two-week summer academy (hybrid model consisting online and face-to-face training) in July 2012

(4) complete an individual literacy project with a diverse student in his/her classroom

(5) participate in a “fair share” with other CCLD grant participants across the state

Grant applicants who complete all the above requirements or are determined to be “successful grant participants” will receive:

a $500 stipend ($250 at the summer academy and $250 at the end of the grant period) $250 in literacy materials for their classrooms $100 in travel reimbursement

Potential grant participants are asked to complete the attached application by May 4. The activities are limited to only 15 participants.

For more information, contact Cohort Director Shambra Mulder at shambra.mulder@kysu.edu or (502) 597-5918.

EncycloMedia survey

From now until May 31, tell KET what you think about KET EncycloMedia by taking a brief survey. Participants will be entered in drawings to win an iPad, Kindle Fire or one of several other fun prizes.

National Anthem singing contest

Students between the ages of 13 and 21 who sing well and are members of 4-H or FFA are invited to submit videos of themselves singing the Star-Spangled Banner.

Videos will be posted online for popular voting to determine four finalists. The four finalists will be interviewed, and their performances will be recorded for airing on national TV. Online voting will determine the grand prize winner.

Videos must be received by June 15. For more details, visit http://www.fmccrop.com/grower/Anthem-Singing-Contest.aspx.

NASA's Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Podcast

NASA's DIY Podcast offers resources for educators and students to use to create podcasts using free NASA images, video footage, and audio clips. Various topic modules are available on the site, including:

· Space Station

· Microgravity (Micro-g)

· Fitness

· Lab Safety

· Newton's Laws

· Robots

· Rocket Science

· Solar Arrays

· Spacesuits

· Sports Demo (science of sports)

Each topic module includes downloadable video and audio clips featuring NASA astronauts, scientists/engineers, links to NASA images and resources, and information to help students write a podcast script.

How DIY Works:

· Download NASA video or audio clips.

· Write a production script.

· Record your narration.

· Edit your product.

· Share it!

Additionally, the DIY Podcast Blog offers tips to help educators incorporate the DIY Podcast into the classroom, including production ideas and NASA resources. Subscribe to the blog RSS feed to receive regular updates and learn when new topic modules become available.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 42312

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:36:42 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 4/23/12

The Monday E-mail contains information about the following KDE related items:

· Reminder – Education Jobs Fund GEPA Assurances (Attachment)

· 2012-13 SEEK Forecast

· Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Grant Opportunities for FY 2013

· Request for Assistance in Verifying 2011-2012 School Safety Data

· New Kentucky Educator Placement Service (KEPS) coming in spring of 2012

· Space, accountability tests explored in Kentucky Teacher
- UofL's Planetarium Offers Science Adventure Summer Camps

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Reminder - Education Jobs Fund GEPA Assurances (Attachment)

As a requirement for the receipt of Education Jobs Fund dollars, local education agencies must adhere to the GEPA requirements. Please review the Education Jobs Fund GEPA assurances, sign them and return them no later than Friday, April 27, 2012 to:

Email to: vickie.terry@education.ky.gov

Fax to: Vickie Terry at (502) 564-6771

Mail to: Vickie Terry

    Kentucky Department of Education
    500 Mero Street - 16th Floor CPT
    Frankfort, KY 40601

2012-13 SEEK Forecast

KDE has posted the 2012-13 SEEK Forecast allocations. The data used to calculate the 2012-13 SEEK Forecast is trend data except for the Exceptional Child Count, which is the actual 2011 December Exceptional Child Count. These calculations can be found at: Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK).

This calculation reflects the 2012-2014 Biennial Budget recently passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor. The Biennial Budget includes $3,833 per pupil base guarantee and a $725,000 statewide equalization level for FY 2013.

If you have any questions, please contact Kay Kennedy at kay.kennedy@education.ky.gov or Chay Ritter at chay.ritter@education.ky.gov

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Grant Opportunities for FY 2013 (Attachment)

The Kentucky Department of Education encourages elementary schools to apply for grant funding for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) for FY 2013. Please see the attached memo for additional information. The Request for Applications (RFA) will be available this week at: http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Grant+Information/Competitive+Grants+from+KDE/

Request for Assistance in Verifying 2011-2012 School Safety Data

Superintendents, we need your support to focus attention on this year’s process to verify the 2011-2012 School Safety Data. Your Safe Schools Coordinator will be receiving directions within the next few days on how to verify your district’s data to ensure it is entered into Infinite Campus completely and accurately. This year’s verification window is May 15^th- June 15, 2012. Beginning this fall, School Safety Data will be reported and accessible through Open House.

If you have any questions, please contact Toyah Robey at Toyah.Robey@education.ky.gov.

New Kentucky Educator Placement Service (KEPS) coming in spring of 2012

The Kentucky Educator Placement Service (KEPS) is a Web-based application designed to fulfill KRS 160.380(2)(d), which requires certified positions be posted 30 days before they can be filled.

KEPS has been redesigned in an effort to better assist districts and school leaders with their hiring needs. Statewide implementation of the new KEPS application is expected to take place June 2012.

To prepare for the launch of the new system, a series of WebEx trainings will be hosted for district personnel who are assigned to edit and post certified vacancies as well as complete the Minority Recruitment and Retention (MERR) report in KEPS.

To ensure appropriate staff is notified of this training, you will receive an e-mail with the name(s) of your district personnel that are currently identified as the KEPS contacts. Please review the contact names and either confirm the names are accurate or identify the appropriate contacts.

For additional information, please contact Candace Souder at candace.Souder@education.ky.gov or call (502) 564-1479.

Space, accountability tests explored in Kentucky Teacher

In this week’s issue:

· Read about what is keeping some Rowan County High School students up late at night and glued to their computers. Hint: Think space, data sets and pulsars.

· It’s testing time, and this year students and teachers are getting their first look at the new Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP) tests. Find out how teachers are helping their students get ready for the new exams.

While you’re on the website, sign up to receive e-mail updates whenever new stories or features are added to Kentucky Teacher.

We also love hearing from our readers, so send your comments, feedback or story suggestions to us at kyteacher@education.ky.gov.

Kentucky Teacher is produced by KDE’s Division of Communications.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

Join HumanaVitality^SMand get moving this summer!

Register online by visiting http://LivingWell.ky.gov and click on “Log-in” under HumanaVitality. Complete the brief Health Assessment to start earning Vitality Points^TM.

3. Get your Vitality Check®. With just a few minutes of your time, you can have a starting point for improving your health, know your risks and prevent any future health surprises. The Vitality Check is a blood screening and biometric assessment that measures body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood glucose and total cholesterol. You will earn 2,000 Vitality Points per year just for receiving your Vitality Check. If your results are in a healthy range, you will earn up to 2,000 additional Vitality Points. Click here for more information and to find a Vitality Check location near you.

Get started on your Personal Pathway^TM a customized plan that will recommend goals and related activities. As you complete your goals you earn more Vitality Bucks. Spend your Vitality Bucks® at the HumanaVitality Mall. Redeem items including: iTunes® gift cards, movie tickets, hotel stays, sports equipment, apparel and much more with your Vitality Bucks.

UofL's Planetarium Offers Science Adventure Summer Camps

Visit http://louisville.edu/planetarium/kids-programming/summer-camps.html for details and registration, or call the planetarium at (502) 852-6664.

Monday Superintendent Email 41612

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:51:21 GMT

Monday Superintendent E-mail – 4/16/12

The Monday E-mail contains information about the following KDE related items:

- Video of Overview of the Unbridled Learning Accountability Model now Available to use for Training/Information Purposes

- 2011-2012 Vocational Transportation Payment

- KYREADS

- Message for Retiring Teachers from Kentucky Deferred Compensation

- 5^th Annual “Soar to New Heights: A STEM-ulating Adventure” Summer Camp for Gifted and Talented Learners (Attachments)
- UK offers programs for next-generation school systems

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Video of Overview of the Unbridled Learning Accountability Model now Available to use for Training/Information Purposes

The video of my presentation where I explain the new accountability model is now available for use with district staff and teachers prior to K-PREP testing and with other audiences for information purposes. I encourage principals to show the video to their faculties to set the tone for the upcoming new test, and the link can also be sent to parents/community folks to assist in promoting understanding of the new system.

The video can be accessed at the following link:

mms://video1.education.ky.gov/Accountability_4-12-2012

If you have questions on the video, contact Mary Ann Miller at maryann.miller@education.ky.gov .

2011-2012 Vocational Transportation Payment

The 2011- 2012 vocational transportation payments, based on districts’ 2010-2011 VT-1 District Annual Claim Form submission, have been posted to the web. Please use the following link to review your districts’ payment information, Vocational Education Transportation.

Payments will be processed to districts soon.

If you have any questions about your district’s payment amount, please contact Chay Ritter @ 502-564-4403 extension 4453 or by email @ chay.ritter@education.ky.gov.

Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear joins with the Kentucky Department of Education in supporting the Kentucky Public Libraries’ Summer Reading Programs. This year’s themes are “Dream Big” (early literacy and children) and “Own the Night” (teens). A letter to parents from Mrs. Beshear will be sent to schools in May encouraging families to support reading throughout the summer months. Watch and share a brief video from Mrs. Beshear at http://tinyurl.com/summerreadingkyvideo.

Teachers and parents are encouraged to help children use “Find a Book, Kentucky” (http://www.lexile.com/fab/ky) to build personal reading lists for summer reading and then locate their selections at their school libraries or local public libraries. “Find a Book, Kentucky” uses the widely-adopted Lexile^® measure to match a reader with books that will provide the right level of challenge to support reading growth. School librarians and public librarians are ready to assist children and their parents as they make summer reading selections.

New this year: The Kentucky Department of Education encourages students to “Pledge to Read” during the summer on the “Find a Book, Kentucky” site. Look for the “Submit your summer reading pledge” icon to indicate participation.

Find more information on the Kentucky Department of Education’s “Summer Reading” Web page: http://tinyurl.com/KYSummerReading. Each school’s certified school librarian has additional resources to promote Summer Reading Programs.

For more information about specific activities, contests and reading events for the Summer Reading Program in your county, contact your local public library (http://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/Pages/LibraryDirectory.aspx).

For more details, contact Kathy Mansfield via e-mail at kathy.mansfield@education.ky.gov.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

Message for Retiring Teachers from Kentucky Deferred Compensation

Many of your retiring employees will want to shelter their payout of accumulated sick leave by deferring those dollars to their 457 and/ or 401(k) Kentucky Deferred Comp account. Such an action allows them to avoid paying a lump sum tax rate on the amount, thereby providing a substantial tax savings for the retiring employee.

The Internal Revenue Service regulations that govern our plans require that all paperwork filed with the Kentucky Public Employees’ Deferred Compensation Authority to tax shelter the sick leave payout be signed and dated by the retiring employee no later than the month prior to the month you will be making the payout for the sick leave. Therefore, if your district has employees who will be retiring effective July 1, 2012, and you intend to cut the retiring employee’s payout check during June 2012 (prior to the end of the 2011-2012 fiscal year) then the employee must complete, sign, and date the required paperwork prior to close of business on May 31, 2012.

Please inform all retiring employees of the requirement noted above, especially those who will retire effective July 1, 2012. Feel free to contact the Kentucky Deferred Compensation Authority’s Marketing Staff if you have any questions or need additional information. The toll-free telephone number is 800-542-2667.

5^th Annual “Soar to New Heights: A STEM-ulating Adventure” Summer Camp for Gifted and Talented Learners (Attachments)

The 5th Annual "Soar to New Heights: A STEM-ulating Adventure" summer camp for gifted and talented learners will be held in the new Science Building on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University June 18-29, 2012. This summer's camp will offer students an opportunity to explore current topics in the fields of science, technology, engineering, math and health in a state-of-the-art instructional and research facility. The courses, collaboratively designed and implemented by Eastern Kentucky University STEM-H Faculty and Gifted/Talented Graduate Students, are targeted to students entering grades 4-6 in the fall. The half day program runs from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. daily with a tuition cost of $65.00 per student.

A brochure detailing the class offerings as well as special events for parents and students will be available by mid-April. For further information, please contact:

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Gifted and Talented

Combs Building 215

Eastern Kentucky University

521 Lancaster Avenue

Richmond, KY 40475-3102

859-622-2154

Attention: Debra Sparks

debra.sparks@eku.edu

UK offers programs for next-generation school systems

The University of Kentucky College of Education's Department of Educational Leadership Studies invites you to join a community of learners who are leading next-generation school systems.

New face-to-face, blended and online programs in Teacher Leadership, School Technology Leadership, Principal and Superintendent Preparation, Educational Leaders, and Professional Services are now available.

Please visit http://leadership.uky.edu to learn more.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 4912

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:23:51 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 4/9/12

The Monday E-mail contains information about the following KDE related items:

- Competitive Bidding for Facilities Procurement

- 2012 Project Lead the Way (PLTW) RFA Awards – Biomedical Sciences, Energy Technology, and Engineering Pipeline RFAs

- Reallocation of Section 1003(a) School Improvement Funds (Attachment)

- EKU’s Camp Inner Space to be held this summer

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Competitive Bidding for Facilities Procurement

Please remember that use of proprietary (single source) specifications during facilities procurement is regulated by KRS 45A.415(2) and KRS 162.065(7). Any specification writing and bidding practices that deliberately limit competition in violation of this statute are illegal. KDE strongly encourages school districts to properly inform and caution all individuals who work on construction procurement (whether they are outside design professionals or district personnel), to avoid any actual or perceived appearance of impropriety with outside vendors (receiving gratuities/gifts, etc.), who may be interested in, or could benefit from restrictive specifications and anti-competitive bidding on construction projects. KDE has a legal and ethical obligation to refer any such alleged practices to outside agencies, such as the Attorney General, Auditor of Public Accounts, Office of Education Accountability, and architects’ and engineers’ registration boards, for appropriate civil and criminal investigation.

Please contact Greg Dunbar, the Branch Manager for the KDE District Facilities Branch, at Greg.Dunbar@education.ky.gov if you have any questions or concerns about this reminder.

2012 Project Lead the Way (PLTW) RFA Awards – Biomedical Sciences, Energy Technology, and Engineering Pipeline RFAs

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is pleased to announce that the review process for the 2012 PLTW RFAs is complete. Award listings will be posted to the KDE Competitive Grant Awards site within 24 hours. http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Grant+Information/Competitive+Grant+Awards/

We appreciate everyone’s participation in the grant process and hope that you will continue to seek and apply for beneficial grants for your districts/schools as they become available.

Awards listed are contingent upon districts/schools meeting all programmatic and budgetary requirements. In addition, awards are contingent upon available funding.

For information about the schools and districts receiving funds, please contact Lea Ann Lewis (information below).

If you have budget-related questions, please contact Lea Ann Lewis via e-mail at leaann.lewis@education.ky.gov or by phone at (502) 564-1979. If you would like copies of your score sheets or have questions related to the application process, please contact Jason Kendall via e-mail at jason.kendall@education.ky.gov or by phone at (502) 564-2351. All other questions should be addressed to Karen Smith at karen.smith@education.ky.gov or (502) 564-3775, or Melinda Curless at melinda.curless@education.ky.gov or (502) 564-3775.

Reallocation of Section 1003(a) School Improvement Funds (Attachment)

The U.S. Congress has appropriated additional SY2011-12 Title I, Part A funding to states. As a result, Kentucky received an increase in its state allocation and must reallocate Section 1003(a) School Improvement Funds. Revised award notifications for Section 1003(a) School Improvement Funds (project 3202) can be found at the following web address: http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Finance+and+Funding/Budgets/Grant+Award+Notifications.htm. Award notifications will no longer be mailed to your central office from the KDE Budgets office.

Please be advised that there are no plan revisions required to be submitted to the Kentucky Department of Education for these funds. However, revised award amounts must be reflected in MUNIS under project 3202 and revisions will need to be made to CDIP expenditure reports. Additionally, districts are required to adhere to the terms of use as outlined in the attached document “Title I School Improvement Funds for 2011-12”.

Please contact your Title I, Part A consultant via e-mail or at (502) 564-3791 if you have any questions.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

EKU’s Camp Inner Space to be held this summer

The Department of Psychology at Eastern Kentucky University will host Camp Inner Space, a residential camp for high school students interested in the field of psychology. Working with EKU faculty members, students will study clinical psychology, neuroscience, forensic psychology, sensation and perception, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology and animal behavior. Students will live on campus, take field trips and participate in many hands-on activities.

The camp also aims to expose students to the programs housed in EKU’s Department of Psychology and highlight the diversity of options that are available with a psychology degree.

To be eligible for the camp, each student must: demonstrate academic excellence by having a GPA of 3.3 or higher, obtain a letter of reference from a teacher and submit a brief essay addressing reasons for interest in the camp.

The deadline for application to Camp Inner Space is May 20. Space is limited, so early registration is urged. A $50 nonrefundable registration fee will be applied to students’ tuition. Inner Space Camp fees total $385, which includes the cost of housing, food, materials, activities and camp gear. Scholarships are available.

For more information, contact Cheryl Ramey at cheryl.ramey@eku.edu or Robert Brubaker, Department of Psychology chair, at robert.brubaker.eku.edu.

The Kentucky Department of Education wants your input on the agency’s customer service efforts. Please take a moment to complete an online survey, which may be accessed here. All responses will remain anonymous.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 4212

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:08:53 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 4/2/12

The Monday E-mail contains information about the following KDE related items:

- Spreadsheet on State Budget for P-12 Education (Attachment)

- School District’s Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Audit Contract

- KSB Summer Enrichment Programs

- KDE Customer Service Communications Survey

- Kids’ Chance of Kentucky scholarships (Attachments)

- Middle School Photography Contest for Earth Day 2012

- Aspire Local High School Impact Initiative

- KSBA’s 6^th Annual Federal & State Law Update: Impact on Your School District Conference – May 10 & 11, 2012 (Marriott Griffin Gate Resort, Lexington)

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Spreadsheet on State Budget for P-12 Education (Attachment)

As promised in last week’s Fast Five on Friday, I have attached a spreadsheet that shows you for FY 2013 and 2014, the budget that KDE requested, what the Governor’s budget contained, the contents of the House’s recommended budget, the contents of the Senate’s recommended budget and the conference version that was passed and sent to the Governor. The veto period is now in effect for the Governor’s consideration and then the General Assembly will reconvene on April 12 to see if that body desires to take action to override any vetoes.

If you have questions on the budget, contact Hiren Desai at (502) 564-1976 or via e-mail at hiren.desai@education.ky.gov .

School District’s Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Audit Contract

The State Committee for School District Audits (SCSDA) has approved the fiscal year 2011-2012 Audit Contract located at the following KDE web page link: http://www.education.ky.gov/kde/administrative+resources/finance+and+funding/school+finance/financial+information/financial+audits/financial+audit+contracts+information.htm . Although the majority of the audit contract and supporting information remain the same, there have been some changes that are noted in red type. In addition, the following items have been highlighted for your convenience.

Two original signed FY 2011-2012 Audit Contracts, the auditor’s most recent peer review report and any letter of comment, and Audit Acceptance Statements are due to the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) by close of business on May, 28, 2012.

On-behalf payments should be coded accurately in the MUNIS accounting system so they are properly displayed in the audit report and fully disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. The on-behalf payment amounts need to be included in the initial unaudited Annual Financial Report (AFR) that is due to KDE by July 25, 2012 in accordance with KRS 157.060 and the final audited AFR that is due to KDE by November 15, 2012. The following KDE web page link may be used by districts to record on-behalf payments. http://www.education.ky.gov/kde/administrative+resources/finance+and+funding/school+finance/financial+information/on+behalf+payments.htm

3. The final audited Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet shall be submitted to KDE upon completion of the audit. It is important that audit work be scheduled as efficiently as possible so that timely submission is made of all reports to KDE. It is also required that the audited Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet be in agreement with the audit report.

Audit reports are due to KDE by close of business on November 15, 2012. If the audit cannot be completed by the deadline, the auditor shall submit an Audit Extension Request form, fully completed by both the auditor and the district, to KDE by October 1, 2012. The form is provided in Appendix III.

5. The School District shall submit the Statement of Certification to KDE by November 15, 2012 in order to ensure all audit adjustments have been entered into MUNIS and an audited Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet are in agreement with the audit report that will be submitted to KDE. The Statement of Certification has been moved to the last page of the audit contract package.

6. The following reminders are included in the contract to assist the auditor:

· In the Independent Auditor’s Contract, Section V. A. SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENTS, the scope of the audit may be increased or decreased by written supplemental agreement of the BOARD and ACCOUNTANT if the reasons for the increase or decrease have first been reported in writing by the ACCOUNTANT to COMMITTEE. The audit fee may be adjusted for the increase or decrease in the scope of the audit in accordance with Section IV.C. COMPENSATION.

· The auditor must comply with the fund balance reporting requirements of GASB 54.

· If the contracted CPA firm changes names or merges with another firm, it is the firm’s responsibility to inform the local board of the name change and to inform the SCSDA through KDE.

· Auditors shall provide their most recent peer review report and any letter of comment to the local board and a copy of these documents shall be submitted to KDE with each audit contract. Audit contracts submitted without the required peer review report and letter of comment, if any, will not be approved by SCSDA.

· KDE has contracted with the Auditor of Public Accounts (APA) to perform detailed A-133 desk reviews of the school district audit reports. Auditors shall correct unacceptable or technically deficient audit reports within thirty (30) days of being notified by KDE.

· If an audit report needs to be reissued and resubmitted, for whatever reason, it shall be reissued in accordance with current auditing standards. The entire audit report shall be resubmitted to the local board, KDE and all other parties to whom the original audit report was submitted. Individual audit report pages will not be accepted.

· No school activity fund or individual activity account shall end or begin the fiscal year with a deficit balance.

· Donated Commodities shall be included in the proprietary fund financial statements and it is strongly encouraged that they be stated as a separate line item. Donated Commodities shall be stated separately as part of the nutrition cluster on the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) and fully disclosed in the Notes to the SEFA. Donated Commodities shall also be reported in the audited AFR.

If you have questions regarding the contract, please contact Ken Smith, at 502-564-4403, extension 4442 or via e-mail at Ken.Smith@education.ky.gov.

KSB Summer Enrichment Programs

The Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB) is excited to offer two Summer Enrichment Programs and the Summer Work Program to students who are visually impaired or blind throughout Kentucky from Sunday, June 17 through Wednesday, June 27.

The programs will be open to students currently enrolled in grades K-11 (graduating seniors excluded). Openings will be filled on a first-come basis. First priority will be given to non-KSB students.

To apply for the program, go to the KSB website at www.ksb.kyschools.us under “summer programs” for an application. A copy of the student’s current IEP and most recent eye report must accompany the application (does not apply to full-time enrolled KSB students). Applications submitted without an IEP or eye report will be considered incomplete.

The application deadline is May 1. The summer programs will be implemented on the KSB campus. Transportation is not provided to and from home by KSB, but will be provided for all field trips and activities. The programs, including room accommodations and meals, are provided without cost. However, a non-refundable activity fee of $40 is required.

For more information, contact John Roberts at (502) 897-1583, ext. 240 or e-mail john.roberts@ksb.kyschools.us.

KDE Customer Service Communications Survey

KDE staff will be providing a link to its annual customer service survey for you to provide feedback on our communications efforts. You will see the following statement in KDE e-mails and written responses and we invite you to give us your opinion in order that we can collect data related to our responsiveness and adjust our work accordingly:

The Kentucky Department of Education wants your input on the agency’s customer service efforts. Please take a moment to complete an online survey, which may be accessed here. All responses will remain anonymous.

The survey will run through April 30. All responses will remain anonymous. Thanks for your help on this matter.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

Kids’ Chance of Kentucky scholarships (Attachments)

Kids’ Chance of Kentucky was created in October 2003 by a group of workers’ compensation professionals whose purpose is to provide educational scholarships to the children of Kentucky workers who have been seriously, catastrophically or fatally injured in a work-related accident.

The scholarships are significant ($3,000 per year) and renewable. The application deadline is April 15.

See the attached brochure and application for more details. Additional information is available at www.kidschanceky.org.

Middle School Photography Contest for Earth Day 2012

The deadline for the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s (EEC) second-annual “Capture the Earth” middle school digital photography contest is fast approaching. The contest is open to all Kentucky students in grades 6-8.

This year’s competition centers on the state’s 2012 Earth Day theme of “Celebrating Kentucky’s Forests,” in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the Kentucky Division of Forestry.

Students should include a brief paragraph explaining the photo and how it represents Kentucky’s Earth Day theme of “Celebrating Kentucky’s Forests.” Judges will look for originality, creativity and photo composition.

EEC will accept entries until 4:30 p.m. ET on April 9. The winner will receive two nights’ lodging at any Kentucky State Resort Park with his or her family. Middle school students may e-mail one photograph as an attachment to Kidsphotocontest@ky.gov. Official contest rules are available at http://eec.ky.gov/Pages/earthday.aspx.

For more information, call Ricki Gardenhire at (502) 564-5525 or e-mail Ricki.gardenhire@ky.gov.

Aspire Local High School Impact Initiative

The 2012 AT&T Aspire Local High School Impact Initiative is accepting proposals from currently operating high school retention programs consisting of elements aligned to the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Dropout Prevention Practice Guide. AT&T is looking to support organizations that are delivering results that reduce the dropout rate in their communities and are ready to expand their services or strengthen successful programs.

Under the initiative, payments ranging from $100,000 to $300,000 for 24 months are available for local programs that emphasize:

providing service to high school students at risk of dropping out of school supporting ninth graders or students in transition from 8th to 9th grade intervening quickly with targeted services to help these students reengage increasing students’ chances of earning a high school diploma preparing students for college and/or a career providing substantial data to demonstrate positive outcomes

The RFP deadline is April 27. Visit http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=22593 for more information.

KSBA’s 6^th Annual Federal & State Law Update: Impact on Your School District Conference – May 10 & 11, 2012 (Marriott Griffin Gate Resort, Lexington)

Mark your calendars for KSBA’s upcoming Annual Federal & State Law Update: Impact on Your School District Conference. Experienced school law attorneys have a wealth of crucial information to share with you about changes in Federal and state law that must be implemented in your school district next school year.

KSBA’s Policy Service will also present a look at the policy and procedure changes recommended for your district based on legal developments that have occurred during the past year.

This is your opportunity to get the information you need to appropriately implement legal and policy changes within your district for next school year. In order to address liability concerns from situations around the country, other topics to be presented include: volunteer issues; financial pitfalls; child abuse reporting, and a restraint/seclusion update.

Don’t miss this timely opportunity to hear from experienced school law attorneys, school district policy consultants, KSBA’s legislative team, current and former superintendents and principals, and the Cabinet for Families and Children on these timely issues! It is important that school district administrators keep abreast of changes in the law in order to protect themselves and school districts from liability.

Registration is available on our website at: http://www.ksba.org/protected/EventView.aspx?id=7GBPP3U2.

Or, contact Jolene Shearer by phone at 502-783-0060 or by e-mail at jolene.shearer@ksba.org

Monday Superintendent Email 32612

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:41:22 GMT

The Monday E-mail contains information about the following KDE related items:

- Revised Title II, Part A Allocations Posted

- The U.S. Congress Appropriates Additional SY 2011-12 Title I, Part A Funding to States – Note deadline for ranking report

- Education Jobs Fund GEPA Assurances (Attachment)

- ARRA Jobs Reporting Reminder – Report due on job estimates relative to ARRA grants; Due date for submission, Friday, April 6, 2012 (Attachments)

- The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to Host its Next TweetFEST – Tuesday, March 27

- Action for Healthy Kids Grant Information (AFHK)

- Democracy Class materials available (Attachment)
- Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Kentucky Junior Historical Society

- AATE 25th National Conference set for Lexington

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

KDE Information

Revised Title II, Part A Allocations Posted

The U.S. Congress has appropriated additional 2011-2012 Title II, Part A funding to states. As a result, Kentucky received an increase in its state allocation and must reallocate funding to districts.

Under direction from the U.S. Department of Education, the Division of Next-Generation Professionals is required to collect revised 2011-2012 Teacher Quality Program budgets from each district.

For your convenience, the revised allocations have been entered into the File Maker Pro system where the budgets are located. The district’s Title II, Part A coordinator, in collaboration with the district’s finance officer, must allocate the additional funds accordingly to reach an ending balance of zero on the Teacher Quality Program budget. Password reminders will be sent via e-mail to each district coordinator so that duplicate reports are not created in the system.

Award notifications will no longer be mailed to your central office from the Division of Budgets and Financial Management. You may obtain your revised award notification at

http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Finance+and+Funding/Budgets/Grant+Award+Notifications.htm.

U.S. Congress Appropriates Additional SY 2011-12 Title I, Part A Funding to States

The U.S. Congress has appropriated additional SY2011-12 Title I, Part A funding to states. As a result, Kentucky received an increase in its state allocation and must reallocate funding to districts. Under direction from the U.S. Department of Education, the Division of Consolidated Plans and Audits is required to collect revised 2011-12 Ranking Reports from each district. You will find revised award notifications for Title I, Part A (project 3102) to use for this process at the following web address: http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Finance+and+Funding/Budgets/Grant+Award+Notifications.htm. Award notifications will no longer be mailed to your central office from the KDE Budgets office.

As a recommendation to make this revision as easy as possible, districts that have been reallocated small excess amounts (i.e., $50,000 or less) may want to consider placing any additional allocation in a district-level set-aside. For those districts that have been reallocated larger excess amounts (i.e., $50,000 or more), it may be advisable to reallocate some excess to district level set-asides and some to Title I, Part A schools. In both cases, districts must comply with supplement not supplant requirements, must maintain required set-aside amounts, and revisions must not circumvent the rank ordering of schools.

Please submit via e-mail your Ranking Report revisions to your Title I, Part A consultant no later than April 13, 2012. Districts formerly serviced by Dawn Offutt can send revisions to David Millanti. Districts formerly serviced by Andrea Carter can send revisions to Judith Littleton. In addition to the revised report, include in the body of the email a brief description of the revisions made. Please remember that any revisions made to the Ranking Report must be reflected in MUNIS under project 3102 and revisions will need to be made to CDIP expenditure reports.

Please contact your Title I, Part A consultant via e-mail or at 502-564-3791 if you have any questions.

Education Jobs Fund GEPA Assurances (Attachment)

Email to: vickie.terry@education.ky.gov

Fax to: Vickie Terry at (502) 564-6771

Mail to: Vickie Terry

    Kentucky Department of Education
    500 Mero Street - 16th Floor CPT
    Frankfort, KY 40601

ARRA Jobs Reporting Reminder – Report due on job estimates relative to ARRA grants; Due date for submission, Friday, April 6, 2012 (Attachments)

The ARRA Jobs Estimate report is available through the web application at http://apps.kde.state.ky.us/login/ and will open on March 26, 2012. The December 2009 OMB ARRA Jobs Guidance from the federal government and the ARRA Jobs Web Application instructions are also attached. The report is a requirement of receipt of ARRA funds.

Each district must complete a report for jobs created/retained relative to each ARRA grant received from KDE. Each district will be reporting for the quarter of January 2012-March 2012. The formula for calculating jobs created/retained is:

Total number of quarter hours worked in jobs funded with ARRA funds = Number of FTEs for quarter
Total quarter hours in a full-time schedule

MUNIS project numbers 5600A and 5600B should be reported under MUNIS project number 5600.

Also, if the district has made a single purchase of $25,000 or more, please complete the 1512 Vendor Reporting spreadsheet (attached) and email to arrajobs@education.ky.gov by the reporting deadline.

The reports must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. (EST) on Friday, April 6, 2012. Any reports not completed by this time will result in withholding of ARRA funds until the reports are completed. All reports must have a sign-off. For grants that the district did not receive or funds that have not been expended, please sign-off on the blank report.

Questions may be directed to the following:

· Web application: ketsservicedesk@education.ky.gov or 502-564-2002

· ARRA jobs reporting: arrajobs@education.ky.gov or call Thelma Hawkins at 502-564-1979

Future ARRA Job Estimates reporting due dates are:

April 2012-June 2012 Due: July 6, 2012

July 2012-September 2012 Due: October 5, 2012

October 2012-December 2012 Due: January 7, 2013

January 2013-March 2013 Due: April 5, 2013

April 2013-June 2013 Due: July 5, 2013

July 2013-September 2013 Due: October 7, 2013

October 2013-December 2013 Due: January 6, 2014

Note: Dates are subject to change based on information from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to Host its Next TweetFEST – Tuesday, March 27

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will host its next TweetFEST Tuesday, March 27 inviting teachers and administrators to share resources they’re using to teach the new Kentucky Core Academic Standards (KCAS) during the 2011-12 school year.

KDE encourages teachers and administrators who use Twitter to tweet links to resources they are using to implement the KCAS in the classroom at any time on March 27 and add the #teachkcas hashtag to each tweet. KDE also will retweet these resources on its Twitter timeline (@KyDeptofEd) on March 27 to share the resources with KDE’s Twitter followers. Go to www.twitter.com/kydeptofed to follow KDE on Twitter.

Not a Twitter user? You can sign up for a free account at www.twitter.com. School districts and individual schools who have a Twitter account also are welcome to tweet resources during the TweetFEST.

KDE uses the KDE Twitter feed to share information and converse with the education community and the residents of Kentucky. If you have a question about the TweetFEST, please contact Stephanie Siria via email at stephanie.siria@education.ky.gov.

Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

Action for Healthy Kids Grant Information (AFHK)

Action for Healthy Kids recently opened the application process for their 2012-13 School Grants for Healthy Kids opportunity. This nationwide funding program is offering schools between $1000 to $5000 each to implement sustainable projects that address one or more of the following nutrition-related areas:

School breakfast program creation and/or expansion - to include alternative breakfast programs (i.e., breakfast in the classroom, grab and go breakfast, breakfast after 1st period, breakfast on the school bus) and universal breakfast programs. IMPACT: Schools must realize an increase in daily ADP of school breakfast program by 25% and must provide information to students/parents on nutrition and caloric content of foods available; Summer feeding program creation and/or expansion - assisting support and funding to already existing summer meal program sites, or creating new sites based on community need; Providing healthier foods in competitive food venues like vending machines, a la carte lines, school fundraiser activities, classroom activities, rewards, and extra-curricular vending (school sports) activities. IMPACT: Schools must realize a positive shift in implementing school policy in these areas; Proving access to healthy foods through food taste testing, nutrition education lessons, and food curriculum enhancements. IMPACT: Schools must implement at least one taste test opportunity for the entire student population, implement nutrition education lessons, and must provide information to students/parents on nutrition and caloric content of foods available.

AFHK is planning to fund at least twenty (20) Kentucky schools through this opportunity who meet the following eligibility requirements:

A Free/Reduced Meal Rate of 50% or greater (The individual school must meet this requirement not necessarily the school district as a whole) Participation in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs through the USDA

Here is a link to more information about the grant opportunity including the application:

http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/upcoming-events/grant-opportunities/school-grants-for-healthy.html

The application deadline is May 5^th. For assistance with questions related to the application, or any other questions, please contact John H. Cain, Kentucky State Coordinator for Ky AFHK at jcain@actionforhealthykids.org or by telephone at (606) 216-6302.

Democracy Class materials available (Attachment)

Democracy Day (March 23) marks the 41st anniversary of the passage of the 26th Amendment, which guarantees the right to vote to 18-year-olds.

To commemorate this historic action, Rock the Vote provides to high school teachers a free Democracy Class lesson plan and toolkit, which uses popular culture, music, media, class discussion and a mock election to encourage students to become involved in the democratic process.

As Kentucky’s chief election official and chief advocate for civic education, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes encourages teachers to help motivate young Kentuckians to participate in elections when they become eligible.

Grimes asks that principals distribute the attached letter, which contains more information about the Democracy Class materials, to 11th- and 12th-grade teachers in your schools.

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Kentucky Junior Historical Society

The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) is seeking teachers to serve as judges for the Kentucky History Day contest on April 28, where they will see first-hand the impressive work that Kentucky's students have done over the year. Judges will help determine who will represent the commonwealth at the national contest this summer.

The Kentucky Junior Historical Society (KJHS) is a youth program that runs throughout the school year in which participants explore the commonwealth's history through service-learning and research projects, field trips to historic sites and academic contests.

The year is capped off by an annual meeting and state History Day contest in April, the winners of which compete in the national contest in College Park, Md., each June.

Even if you are not currently involved with KJHS or are not a history teacher, you can still be a judge at Kentucky History Day.

The deadline to apply is April 5. For more information, contact Cheryl Caskey, Student Programs coordinator, at cheryl.caskey@ky.gov or (502) 564-1792, ext. 4461.

AATE 25th National Conference set for Lexington

The American Alliance of Theatre Education (AATE) will hold its 25th National Conference in Lexington August 8-12. This year’s theme is Looking Back and Charging Ahead in Theatre and Education. The preconference will focus on AATE’s national project Dramatic Change: an Anti-Bullying Initiative.

Conference events will include:

· a panel discussion of the history and future vision of AATE

· an update on the national arts standards work

· the impact of theatre education in the U.S.

· a discussion on innovation, technology and storytelling

· many breakout sessions

Paid workshops will focus on:

· Developing Artistry: Puppet Building

· Playwriting/Beat Poetry

· Ethnographic Based Theatre

· Storytelling

A youth arts showcase will feature performing arts groups from throughout Central Kentucky.

For more information, go the AATE website at http://aate.site-ym.com/.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 31912

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:13:58 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 3/19/12

The Monday E-mail contains information about the following KDE related items:

- Further Guidance for ESEA Waiver Flexibility on Transferability of funds and 21^st Century Community Learning Center Funds (Attachment)

- Kentucky’s Persistence to Graduation Tool (PtGT)(Attachment)

- Message regarding Educational Enhancement Opportunity (EHO) Days

- Preparing a Global Workforce Event

- USED launches new tool for FAFSA completion

- The Governor’s Office of Early Childhood to Re-energize Community Early Child Councils (CECCS)
- March is Arts Month

- Reel Generation Film Festival Annouces Kentucky’s Second Annual Film Festival

- 3M Cogent offers eGAPS for state and federal fingerprinting (Attachment)

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Further Guidance for ESEA Waiver Flexibility on Transferability of funds and 21^st Century Community Learning Center Funds (Attachment)

The following clarification has been issued by the United States Department of Education in regard to the ESEA waiver flexibility (Also see attached FAQ document):

· Transferability of Funds

LEAs may transfer up to 100% of program funds between one of two programs (Title II-A Improving Teaching Quality or Title II-D Education Technology) and into Title I, Part A. Funds are prohibited from being transferred out of Title I, Part A. Any funds transferred must adhere to the statutory requirements of the program. LEAs cannot transfer 21^st Century funds.

As a reminder, LEAs must comply with equitable/services for non-public/private schools:

§ LEAs must provide equitable services to private schools before transferring any funds

§ Transfer funds will not be calculated as part of the base for set-asides

§ Services are to be provided to non-publics but no funds

§ Non-public school formula is unchanged

· ESEA flexibility for 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) funds

ESEA flexibility would not affect current 21st CCLC subgrantees. Rather, this flexibility would take effect for local competitions conducted after an SEA receives ESEA flexibility. Thus, when KDE runs its next 21st CCLC competition following the receipt of ESEA flexibility, it may solicit applications from eligible entities to provide activities that support high-quality expanded learning time in addition to activities conducted during non-school hours or periods when school is not in session. Therefore all current 21^st CCLC grantees will not be affected by the flexible wavier and should continue to provide services and programs as highlighted in the grant application that was submitted and awarded.

The flexibility allows for use of funds for providing activities that support high-quality expanded learning time. Expanded learning time is the time that an LEA or school extends its normal school day, week, or year to provide additional instruction or educational programs for all students beyond the State-mandated requirements for the minimum number of hours in a school day, days in a school week, or days or weeks in a school year.

Kentucky’s Persistence to Graduation Tool (PtGT) (Attachment)

To support schools in meeting the mandates of 2009’s Senate Bill 1 and the Commonwealth Commitment to College and Career Readiness, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has developed the Persistence to Graduation Tool (PtGT, or Dropout Early Warning Report). The PtGT is an early warning indicator system for identifying students who may be “off track” for graduation and is imbedded in the Kentucky Student Information System (KSIS), Infinite Campus.

The PtGT provides critical student-level data to identify specific students in need of additional intervention/ support. Student-level data are collected and weighted for the following areas: number of days absent; grades retained; credit earned; credits attempted; migrant; LEP; homeless; gender; age; age equivalent; truancy; behavior; suspensions; expulsions; and eventually academic data about grades and assessment performance. The report provides a complete list of students based on the weighting of indicators and the filtering functionality built into the tool.

The tool was piloted in Barbourville Ind., Paducah Ind. and Russell Ind. in the summer of 2011 to gather feedback before the actual launch. KDE launched this report to all districts in July 2011. District staffs have received instructions on how to navigate and utilize the tool and reports for their districts, including training in the Infinite Campus BOY (beginning of year) training sessions in July and the creation of live webinars that have been archived.

A WebEx on Using the New Persistence to Graduation Tool (PtGT) was conducted on August 3, 2011, and is available at the link below. (A PDF version of a PowerPoint presentation also is attached to this newsletter.)

http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Curriculum+Documents+and+Resources/KDE+-+Webex+Information+and+Resources.htm

The Persistence to Graduation Tool (PtGT) and the Persistence to Graduation – Evidence-Based Strategies Toolkit are part of the Persistence to Graduation Strategy in KDE’s College- and Career-Readiness Delivery Plan. For more information on KDE’s plan, click here.

The Persistence to Graduation Toolkit is designed to help schools/districts implement successful strategies and interventions to keep students in school and moving toward graduation. The toolkit was designed using data generated through the Persistence to Graduation Tool (PtGT), provide critical student-level data to help district and school leadership identify specific students in need of additional intervention/support. Access the toolkit here.

Message regarding Educational Enhancement Opportunity (EHO) Days

As we near the end of the school year, I would like to remind everyone about the intended use of education enhancement opportunity (coded EHO in Infinite Campus) days. In the past, it has come to our attention that in some areas, principals have been approving an unusually large number of requests for students to take EHO days.

EHO days, authorized by KRS 159.035, allow principals to grant students an excused absence to pursue an extraordinary educational opportunity. The expectation is that the activity for which the excuse was granted would provide a high-quality, educationally relevant experience that supports the student’s in-school program.

In order for a principal to approve an EHO day, the principal must determine that the activity has significant educational value. Examples that are provided in the statute are participation in educational foreign exchange programs, or in intensive instructional, experiential or performance programs in English, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts, and foreign language.

While we know that in the past, many principals may not have been aware of the intent of the statute, please be advised that approvals for a significant number of students to be absent on the same day, which also coincides with a local festival or celebration, may well be outside the intent of the EHO legislation.

Please be aware that both the request and approval of the EHO are to occur prior to the student’s absence. When the attendance review is conducted the required documentation will be examined to ensure that the request and approval were completed prior to the EHO day being recorded.

Should you have any questions, please contact Lauren Moore at lauren.moore@education.ky.gov .

Preparing a Global Workforce Event

There will be a convening for elementary, middle and high school administrators and business leaders from across South Central Kentucky on March 29, 2012, to co-construct a vision for a globally prepared workforce. This activity aligns to KDE's Delivery Plan for program reviews, including world language, and college- and career- readiness. The event, sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Education and the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce will take place from 8:00 – 11:00 a.m., at the Holiday Inn University Plaza, in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Presenters include a Washington, D.C. Cultural trainer and representatives from the Kentucky World Trade Center, Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Army, and the Georgia Department of Education.

Similar events will be held in Northern Kentucky on May 24th and in Eastern Kentucky at a date to be determined.

RSVP is required through the BG Chamber of Commerce or KDE at jacqueline.vanhouten@education.ky.gov.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

USED launches new tool for FAFSA completion

The U.S. Department of Education (USED) has released a new tool that will help high school counselors and school leaders by giving them a resource to monitor Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completions and better help students access higher education.

School officials can now track FAFSA submission and completion statistics at individual high schools on the FAFSA Completion website, which will help them ensure that their students are filling out the FAFSA and therefore are able to determine their eligibility for federal student aid – a key factor in families’ college decisions.

In addition to determining eligibility for federal student aid, which includes Pell grants, federal student loans and work study opportunities, many states, institutions and private organizations rely on the FAFSA to determine eligibility for non-federal sources of aid, so filing a FAFSA has become the gateway to accessing funds for college. Key studies have indicated that FAFSA completion correlates strongly with college enrollment, particularly among low-income populations.

Through the FAFSA Completion Tool, which will be updated every two weeks, educators will have reliable data to track FAFSA submission and completion and gauge their progress in increasing FAFSA completion. School officials can determine their school-wide FAFSA completion rate by comparing the number provided by the FAFSA Completion Tool with the number of seniors in their high school.

To access FAFSA submission and completion data for every high school, visit http://federalstudentaid.ed.gov/datacenter/fafsahs.html.

The Governor’s Office of Early Childhood to Re-energize Community Early Child Councils (CECCS)

The Governor’s Office of Early Childhood is working to re-engage and re-energize Community Early Child Councils (CECCs) throughout the Commonwealth. While we have funded some excellent Councils who are achieving amazing results, in some counties, past applications have not been funded and some Councils did not even apply in 2011. We believe that CECCs can be a powerful force for change in their communities, whether that community is a single county or a group of counties. You can mobilize your communities to help assure that every child gets the best possible start in life. And we will know that we have succeeded when every child in the Commonwealth arrives at kindergarten ready to succeed.

This year, we have shifted the timeline, broadened and simplified the application process, expanded the access to technical assistance, and reached out to organizations who should be working together to develop a community plan. We want every applicant to succeed. If you have been involved with a CECC in the past, please contact your partners and encourage them to come together to submit an application. If you should be a member but have not been involved, we encourage you to reach out to potential partners to learn what has been done in the past and bring the group together to apply for the next round.

These partners are encouraged to participate in KRS 200.707:

ü School Districts

ü Family Resource Centers

ü Head Start/ Early Head Start

ü Resource & Referral Agency

ü Early Intervention

ü Cooperative Extension

ü United Way/Success by 6

ü Child Care

ü Public Library

ü Regional Training Centers

ü Community Action Agency

ü Health care professionals/ health department

ü College or tech schools

ü Parents/Foster parents

ü Government

ü Early childhood advocates

ü Business community

If you want to get involved but are not sure how to get started, call Tonia Hickman 502-782-0200 for a local contact.

As of today, the request for application is available at CECC Request for Application

Technical assistance will be available in the following ways.

· April 11, 2012 – Technical Assistance Webinar at 11:00 a.m.

· Through May 1 – submission of written questions

· May 22 - 23, 2012 – CECC Annual Institute at General Butler State Resort Park

· One-on-one consultation with staff. Feel free to contact any of the following:

Elizabeth Whitehouse – elizabeth.whitehouse@ky.gov

Joe Roberts – joe.roberts@ky.gov

Albert Fox – albert.fox@ky.gov

Terry Tolan – terry.tolan@ky.gov

We look forward to working with you all to create better opportunities for all children to succeed.

March is Arts Month

A recent blog by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan focuses on the importance of arts in schools.

The arts are an important part of a well-rounded education for all students. All of the arts – dance, music, theatre and the visual arts – are essential to preparing our nation’s young people for a global economy fueled by innovation and creativity and for a social discourse that demands communication in images and sound as well as in text.

The importance of arts education is celebrated each year during March through Dance in the Schools Month, Music in Our Schools Month, Theatre in Our Schools Month, and Youth Art Month. Throughout the country, student presentations in local communities will showcase how the arts infuse creativity and innovation into learning. The month also presents an opportunity to acknowledge the arts specialists who help students reach high standards in the arts, while also serving their school communities as “chief creative officers” who collaborate with classroom teachers to integrate the arts with other core subjects.

Research shows that arts-rich schools – ones that provide opportunities for students to experience the arts in deep and meaningful ways and to make curricular connections with math, science, and the humanities – are more engaging for students. As we strive to increase high school graduation rates and ensure that all students are college and career-ready, we know that students who attend arts-rich schools are more likely to stay in school and go on to graduate from college.

Let’s use this month to not only celebrate arts learning, but to also determine the health of our K-12 arts education programs. Where they need strengthening – and especially where they don’t currently exist – now is the time to make the arts a vital part of a complete education for all students.

Reel Generation Film Festival Annouces Kentucky’s Second Annual Film Festival

The Reel Generation Film Festival, is announcing Kentucky’s second annual film festival that showcases the talents of high school aged students who are making short films and short documentaries. It is the only film festival that provides these film opportunities to any high school student in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. In addition, the Reel Generation Film Festival has been endorsed by the Kentucky Film Office, which is “responsible for marketing the state [of Kentucky] to the film, television, and advertising industries.”

A group of citizens in our city of Glasgow, Kentucky envisioned such an opportunity and felt that the town’s beloved Plaza Theatre would make an ideal venue for the event. As you may know, Glasgow is located in South Central Kentucky in the county of Barren with a population of roughly 15,000 residents. The city is well-known for the Annual Glasgow Highland Games, celebrating Scottish heritage and, in 2007, The Progressive Farmer Magazine named Barren County the #1 rural county in America.

The festival will be held July 14^th, 2012 at the Plaza Theatre, and will be open to the public for viewing. Jerry Ralston, a retired Superintendent of a Kentucky county school district, is asking each of you to help assist students in your school district or area participate and receive recognition for their talents on the big screen, as well as a chance to walk down our small town’s red carpet. Cash prizes and other awards will be offered.

For more information about the Reel Generation Film Festival, including how to enter, fees, rules, etc., visit www.reelgenerationfestival.com or e-mail reelgenerationfestival@gmail.com

3M Cogent offers eGAPS for state and federal fingerprinting (Attachment)

3M Cogent, a world-wide provider of electronic fingerprint services and technology, introduces the eGAPS service. The eGAPS service provides a quicker, easier way to complete selected state, federal and corporate fingerprint-based background checks.

See the attached brochure for more details.

Monday Superintendents Email 31212

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:33:33 GMT

Monday Superintendents E-mail – 3/12/12

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

· Questions and Answers from the March 6, 2012 Superintendents’ Webcast (Attachment)

· How to Participate in the FEMA Public Assistance Program for School Districts Affected by the Recent Tornadoes

· Important Information on Guidelines for Safety During Post Storm Clean-up from Department of Public Health

· New Resources Available to Explain Unbridled Learning Accountability Model

· Working Budgets Approved

· Kentucky Green Ribbon School Award Winners

· Title III Data Collection and Reporting

· Migrant Education Programs Regional Service Centers RFA posted to KDE website

· Next Generation Academies for Arts Integration

- Survey request for performing arts education

- Reminder – deadline for Eco-Art Contest is March 14

- Smithsonian Shout webinar series

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Questions and Answers from the March 6, 2012 Superintendents’ Webcast (Attachment)

Attached are the Question and Answers from the March 6, 2012 Superintendents’ Webcast.

If you have not had an opportunity to view the webcast, the link is inserted below for easy access.

Video stream mms://video1.education.ky.gov/Super_3-6-2012

Should you have any questions, please contact Mary Ann Miller at MaryAnn.Miller@education.ky.gov.

How to Participate in the FEMA Public Assistance Program for School Districts Affected by the Recent Tornadoes

We have been asked to forward the information below from Kentucky Emergency Management on how to participate in the FEMA Public Assistance Program for schools/districts that were impacted by the recent tornadoes occurring between Feb. 29 through March 3. After reading the message, if you have specific questions, contact Jessica Mitchell at Kentucky Emergency Management by e-mail at jessica.a.jones3@us.army.mil or call her at (502) 607-5762.

We hope this is helpful, and if you need assistance from KDE, please don’t hesitate to e-mail or call.

Message from Kentucky Emergency Management

I want to make sure that all of the Local School District and Boards of Education have the opportunity to participate in the Public Assistance Program if they were impacted by the recent tornadoes beginning February 29 and continuing through March 3, 2012.

Due to the recent severe weather the Commonwealth has received, FEMA has arrived and is verifying damages to infrastructure in each county. If the Local School Districts and Boards of Educations have received damages as a result of the severe weather, they may be eligible for the FEMA Public Assistance Program.

Under the Public Assistance (PA) Program, which is authorized by the Stafford Act, FEMA awards grants to assist state and local governments along with certain private non-profit entities with the response and recovery from disasters. The PA Program provides assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and permanent restoration of infrastructure. The federal share of these expenses are typically not less than 75% of eligible costs. The PA Program encourages protection from future damages by providing assistance for 404 Hazard Mitigation Measures during the recovery process.

Please have the Local School Districts and Boards of Education document all damages incurred by the recent inclement weather. This can be accomplished by good record keeping, taking photographs and keeping all documentation of work related to the recent weather. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jessica Mitchell at Jessica.a.Jones3@us.army.mil.

ALL damages need to be reported to Jessica.a.Jones3@us.army.mil asap.

Jessica Mitchell

Public Assistance Officer

Kentucky Emergency Management

Recovery Branch

100 Airport Road, 3rd Floor

Frankfort, KY 40601

jessica.a.jones3@us.army.mil

Phone: 502-607-5762

Fax: 502-607-5740

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Caveats: FOUO

Important Information on Guidelines for Safety During Post Storm Clean-up from Department of Public Health

The Kentucky Department for Public Health is reminding Kentuckians about guidelines for safety during post-storm clean-up regarding tetanus, mold cleanup and food safety after the recent severe storms and tornadoes that caused widespread damage, injuries and loss of life. See the information found below to assist with these important issues and distribute it to your constituencies as needed. Any questions on this information can be directed to Barbara Fox by e-mailing her at BarbaraJ.Fox@ky.gov or calling her at (502) 564-6786, ext. 3102.

Tetanus:
· Avoid contact with flood waters. Flood waters are unclean and can be a risk for tetanus for those who have open wounds that come into direct contact with them. Contact your regular health care provider or your local health department if you believe you may need a tetanus shot.

Mold Cleanup:
· Mold may be present in homes that were flooded. An air conditioner or dehumidifier may be used to lower the level of humidity to prevent mold growth. Use exhaust fans when showering and cooking.
· When cleaning up small areas affected by mold, make sure the area has enough air by opening doors or windows. Use protective glasses or goggles, rubber boots and waterproof gloves. Wash clothing afterwards. If there is heavy mold growth, use a respirator or suitable mask to prevent breathing the mold.
· Remove all wet items that have been wet for more than 48 hours and are not able to be cleaned and dried.
· If mold is growing in your home, you will need to clean up the mold and fix the moisture problem. Mold growth can be removed from hard surfaces with commercial products, soap and water, or a bleach solution of no more than 1 cup of bleach in 1 gallon of water. Severe mold cases may require an expert to clean up.

Food Safety:
· If you have power outages keep freezers closed to help keep frozen food from going bad. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours and for 24 hours if the freezer is half full.
· Refrigerated foods should be safe as long as power is out for no more than four hours. Throw away any perishable food in your refrigerator, such as meat, poultry, lunchmeats, fish, dairy products, eggs and any prepared or cooked foods that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours. Fresh fruits and vegetables are safe as long as they are still firm and have no mold or slimy feel. To remove spills and refresh the freezer and refrigerator, DPH recommends washing with a solution of 2 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of warm water. To get rid of any odors, place an open box or dish of baking soda in the freezer or refrigerator.

For the Spanish translation of these guidelines, visit Kentucky Health Alerts at: http://healthalerts.ky.gov/Pages/FloodSafety.aspx.

Cold winter temperatures can make staying warm and safe a challenge, especially during long-term power outages. DPH strongly encourages residents to be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning when using alternative heating sources such as portable generators and kerosene heaters. Kentuckians should also be aware that exposure to cold temperatures (whether indoors or outside) can also cause life-threatening health problems such as hypothermia, which occurs when the body's temperature drops below what is necessary for normal body functioning. For more information about cold weather risks, visit http://healthalerts.ky.gov/Pages/WinterSafety.aspx.

New Resources Available to Explain Unbridled Learning Accountability Model

To assist schools and districts in explaining the Unbridled Learning Accountability Model, KDE staff developed a one-page overview that can be found by clicking here. Feel free to share this with your staff. Additionally, parent brochures on the new system have been developed by our communications staff. The brochure on school accountability can be found by clicking here, and the one on testing can be found by clicking here. Again, please use these to assist with the parent communication in your schools and district.

Working Budgets Approved

The Kentucky Board of Education approved all school district Working Budgets for FY2011-12 at the February board meeting. All Working Budgets contained general fund contingency amount of at least 2%.

If you have any questions about the Working Budgets, please contact Kay Kennedy, kay.kennedy@education.ky.gov .

Title III Data Collection and Reporting

Title III data collection and reporting process changes and updates begin with the 2011-12 school year. In the Fast Five on Friday (September 23, 2011), superintendents were informed about changes in the data collection process in Infinite Campus (IC) for Limited English Proficient/English Learners (LEP/ELs). Children identified as LEP/EL have an impact on a district’s eligibility for federal funds for those students as well as affecting the SEEK formula. The definition for what makes a student count as an LEP/EL student changed this year due to a federal audit KDE had in 2009. The audit reviewed the criteria that KDE was using to identify students as LEP/EL. The audit recommendations included requiring districts to identify the type of program in which a student participates to address LEP/EL needs; otherwise, the student does not meet the criteria to be considered LEP/EL.

The District LEP extract has been updated and is now available for districts to use in verifying their LEP/EL data. The timeline for collecting Immigrant and LEP/EL data is as follows:

May 1 – Districts begin running the LEP extract and Immigrant Ad Hoc report and cleaning up and verifying data. May 1- 31 – District data verification and clean up window available. May 31 – District data verification and clean up window closes. June 1 – KDE pulls FINAL LEP and immigrant data from Infinite Campus State Edition. This data will be used for federal reporting and for district funding calculations.

In order to understand the change in requirements and to prepare for this year’s data collection, KDE is providing the following assistance to districts to help verify their Immigrant and LEP/EL student count:

points of contact for assistance with the data collection and process recorded WebEx training for all district personnel who are responsible for LEP/EL and immigrant data entry updated Immigrant and LEP Infinite Campus Data Standards recorded WebEx training for generating the District LEP extract

Resources can be found on the KDE website at:

http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+Resources/English+Learners/Title+III+Data+Collection+and+Reporting+Immigrant+and+LEP%28EL%29.htm

For questions about assistance with the Title III program data collection and verification process, please contact Shelda Hayle at Shelda.Hale@education.ky.gov or Jayne Kraemer Jayne.Kraemer@education.ky.gov or phone at (502) 564-4970.

Kentucky Green Ribbon School Award Winners

The Kentucky Department of Education, along with our Green partners, is pleased to announce three outstanding Kentucky schools as recipients of the first Kentucky Green Ribbon School Award. These schools are the nominees for the 2012 National Green Ribbon School Award, which will be announced on April 23.

The three winning schools, listed by school district, are:

Fayette County – Rosa Parks Elementary

Scott County – Georgetown Middle

Warren County – Richardsville Elementary

KDE also would like to acknowledge the other Kentucky Green Ribbon School applicants for their accomplishments: Christian County’s Lacy Elementary and Kenton County’s Turkey Foot Middle. Representatives from all five schools will be invited to a recognition ceremony in April.

This award is the first comprehensive recognition of exemplary achievement in environmental impact, health and education. It recognizes schools where staff, students, officials and communities have worked together to produce energy efficient, sustainable and healthy school environments and to ensure the sustainability and environmental literacy of graduates.

Applications were evaluated in March by a team of representatives from Kentucky agencies and programs dedicated to greener schools. Applications included information based on high achievements or demonstrated improvements in three areas:

1. net zero environmental impact

2. net positive impact on health of students and staff

3. 100% of high school graduates environmentally and sustainability literate

If you have questions, please contact Paige Patterson-Grant at Paige.Patterson@education.ky.gov or (502) 564-5279, ext. 4402.

Migrant Education Programs Regional Service Centers RFA posted to KDE website

As authorized under Title I, Part C of the No Child Left Behind Act, the Kentucky Department of Education’s Office of District 180 is issuing a Request for Application (RFA) from local educational agencies, educational cooperatives and public universities/colleges to develop and implement programs that facilitate educational and support services for identified migrant children and their families.

The application deadline is Thursday, April 5 at 4 p.m. (EDT).

Next Generation Academies for Arts Integration

KDE has partnered with the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts since 2000 to provide Arts Academies. This year, the partnership continues with two Next Generation Academies (NGA):

NGA for Integration of the Arts and World Languages (Spanish, Chinese and NEW this year – French) NGA for Integration of the Arts and Emergent & Early Literacy (NEW this year – for teachers PreK – 3)

Both academies will take place in Richmond on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University on June 18-22. The full announcement and application form can be found at http://www.kentuckycenter.org/education/academies.

For further information, please contact Jeffrey Jamner at jjamner@kentuckycenter.org or (502) 562-0703.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

Survey request for performing arts education

Richard Dodson, assistant professor at Murray State University, is conducting research on the effect No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has had on performing arts education in Kentucky schools since its enactment in January 2002. The study also will focus on what Kentucky performing arts educators believe will happen for their programs as a result of Kentucky’s recent waiver from NCLB. In this study, performing arts are defined as dance, music, theatre, visual arts and playwriting programs.

Educators from every Kentucky school that has one or more of these programs, whether private, magnet or public, are invited to participate. A survey may be accessed at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZJB2GKX. The survey will be available through April 1. It should take only about 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

Participation is voluntary, and all responses on this survey will be anonymous.

Reminder – deadline for Eco-Art Contest is March 14

The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (DEP) is soliciting nominations for the 2011–12 Eco-Art Contest, formerly known as the Green Art Contest. Multiple awards will be presented to eligible Kentucky high school students who create art using the contest themes or categories of conservation, pollution prevention and environmental protection. Students may submit artwork using the media types of drawing/painting/print, mixed media, sculpture and photographs, with one winner for each submitted art type within each category.

Contest nominations are being accepted until close of business March 14. All nominations must be sent to envhelp@ky.gov. A digital picture of each artwork nomination must accompany each form submitted. Eligible students include all students enrolled in Kentucky public and private high schools for the 2011-12 academic year. Winners will be notified during Earth Week in April 2012, and winning entries will be displayed in the DEP Training Center at 300 Fair Oaks Lane, Frankfort.

For more information about the Eco-Art contest and to access a nomination form, visit http://dca.ky.gov/LGGS/Pages/ecoart.aspx or call the Division of Compliance Assistance toll-free at (800) 926-8111.

Smithsonian Shout webinar series

The Smithsonian's Shout webinar series, which offers K-12 and higher-ed educators multi-dimensional resources to expand their environmental curriculum, features more than 20 sessions led by Smithsonian experts from both the arts and sciences, giving participants a global view of the issues associated with our most critical natural resource: water.

During the sessions, participants will have the opportunity to interact with Smithsonian experts and webinar participants. In addition, the Smithsonian offers comprehensive teacher lesson-planning materials and hands-on activities, including a new badging program to reward student participation.

The series kicked in February with "Water Questions: When We Want to Learn More," and sessions are archived on http://www.smithsonianconference.org/shout/schedule/. The next sessions will be held March 26-27 and May 16-17. Teacher preview sessions are also scheduled to review the resources available through the Smithsonian. The webinars are open to anyone interested in environmental issues, and teachers may participate on their own or with their classes.

To register and receive connection instructions, visit www.smithsonianconference.org/shout/program-2012/.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 3512

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:53:48 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 3/5/12

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

- Severe weather damage

- Final FY 12 District Award Notifications and Title III Application for LEP and/or Immigrant Funding

- Alternate K-PREP assessment

- Survey request for CTE

- Trooper Island Scholarships

- Kentucky Literacy Celebration Week – March 5-9

- KSBA seeks policy consultant

- ACT TESTING AND SEVERE WEATHER (Attachment)

- SCHEDULED STATEWIDE TORNADO SAFETY DRILL CANCELLED

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Severe weather damage

This weekend’s spate of tornado activity hit several areas of Kentucky very hard, and my thoughts and sympathy go out to all that were affected. Many people lost everything. Their homes were destroyed, and their belongings are scattered.

I encourage you to consider donating to help those affected through the Red Cross. If you text REDCROSS to 90999, you can make a $10 donation. You also can visit www.redcross.org, call (800) 733-2767 or send contributions to your local Red Cross chapter.

The Kentucky Department of Education is working with impacted districts to address attendance, facilities, technology and personnel issues. If your district needs assistance, please contact me at terry.holliday@education.ky.gov.

Final FY 12 District Award Notifications and Title III Application for LEP and/or Immigrant Funding

Title III LEP/Immigrant district award notification may be downloaded from the following link: http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Finance+and+Funding/Budgets/Grant+Award+Notifications.htm.

To access your award notification, click on the link, and then click on Federal Grant Awards Notifications. Open the LEP Final Award Notification file to find your district notice. Highlight the award document page for your district and print using the “current page” option to print only your district award. Next print the Application and Budget Sheet for Title III also available at the link listed above. Districts receiving Immigrant funding print the Application and Budget Sheet for Title III Immigrant as well.

As the final step in this Funding Allocation Process, districts must now complete their Title III Application and Budget and return them to KDE according to the instructions on the application no later than March 16, 2012. More detailed information including, a document outlining the essential elements of a local district Plan for Title III and a sample Title III Local District Plan are available at http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+Resources/English+Learners/District+Plan+and+Assurances.htm.

Any questions can be directed to Shelda Hale or Jayne Kraemer at (502) 564-4970 or Judy Howard at (502) 564-1979.

Alternate K-PREP assessment

Approximately one percent of the overall student population participates in the Alternate K-PREP (formerly Kentucky Alternate Assessment Program) as part of the Kentucky accountability model, and that population will be calculated into all the new accountability measures, including college/career readiness.

Initially, benchmarks from a student’s Transition Attainment Record (TAR) will be used for the college/career measure in grades 8, 10 and 11. The KDE Office of Assessment and Accountability and the Office of Career and Technical Education are working collaboratively to create an alternative career-ready measure for students who participate in the Alternate K-PREP and will take into consideration various career preparation programs. Districts will be notified as soon as an alternative career-ready measure has been established.

For more information, contact Dale Winkler at harryd.winkler@ky.gov.

Survey request for CTE

The Kentucky Department of Education, the Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE) and two postsecondary entities are participating in the National Programs of Study Institute coordinated by the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education. The institute is intended to support states in improving the quality of career and technical education instruction provided to secondary and postsecondary students.

As a means of gathering data for Kentucky, Debbie Seider in OCTE has sent a survey request to all middle and high school counselors. Please encourage your counselors to complete the survey; it should take no more than 15-20 minutes. Here is the link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/S6GJ53V

For more information, please contact Debbie at debbie.seider@ky.gov.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

Trooper Island Scholarships

The Kentucky State Police is now accepting applications from Kentucky high school seniors who are interested in qualifying for $1,000 scholarships that can be used for education expenses beginning in the fall of 2012. To be considered, students must complete and submit all application materials, which are available on the KSP website at www.kentuckystatepolice.org, by April 1.

This is the second year that KSP has offered this financial aid. In 2011, Amber Nicole Turner of Barren County High and Devon Wharton of Trigg County High each received $1,000 scholarships. Both registered to attend Western Kentucky University.

Trooper Island is a free summer camp for underprivileged boys and girls age 10-12 operated by the Kentucky State Police on Dale Hollow Lake in Clinton County. It is financed entirely by donations; no public funds are used. Each year, the camp hosts approximately 700 children, providing good food, fresh air, recreation, guidance and structured, esteem-building activities designed to build good citizenship and positive relationships with law enforcement officers.

Kentucky Literacy Celebration Week – March 5-9

The second annual Kentucky Literacy Celebration week will occur March 5-9.

An official proclamation from Governor Steve Beshear’s office has been issued, and along with Gov. and Mrs. Beshear, a partnership of literacy agencies will again sponsor this exciting event in Kentucky.

The Governor and First Lady have committed to making this an annual event held around the same week each year to highlight literacy and the impact it has on our education, economy and culture. Literacy is vital to learning in all content areas. Students must be able to read and comprehend in order to understand and excel in all areas of learning. First Lady Jane Beshear will be making numerous visits across the state, visiting schools and education centers, participating in activities, and inviting communities and businesses to engage in the overall literacy achievement of our citizens, from birth to adulthood. As the month continues, additional information will be shared.

All Kentucky educational organizations, school districts, postsecondary institutions, business entities, communities and families are invited to join in this second annual event. The intent of the event is to celebrate achievements and focus on awareness relevant to literacy in the Commonwealth.

If you and/or your group engage in an activity you would like to share or invite others to participate in, you may submit that to a central website: www.kentuckyliteracy.org/celebrate2012. Specifics about your event may be entered on the “Event Submission Form” under the “Share” tab. Submissions will be compiled to a list of all activities and posted to the website to announce any events others may attend.

Your events and support can also be shared on the “Kentucky Literacy Celebration” Facebook page. The Facebook page will feature a photo campaign centered on this year’s theme “Literacy is Welcome Here.” All activities are encouraged – from large organized events to personal reading time alone or with families and friends.

The week chosen for this event coincides with other literacy related activities that may help inspire participation. February is African-American Read-In month (sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English) and March includes Read Across America activities (National Education Association).

KSBA seeks policy consultant

The Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) is seeking an individual to fill the position of policy consultant. The position is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day maintenance of public school district policies, procedures and other services for assigned districts. A bachelor's degree, with preference for a major or minor in English and a master's degree; a minimum of three years of Kentucky public school teaching, legal and/or administrative experience; and excellent oral and written communication and presentation/training skills are required. Individual must be highly organized, detail-oriented, proficient in computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and a strong team player.

This is a full-time position based in Frankfort; full employee benefits (including membership in the Kentucky Teachers' Retirement System) are provided.

Interested individuals meeting ALL requirements may submit cover letter, resume, references, college transcripts and salary/history requirements to:

Kathy Amburgey, HR Manager

Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA)

260 Democrat Drive

Frankfort KY 40601

Kathy.amburgey@ksba.org or fax to (502) 783-1438

KSBA is an equal opportunity employer.

Additional Items for Monday Superintendent E-mail – 3/5/12

ACT TESTING AND SEVERE WEATHER (Attachment)

Severe weather is affecting many people across the state of Kentucky. ACT testing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 6, 2012. KDE and ACT have worked to provide guidance on possible scenarios that schools and districts may encounter.

SCHEDULED STATEWIDE TORNADO SAFETY DRILL CANCELLED

Due to the recent severe weather and tornado outbreak the 2012 statewide Tornado Safety Drill scheduled for tomorrow, March 6 at 10:07 a.m. ET, has been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 22712

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:17:31 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 2/27/12

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

- ACT State Administration and Tornado Safety Drill

- EXPLORE/PLAN Data to be released on Tuesday (Attachments)

- New Federal Reimbursement File Web Submission (Attachments)

- 2011 Kentucky Civic Health Index – your involvement welcomed

- U.S. Department of Education Launches Pre-Application for 2012 Investing in Innovation Development Applicants (Changes to third round of 83 competition simplify application process and add priority for Parent and Family Engagement)

- 2011 Official Kentucky Highway Maps still available

- 2012 Playwright Discovery Award Call for Scripts

- ISER 2012 -- International Symposium on Educational Reform

- Why Character workshop set

- KAEE Annual Conference Call for Proposals

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

ACT STATE ADMINISTRATION AND TORNADO SAFETY DRILL

Governor Steve Beshear has signed a proclamation declaring March 2012 as Severe Storms Awareness Month, urging all Kentuckians to be prepared for severe weather. The Office of Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM) has set the statewide 2012 Tornado Safety Drill for Tuesday, March 6 at 10:07 a.m. ET, the same day as the initial ACT state administration. A tornado drill at that time would interrupt ACT testing. KYEM and KDE suggest that high schools wishing to participate in the tornado drill plan to conduct it on another date in early March.

Please take a minute to conduct the drill and review your severe weather safety plan. The National Weather Service Offices serving Kentucky will use a tornado warning TEST MESSAGE to trigger the drill. In the event of pending or inclement weather, the drill will be rescheduled. Schools should complete an online survey by March 9 after they conduct the tornado drill. The survey can be accessed at, http://www.logiforms.com/formdata/user_forms/25701_7726379/93633/.

EXPLORE/PLAN data to be released on Tuesday (Attachments)

On Tuesday, February 28, at 8 a.m. ET, KDE will release data from the 2011 administration of the EXPLORE and PLAN assessments.

This data show that Kentucky’s public school students continue to improve in nearly every subject area tested. The percentages of students meeting college benchmarks also have improved in most subjects.

Please see the attachments for related data.

New Federal Reimbursement File Web Submission (Attachments)

Historically the Federal Reimbursement files have been securely transferred from the Districts to KDE via the KYTransfer utility within MUNIS. Once the transfers occurred KDE was required to manually process each file. KDE is now implementing a new streamlined process to allow districts to submit their files securely via a web submission that will mimic other MUNIS file web submissions to KDE. The web submission process provides immediate feedback to the district for any errors in the file and allows for immediate resubmissions.

In order to utilize the new Federal Reimbursement File Web Submission program, the district users who provide the data to KDE must have a KDE Web Applications login ID and associated permissions. The login ID is the same ID utilized to submit SEEK and Staff data to KDE, so many of the districts’ users may already have an account and will only need to be granted permissions to utilize the Federal Reimbursement File Web Submission program.

Please refer to the attached “Federal Reimbursement ID Setup” and “Federal Reimbursement File Web Submission” instructions.

Please forward any questions pertaining to this new process to Gail Cox at 502-564-4403, extension 4460 or Gail.Cox@education.ky.gov.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

2011 Kentucky Civic Health Index – your involvement welcomed

This Thursday, March 1, the Secretary of State is launching the 2011 Kentucky Civic Health Index and would appreciate your attendance and involvement. This activity will be critical in improving the dialogue about public participation and civic engagement in our schools and in our communities.

The report illustrates where Kentucky currently stands nationally in this regard and highlights the areas that are ripe for improvement, along with the many positive strides Kentucky has made in civics. Former Secretary of States Elaine Walker and John. Y. Brown III will be a part of this presentation.

The event will take place at 10 a.m. ET in the Capitol Rotunda. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Wilda Caudle at wilda.caudle@ky.gov.

For more information, contact Matt Daley, special assistant in the Office of Secretary of State, at (502) 782-7403 or matthew.daley@ky.gov.

Transportation grants for arts education opportunities

The Kentucky Arts Council is offering a new grant to provide transportation funding to help students get from schools to arts events and performances.

The TranspARTation grant is open to any school, public or private, that needs transportation funding to attend activities at the following approved venues:

Actors Theatre, Louisville Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center, Covington Explorium of Lexington Kentucky Opera, Louisville Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, northern Kentucky Lexington Art League Lexington Children’s Theatre Living Arts and Science Center, Lexington The Carson Center, Paducah The Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg Walden Theatre, Louisville

The arts organizations were selected from applications submitted by Kentucky Arts Partnership organizations. Successful applicants demonstrated appropriate arts programming and the ability to provide supplemental educational materials to teachers and schools.

Grants to schools will be awarded on a quarterly basis, with the first application deadline March 1. For guidelines and the application form, go to http://artscouncil.ky.gov/Grants/TranspARTation.htm. For more information about the TranspARTation grant and other arts education programs available through the arts council, contact Rachel Allen, arts education director, at rachel.allen@ky.gov or (502) 564-3757, ext. 486.

U.S. Department of Education Launches Pre-Application for 2012 Investing in Innovation Development Applicants (Changes to third round of 83 competition simplify application process and add priority for Parent and Family Engagement)

The U.S. Department of Education announced the third year of the Investing in Innovation (i3) grant competition for local educational agencies, groups of schools and non-profit organizations to improve student results through innovative practices. This competition invites entities interested in grants of up to $3 million — termed “Development” grants under the i3 competition — to submit a simplified pre-application starting today through April 9.

“We have made efforts to improve the i3 competition each year, and simplifying the application process is part of ongoing efforts to make the Department’s programs work better for potential grantees and have greater impact for students,” said Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement.

In its first two years, i3 generated unprecedented interest, receiving nearly 2,300 applications from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The vast majority of applications sought funds under i3’s Development grant category, which supports new projects or programs with high potential for success but which have been implemented previously in only limited contexts.

The new pre-application process shortens the application narrative and reduces other supporting documents that i3 has previously requested as part of full applications. The organizations that submit the highest-rated pre-applications will be invited to submit a longer application. Such applicants will be given additional time to complete their full application.

The Department has also included a new absolute priority within the 2012 i3 Development competition focused on improving parent and family engagement.

“Parent and family engagement is a critical component of student success, but there are too few models with evidence of effectiveness. By using i3 to shine a spotlight on this need and on promising approaches, we hope to identify new solutions of national importance,” Shelton said.

In addition, the Department has modified its approach to supporting effective teachers and principals: the Department’s new grant requirements enable applicants to develop projects that focus on a single stage in the teacher or principal recruitment, training, and retention process. The i3 competition continues to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education; turning around low-performing schools; and improving graduation rates in rural schools. The Department also intends to include a priority for standards and assessments in the other i3 grant competitions (the “Validation” and “Scale-up” grants described below).

Local educational agencies (LEAs) and nonprofits in partnership with LEAs or a consortium of schools are invited to apply to the i3 program. All projects must address one of the absolute priorities to be eligible. In addition, competitive preference will be given to grantees submitting a full application that focuses on improving early learning outcomes, increasing college access and success, addressing the unique needs of students with disabilities and limited English proficient students, improving productivity, or using technology.

This year’s competition invites applications for a share of approximately $150 million in grants in one of the program’s three grant categories:

1. Scale-up, which awards individual grants of up to $25 million to projects with the strongest evidence and track records of success;

2. Validation, which awards individual grants of up to $15 million to projects with moderate levels of evidence; and,

3. Development.

The Department will announce the applications for Scale-up and Validation grants in separate notices in the coming weeks.

Once the highest-ranked grant applicants are selected, each potential grantee is required to secure a private sector match of 5%, 10%, or 15%, respectively, in order to receive the award.

To learn more about the i3 grant program and the new pre-application process, please visit: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/index.html.

Federal Register Notice: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-02-24/pdf/2012-4357.pdf

2011 Official Kentucky Highway Maps still available

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is still accepting requests for copies of the 2011 Official Kentucky Highway Map. The maps are available to your teachers at no cost.

These maps may be used in a variety of ways, including to augment teaching methods, or they may simply be given to students.

KYTC will continue to accept requests for maps until March 9. Please send the following information to the contact below:

Teacher Name:

School:

School Address:

City:

County:

Number of Maps Requested:

Please submit your requests to Ryan Watts at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. He can be reached at ryan.watts@ky.gov or (502) 564-3419.

2012 Playwright Discovery Award Call for Scripts

The VSA Playwright Discovery Program invites middle and high school students to take a closer look at the world around them, examine how a disability affects their lives and the lives of others, and express their views through the art of playwriting.

Young playwrights may write from their own experience, the life of another person or a fictional character. Scripts can be comedies, dramas or even musicals -- be creative!

Young playwrights with and without disabilities are encouraged to submit scripts. Entries may be the work of an individual student or a collaboration by a group of up to five students.

To download the 2012 Application Form and submission rules and procedures in PDF format, click here.

ISER 2012 -- International Symposium on Educational Reform

The University of Kentucky is hosting the 8th International Symposium on Educational Reform (ISER) Conference in Lexington on June 14 and 15 and in Washington DC, on June 18 and 19.

The purpose of the ISER is to provide opportunities for university graduate students, professors, practitioners and policymakers to examine educational reform through a global perspective. Presentations and workshops offer opportunities for participants to explore advances in the field, discuss common problems from different perspectives and exchange innovative ideas and practices with educators from China, Finland, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, England and the United States.

ISER 2012 provides a forum for expanding global connections with colleagues from other nations and promotes international understanding."NextGen Leadership" is this year's theme.

For more information and registration, visit http://www.internationalsymposiumoneducationalreform.com/.

Why Character workshop set

The Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky wants to help you effectively and proactively build a positive school culture.

Principals, teachers, central office administrators, board members and other school staff are invited to a dynamic workshop on the whys and hows of character education.

The workshop will be presented on two dates, April 17 and April 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET both days.

To register, please visit http://www.charactercincinnati.org/Announcements/Why_Character_April_2012.pdf or call Mary Russell at (513) 467-0170.

KAEE Annual Conference Call for Proposals

The Kentucky Association for Environmental Education (KAEE) is hosting its 36th annual conference at Lake Cumberland State Resort Park on Sept. 14-15.

The theme of the conference is “Creating Balance.” The Call for Proposals has officially opened, and an online submission form can be found here.

Proposals are due by April 15, and all proposals are peer-reviewed.

The conference strands include Environmental Education in Practice; Environmental Literacy; and Journey into EE.

For more information on the conference, visit http://kaee.org/conference/.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 22012

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:20:28 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 2/20/12

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

- Buster Bynum Scholarship (Attachment)

- 2012 Rogers Explorers

- Photography contest for Earth Day 2012 (Attachment)

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Buster Bynum Scholarship (Attachment)

Two Kentucky public high school seniors will be eligible to receive the Southeastern States Pupil Transportation Conference Buster Bynum Scholarship. The scholarship recipients will be able to apply the $1,000 award toward college costs for the 2012-13 school year.

Each Kentucky school district may select one local student, then send that student’s application to the State SESPTC Selection Committee. The deadline for local selection is May 15. The contact for the committee is Roy Prince, supervisor of the KDE Pupil Transportation Section, and he may be reached at (502) 564-5279 or roy.prince@education.ky.gov.

Created in 2005, Buster Bynum Scholarships are awarded to children of school bus transportation employees actively employed in public school transportation for the past five years and where the total annual family income is less than $75,000. Eligible students must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA and are selected based on their leadership, citizenship and service.

Please see the attachment for more details and the application.

Items from Outside Agencies

PLEASE NOTE: Inclusion of items in this section does not constitute endorsement by the Kentucky Department of Education or the Commissioner of Education.

2012 Rogers Explorers

The Center for Rural Development is accepting applications from 8th-grade students interested in building their math, science and technology skills for the 2012 Rogers Explorers youth leadership program.

This summer, the center will offer four sessions on the campuses of the University of the Cumberlands, Lindsey Wilson College, Eastern Kentucky University and the newest host site, Morehead State University. In all, 120 students – the most in the history of the program -- will be selected to become Rogers Explorers. The program is offered tuition-free to all students within the center’s primary service area selected to participate in the program. The cost of lodging and meals also is included. Applications will be accepted through March 21.

The center, a nonprofit organization based in Somerset, serves Adair, Bath, Bell, Breathitt, Casey, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Estill, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Harlan, Jackson, Jessamine, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lincoln, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Russell, Rowan, Taylor, Wayne, Whitley and Wolfe counties.

For more information on Rogers Explorers, call (606) 677-6000 or download an application online at http://crdev.us/explorers2012.

All application forms must be printed, completed, postmarked and mailed to The Center, 2292 South U.S. 27, Suite 300, Somerset, Ky., by the March 21 deadline.

Photography contest for Earth Day 2012 (Attachment)

The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC) has kicked off its second-annual “Capture the Earth” middle school digital photography contest for all Kentucky students in grades 6-8.

This year’s competition centers on the state’s 2012 Earth Day theme of “Celebrating Kentucky’s Forests,” in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the Kentucky Division of Forestry.

The “Capture the Earth” photo contest is open to all Kentucky middle school students. Judges will look for originality and creativity, photo composition and how well the photo represents the Earth Day theme of “Celebrating Kentucky’s Forests.”

Students should include a brief paragraph explaining the photo and how it represents Kentucky’s Earth Day theme of “Celebrating Kentucky’s Forests.”

EEC will accept entries until 4:30 p.m. ET on April 9. The winner will receive two nights’ lodging at any Kentucky State Resort Park with his or her family. Middle school students may e-mail one photograph as an attachment to Kidsphotocontest@ky.gov. Official contest rules are available at http://eec.ky.gov/Pages/earthday.aspx.

For more information, see the attachment or call Ricki Gardenhire at (502) 564-5525 or e-mail Ricki.gardenhire@ky.gov.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 111411

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:26:36 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 11/14/11

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

- Kentucky’s ESEA Flexibility Request and Appendix Submitted to USDOE

- KSBA's Supervisors of Classified Personnel Training-Dec. 2, 2011-Lexington, Ky

- Asbury University offers graduate education (Attachment)

- NEH workshops set for summer of 2012

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Kentucky’s ESEA Flexibility Request and Appendix Submitted to USDOE

I am letting you know that Kentucky’s ESEA Flexibility Request asking for a waiver from the No Child Left Behind requirements was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education on Saturday, November 12, and we have received confirmation from them that it was received, indicating Kentucky met the deadline. You can find the final version at the following link:

http://www.education.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E5A11449-D23E-4B9C-93E8-CA94277B17D2/0/ESEAflexibilityrequestFINAL.pdf

The request has a supplemental Appendix document consisting of two parts that can be found on the Kentucky Department of Education’s website at the following links:

Part I -- http://www.education.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/252E3800-6113-4F5A-A9FF-57A17F05CC6B/0/ESEAWaiverRequestAppendixFinalPart1.pdf

Part II -- http://www.education.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/A03B6231-2D11-407A-94B3-5014CC6C060E/0/ESEAWaiverRequestAppendixFinalPart2.pdf

The proposal will be undergoing peer review by the U.S. Department of Education during early December and we hope to know sometime in January whether it is approved.

If you have any questions about the waiver request contact Commissioner Holliday at (502) 564-3141 or via e-mail at terry.holliday@education.ky.gov .

Items from Outside Agencies

KSBA's Supervisors of Classified Personnel Training-Dec. 2, 2011-Lexington, Ky

Do your supervisors know how to avoid legal pitfalls while conducting investigations and documenting staff misbehavior and discipline? Do they know how to effectively evaluate and improve personnel performance? It is critical that supervisors assist staff in improvement and address misconduct when necessary. Provide your supervisors with the tools to manage staff with confidence. Take this opportunity to send your supervisors to an in-state training conducted by attorneys and policy consultants familiar with federal and Kentucky law relating to school district personnel. This training is offered only every two years. Presenters are KSBA attorneys Teresa T. Combs and John Fogle, and Director of Policy and Procedure Services, Dara Bass.

Registration is on-line at http://ksba.org/ or contact Jolene Shearer at 1-800-372-2962.

Asbury University offers graduate education (Attachment)

Asbury University’s Graduate Education Program offers certifications and endorsements in a wide variety of areas. The graduate instruction targets individual areas of anticipated development and provides models for professional growth and leadership to accommodate specific educational paradigms.

Programs and certifications include biology, chemistry, English as a Second Language, French, secondary mathematics, principal licensure, Teacher as Leader and more.

For more details, see the attached brochure or visit http://www.asbury.edu/academics/departments/education/graduate.

NEH workshops set for summer of 2012

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), through its Landmarks in American History and Culture Program, will support two week-long workshops celebrating the heritage of the Mississippi Delta.

The Most Southern Place on Earth: Music, Culture, and History in the Mississippi Delta will explore the region’s impact on America’s music, foodways, civil rights, literary heritage and political landscape. Workshops will be offered to 40 participants each between June 24 and 30, and July 8 and 14, 2012. They are open to K-12 teachers, including public, private and home schools, and librarians. Up to five graduate credit hours may be earned. Stipends of $1,200 are available.

Complete information and application materials are available from the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at www.blueshighway.org, and additional information concerning Landmarks workshops is provided by NEH at http://www.neh.gov/projects/landmarks-school.html.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 5211

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:28:00 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 5/2/11

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

· Kentucky sets record with TELL Survey

· Link to Recording of the TELL Kentucky District Leadership Webinar (Attachment)

· Tentative Budget Submission

· Update on MUNIS for Districts

· Condition and Educational Suitability Assessments Underway for Facilities Inventory and Classification System Project (Attachment)

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Kentucky sets record with TELL Survey

Kentucky teachers’ and principals’ participation in the TELL (Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning) Kentucky Survey set a record for first-time response rates on similar surveys.

According to the New Teacher Center (NTC), the non-profit organization that administers the survey, Mississippi previously held the highest record for first-time response rate, with 67 percent participation. Kentucky’s overall response rate was 80.27 percent. Of the total 52,353 educators eligible to participate, 42,025 completed the survey. Additionally, 91 percent of Kentucky schools met the minimum response rate threshold of 50 percent and will be able to use their own school results for annual school improvement planning.

See the news release on the results here and expanded data related to the survey at http://www.tellkentucky.org/reports/.

Link to Recording of the TELL Kentucky District Leadership Webinar (Attachment)

As you are aware, the New Teacher Center (NTC) in collaboration with our TELL Kentucky Working Conditions Coalition of partners provided two sessions of a technical assistance webinar on Friday, April 29, 2011. This webinar was designed to assist you with review of the TELL Kentucky Survey data.

If you were unable to participate in one of the live sessions on Friday, you can access a recording of the webinar by using the following link:

https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback.jnlp?psid=2011-04-29.0706.M.129FFEC53FD3DCD355C152652963E9.vcr&sid=20010

Additionally, the PowerPoint used during the session is attached to this e-mail. Feel free to distribute the link and PowerPoint to your principals and teachers to assist them with appropriate use of the data from the survey.

If you have questions on this matter, contact Michael Dailey at Michael.dailey@education.ky.gov or Troy Teegarden at troy.teegarden@education.ky.gov .

Tentative Budget Submission

In accordance with KRS 160.470 (6) (b) and Administrative Regulation 702 KAR 3:110, Tentative Budgets are required to be submitted by districts to KDE by May 30, 2011. The Tentative Budgets will be submitted via the web submission process, the same as last year. This application will only be open for a limited time starting on May 15, 2011 through May 30, 2011 and will only allow one submission from each district. The link for submitting Tentative Budgets is http://odss.education.ky.gov/webforms.

· Please refer to the Tentative Budget Report (STW-GL-6) to access MUNIS instructions for generating and submitting the budget and the Tentative and Working Budget Guide to assist with the process. This guide consists of a listing of the submission errors and note guide notification (edit checks) that will be utilized by KDE as part of the Tentative Budget analysis process. All errors need to be corrected by the district in order for the Tentative Budget to successfully upload to KDE.

The instructions and frequently asked questions will be located on the KDE website at:

http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Finance+and+Funding/School+Finance/MUNIS/User+Guides/Budget+General+Ledger/Statewide+Budget+General+Ledger+Reports.htm.

If you have any questions related to Tentative Budgets, please send an e-mail to the finance.reports@education.ky.gov. The subject line should read Tentative Budget and we will ensure that you get a response within 24 hours.

Update on MUNIS for Districts

The Department of Education’s Office of Knowledge, Information and Data Systems (KIDS) and the Office of Administration and Support (OAS) continue to provide updates on MUNIS for districts to use during the MUNIS migration. Access to this information is found below:

· http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Technology/Additional+Technology+Resources/MUNIS+Cloud+Services

We encourage districts to continue to monitor the hyperlink found above for new updates. We continue to work on finalizing the District Reference Guide and recently added an FAQ document, compiling all the questions and answers from the Webcast.

As of now, we have over 60 districts scheduled for migration during this calendar year. The plan is to logistically coordinate this effort through the KDE KETS Engineering team, since this is a migration of the underlying technological platform. However, as mentioned during the prior webcasts, it is very important that local CFOs and CIOs communicate internally throughout this process.

For the districts that remain, we anticipate that the KETS Engineering Team is coordinating with your local district staff to verify whether your district is planning to move to the hosted MUNIS solution (as opposed to seeking a waiver to keep an on-prem solution), and whether there are any known conflicts with particular month(s) in the 2012 calendar year. Ideally, we anticipate migrating approximately 10 districts per month and, while acknowledging that everyone likely won’t be able to have their preferred month of migration, we want to do our best to avoid timelines known to be bad for a particular district, based upon your financial needs.

If either you or your staff have any questions or concerns overall, contact Associate Commissioners David Couch at David.Couch@education.ky.gov or Hiren Desai at Hiren.Desai@education.ky.gov to address them.

Condition and Educational Suitability Assessments Underway for Facilities Inventory and Classification System Project (Attachment)

KDE’s vendor, Parsons Commercial Technology Group, Inc., along with their partner, MGT of America, has assembled eight assessment teams with a standardized process to perform the facility condition and educational suitability evaluations. The Commonwealth’s current construction regulations and nationally recognized best practices are the basis for the standardized questionnaires that are completed by the schools and assessors during the school visits. The list of schools to be assessed includes those identified as “category 3” or worse, as of September 2010, encompassing 145 districts.

The schedule is established and continues to be refined to accommodate testing dates and other scheduling conflicts. As of April 26^th, Parsons has completed 232 of the 483 scheduled facility condition assessments. In addition, MGT has evaluated 190 of those 232 schools for educational suitability. The Parsons assessors will complete their condition assessments by early June. The MGT assessors will finish their on-site visits in September 2011 as they require students in the buildings to adequately evaluate the instructional space.

The general process for each facility assessment is:

· At least one week prior to a scheduled visit, the district office and school will be contacted to confirm the schedule for an on-site visit and discuss pre-visit preparations the district and schools need to complete.

· On the scheduled day, the assessment team will arrive at the school’s front office, consisting of one condition assessor and one educational suitability assessor. The condition assessment team member will tour the school with a school facility employee who has knowledge of the building and can gain access to the roof, boiler, plumbing, etc. The educational suitability team member will tour the school with the principal or a designee who has knowledge of the programs being offered in the school.

· Following the tour, the assessment team will require space with Internet access to complete their data entry.

· After Parsons has completed their quality control of the data, a school report will be provided to the district office and principal for their feedback. We anticipate these reports to be available to the schools and district offices in July 2011.

· The assessment team can complete most elementary schools in three hours, middle schools in four hours, and high schools in five hours. These timeframes include their data entry. Therefore, school personnel time is only required for the initial portion of the visit.

Please reference the link below for additional information and attachments:

· Frequently Asked Questions document

· Master Schedule of school visits

http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Facilities/2011+Facilities+Assessment+Project.htm

For questions regarding this project, please contact Paige Patterson-Grant at Paige.Patterson@education.ky.gov or via phone at 502-564-5279.

Items from Outside Agencies

REMINDER: “Capture the Earth” photo contest

To celebrate Earth Day, April 22, the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet invites student photographers in middle school (grades 6-8) to submit an original photograph for the first “Capture the Earth” environmental photo contest.

The winner will receive two nights’ lodging at any Kentucky State Resort Park with his or her family.

Judges will look for originality and creativity, photo composition, and how well your photo represents the Earth Day theme: Playground Earth: Get Outside, Kentucky!

To enter, send photos by e-mail to Kidsphotocontest@ky.gov. Photos must be in jpeg format, and file size may not exceed 5 MB. The subject line of the e-mail should read “Student Earth Day Photo Contest.”

Students should include the following information in the body of the e-mail:

name, age and grade parent or guardian’s e-mail address and phone number name of school and the county where it is located where and when the photo was taken a paragraph explaining the photo and why it represents Kentucky’s Earth Day theme of Playground Earth: Get Outside, Kentucky!

The deadline for submission is 4:30 p.m. ET May 9. All entries will be judged by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet communications staff, based on the following criteria:

Creativity & Originality (50 percent) Photo Composition (25 percent) Appropriateness to Contest Theme (25 percent)

For more information, contact Ricki Gardenhire at Ricki.Gardenhire@ky.gov or (502) 564-5525.

PIMSER PD opportunities

The PIMSER P-12 Math and Science Outreach unit at the University of Kentucky is offering several professional development training opportunities this summer that align with goals of Senate Bill 1 and address the Kentucky Core Academic Standards.

Meeting the Challenge: Implementing Standards and Assessment Practices features national and local experts presenting a variety of strategies that address the challenges of relating standards, instruction and assessment. Pre-conference sessions on July 25 provide an in-depth focus on methods of instruction utilizing research, technology and assessment for learning.

July 25-27, Lexington

Conference website: http://www.uky.edu/P12MathScience/MTC-Conference/home.html

Understanding Fraction Concepts offers a conceptual approach to teaching fractions using manipulative materials.

July 11-13, Lexington or July 18-20, Murray

Task, Text and Talk in Science explores a range of text resources to use in the classroom and examines the keys to effective integration, including assessment, of literacy strategies and science content.

Elementary: June 29, Murray or July 18, Lexington

Middle/High: June 29, Murray or July 19, Lexington

Science Reasoning and Assessment Tools presents a variety of strategies to integrate effective assessment practices, while increasing student motivation, reasoning skills, and achievement.

June 21, Lexington

Full program details and registration for all of these opportunities can be found at http://www.uky.edu/P12MathScience . For more information, contact Jessica Dutzy, senior conference coordinator, at (859) 257-3706 or jldutz2@email.uky.edu.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 42511

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 12:14:00 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 4/25/11

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

- TELL Survey Access Codes

- National Academy Foundation College and Career Readiness Initiative

- Call to participate in April earthquake drill

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

TELL Survey Access Codes

Today superintendents and most principals should have received the access code for your district and school results regarding the Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) Kentucky Survey. Please share your district-specific code with all school-level educators so that the results can be reviewed by all relevant participants in your district. Please remember that school level data will not be displayed for schools that did not meet participation requirements. If you have not received your code, please contact Troy Teegarden at (502) 564-1479 x4029 or troy.teegarden@education.ky.gov .

There are many tools available at http://www.tellkentucky.org to help you discuss and drill down your results at both the district and school levels. More information will be forthcoming regarding useful and relevant ways to use your TELL Survey data, beginning with a Webinar on April 27 from 4:00-5:00PM EST intended for district and school leaders, such as central office, local representatives of associations or organizations such as KEA, KSBA, KASC, etc. Participants will see an overview of the TELL Kentucky results, how to drill down to locate data at the school, district, and state level, and suggestions for planning further work incorporating TELL Kentucky data in the school improvement planning process. Please register by visiting http://www.doodle.com/iyywqhtcw7qxewxn. The webinar will also be archived for later viewing at http://www.tellkentucky.org.

Items from Outside Agencies

National Academy Foundation College and Career Readiness Initiative

The National Academy Foundation’s (NAF) education model to build school-based “learning communities” that empower high school students to successfully go on to higher education, professions of their choosing and active community participation is aligned to Kentucky’s college and career readiness/Senate Bill 1 agenda.

KDE believes “career academies” will help to ensure the preparation of students for postsecondary education while providing them with skills and experience necessary to attain entry level jobs. Students in career academies take a blend of career and academic classes linked to academic and industry standards promoting high achievement. These academies focus on one of four career themes: finance; hospitality and tourism; information technology; and engineering. Beyond the 2011-12 Year-of-Planning pilot year, KDE and NAF will explore other career academy themes pertaining to specific area and industry needs.

An NAF career academy exists as a school-within-a-school, stand-alone school or small learning community and provides opportunities to all students. NAF is a collaborative partnership with Project Lead the Way (PLTW), the STEM Academy (STEM 101) and ConnectED. If a district uses the PLTW curriculum or has a small learning community grant, NAF could provide additional support and resources to enhance these experiences for students.

In the next few weeks, interested districts and schools will be invited to a NAF/KDE webinar providing further information how districts and schools can participate in this exciting opportunity.

For more information about this initiative (an optional college and career strategy identified in the College and Career Readiness Plan in Senate Bill 1) or to express interest in participating, please contact Carole Frakes (carole.frakes@education.ky.gov) by May 2. Details also are available at www.naf.org.

The National Academy Foundation (NAF) is an acclaimed network of career-themed academies that opens doors for underserved high school students to college and viable careers. For nearly 30 years, NAF has refined a proven model that provides young people access to industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationships with business professionals. NAF academies focus on one of four career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, and engineering.

Each year, NAF serves more than 50,000 students in approximately 500 academies in 41 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NAF’s national graduation rate of 90 percent testifies to the effectiveness this effort.

Call to participate in April earthquake drill

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have called on P-12 schools and colleges and universities across the central U.S. - and throughout the country - to help their students, faculty and communities prepare for earthquakes by participating in a public earthquake drill on Thursday, April 28. Eleven states in the New Madrid Seismic Zone are participating in the drill, the "Great Central U.S. ShakeOut," which takes place at 10:15 a.m. CT. Anyone can register to participate, whether at school, at work or at home; to date, over two million Americans have signed up.

Participating in the Shakeout drill is simple - and anyone can participate. Schools and colleges can sign up at http://www.shakeout.org/centralus/index.html, which has instructions and resources to support educators, community groups and individuals interested in conducting the ShakeOut.

In addition, the Department of Education's Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center provides guidance to help schools and communities can plan for, respond to and recover from a disaster such as an earthquake. For more information, visit http://rems.ed.gov.

Participating states include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 41811

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:54:00 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 4/18/11

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

- Links and Materials for Tomorrow’s (April 19) Superintendents Webcast (Attachments)

- Update on MUNIS for Districts

- Public Reporting of District Teacher and Principal Evaluation System

- “Where the Heart Is” provides help for transitioning students (Attachment)

- Create “Wish Lists” for Teacher Appreciation Week

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Links and Materials for Tomorrow’s (April 19) Superintendents Webcast (Attachment)

Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 19, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. (ET) is the next monthly superintendents webcast. The topics are an SB 1 update, legislative update and MUNIS update. Budget information will also be part of this webcast.

Attached is the PowerPoint for the webcast along with a handout on legislation that gives you live links to the bills and other documents that are referenced.

You can connect to the webcast by clicking on one of these links:

· Live broadcast video and audio mms://video1.education.ky.gov/encoder3a

· Live broadcast audio only mms://video1.education.ky.gov/encoder4a

As usual, questions can be e-mailed during the webcast to Mary Ann Miller at maryann.miller@education.ky.gov .

I hope you will join us for tomorrow’s broadcast.

Update on MUNIS for Districts

Early this week, the Department of Education’s Office of Knowledge, Information and Data Systems (KIDS) and the Office of Administration and Support (OAS) provided an e-mail update on MUNIS to districts’ CIOs and CFOs. The communication contained a couple of links, a link to the archived Webcast and a link providing necessary information for districts to use during the MUNIS migration. Access to those links are found below:

Webcast links -

· Video and audio: mms://video1.education.ky.gov/On-Demand2011/MUNIS_3-29-2011.wmv

· Downloadable audio podcast: http://media.education.ky.gov/video1/On-Demand2011/MUNIS_3-29-2011.mp3

Link to information to use during the MUNIS migration –

· http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Technology/Additional+Technology+Resources/MUNIS+Cloud+Services

We encourage districts to continue to monitor the last hyperlink found above for new updates. We are currently finalizing the District Reference Guide and also recently added an FAQ document, compiling all the questions and answers from the Webcast.

As of now, over 60 districts have expressed their desire to pilot or be an “early adopter” of the Next-Generation MUNIS solution. Scheduling efforts have begun and it is anticipated that these 60 districts will be migrated to the hosted solution during the 2011 calendar year. The plan is to logistically coordinate this effort through the KDE KETS Engineering team, since this is a technology upgrade. However, as KDE mentioned in the webcast, since this is a financial system upgrade, it is very important that local CFOs and CIOs communicate internally throughout this process.

We anticipate that the KETS Engineering Team is coordinating with your local district staff to verify whether your district is planning to move to the hosted MUNIS solution (as opposed to seeking a waiver to keep an on-prem solution), and whether there are any known conflicts with particular month(s) in the 2012 calendar year. Ideally, we anticipate migrating approximately 10 districts per month and, while acknowledging that everyone likely won’t be able to have their preferred month of migration, we want to do our best to avoid timelines known to be bad for a particular district, based upon your financial needs.

If either you or your staff have any questions or concerns overall, they may contact Associate Commissioners David Couch at David.Couch@education.ky.gov and Hiren Desai at Hiren.Desai@education.ky.gov to address them.

Public Reporting of District Teacher and Principal Evaluation System

As a condition of approval of Kentucky’s application for SFSF 2 funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), KDE agreed to annually collect and publicly report on the KDE website information about each district’s certified personnel evaluation system and the results of the teacher and principal evaluations conducted by each district.

The district information has been collected, and will be available by the end of the day today at http://openhouse.education.ky.gov under the tab School District Details. You may also access the data by going to the KDE home page and clicking on the Open House logo.

On April 20, an announcement will be made to the public informing them of the availability and location of this data. You may wish to review the data prior to the public announcement to determine if there are changes or corrections needed. If you have questions or identify data in need of correction, please contact David Simpson at david.simpson@education.ky.gov or call him at 502/564-1479.

Your district’s support by providing the requested information has been greatly appreciated.

Items from Outside Agencies

“Where the Heart Is” provides help for transitioning students (Attachment)

“Where the Heart Is” offers a network of educators who are focused on creating a sense of welcome and belonging for state agency students transitioning to new schools and education programs.

The program will have an informational session on May 10 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. ET in the Perkins Conference Center on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University. EILA credit is available.

For more information, please see the attached brochure. Visit http://www.kecsac.eku.edu/events.php to register for the event.

Create “Wish Lists” for Teacher Appreciation Week

National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 2-6, and the National Teacher Registry provides a means for teachers to create their own wish lists for supplies.

This service is for all teachers, grades K-12. A wish list can be created by an individual teacher or by a school.

More than 150,000 items from multiple suppliers are on the site, and more products will be added. Once a registry, or wish list, is created, a direct link to the registry can be sent by the teacher or school to parents and friends. Parents and friends can access the list online, purchase items from the list and have the items delivered directly to the teacher or school. In many cases, this is a charitable donation that can be deducted on the purchaser's tax return.

For more details, visit www.NationalTeacherRegistry.com.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 41111

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:48:00 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 4/11/11

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

- Reminder of Next Superintendents Webcast

- Unbridled Learning Web page now available

- New Assessment & Accountability System Name

- Fresh Fruit & Vegetables Program grants available

- MUNIS Changes to be implemented this spring to meet requirements of GASB 54

- 24^THAfrican American High School Juniors and Seniors Conference (Attachment)

- Don’t Miss KSBA’s Annual Legal Update Conference! Major changes in New Americans with Disabilities Act Regulations added to KSBA’s 5^th Annual Federal and State Law Update: Impact on Your School District Conference on May 13, 2011, in Lexington, Kentucky

- Law-related programs for high school students available

- Kentucky Monthly’s “Most Likely to Succeed”
- Win $250 for your Walk to School Day slogan

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Reminder of Next Monthly Superintendents Webcast

The next monthly superintendents webcast will occur on Tuesday, April 19, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET. The topics are SB 1 Update, Legislative update and MUNIS update. No spring superintendents legislative update meeting will be held this year in Frankfort; this webcast will take the place of that meeting to save travel dollars. Also, remember that you can send in questions in advance of the webcast to Mary Ann Miller at maryann.miller@education.ky.gov and we will address these during the broadcast.

Unbridled Learning Web page now available

The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) work around the implementation of 2009’s Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) is now contained under the “Unbridled Learning” umbrella.

To help educators, the public, elected officials and others find information about this work, KDE has developed an Unbridled Learning Web page.

This page contains information and links related to SB 1, including the latest version of the proposed school and district accountability model.

To access the page, click the Unbridled Learning logo on the bottom left side of the KDE homepage.

New Assessment & Accountability System Name

After internal review by KDE staff, potential names for the new assessment and accountability systems have been proposed. I’d like your input on these names, and we’ve developed a survey instrument for that purpose. Visit the URL below to take this short survey, which will be open through mid-April. The survey asks you to pick one of three potential names for the system and provides an option for you to suggest a name of your own design.

http://www.education.ky.gov/FormServ/?ID=Potential_Name_for_Kentucky's_Assessment_and_Accountability_System

Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program grants available

Kentucky’s elementary school students can enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables through the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), a federal program designed to increase elementary school children’s consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, to expose those students to new fruits and vegetables, to improve healthy eating habits and to help elementary schools create healthier school food environments.

Eligible elementary schools may fill out grant applications to receive program funding. Kentucky received $2.6 million in FFVP funding for the 2011-12 school year. The criteria for the grants is set by Section 19(d) of the National School Lunch Act:

· To the maximum extent possible, highest priority will be given to schools with the highest proportion of children who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals.

· Schools must be elementary schools or have the ability to separate out elementary school students in a K-12 program.

· Schools must operate the National School Lunch Program.

· Schools must have 50 percent or more of their students eligible for free/reduced-price meals.

Applications for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grant MUST provide the following:

· a certification of support signed by the school food service manager, the school principal, and the district superintendent or equivalent positions as determined by the school

· the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price school lunches

· a plan for implementation of the program, including efforts to integrate the FFVP with other efforts to either promote sound health and nutrition, reduce overweight and obesity, or promote physical activity

As part of the program, schools are encouraged to establish partnerships at the local level with grocers, health departments or extension services.

The grant application deadline is 4 p.m. ET Friday, May 13. The application is available at Competitive Grants from KDE. School district officials are encouraged to download the application, complete and submit the paperwork as per the instructions in the Request For Application, and provide the appropriate signatures. Multiple schools from the same district can apply, although not all are guaranteed to be chosen. Grants will be awarded this summer, for use in the 2011-12 school year.

For more information, contact Leah Settle at leah.settle@education.ky.gov or (502) 564-2351.

MUNIS Changes to be implemented this spring to meet requirements of GASB 54

On Friday, April 1, the Division of District Support communicated with all finance officers concerning MUNIS changes that need to be implemented this spring to meet the requirements of GASB 54. The unaudited AFR Balance Sheet for the 2010-11 fiscal year submitted in July should reflect the GASB 54 guidance provided by KDE. The conversion must be completed in a timely manner to allow for funds to be committed no later than the June board meeting.

If there are any questions related specifically to the GASB 54 conversion process there is a KDE mailbox that is to be used for these questions. Please use this mailbox only for GASB 54 questions. KDE will respond within 24 hours to each question. The address of the mailbox is: GASB54@education.ky.gov

24^THAfrican American High School Juniors and Seniors Conference (Attachment)

On behalf of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), we present the 24^THAnnual Academically Proficient African American High School Juniors and Seniors Conference. The conference is scheduled to take place Friday, June 17, through Saturday, June 18, 2011, at Morehead State University. The primary purpose of the conference is to give Kentucky’s public, private, and independent colleges and universities an opportunity to recruit academically promising or proficient students early in their junior and senior year. This opportunity is vital for our institutions to gain a competitive advantage to recruit students who will be successful. Approximately 300 students and parents from across the commonwealth attended the conference in previous years.

We are asking you share this information with your high school principals and counselors. We have included the essential documents you will need to promote this opportunity. If you have questions or require additional information, please contact Dr. Rana Johnson at (502)573-1652, x 243, or Mr. Michael Dailey at (502)564-1479.

Items from Outside Agencies

Don’t Miss KSBA’s Annual Legal Update Conference! Major changes in New Americans with Disabilities Act Regulations added to KSBA’s 5^th Annual Federal and State Law Update: Impact on Your School District Conference on May 13, 2011, in Lexington, Kentucky

School governance officials, administrators, and implementers are strongly encouraged to take advantage of our Legal Update Conference. A number of new regulations and legal decisions dictating school district legal responsibilities have been issued within the past year. In addition to new ADA regulation information, we will inform you of critical new legal requirements, including: the new Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act Regulations; cyberbullying issues; the 2011 Kentucky legislative session; and local board implications of the information presented. We also will cover practical implementation aspects of new case law and agency opinions.

In addition to the topics listed above and on our May Legal Update Conference brochure that was mailed to districts a month or so ago, two new sets of federal regulations regarding school district and employer responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) have been issued. One set of those regulations became effective in March. This set of regulations covers general responsibilities of school districts to accommodate members of the public who attend its activities and covers general principles regarding individuals with disabilities who wish to purchase tickets to attend district events, bring service animals onto the premises; bring motorized carts onto the premises, etc. The second set of regulations which will become effective in May of this year covers employer responsibilities to accommodate members of its staff under the ADA. Both sets of these new regulations require a large number of major changes to current practices regarding accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Even though not initially advertised as part of this conference, highlights of these major new responsibilities and potential liabilities for school districts will be presented.

We have blocked rooms at the conference hotel at the rate of $139 for May 12, 2011. You must make your reservation before April 21 and identify yourself as a member of the Kentucky School Boards Association group. Online registration is available at www.ksba.org.

Please contact Jolene Shearer at Jolene.shearer@ksba.org if you need further information.

Marriott Griffin Gate Resort Information is: 1800 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511, (859) 231-5100, (800) 228-9290.

Law-related programs for high school students available

The Kentucky Bar Association’s (KBA’s) Young Lawyers Section (YLS) has two programs geared toward high school students who might be interested in studying law or becoming lawyers. Each program is free.

“Why Choose Law: Diversity Matters” has openings for 21 students of diverse backgrounds and is designed to encourage them to become lawyers and practice in Kentucky by exposing them to practitioners and judges before college. The program is for rising high school seniors or college freshmen who are from a group typically underrepresented in law school classes, to include racial and ethnic minorities, varied religious, socio-economic backgrounds and sexual orientation.

The program will take place in Lexington on June 14. See the attachment for an application and more information. The application deadline is May 1.

“Why Choose Law: A Profession For All” is a classroom presentation for high school students. YLS lawyers visit schools to make the presentation, which lasts about an hour. This program stresses the importance of diversity in the legal profession and is fun, interactive and multi-media.

“Choose Law” was developed to educate students of color and at-risk backgrounds about the legal profession. The most important part of this program is the interaction between the students and practicing attorneys, who may be attorneys of color or those who have overcome many of the same challenges that the students may face in seeking a higher education or professional goals.

The program introduces students to the legal profession by emphasizing the importance of the legal system in society and highlighting the varied and diverse career opportunities for law school graduates. “Choose Law” also highlights attorneys and judges of similar backgrounds who have played a crucial role in protecting civil rights and in ensuring opportunities for members of racial minority groups. Finally, the program underscores the importance of education and provides instruction and mentoring to those students as to what steps are necessary in seeking a career in the legal profession.

For more information on either of the “Why Choose Law” programs, contact Kentucky Bar Association Diversity Committee Chair Adrienne Thakur at (859) 253-1320 or agthakur@hwgsg.com.

Kentucky Monthly’s “Most Likely to Succeed”

With spring break over, Kentucky Monthly magazine is collecting information on Kentucky's "Most Likely To Succeed."

Kentucky Monthly is seeking information on high school seniors who’ve been selected by their schools for this honor. Students will be featured in the publication.

To participate, schools should send the following information for each student selected as “Most Likely to Succeed:”

· top honors received (limit three)

· top leadership positions held (limit three)

· top community service project (limit one)

· college plans (school selected, major anticipated)

· high-resolution portrait photograph of each honoree

Kentucky Monthly needs this information no later than April 29. E-mail submissions to steve@kentuckymonthly.com or mail to P.O. Box 559, Frankfort KY 40601.

For more details, contact Editor and Publisher Stephen M. Vest toll-free at (888) 329-0053 or steve@kentuckymonthly.com.

Win $250 for your Walk to School Day slogan

Registration is now open for Walk to School Day 2011, a one-day event in the U.S. that is a part of an international effort to celebrate the many benefits of walking and bicycling to school throughout the month of October. Now in its 14th year, this year’s event will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 5.

Walk to School Day event registration is free and available to individuals and organizations holding an October event in the U.S. Events that register on the Walk to School website, www.walktoschool.org/register, will be displayed on an interactive U.S. map, where neighboring communities, media and other organizations can identify who is walking in their areas.

Registering a Walk to School Day event provides organizers access to free, downloadable materials including event ideas, certificates and customizable flyers. Registrants can also subscribe to a weekly e-newsletter for six weeks in September and October with tips and resources for holding a Walk to School event.

New in 2011, the National Center for Safe Routes to School, the national coordinating agency for Walk to School activities in the U.S., wants to include parents, students, teachers and other community members in determining a safety slogan for this year’s event.

Anyone is invited to submit catchy slogan ideas for the nationwide Name that Walk to School Day contest. Slogan ideas can be entered through an online form on the Walk to School Day website, www.walktoschool.org/contest_form.cfm, for a chance to win a $250 Walk to School Day mini-grant for a school, and to be featured on the Walk to School website. All are invited to vote for their favorite slogan in an online poll from May 4 through 10. New, free resources using the winning safety slogan will also be available in August 2011 for everyone to use.

The deadline to submit slogan ideas is 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 26.

For more information on Walk to School activities in the U.S., visit www.walktoschool.org. To see photos from events held in 2010, visit www.iwalktoschool.org/photos/index.htm.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 4411

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:20:00 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 4/4/11

Monday E-Mail combines several items into one communication:

- Survey on New Assessment & Accountability System Name

- School District’s Fiscal Year 2011 Financial Audit Contract (Attachment)

- Update on the Commonwealth Commitment Pledge

- Kentucky Hybrid Diesel/Electric School Buses RFA (Cycle 3) Posted on KDE Website

- National Middle School Association’s 38^th Annual Conference and Exhibit

- “Capture the Earth” photo contest

- Kids’ Chance Scholarships available

- International Reading Marathon

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Survey on New Assessment & Accountability System Name

After internal review by KDE staff, potential names for the new assessment and accountability system have been proposed. I’d like your input on these names, and we’ve developed a survey instrument for that purpose. Visit the URL below to take this short survey, which will be open through mid-April. The survey asks you to pick one of three potential names for the system and provides an option for you to suggest a name of your own choosing.

http://www.education.ky.gov/FormServ/?ID=Potential_Name_for_Kentucky's_Assessment_and_Accountability_System

School District’s Fiscal Year 2011 Financial Audit Contract (Attachment)

The State Committee for School District Audits has approved the attached Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Audit Contract. As a reminder, the FY 2010-2011 audit contracts are due to KDE’s Division of District Support on May 28^th and districts are to submit to the Division of District Support the initial Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet by July 25^th in accordance with KRS 157.060. The final Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet should be submitted to the Division of District Support upon completion of the audit. It is important that audit work be scheduled as efficiently as possible so that reports are submitted to the KDE in a timely manner. It is also important that the Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet be in agreement with the audit report.

The layouts of the audit contract and requirement documents have changed; however, the majority of the content is still the same. There have been some changes to the contract and these changes are noted in red type within the attached Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Audit Contract, along with the following highlights:

Two (2) original signed Audit Contracts and Audit Acceptance Statements are due to KDE by close of business on May, 28, 2011.

On-behalf payments should be coded accurately in the MUNIS accounting system so they are properly displayed in the audit report and fully disclosed in the notes of the financial statements. The on-behalf payment amounts need to be included in the unaudited Annual Financial Report (AFR) that is due to KDE by July 25, 2011 and the audited AFR that is due to KDE by November 15, 2011. The following KDE web page link may be used by districts to record on behalf payments on a monthly basis.

http://www.education.ky.gov/kde/administrative+resources/finance+and+funding/school+finance/financial+information/on+behalf+payments.htm

Audit reports are due to the Division of District Support, Kentucky Department of Education, by close of business on November 15, 2011. If the audit cannot be completed by the deadline, the auditor shall submit an Audit Extension Request form, fully completed by both auditor and the district, to KDE by October 1, 2011. The form is provided in Appendix III.

4. The School District shall submit the Statement of Certification to ensure all audit adjustments have been entered into MUNIS and an Annual Financial Report and Balance Sheet are in agreement with the audit report that will be transferred to KDE.

5. The following reminders are included in the contract to assist the auditor:

· In Independent Auditor’s Contract, Section V., A. SUPPLEMENT AGREEMENTS was revised to reiterate that the scope of the audit may be increased or decreased by written supplemental agreement of the BOARD and ACCOUNTANT if the reasons for the increase or decrease have first been reported in writing by the ACCOUNTANT to the COMMITTEE. The audit fee may be adjusted for the increase or decrease in the scope of the audit in accordance with Section IV.C. COMPENSATION.

· In Appendix I, General Audit Requirement, number 21 was added last year and has been added this year to remind the auditor of the fund balance reporting requirements of GASB 54.

· In Appendix III, State Audit Requirements, number 11. Z. Specific State Statute and Regulation Compliance Items has been expanded to remind the auditor of the sick leave reporting requirements.

If you have questions regarding the contract, please contact Jeff Coulter, Kem Delaney-Ellis or Ken Smith, at 502-564-3846 or via email at Jeff.Coulter@education.ky.gov, Kem.Delaney-Ellis@education.ky.gov or Ken.Smith@education.ky.gov.

Update on the Commonwealth Commitment Pledge

Today is the deadline for submission of the Commonwealth Commitment to College and Career Readiness pledge. Many thanks to the 173 school boards and superintendents who have joined our university presidents in signing the Commonwealth Commitment to College and Career Readiness. The newest district to send in its pledge was McLean County.

Kentucky Hybrid Diesel/Electric School Buses RFA (Cycle 3) Posted on KDE Website

The Kentucky Hybrid Diesel/Electric School Buses (Cycle 3) RFA has been posted on the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) website.

KDE has received approximately $12.98 million in funding for project proposals from school districts to purchase approximately 213 diesel/electric hybrid school buses. The grant is to achieve maximum dispersal of school buses across the Commonwealth to test the practicality of hybrid technology in all geographic regions and pupil densities as this technology applies to Kentucky. Projects funded through this grant will assist in documenting the effectiveness of this technology for increasing fuel economy without increasing down time for maintenance.

To access the website, click on the link below:

http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Grant+Information/Competitive+Grants+from+KDE/

The deadline to submit an application is 4:00 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, April 20, 2011.

Questions regarding the Kentucky Hybrid Diesel/Electric School Buses RFA can be directed to Leah Settle in KDE’s Procurement Branch at the following email address: Leah.Settle@education.ky.gov. The deadline to submit questions is 12:00 noon (EDT) on Tuesday, April 12, 2011.

Items from Outside Agencies

National Middle School Association’s 38^th Annual Conference and Exhibit

Kentucky will host the National Middle School Association’s (NMSA) 38^th Annual Conference and Exhibit in Louisville, November 10-12, 2011. This is an opportunity for middle grades educators (grades 4-9) in Kentucky to obtain in-depth professional development specifically related to the academic and developmental needs of young adolescent learners.

The 2011 NMSA conference will be held at the Kentucky Convention Center and will feature 400 sessions in more than 59 topics ranging from achievement to urban issues. Keynote speakers include Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Actor/Child Advocate Henry Winkler.

Please share this announcement with those administrators and teachers for whom this conference would be appropriate.

For more information on this conference, go to www.nmsa.org/annual or call 1-800-528-NMSA.

“Capture the Earth” photo contest

The winner will receive two nights’ lodging at any Kentucky State Resort Park with his or her family.

Judges will look for originality and creativity, photo composition, and how well your photo represents the Earth Day theme: Playground Earth: Get Outside, Kentucky!

Students should include the following information in the body of the e-mail:

The deadline for submission is 4:30 p.m. ET May 9. All entries will be judged by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet communications staff, based on the following criteria:

Creativity & Originality (50 percent) Photo Composition (25 percent) Appropriateness to Contest Theme (25 percent)

For more information, contact Ricki Gardenhire at Ricki.Gardenhire@ky.gov or (502) 564-5525.

Kids’ Chance Scholarships available

Kids’ Chance of Kentucky, a tax exempt charitable organization, is devoted to providing scholarships to children of Kentucky workers who have been killed or suffered catastrophic injuries in work-related accidents.

Scholarship awards vary, but many are for $1,500 per semester and are renewable for as long as a student makes progress toward his or her degree. Scholarships may be used to cover tuition and books as well as housing and meals. The scholarships are awarded at the Governor’s Kentucky Safety & Health Network Annual Convention in May.

Eligible recipients are those students whose parent was seriously, catastrophically or fatally injured in an employment-related accident and who are Kentucky residents between the ages of 16 and 25. The parent's death or injury must have resulted in a substantial decline in the family income.

The application deadline for the fall semester is April 15. Visit http://www.kidschanceky.org/ for an application and more information, or contact Gary Davis, Kids’ Chance of Kentucky, (859) 219-0194 or gdavis5@windstream.net.

International Reading Marathon

Mexico’s Board of Education, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico invite elementary and middle schools to participate in an International Reading Marathon. The event is being done to celebrate World Book and Copyright Day and will be held on April 13.

The goal is to raise public awareness of the importance of reading and to create the proper environment to enjoy reading.

Registration is open until April 11. Interested schools should send the following information to readingmarathoncsp@gmail.com:

name of the school grade level (elementary or middle school) name of the principal country, state and city number of groups and students participating

Names of all participating schools will appear on the online UNESCO news. Information for all schools participating will be posted at http://readingmarathon.blogspot.com.

For more information, visit http://readingmarathon.blogspot.com/ or contact Ruth Nora Rodriguez at rutgaytan@gmail.com or Mariana García at missmarianagarcia@gmail.com.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 32811

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:16:00 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 3/28/11

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

· Q and A Generated in Response to Questions from the West Kentucky Coop on the AFGR (Attachment)

· Webinar on MUNIS for CIOs and CFOs – March 29, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET (note revised date)

· Special Session Update

· KDE Receives Approval of Waivers from USDOE; Options Offered for Spring Testing

· Update on the Commonwealth Commitment Pledge (Attachment)

Items from KDE

Q and A Generated in Response to Questions from the West Kentucky Coop on the AFGR (Attachment)

In response to questions on the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR) generated by the members of the West Kentucky Cooperative, see the attached Question and Answer document. Any further questions can be directed to Ken Draut at Ken.Draut@education.ky.gov or via phone to (502) 564-2256.

Webinar on MUNIS for CIOs and CFOs – March 29, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET (note revised date)

The Department of Education’s Office of Knowledge, Information and Data Systems (KIDS) and the Office of Administration and Support (OAS) will conduct a joint webcast to brief district CIOs and CFOs on the upcoming transition from MUNIS version 7 to MUNIS version 9.1. Superintendents are welcome to join the webcast, too. Included in the webcast will be responses to questions/concerns that we’ve heard from districts.

Links for accessing the webcast on Tuesday are found below:

Live broadcast video and audio mms://video1.education.ky.gov/encoder3a

Live broadcast audio only mms://video1.education.ky.gov/encoder4a

The webcast will include a brief discussion of the increased costs for the department and districts that will occur when going to the new version. The department will also explain the benefits that have been identified and costs saved by going to the Cloud services model verses an On-Prem model. If a district wishes to stay with an On-Prem model, it will have to request a waiver from the department and the webcast will briefly explain the costs for districts of going with an On-Prem model on such an exception basis.

In anticipation of this webcast, districts may wish to review the information available on the KDE website. The following link will provide information on the New MUNIS functionality and detailed costs between Cloud services and On-Prem services:

http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Technology/Additional+Technology+Resources/MUNIS+Cloud+Services.htm

We will have someone available during the webcast to take questions by e-mail for discussion. We will also tape the webcast, so that it will be available for those of you who may not be able to attend, but are still interested in listening to the discussion at a later time.

Special Session Update

As you are aware, the 2011 Special Session ended on Thursday evening with the passage of House Bill 1. Then, on Friday, March 25, the Governor took action on House Bill 1, approving a plan to resolve a shortfall in the Medicaid budget that included specific line-item vetoes. This final version of House Bill 1, as line-item vetoed and approved by the Governor, also does the following:

· It does not require any additional cuts to education in FY 2011 or FY 2012 in either SEEK or other programs, as a result of the Medicaid shortfall.

· It ensures that state maintenance of effort requirements for EduJobs funding are met and this federal funding remains secure.

However, please keep in mind that the original provisions of the biennial budget bill (from the 2010 Special Session) still require that the Governor enact $168.9 million worth of savings through operational efficiencies and program reductions across state government in FY 2012. The exact impact of these existing provisions on education remains to be seen. We will update you as soon as this becomes clear.

In addition, as previously mentioned, we are working on identifying adequate funding for statewide Senate Bill 1-related work in FY 2012. Staff has been directed to identify a similar approach to that used in FY 2011, with the least negative impact on school districts. We plan to have an update for you soon.

KDE Receives Approval of Waivers from USDOE; Options Offered for Spring Testing

The United States Department of Education has approved Kentucky’s request for delayed reporting of 2011 Adequate Yearly Progress determinations required by No Child Left Behind. Kentucky made the request due to the large number of instructional days lost during this school year due mainly to inclement weather. The approval allows the Kentucky Department of Education to provide Kentucky districts and schools with additional test window options for the spring 2011 administration of the Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT). Student performance on the KCCT is used to generate federal accountability reporting.

Multiple test window options will be offered so that districts may recover lost instructional time before students take the state summative assessment. Kentucky schools and districts may select from the following KCCT test windows:

· Original April 18-29

· Option 1 April 25-May 6

· Option 2 May 2-13

· Option 3 May 9-20

District Assessment Coordinators have received detailed information regarding the test window options, associated deadlines and the notification process from the Office of Assessment and Accountability. If you have questions, please contact Rhonda Sims at rhonda.sims@education.ky.gov or 502-564-4394.

Update on the Commonwealth Commitment (Attachment)

We are now at a total of 167 districts that have signed the pledge. This is fantastic!

Since the last update in the Fast Five on Friday, the new districts are: Adair, Bath, McCreary and Meade Counties and Mayfield, Raceland-Worthington and Williamsburg Independents. Thanks to these districts for getting in their pledges. Remember that the deadline for submitting the pledge is April 4.

Also, last week you were sent a revised college and career readiness workbook as an attachment that is designed to help superintendents, school boards, principals and site-based councils work to align their work toward the Senate Bill 1(2009) goal of increasing college/career readiness. It is attached again in case you need to access it.

No Items from Outside Agencies

Monday Superintendent Email 32111

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:28:00 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 3/21/11

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

- ARRA Jobs Reporting Reminder – Report due on job estimates relative to ARRA grants: Due date for submission, Wednesday, April 6, 2011 (Attachments)

- Next Monthly Superintendents Webcast

- Update on the Commonwealth Commitment Pledge

- Send in your National School Breakfast Week entries

- Kentucky School Boards Association – New Federal ADA Regulations Increase School District Responsibilities and Potential Liability (Attachment)

- Kentucky Deferred Compensation Authority – Notice to Superintendents and Finance Officers regarding District Employees Retiring Effective July 1, 2011 (Attachment)

- New online cohort program for Masters in Teacher Leadership

- Great Central U.S. ShakeOut participation tops one million

- Free instructional unit on earthquakes/poster contest

- Celebrate Screen-Free Week: April 18-24

- BIACS scholarships available

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

ARRA Jobs Reporting Reminder – Report due on job estimates relative to ARRA grants: Due date for submission, Wednesday, April 6, 2011 (Attachments)

The ARRA Jobs Estimate report is available through the web application at http://apps.kde.state.ky.us/login/ and will open on March 29, 2011. The December 2009 OMB ARRA Jobs Guidance from the federal government and the ARRA Jobs Web Application instructions are also attached. The report is a requirement of receipt of ARRA funds.

Each district must complete a report for jobs created/retained relative to each ARRA grant received from KDE. Each district will be reporting for the quarter of January 2011-March 2011. The formula for calculating jobs created/retained is:

Total number of quarter hours worked in jobs funded with ARRA funds = Number of FTEs for quarter
Total quarter hours in a full-time schedule

MUNIS project number 5600A should be reported under MUNIS project number 5600.

The reports must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, April 6, 2011. Any reports not completed by this time will result in withholding of ARRA funds until the reports are complete. All reports must have a sign-off. For grants that the district did not receive or funds that have not been expended, please sign-off on the blank report.

Questions may be directed to the following:

· Web application: ketsservicedesk@education.ky.gov or 502-564-2002

· ARRA jobs reporting: arrajobs@education.ky.gov or call Thelma Hawkins at 502-564-1979

Future ARRA Job Estimates reporting due dates are:

April 2011 – June 2011 Due: July 6, 2011

July 2011 – September 2011 Due: October 6, 2011

October 2011-December 2011 Due: January 6, 2012

Note: Dates are subject to change based on information from the U.S. Department of Education.

Next Monthly Superintendents Webcast

Please hold April 19 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET for the next monthly superintendents webcast. Topics will include SB 1 Update, Legislative update and MUNIS update. Also, remember that you can send in questions in advance of the webcast to Mary Ann Miller at maryann.miller@education.ky.gov and we will address these during the broadcast. Please put April 19, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET on your calendar.

Update on the Commonwealth Commitment Pledge

Thanks to over 153 school boards and superintendents who have joined our university presidents in signing the Commonwealth Commitment to College and Career Readiness. The newest districts to send in their pledges are Barren, Ballard, Butler, Graves, Jackson, Pendleton and Spencer Counties and Glasgow Independent. The deadline for submission is April 4.

Send in your National School Breakfast Week entries

Don’t forget to send in your entry for the National School Breakfast Week Spirit Contest.

National School Breakfast Week was March 7-11, and KDE’s Division of School and Community Nutrition hosted a Spirit Contest to encourage the state’s public schools and program sponsors to celebrate the event.

Participants should document their National School Breakfast Week celebrations and compile photographs and text, either as PowerPoint presentations or photography/narrative presentations. Entries should be sent to the SCN offices by March 24.

Entries will be displayed in the lobby of the Capital Plaza Tower in Frankfort, and KDE employees and visitors will vote for the entries they believe best depict the spirit of National School Breakfast Week. Votes will be tallied on April 1, with winners announced on April 4. Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday will present a commemorative plaque to each winner on April 18 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

For more information, contact Angela Voyles at angela.voyles@education.ky.gov or (502) 564-5625.

Items from Outside Agencies

Kentucky School Boards Association – New Federal ADA Regulations Increase School District Responsibilities and Potential Liability (Attachment)

Attached from the Kentucky School Boards Association are new federal ADA regulations to increase school district responsibilities and potential liability.

For more information, please contact Jolene Shearer at Jolene.shearer@ksba.org .

Kentucky Deferred Compensation Authority – Notice to Superintendents and Finance Officers regarding District Employees Retiring Effective July 1, 2011 (Attachment)

On behalf of the Kentucky Deferred Compensation Authority, please see the attachment for information regarding District Employees Retiring effective July 1, 2011.

If you should need further assistance, please call (800) 542-2667 or (502) 573-7925.

New online cohort program for Masters in Teacher Leadership

This fall, graduate students in the new online Teacher Leader Master’s of Arts (TLMA) Cohorts program from Georgetown College will be able to take courses in the comfort of their homes while receiving the individualized faculty attention and strong peer support network for which Georgetown College is known.

This program provides the option of completing the program as a member of a close-knit online professional community (cohort) with a maximum of 20 students. Students who enroll in the TLMA program can do so while pursuing additional endorsements in English as a Second Language, Gifted and Talented or Instructional Technology, certification in Moderate/Severe Disabilities, or special recognition by completing the English as a Second Language or Autism Spectrum Disorders cognate.

Registration is available at http://education.georgetowncollege.edu/graduate/registration/instructions.htm or by calling the Graduate Education Office at (502) 863-8176.

For more information and application deadline dates for enrollment, please click here.

Great Central U.S. ShakeOut participation tops one million

More than one million people are now expected to participate in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, to be held at 10:15 a.m. CT on April 28.

The ShakeOut is a regional earthquake drill where participants will simultaneously practice the recommended action during an earthquake, Drop, Cover and Hold-On:

· DROP to the ground.

· Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table.

· HOLD-ON to it until the shaking stops.

The recent M8.9 earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan serves as a reminder that earthquakes can happen at any time and can have devastating and far-reaching effects.

With scientists estimating that there is a 25-40 percent probability of a damaging earthquake occurring in the central U.S. within the next 50 years, the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut is designed to help individuals and communities in the region get ready for damaging earthquakes, practice how to protect themselves and prevent disasters from becoming catastrophes.

This Drop, Cover and Hold-On drill is free and open to the general public and will take place in communities throughout 11 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Please register your school or district today. Visit www.shakeout.org/centralus to pledge participation in the drill. On the website, several resources are available for participants to download:

· Drill Manuals

· Downloadable Drill Broadcasts

· Educational Videos

· Flyers, Posters and Promotional Material

· Web Banners

If you have any questions about the ShakeOut, please contact State Earthquake Awareness Coordinator David Davis at (502) 607-5712 or david.davis45@us.army.mil.

Free instructional unit on earthquakes/poster contest

The Kentucky Division of Emergency Management (KYEM) is offering a free, downloadable, instructional unit called "Earthquake Awareness & Great ShakeOut." This resource was designed for all 3rd- through 5th-grade students, providing them with a thorough understanding of earthquakes and how to better prepare for them. Created by local elementary teachers, it provides the tools needed to complete a week-long learning unit.

In conjunction with the school unit, KYEM will host a statewide poster contest. Three winners will receive Apple iPod Shuffles and have their posters displayed on the KYEM website. Specific details and guidelines are included within the unit. There is still time for your school and classroom to enter.

The unit can be downloaded at www.kyem.ky.gov/programs/earthquake/instructionalunit.

For more information, contact State Earthquake Awareness Coordinator David Davis at (502) 607-5712 or david.davis45@us.army.mil.

Celebrate Screen-Free Week: April 18-24

Screen-Free Week (April 18-24) is the annual celebration where children, families, schools and communities turn off screens and turn on life. Visit www.screenfree.org to learn how you can get involved and join in the fun.

Excessive screen time can be harmful for children — it’s linked to poor school performance, childhood obesity, attention problems and the erosion of creative play.

Screen-Free Week (formerly TV-Turnoff) is a wonderful way to help children lead healthier, happier lives by reducing dependence on entertainment screen media — including television, video games, computers and hand-held devices. By encouraging children and families to unplug, Screen-Free Week provides time for them to play, connect with nature, read, daydream, create, explore and spend more time with family and friends.

Anyone can participate in Screen-Free Week simply by refraining from using screens for entertainment during the week of April 18-24. Since 1996, tens of thousands of parents, teachers, healthcare professionals, scout leaders and clergy have helped millions of children turn off screens and turn on life by organizing local Screen-Free Weeks.

BIACS scholarships available

Every year since 1986, Bluegrass Indo-American Civic Society (BIACS) awards $1,000 one-time scholarships to high school seniors graduating in the spring or summer of each year and who will be joining a college for postsecondary education. This year, BIACS will be awarding eight scholarships, seven to graduating high school seniors and one to a graduate student from UK.

The application material with instructions can be downloaded from www.biacs.org. The BIACS Scholarship Banquet will be held on Sunday May 22, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET at the Embassy Suites on Newtown Pike in Lexington.

For more information, contact Kentucky State University Professor Ashok Kumar at (502) 597-6211 or ashok.kumar@kysu.edu.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 31411

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:27:00 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 3/14/11

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

- TELL Kentucky

- Update on the Commonwealth Commitment Pledge

- House Education Committee

- Condition Assessments to Begin for Facilities Inventory and Classification System Project (Attachment)

- Send in your National School Breakfast Week entries

- New UK Center Focuses on Technology Needs of School Administrators

- Kentucky Kids Pajama Drive

- “Why Character” workshop set

- National Missing Children’s Day poster contest

- KHS Camp ArtyFact

- Opportunities in the arts

- Mark of Excellence Honors Program

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Tell Kentucky

Over 26,000 educators have responded to the TELL Kentucky survey; however, 97 school districts remain below the required 50 percent response rate. I encourage superintendents and principals to check the response rate of schools and encourage staff to complete the survey. The deadline for response is March 25, and given the large number of responses, the survey results will certainly draw a lot of attention from media, legislators and school board members. To check your response rate, go to www.tellkentucky.org.

Update on the Commonwealth Commitment Pledge

Thanks to over 130 school boards and superintendents who have joined our university presidents in signing the Commonwealth Commitment to College and Career Readiness. The newest districts to send in their pledges are Boone, Carter, Casey, Johnson, Letcher and Whitley Counties and Augusta, Fulton, Murray and Russell Independents. The deadline for submission is April 4.

House Education Committee

I will be testifying to the House Education Committee on March 15 at 8:30 a.m. in support of the Graduation Bill and in support of “no cuts” to education funding for 2012.

Condition Assessments to Begin for Facilities Inventory and Classification System Project (Attachment)

Planning activities are well underway for the Facilities Inventory & Classification System (FICS) Project with our vendor, Parsons Commercial Technology Group, Inc. Both the physical condition and the educational suitability of facilities will be assessed. The Commonwealth’s current construction regulations, as well as nationally recognized best practices, are the basis for the standardized questionnaires to be used during the project.

The list of schools to be assessed has been baselined in order to finalize the schedule of the on-site visits. More than 480 schools encompassing 146 districts will be included in this phase, which is anticipated to begin on March 23 and complete in early June. Parsons will begin contacting the superintendents of the affected districts within the next week or so to confirm the district contact person who can coordinate with Parsons and the schools involved. The full schedule will be made available within the next two weeks, although some adjustments may be necessary during the course of the project to accommodate testing dates or other unforeseen obstacles.

The general process for each facility assessment will be:

· At least one week prior to your scheduled visit, your district office and school will be contacted to confirm the schedule for an on-site visit and discuss pre-visit preparations the district and schools need to complete.

· On the scheduled day, the assessment team, consisting of one condition assessor and one educational suitability assessor, will arrive at the school’s front office. The condition assessment team member will tour the school with a school facility employee who has knowledge of the building and can gain access to the roof, boiler, plumbing and other areas. The educational suitability team member will tour the school with the principal or a designee who has knowledge of the programs being offered in the school.

· Following the tour, the assessment team will require space with Internet access to complete its data entry.

· After Parsons has completed its quality control of the data, a school report will be provided to the district office and principal for their feedback. We anticipate these reports to be available approximately 1-2 months following the visit. Please note that these reports can be more than 50 pages in length, per facility.

· The assessment team can complete most elementary schools in three hours, middle schools in four hours and high schools in five hours. These timeframes include the data entry. Therefore, school personnel time is only required for the initial portion of the visit.

Attached is a Frequently Asked Questions document to assist districts with general information regarding the project.

Should you have any questions, please contact Paige Patterson-Grant at (502) 564-5270 or via e-mail at paige.patterson@education.ky.gov .

Send in your National School Breakfast Week entries

Don’t forget to send in your entry for the National School Breakfast Week Spirit Contest.

For more information, contact Angela Voyles at angela.voyles@education.ky.gov or (502) 564-5625.

Items from Outside Agencies

New UK Center Focuses on Technology Needs of School Administrators

Superintendents, principals and other school leaders who are helping shape schools to prepare students for a digital, global age have a new resource in Kentucky.

The Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE) is moving to the University of Kentucky College of Education (pending approval by the UK Board of Trustees). The center partners with regional educational organizations and schools to facilitate the implementation of technologies that help improve teaching and student learning. At UK, CASTLE will work with the College of Education’s Kentucky P20 Innovation Lab.

To read the press release, go to http://uknow.uky.edu/content/new-educational-center-focuses-technology-needs.

Kentucky Kids Pajama Drive

The Pajama Program, a non-profit organization, provides new, warm pajamas and new books for children in need. The group is sponsoring the second annual Kentucky Kids Pajama Drive, which is set for April 1-30. The drive is designed to enable schools to become involved in this project.

The effort seeks donations of pajamas and new books or financial contributions. Schools may wish to host special events and activities during the drive period.

For more information, contact Kentucky Chapter President Kristi Will at kristi@pajamaprogram.org or visit www.pajamaprogram.org.

“Why Character” workshop set

The Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky wants to help school district leaders be proactive in building a positive school culture.

The group has scheduled a workshop, “WHY CHARACTER: Building a Foundation for Success For School Administrators,” on April 5 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET. The workshop will be held at the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, located at Rookwood Tower (3805 Edwards Road, Suite 500) in Cincinnati.

This dynamic workshop on the whys and hows of character education is targeted at school board members and school administrators of all grade levels. The cost is $25, which includes lunch.

For more information, visit http://www.charactercincinnati.org/images/eventFlyers/WhyCharacterApril2011.pdf or contact Mary Russell at (513) 467-0170 or mrussell@charactercincinnati.org.

National Missing Children’s Day poster contest

Kentucky State Police is looking for 5th-grade artists to compete in the National Missing Children’s Day poster contest sponsored by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, D.C. KSP will select a nominee from Kentucky and forward it to DOJ, where one poster from all state nominated entries will be selected as a winner. The artist of the national winning poster will win a free trip to Washington, D.C. and participate in the National Missing Children’s Day Ceremony where he or she will receive an award and a U.S. Savings Bond.

The Kentucky nominee will receive an Award of Excellence from KSP, and the winning poster will be prominently displayed at the Kentucky State Fair in KSP’s Safety Town Exhibit.

The theme for the contest is “Bring Our Missing Children Home.” Many schools incorporate this campaign as part of a lesson plan in the classroom.

Child safety information is available online from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at http://www.missingkids.com.

KSP has contest guidelines and information on its website at www.kentuckystatepolice.org.

Poster entries should be mailed to Kentucky State Police on or before April 4:

KSP, Public Affairs Branch

919 Versailles Road

Frankfort KY 40601

More information is available from Lt. David Jude, KSP Media Relations Branch, (502) 782-1780 or david.jude@ky.gov.

KHS Camp ArtyFact

If you’re looking for a way to entertain and challenge your child this spring, the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) has the perfect solution. During spring break, April 4-8, let KHS introduce your child to Kentucky’s history, culture and traditions through hands-on activities at Camp ArtyFact!

At this half-day camp, participants will explore the KHS history campus and collections through activities like sculpting, painting and collage, and comic book creation. With small classes, high-quality supplies and top-notch instructors, campers will learn how to talk about visual arts and artifacts, develop critical and analytical skills, and gain confidence in their abilities.

This day camp was introduced in summer 2010 on the KHS history campus and repeated during fall break 2010.

Each Camp ArtyFact course is three hours long. Parents may sign their campers up for the morning course, the afternoon course or both. Fees for the camp are $50 for KHS or Kentucky Junior Historical Society (KJHS) members and $65 for all other patrons for the week, and include all supplies.

The second summer version of Camp ArtyFact is also scheduled for June and July 2011.

The registration deadline is March 26. Spring registration forms and the schedule of courses are available at www.history.ky.gov/camp, by e-mailing Mike Deetsch at mike.deetsch@ky.gov or by calling (502) 564-1792.

Opportunities in the arts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will present an Arts Integration Conference: Exploring an Approach to Teaching on June 27-29 for arts organization staff, teachers, principals and school district administrators. Registration is now available. It is recommended that participants attend as a team from a school including staff from a partnering arts organization. For more information and to register, visit http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/ceta/conference.html.

On its website, Local Learning: The National Network for Folk Arts in Education is compiling a list of national opportunities for educators to receive training in the folk arts, folklife and oral history for summer 2011. Several workshops and seminars will cover topics such as Teaching American History through Song (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Smithsonian Folkways Certification in World Music Pedagogy (Seattle, Washington) and Bridging Cultures: Diversity and Unity in the Pueblo World (Cortez, Colorado). Many are open to educators nationwide; others are for local participants.

Be inspired this summer at the Smithsonian American Art Museum by participating in the Clarice Smith National Teacher Institutes professional development program. Join educators from across the country for an exciting exploration of the connections among American art, technology and your curricula. Middle/junior and high school core subject teachers may apply as individuals or as part of a team. Priority will be given to social studies and English/language arts teachers. The application deadline is April 8, and institute dates are July 18–22 and August 1–5. For more information and to apply, please visit http://americanart.si.edu/education/dev/cs/.

Mark of Excellence Honors Program

The Mark of Excellence 2011 national honors program seeks to recognize and award outstanding achievement in performance by high school and middle school bands. The project will gather entries from throughout the United States and provide valuable feedback for all entrants.

The program is sponsored by the Foundation For Music Education and provides recognition in five areas:

National Wind Band Honors National Orchestra Honors National Choral Honors National Jazz Honors National Percussion Ensemble Honors (new this year)

Directors submit a CD recording of their ensembles from the current (2010-11) school year. Adjudicators will listen to entries and provide detailed tape-recorded comments and brief written comments. All entrants will receive a compilation CD recording of the winning band performances. Winners also will also be recognized in regional and/or national publications and at national and regional conventions. National winners receive a plaque and Commended winners receive a certificate.

The submission deadline is June 4. For more information, contact Managing Director Rick Yancey at ryancey@choicemusicevents.org or visit http://www.foundationformusiceducation.org/mark-of-excellence.

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT EMAIL 13111

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:50:00 GMT

MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 1/31/11

The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:

- Tuesday, February 1^st at 11:00 a.m. ET - Webinar for 2010-11 Final SEEK and Pro Rata Reduction and 2011-12 SEEK Forecast

- 2010-2011 Final SEEK Calculation

- 2011-2012 SEEK Forecast Calculation

- Technology Readiness Survey

- Arts Academies Scheduled

- KDE Partners with ACT to provide a college placement test, COMPASS®

- SESPTC Buster Bynam Scholarship (Attachment)
- KASA seeking proposals

- CTL summer PD workshops

If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.

Items from KDE

Tuesday, February 1^st at 11:00 a.m. ET - Webinar for 2010-11 Final SEEK and Pro Rata Reduction and 2011-12 SEEK Forecast

KDE will be conducting a webinar on Tuesday, February 1^st at 11:00 a.m. ET to communicate how to understand the impact of the Pro Rata Reduction for the 2010-11 SEEK FINAL calculation. This webinar will be archived and available for interested individuals who cannot attend.

This webinar will be addressing the:

· Calculation method of 2010-11 Pro Rata reduction amounts

· How the Pro Rata reduction affects your payments

· A brief review of 2011-12 SEEK Forecast

2010-11 Final SEEK reports and final Pro Rata reduction spreadsheets are now posted on the SEEK webpage. You may find it helpful to have your district’s one-page 2010-11 SEEK Final and the new 2010-11 Final Pro Rata Reduction spreadsheet data to refer to during the webinar.

Live broadcast video and audio mms://video1.education.ky.gov/encoder1

Live broadcast audio only mms://video1.education.ky.gov/encoder2

Questions during the webinar can be e-mailed to Kay Kennedy at Kay.Kennedy@education.ky.gov .

2010-2011 Final SEEK Calculation

Your district’s 2010-2011 Final SEEK Calculation contains all actual data elements and is available for viewing on the SEEK website.

Updated Data Elements

Transportation:

The 2010-11 Final SEEK Calculation includes an updated transportation calculation. The calculation is dependent upon data submitted by the districts. Updated data since the previous preliminary calculation may have impacted your district’s final funding. The total transportation amount funding for 2010-11 is capped by the 2010-2012 biennial budget at $214,752,800.

2^nd Month Growth:

Actual 2^nd Month Growth counts, based on data your district provided to KDE in the Growth Factor submission, were used and calculated in your 2010-11 Final SEEK Calculation. These elements have not changed since the preliminary 2010-11 Final SEEK Calculation.

Pro Rata Adjustment

Final pro rata adjustments to each SEEK element have been posted to the web on the SEEK website. These amounts have changed slightly as more district data has been sent to KDE since the Commissioner’s webinar regarding the preliminary pro rata reductions for the 2010-11 Final SEEK Calculation. Please ensure that you review the most current pro rata spreadsheet to understand the adjustment to your district’s SEEK payment elements.

Additional Calculations

January Growth and Adjustment Assessment calculations, per KRS 157.360, will not be provided due to the insufficient funding in the 2010-11 Final SEEK Calculation appropriation.

Payments

Your district’s payments, which are based on the 2010-11 Final SEEK Calculation, will begin in April 2011. Documentation regarding payments will be posted to the SEEK website by March 1. We are currently working on a new layout for the one-page SEEK document to include the pro rata reduction. This will eliminate the need for the pro rata spreadsheet in order to understand the total funding allotment amounts.

For questions regarding the SEEK calculations, please contact Chay Ritter via e-mail at (chay.ritter@education.ky.gov) or Jennifer Rowe at (jennifer.rowe@education.ky.gov) or via phone at 502-564-3846.

2011-2012 SEEK Forecast Calculation

The 2011-2012 SEEK Forecast Calculation is now available and has been posted on the SEEK website. The per-pupil base is $3,903 with a statewide equalization of $736,000 as provided for in the 2010-2012 Biennial Budget.

Data Elements Used

The 2011-2012 SEEK Forecast uses district-provided data estimates for EOY AADA, Home & Hospital, At-Risk, LEP, and Property Assessment. The Exceptional Child Count used in the 2011-2012 SEEK Forecast is actual data as provided by the Division of Learning Services.

2010-11 Final Transportation Funding is being used in the 2011-12 SEEK Forecast.

Pro Rata Adjustment

KDE has estimated that the preliminary shortage for 2011-12 is approximately $ 28.7 million. Pro Rata adjustments to each SEEK element for 2011-12 are now available on the SEEK website. These numbers may change as SEEK elements are finalized. The revised one page SEEK layout that we are currently working on will reflect each district’s pro rata adjustment for 2011-12. This requires a programming change in our system and should be available in the next few weeks.

SFSF

Please keep in mind that even though SFSF federal funding is no longer available in 2011-2012, the General Assembly already appropriated general fund dollars to replace this loss of federal funding. Therefore, the 2011-12 SEEK appropriation consists of only state general fund dollars.

Payments

The 2011-2012 SEEK Forecast Calculation is used to determine payments for July, August, and September 2011. In the fall of 2011, we will calculate the 2011-2012 Tentative SEEK Calculation, which will replace the estimated data with the actual data elements, except for 2^nd month growth, January growth, transportation and the assessed value 4% growth adjustment.

Technology Readiness Survey

Each year on December 1, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) takes a snapshot of the education technology readiness of all 174 school districts. The timing of this Technology Readiness Survey (TRS) – prior to the upcoming legislative session – enables us to have the most current information on any idea or proposal that may involve the use of technology in some way for instructional or administrative initiatives or projects.

The 2010‐11 TRS reveals multiple opportunities for schools and districts to use modern technologies to save money as well as enrich and expand next‐generation teaching and learning.

An overview of the TRS results and a tool enabling comparisons between districts, regions and state totals are available through KDE’s Open House.

For more information, contact David Couch, associate commissioner of the Office of Knowledge, Information and Data Services, at (502) 564-2020, ext. 229 or david.couch@education.ky.gov.

Arts Academies scheduled

KDE, in partnership with the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, KET and the University of Kentucky P20 Civics Engagement Lab, will present three academies for teachers in June 2010:

June 20-24, Corbin -- Arts Academy for Music & Dance June 20-24, Bowling Green -- Arts Academy for Visual Art & Drama June 13-17, Lexington -- NEW in 2011! – Next Generation Academy: Integrating Social Studies, the Arts, and Technology

These academies will integrate social studies and technology with four art forms: drama, music, dance and visual arts. The academies support 21st-century skills and the new Program Review in the arts.

The Next Generation Academy is open to teachers who have previously attended two Arts Academies. Teams of arts/social studies teachers are encouraged to apply together.

Teachers attending the Arts Academies and Next Generation Academy will receive a stipend of $500 plus the KET Arts Toolkits. Each academy will accept up to 32 teachers.

Applications must be submitted electronically by March 31. For further information and the online application, please go to http://www.kentuckycenter.org/Education/Academies.

For more details, contact Jeffrey Jamner at jjamner@kentuckycenter.org or (502) 562-0703.

KDE Partners with ACT to provide a college placement test, COMPASS®

The Kentucky Department of Education has partnered with ACT to provide a college placement test, COMPASS®. Every senior may take each eligible assessment once. Students are eligible for COMPASS® assessments if they have not met the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) benchmarks on any state or national ACT assessment. Participation by the school or district is optional.

Senate Bill 1 enacted by the 2009 Kentucky General Assembly directed the reduction of college remediation rates by at least fifty percent (50%) by 2014 from what they were in 2010. Giving students the opportunity to take a college placement test their senior year will give the students another opportunity to demonstrate readiness for college credit-bearing courses. Public colleges and universities will accept the students’ scores for placement. Additionally, student scores will be included in the College and Career Readiness Rate.

Over the next few weeks, school and district personnel can choose to become a COMPASS® test administration site. The process for schools to register to become test administration centers will be shared with the District Assessment Coordinators.

In December, volunteers from DAC Advisory members were identified to pilot the COMPASS® placement tests for Kentucky. Personnel from pilot districts have been trained and will administer the exam in February. From the learning gained during the pilot, KDE and ACT will develop training for high school COMPASS® Test Administrators in March. The statewide launch of the software is expected in April.

To prepare for this computer assessment, the district’s CIO will receive additional information on workstation setup for testing from KIDS.

Additional details regarding the assessment can be found at http://www.act.org/compass.

SESPTC Buster Bynam Scholarship (Attachment)

The Southeastern States Pupil Transportation Conference (SESPTC) is a Virginia non-profit corporation created over 59 years ago to host an annual conference focused on educating student transportation professionals working in the southeast. The member southeastern states are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. The conference has been held annually since 1951.

Over the last few years, with the support of industry vendors, the SESPTC has accumulated funds which the SESPTC Board of Directors has decided to disburse in the form of student education scholarships. This year the SESPTC Board has approved the awarding of two $1,000 Buster Bynam scholarships to deserving students in each of the 14 southeastern states. The scholarship funds must be used to cover education expenses at a postsecondary educational institution and will be paid to the institution in support of a student’s 2011-12 school year expenses.

The attached scholarship documents provide additional information about the scholarship, including parent and student qualifications, the application form, required supporting documentation and the selection process to determine deserving students.

To qualify, a parent/guardian family must have a gross taxable income less than $75,000 for each of the past five tax years. A parent/guardian of the student must have been actively employed in public school transportation for the past five years. A student qualifies by graduating from a public high school and then attending a postsecondary educational institution in 2011. The $1,000 scholarship can be used for any part of the student’s 2011-12 school year tuition, books or fees.

To ensure that all eligible students have an opportunity to apply for this scholarship, please help distribute this information to your transportation staff and high school counselors. Eligible applicants include any of the following transportation staff: bus drivers, bus aides/monitors, bus mechanics, pupil transportation directors, bus supervisors, bus driver trainers, bus safety inspectors and many other positions either employed by a school district, their contractors or a state school.

Applications are due to the Kentucky Department of Education no later than March 31, and the awards will be announced prior to May 31.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this information.

Items from Outside Agencies

KASA seeking proposals

The Kentucky Association of School Administrators (KASA) is seeking education session proposals for its Annual Summer Institute, July 13-15, at the Galt House Hotel & Suites in Louisville. Keynote speakers include Harlem hero Geoffrey Canada and Carnegie Hall classic Mike Rayburn along with other featured presenters, including tech expert Jim Spellos and school leadership authority Dr. John Draper.

This year’s institute centers on the theme of Connecting Next Generation Learners and Leaders, which recognizes education leaders’ critical role in creating the future and preparing the next generation of leaders and learners for life in the 21st century. This includes:

· examination of public education’s role in the future workforce and economy in Kentucky and abroad

· the role of/uses for technology in aiding problem-solving and implementing new and existing techniques in education

· exploration of greater knowledge and skill sets in applicable genres like school law, curriculum and networking

· inspiration to help educators start a new school year with gusto

Please share this information with anyone in your organization and/or exterior networks that has expertise in the pertinent topics.

To submit proposals before the March 1 deadline, visit http://www.kasa.org/2011_Summer_Institute/EdSessionProposals.html. Online submission is preferred, but additional methods are available.

For more details, contact KASA at (800) 928-5272 or (502) 875-4634.

CTL summer PD workshops

The Collaborative for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has scheduled the following professional development workshops for summer 2011. Pricing and other information will be available in early spring. To be placed on a waiting list, e-mail CTL at info@ctlonline.org and indicate the session(s).

June 6 and June 7 (two separate sessions with the same content)-- Artful Reading: Integrating Literacy with Visual Arts and Music

Use art-themed picture books and reading strategies in an interactive arts-based workshop to learn how to engage students in literacy learning and arts integration. Session will include modeling and hands-on experiences in reading, music and visual arts.

Target Grades: Kindergarten through Grade 5 and Arts Specialists

June 8 and 9 (two-day session) -- Exploring in the Mathematics Classroom Using Manipulatives and Geogebra

Learn about how the dynamic mathematics program, Geogebra, uses manipulatives in the classroom to develop concrete understanding of mathematical concepts to bridge concrete to abstract understanding. Session will include hands-on experiences with algebra tiles, number lines, base ten blocks and more.

Target Grades: Middle and High School

June 13-14 (two-day session) -- Mathematical Literacy: Representing Learning in Multiple Ways

Explore strategies to develop mathematical communication in your students with an emphasis on multiple representations, student-to-student discourse, writing in support of student learning and use of manipulatives to bridge concrete to abstract understanding.

Target Grades: Middle and High School

June 15-16 (two-day session)-- Differentiation Menu for the Classroom

Become the students in a differentiated classroom and return to your own classroom with strategies you've tried, discussed and can immediately use. Discover approaches to differentiating instruction that will enhance learning for your students.

Target Grades: Kindergarten through High School

June 17 -- Polishing Writing Skills for Teachers and Administrators

Designed for busy educators who want to simplify and clarify the writing process so that letters, reports, speeches and other messages are timely and on-point and get the desired response. Learn how to manage the writing process as a professional to make finished work understandable and persuasive.

Target Grades: Kindergarten through High School

June 20-21 (two-day session) -- Engaging Adolescents: Foundational Literacy and the ELA Teacher

Discuss and explore the role of Common Core Academic Standards in today's English classroom. Topics will include reading strategies (literary and informational), language development techniques and academic dialogue, with hands-on opportunities to plan and try out new strategies with colleagues.

Target Grades: Middle and High School

June 22-23 (two-day session) -- Teachers as Leaders: Extending Individual Influence to Maximize Your School's Improvement Potential

Discover mind-sets and skill-sets that build effective teacher leadership. Practice reflective and accountable leadership behaviors with colleagues and leave ready to ramp up school improvement efforts in your school.

Target Grades: Kindergarten through High School

For more information, visit http://www.ctlonline.org or contact Dennis Horn at dhorn@ctlonline.org or (800) 995-3965.

2010 Grade 11 ACT Data Release Embargoed till 800 am Thursday August 12

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:05:00 GMT

Attached are the state results of the 2010 Grade 11 ACT administration. On Thursday, August 12, at 8 a.m. ET, the Kentucky Department of Education will publicly release this information on the KDE Web site. A press release will be issued tomorrow morning.

The Office of Assessment and Accountability asks that districts and schools not share the results publicly until Thursday. The data includes all tested students, even those receiving accommodations (both ACT-approved and state-allowed). The state release data is based on where students are tested. The reports include:

ACT Profile Report—State (PDF)

ACT Grade 11 Kentucky Trend Data (PDF)

ACT Grade 11 Average Score by Site (PDF and Excel)

ACT Grade 11 Percentage of Students Meeting Benchmarks (PDF and Excel)

Please note that the Percentage of Students Meeting Benchmarks and Average Score by Site Reports are provided in both PDF and Excel formats this year.

For questions on the 2010 Grade 11 ACT data release, contact Jennifer Stafford at Jennifer.Stafford@education.ky.gov or (502) 564-2256.

Commissioners and KBE members position on instructional time and budget issues March 17 2010

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:09:00 GMT

Dear Superintendents and Education Partners,

I have become aware of questions/concerns from superintendents and others about my position and that of Kentucky Board of Education members on instructional time and budget issues. Therefore, we are providing clarification on these critical issues today through this e-mail.

Our first priority is to protect the educational needs of children. Reducing instructional time through a loss of instructional days, either due to budget reductions or missed days for weather or other emergencies, is not in the best interest of children’s learning.

Our second priority is to protect the resources needed to educate children. We would prefer no cuts to P-12 education; however, due to the current economic realities, we are convinced that state legislative leadership does not see a way to spare education from budget cuts. We likely will be expected to reduce P-12 spending by at least $68 million over the next two years.

Through the budget process, House leadership reduced instructional time by two days to account for the $68 million budget cut. This amount is reflected in the line item budget as a reduction in SEEK funding from the FY 10 appropriation.

In conversations with superintendents and school board members, we have tried to develop an alternative to the loss of two days of instructional time. The logical question would then be why we would seek such an alternative. Below are principles that represent our thinking:

· Reducing two instructional days puts Kentucky children at a disadvantage, relative to the amount of time spent in the classroom devoted to student learning, with children from other states and countries as they compete for jobs in a global economy.

· Reducing two instructional days will result in a 1% pay cut to teachers and classified staff, but no pay cut to administrators or state employees.

· Reducing instructional time will jeopardize our Race to the Top application for up to $200 million in federal funds, since U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan is opposed to reductions in instructional time.

· An option enabling districts to pay for the two instructional days from local sources will exacerbate the inequity among school districts in Kentucky, since some districts will fund the days and others will not.

Kentucky Board of Education members and I are proposing a substitute to cutting two instructional days, which is to split the $68 million cost between districts ($17 million per year) and grants controlled by the legislature and administered by the Kentucky Department of Education ($17 million per year). Two key points should be considered as we work with the legislature on this substitute:

· If they are required to cut budgets, superintendents have requested flexibility with all revenue sources including SEEK, flex focus funds, flow-through grants, days of employment and specific programs.

· Department reductions from flow-through grants from the legislature could be made without losing teaching positions.

Again, the preference would be no cuts to education; however, this will not be possible given the economic situation we find ourselves in at the present time.

The reduction of instructional days made by the House budget proposal did not require a painful analysis of reductions for special interest programs, so it was a popular solution in a difficult time. However, reductions need to be made through careful analysis of local conditions and the actual program results produced by the grant dollars that P-12 education receives.

I hope this clarifies my and Kentucky Board of Education members’ intent as we work with you to protect the interests of Kentucky’s children and the state’s education system.

As always, I am open to questions and discussion of these matters and can be reached at (502) 564-3141 or via e-mail at Terry.Holliday@education.ky.gov .

Seclusions and Restraints September 2009

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:42:00 GMT

Dear Superintendents,

Attached you will find a letter from U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan that he sent to all chief state school officers regarding the use of seclusion and physical restraints. An essential component of the Secretary’s correspondence focused on systems of prevention to minimize the need to use seclusion and physical restraints. More specifically, Secretary Duncan referenced the use of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) as a means to accomplish the desired outcome of the prevention of aggressive behavior.

In case you were not aware, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has an initiative in place to implement PBIS, known as the Kentucky Center for Instructional Discipline (KYCID). KYCID has provided PBIS training to 303 schools. There are currently 25 district-level initiatives to implement PBIS. Additional information regarding PBIS can be found at the KYCID Web site at: www.KYCID.org.

In addition, you can find guidance regarding the use of time-out rooms posted on the Behavior Homepage Web site at the University of Kentucky. The guidance includes a letter from KDE that was issued in 2000. This letter from the Division of Exceptional Children Services was reviewed in 2006 and was again found to be consistent with KDE’s position on time-out rooms. The link to the Behavior Homepage is: www.state.ky.us/agencies/behave/homepage.html. A copy of the guidance is attached.

KDE has identified a stakeholder group to review existing information and to make recommendations on additional guidance. This information will be issued as soon as possible. However, until this work is completed, I urge you to read the attachments to this letter and review the information found on the Behavior Home Page.

We look forward to working with you to provide additional guidance on this vital issue.

Special DAC E Mail Regarding Future Test Windows May 2009

webmaster@education.ky.gov (KDE Web Master) — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Please see below an email that went to DACs today regarding Interim Test Reports for 2009 and Test Windows for 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Office of Assessment and Accountability

Special DAC E-Mail

May 22, 2009

The following message will be sent to all state Superintendents later today.

Interim Test Reports for 2009 and Test Windows for 2010, 2011 and 2012

Although the Kentucky Department of Education had planned an early May 2009 test window, the 2009 testing window was moved to late May in order to help schools recover as many instructional days as possible in light of the severe windstorms in September, the severe ice storm in January and the flooding in eastern Kentucky in May.

Movement of the testing window to late May makes it impossible, both fiscally and logistically, to return results prior to September. The public release of test scores is tentatively scheduled for the week of September 21-25, 2009.

In April 2009, Arne Duncan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, clarified that the federal requirement to return scores to schools prior to the beginning of the 2009-10 school year remains in effect. Therefore, the testing window for spring 2010 must be scheduled for the last two weeks of April due to fiscal and logistical issues. This date allows reports to be returned prior to the beginning of school.

Test Windows and Reports 2009-2010

EXPLORE, PLAN and Writing On Demand (12^th grade) September 14–25, 2009 (no change)

ACT Test Day March 9, 2010

ACT Make Up Day March 23, 2010

First Day of Spring Core Content Test April 19, 2010

Close of Spring Core Content Test Window April 30, 2010

Test Reports to Schools July 2010

As a reminder, the 2010 testing window will comprise six days of testing and four additional makeup days. The Office of Assessment and Accountability will work with district assessment coordinators (DACs) on the “six-day schedule” for the 2010 window. Please use these dates when considering schedule issues for the spring of 2010. (Note: The new Norm Referenced Test for grades 3-7 may be administered one week prior or one week after the Spring Core Content Tests).

2011 Test Dates

We are investigating how the 2011 test window might be affected by April holidays and spring break. We will work with local DACs to determine their April 2011 school calendars and how those dates will affect possible spring test dates.

2012 and Beyond

In 2012, the five-day testing window will occur during the last 14 instructional days of a district’s school year. Districts should begin to plan their calendars for 2011-12 with this requirement in mind.

If you have questions, please contact the KDE Office of Assessment and Accountability at (502) 564-2256.