The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has selected Kentucky to receive federal funds for the 2018 NSLP Equipment Assistance Grants. Kentucky will receive $567,719 to assist School Food Authorities (SFAs) participating in the National School Lunch Program in purchasing needed equipment to meet the new nutritional standards for schools as required by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.
These funds will be awarded via a competitive grant process to SFAs giving priority to high need schools (e.g., schools in underserved areas, schools with limited access to other resources, and age of food service equipment) where 50 percent or more of the enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced price meals. KDE will use the month of October 2017 to document eligibility. Please refer to the KDE School and Community Nutrition web site at
Qualifying Data for that figure. In addition, SFAs may submit applications for schools that did not receive a previous NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant award under the ARRA Act of 2009 and the FY 2010, FY 2013, FY 2014, FY 2015 and FY 2016 Agriculture Appropriations Acts.
FY19 Competency Education and Assessment RFA
As a result of input provided by the Educational Innovations Work Group during the development of Kentucky's new accountability system and as indicated in Senate Bill 1 (2017), the state is adopting an expanded view of instruction, assessment and accountability. That view has resulted in the launch of the Competency Education and Assessment (CEA) pilot program in winter of 2018. The pilot supports an approach to student learning and assessment that is based on several guiding principles. These principles, identified by the work group, support Kentucky's belief that competency-based learning and assessment methods can result in stronger and more positive outcomes for all students. This pilot started in the winter of 2018 with an initial cohort or two districts and is now looking to add a second cohort. The second cohort would begin in the spring of 2019 with the goal of implementing Anchor Competencies and accompanying assessment rubrics in the fall of 2019. In the future, Cohort 2 districts may join Cohort 1 in developing possible new academic competencies and new assessments for those competencies.
Cohort 2 is capped at ten (10) districts, but the final number of districts chosen will depend on how many applications meet the scoring requirements as described in the "Evaluation of Application" section of this RFA. Selected Cohort 2 districts will begin their pilot phase with key elements of the pilot having already been established by Cohort 1, including the development of "Anchor Competencies" and timelines for phases of implementation. Cohort 2 will participate in the pilot for three years, concluding with the 2021-2022 school year.
FY19 CEA Pilot Cohort 2 RFA updated
FY19 Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program (FFVP)
Recent Federal legislation, Public Law 110-234, The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, authorized funds for expansion of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) to all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Elementary schools that represent a State's highest free and reduced price enrollment are eligible to participate in the Program and are given priority for being selected due to their high need level. The purpose of the program is to increase fresh fruit and vegetable consumption in elementary schools.
Kentucky has been allocated $2,851,570 for use during the period beginning October 1, 2018 and ending September 30, 2019. The level of funds provided to any one school must be calculated by funding each student at $50 to $75 per year.
FY19 21st Century Community Learning Centers
As authorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC), the Office of Next Generation Schools and Districts is issuing a Request for Application (RFA) for local school districts, community and faith-based organizations, as well as other qualifying private and governmental organizations to design and implement effective out-of-school programs that improve student achievement and social development.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program provides academic, artistic and cultural enrichment opportunities for children, particularly students who attend high–poverty and low-performing schools, to meet state and local standards in core academic subjects, such as reading, math and science. The purpose is to provide students with homework assistance and a broad array of activities that can complement their regular academic programs while also promoting youth development; and to offer literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children. Programs must ensure the academic services they provide are aligned with the school's curriculum in the core subject areas.
FY19 Preschool Partnership RFA
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is pleased to announce a funding opportunity designed to incentivize cooperative public/private partnerships between public school districts and child care providers to develop full-day, high-quality programs for at-risk children. The incentive grant program represents an opportunity for school districts and child care providers to improve the quality of services in their communities. With funding provided through House Bill 200 (2018), the KDE is issuing a Request for Application (RFA) for school districts to partner with child care providers in an effort to develop a comprehensive plan to implement full-day, high-quality programs to serve preschool children eligible for assistance from the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). Below is the link to the RFA.
FY18 Migrant Regional Centers RFA
As authorized under Title I, Part C of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the Office of Continuous Improvement and Support, Division of Consolidated Plans and Audits, is issuing a Request for Application (RFA) from local educational agencies or public universities/colleges to develop and implement technical assistance and professional learning programs that facilitate the educational and support services needed for identified migrant children and their families.
FY18 Migrant regional centers RFAFY18 Migrant Education Regional Center Cover SheetMigrant FY18 FAQ
FY18 Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy RFA
The purpose of the federal Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy (SRCL) grant is to support schools and other centers of learning in improving the reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills as well as academic achievement of all learners. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will help districts and their partners to develop and implement a District Literacy Leadership Team (LLT) that guides the school Literacy Leadership Teams of one or more Birth-to-12th-Grade feeder systems, guiding local school-level teams through the process. The SRCL projects will establish collaborative relationships among all providers of educational opportunities to learners (early care, school system, out-of-school time, etc.). Additionally, projects will focus on closing the literacy learner gaps of the disadvantaged by establishing specific supports for at-risk learners, Birth-Grade 12. The goal is to increase the numbers of disadvantaged learners ready for transitioning successfully at various points on this continuum.
Online Technical Assistance Sessions: February 8, 10:00 - 11:30 ET
Join online meeting February 15, 11:00 - 12:30 ET
Join online meeting February 22, 2:00 – 3:30 ET
Join online meetingFY18 Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy with amendments Feb. 5thFY18 Striving Readers Call for ReviewersFY18 Striving Readers FAQ
FY18 New Skills For Youth Cohort II RFA
The Kentucky New Skills for Youth (NSFY) Initiative incentivizes the opportunity for local districts to transition state operated area technical centers and locally operated technical centers into regional academies. Accomplished through the collaboration of two or more school districts, a technical center, a postsecondary partner, a community partner, and employer engagement, this initiative seeks to transform the delivery of career and technical education in Kentucky by:
- Increasing student access to dual credit opportunities and seamless postsecondary pathways
- Allowing students to earn industry recognized credentials
- Providing students Work-Based Learning (WBL) experiences
- Including pathways leading to the top 5 industry sectors, as identified by the Kentucky Center for Education & Workforce Statistics (KCEWS)
The Kentucky Department of Education has approximately $690,000 available for this grant competition. The total award amount for each planning grant will be no more than $115,000.
The live Webinar will be held on January 24th, from
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the
State Board Room at the 300 Building in Frankfort, Ky. 40601. The link to the session is the following,
FY18 NSFY II FAQ
FY18 Competency Education and Assessment RFA
As a result of input provided by the Educational Innovations Work Group during the development of Kentucky’s new accountability system and as indicated in Senate Bill 1 (2017), the state is adopting an expanded view of assessment and accountability. That view has resulted in the launching of the Competency Education and Assessment (CEA) pilot program. This pilot will support an approach to student learning and assessment that is based on several guiding principles. These principles, identified by the work group, support Kentucky’s belief that such learning and assessment methods can result in stronger and more positive outcomes for all students:
- Competency Based Education (CBE) allows students to demonstrate deeper learning on dimensions (skills and dispositions) not captured in current assessments that result in outcomes of success that extend beyond traditional academic performance.
- CBE supports the success of all students, especially those who are less likely to perform well in the current assessment and accountability.
- CBE shows evidence of stronger student engagement than do more traditional approaches.
- CBE allows (through student choice) the opportunity for students to make interdisciplinary connections across the curriculum through authentic projects and assessments.
- CBE can be implemented in a wide variety of districts and “customized” as needed.
- CBE provides additional measures of success beyond traditional academic performance.
This pilot will begin with an initial cohort (Cohort 1) in 2018-2019. Cohort 1 is capped at ten (10) districts, but the final number of districts chosen will depend on how many applications meet the scoring requirements as described in the “Evaluation of Application” section of this RFA. Cohort 1 will develop the system that will be the foundation for a competency-based option for learning and assessment. Cohort 1 will participate in the pilot for three years, with the goal of “earned autonomy” by the start of the 2021-2022 school year. Earned autonomy means that successful districts may be eligible to replace current accountability requirements with more competency-based measures that have been proven to result in strong student outcomes.
FY18 Homeless RFA
As Authorized under Title IX, Part A of ESSA, the Office of Continuous Improvement and Support is issuing a Request for Applications (RFA) from local educational agencies to develop and implement programs that facilitate the enrollment, attendance, and success in school of homeless children and youth.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) anticipates funding 10-19 programs. Funding amounts will vary dependent upon availability of funds and the following needs (list is not all inclusive): homeless population, strength of academic services proposed, allowable expenditures and potential start-up programs. Districts should design a Homeless Education Program that addresses needs identified through a comprehensive needs assessment and is education focused. Budgets should be developed based on the program design and should accurately reflect amounts needed to effectively implement it. The average award for this grant is approximately $65,000. Districts may or may not receive the total amount requested. The award is based on program design and homeless count.
FY18 Homeless FAQ
FY18 Kentucky Innovation Lab Network Personalized Learning Study Group Travel Fund RFA (KYILN)
There are many schools in Kentucky implementing components of personalized learning, and district leaders are encouraged to visit exemplar schools within our state. There are also many examples of personalized learning across the country, and district leaders may benefit from site visits to other hubs of educational innovation, such as schools committed to competency based education or piloting blended learning initiatives. This grant is intended to support travel to exemplar schools outside the state of Kentucky. A list of suggested schools and other entities is included as Appendix B but travel is not limited to the suggestions in Appendix B and no particular preference will be given to applications for travel to schools mentioned in Appendix B.
FY18 KYILN RFA
FY18 Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program (FFVP)
Recent Federal legislation, Public Law 110-234, The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, authorized funds for expansion of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) to all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Elementary schools that represent a State’s highest free and reduced price enrollment are eligible to participate in the Program and are given priority for being selected due to their high need level. The purpose of the program is to increase fresh fruit and vegetable consumption in elementary schools.
Kentucky has been allocated $2,905,888 for use during the period beginning October 1, 2017 and ending September 30, 2018. The level of funds provided to any one school must be calculated by funding each student at $50 to $75 per year.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable FY18 RFA2017-2018 FFVP invited sites2017-2018 Eligible SitesFFVP previous cycle FAQFresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Elementary School Criteria FY18FFVP Signature PageSP 10-2010SP 35-2017 - Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Revised FY 2017FFVP FY18 FAQ
FY17 Read To Achieve RFA
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) anticipates funding approximately 300 schools at an estimated $50,000 per year for a two-year period to support the hiring of one full-time reading intervention teacher and training for one classroom teacher (per year) per school. If the school is awarded RTA grant funds, the school must assure the complete sustainability of the school’s proposed intervention services for the two-year period. After this two-year period, RTA schools will be eligible to request a grant renewal for an additional two years contingent upon successful implementation of all program components, grant requirement compliance, demonstrated student progress and the availability of funds.
The Kentucky Read to Achieve: Reading Diagnostic and Intervention Grant provides schools with competitive funds to design and implement a reading intervention program and/or practices that address the needs of primary (K– 3) students reading at low levels.
The selected intervention program should promote effective instruction and be based on trend data specific to the needs of the struggling readers in the school.
As specified in KRS 158.792 1c, the reading intervention selected by the school must:
- Allow for short-term, intensive instruction in the essential skills necessary to read proficiently
- Be provided to a student by a highly trained teacher
- Be delivered one-on-one or in small groups
- Be evidence-based, reliable, and replicable
- Be based on ongoing assessment of individual student needs
FY17 Mathematics Achievement Fund Grant
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) anticipates funding approximately 90 schools at an estimated $50,000 per year to support the hiring of one full-time mathematics intervention teacher (MIT) and training for the intervention team consisting of the intervention teacher and two classroom teachers per school. Grants are renewable for up to four years, contingent on successful implementation of intervention components, grant requirement compliance, demonstrated student progress and the availability of funds.
The Mathematics Achievement Fund (MAF) grant provides schools with funds for teacher training and implementation of intervention services that address the needs of students in the primary program who are struggling to meet grade level or benchmark expectations for mathematics. The intervention services should promote evidence-based practices in mathematics. Selected mathematics intervention services should be based on data specific to the needs of the identified students.
As specified in KRS 158.844, the intervention services selected shall:
- be provided to a student by a highly trained, certified teacher
- be based on reliable, replicable research; and
- be based on the ongoing assessment of individual student needs.
The mathematics intervention services and programs selected by schools will determine the instructional method required for implementation (one on one or students grouped for the specific purpose of receiving appropriate intervention services).
The fiscal agent for the application for public schools shall be a local school district.
The application submission deadline is October 4th, 2016 at 4:00pm (ET). All applications must be sent to
KDERFP@education.ky.gov.