Targeted Support and Improvement

​​​​​The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will annually identify schools for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) as a required element of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) and  KRS 160.346.

Identification Criteria Fall 2024:​​

Schools will be identified for TSI if they have one or more of the same subgroups performing as poorly as all students in any of the lowest performing 5% of Title I schools or non-Title I schools by level (elementary, middle or high school) for three consecutive years. 2024 identification will be based on the 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 data.

To determine TSI classification, the bottom 5% cut point, by level, is applied to the performance (Overall Score) of each federally defined student demographic group: White, African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, American Indian or other Alaska Native, two or more races, free/reduced-price meal eligible, students with disabilities who have an Individual Education Program (IEP) and English learners.

Upon identification, TSI schools must revise their Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) to include components of turnaround leadership development and support, the identification of critical resource inequities, evidence-based interventions, and any additional actions that address the causes of consistently underperforming subgroups of students. Revised CSIPs must be approved by the local board of education. Local Educational Agencies (LEAs [the district]) must monitor and provide support to TSI schools.

The goal building template is available on the Comprehensive Improvement Planning for Schools and Districts webpage​ and includes the “Addendum for Schools Identified for Targeted or Comprehensive Support".

Schools will be identified for Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) every three years. During an identification year, schools that were identified for TSI in the immediately preceding year and have one or more subgroups performing as poorly as all students in the lowest performing 5% of Title I schools or non-Title I schools by level will be identified for ATSI. The next ATSI identification year will be 2025-2026.​