MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 8/15/11
The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:
· National ACT Data to be Released on August 17 at Press Event to be Held at the Jessamine Career and Technology Center
· Certification for the 2011-12 School Year Constitutionally Protected Prayer in Public Schools (Attachment)
· Fall Field Test
· VSA Kentucky Arts Inclusion Program
· Operation Preparation
- Jim Varney Scholarship (Attached)
- KASC’s 2011 Conference
If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.
Items from KDE
National ACT Data to be Released on August 17 at Press Event to be Held at the Jessamine Career and Technology Center
On August 17, ACT, Inc. will release the 2011 Condition of College and Career Readiness Report and data from the nationwide ACT administration for 2011 graduating seniors at the Jessamine Career and Technology Center in Nicholasville. This is the first time ACT, Inc. has held the release in a state and Kentucky was chosen due to its focus on college and career readiness.
The event will begin at 10:00 a.m. ET and features Jessamine County Superintendent Lu Young, Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday, ACT Education Division Interim President Jon Erickson, Council on Postsecondary Education President Robert King, State Representative Carl Rollins and State Senator Ken Winters.
You are welcome to attend or if you cannot be there in person, the event will be webcast. You can access it by clicking on the following link: mms://video1.education.ky.gov/encoder3a .
Thanks to Superintendent Lu Young for hosting this national release and for participating in the press event.
Certification for the 2011-12 School Year on Constitutionally Protected Prayer in Public Schools (Attachment)
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires that each local educational agency (LEA) certify in writing to its state educational agency (SEA) that it has no policy that denies participation in constitutionally protected prayer as set forth in the U.S. Department of Education’s guidance. The link for the newly released guidance is http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/religionandschools/prayer_guidance.html.
Please sign the attached certification concerning constitutionally protected prayer in public schools. The certification may be submitted in one of three ways:
Signed electronically by the superintendent and sent via email as an attachment to Title1Reports@education.ky.gov;
Printed, signed by the superintendent and faxed to Claude Christian at (502) 564-8149; or
Printed, signed by the superintendent and mailed to Claude Christian, Kentucky Department of Education, 8th Floor, Capital Plaza Tower, 500 Mero Street, Frankfort, KY 40601.
The certification must be received in the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) by October 3, 2011. By November 1, 2011, the Kentucky Department of Education is required to report to the U.S. Department of Education a list of those LEAs that have not filed the certification. The KDE must also report LEAs for which complaints have been filed with KDE for non-compliance with the guidance.
If you have questions regarding the certification, contact Claude Christian, Consolidated Plans and Audits Division at (502) 564-3791.
Fall Field Test
As Kentucky launches the new K-PREP assessments, some field testing must occur in fall 2011. Pearson will conduct a field test of new on-demand writing (ODW) prompts for use in required testing in spring 2012. Not all districts and schools are needed for this “try out” of new writing prompts. A representative sample of schools has been identified involving approximately 100 Kentucky districts.
Since field testing will occur in the same school year as the required testing, field tests will be administered one grade higher than the grades where required testing will occur in spring 2012. Field testing is planned for grades 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12. Selected schools will administer either stand-alone/situational prompts or passage-based prompts. Field test administration time varies by the type of prompt assigned to the selected schools. Stand-alone/situational prompts require 40 minutes (30 minutes at grade 6) and passage-based prompts require 90 minutes.
District Assessment Coordinators will be notified the week of August 15 if schools are selected to participate from their district. The On-Demand Writing field test is scheduled for October 26-November 4. Questions regarding the ODW field test may be sent to Rhonda Sims in the Office of Assessment and Accountability by e-mail at Rhonda.sims@education.ky.gov or by phone at (502) 564-4394.
VSA Kentucky Arts Inclusion Program
Applications are now being accepted for VSA Kentucky’s Arts Inclusion Program. This is a funding opportunity for classroom teachers (academic, special education, arts/humanities teachers) and teaching artists to collaborate, plan and implement a fully inclusionary, hands-on project in any of the arts areas: Music, Drama, Dance, Creative Writing, Visual Arts and Storytelling (or a combination of the above).
These projects must interface with classroom curriculums. Up to 30 $1,200 awards will be given statewide to school sites selected from these applications for arts projects that are experiential and fully including children of all abilities.
You can obtain the Arts Inclusion Application and Guidelines by going to www.vsartsky.org and filling out your application electronically. Just click on “Programs,” and you will find the Arts Inclusion Program listed along with the PDF of the “Guidelines and Application.”
The Arts Inclusion program is VSA Kentucky’s largest program. It was designed by VSA Kentucky (in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education) to provide experiences in learning through the arts for children of all abilities.
This award also is a way that you can bring arts specialists (teaching artists who are trained in adaptive strategies in their arts disciplines) into your school to work with students. Included on the website is a Roster of Artists approved by VSA Kentucky for their professionalism and ability to interface activities to your curriculum and adapt their art forms and instruction for diverse learners.
The VSA Kentucky mission: Creating a society where children with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts.
Applications must be postmarked no later than October 12. If you have any questions, please call the VSA Kentucky Program Director, Mary Claire O’Neal, in Frankfort at (502) 564-3775.
Operation Preparation
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is committed to ensuring Kentucky’s students are college/career ready and prepared for success. As you know, effective advising is an important strategy to reach this goal. It is imperative that all Kentucky students receive the appropriate guidance to acquire the pre-requisite knowledge and skills to be ready for college and/or career.
So, KDE and the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet are joining forces for Operation Preparation, March 12-16, 2012. This week will focus attention on the importance of advising and provide a powerful opportunity for schools, students, parents and communities to collaborate in the college- and career-planning process.
Operation Preparation will provide every 8th- and 10th-grade student access to college/career advising. Using a student’s Individual Learning Plan (ILP) and EXPLORE/PLAN data, a community advisor will guide the student through a process that will help them prepare for their future as they move through high school and beyond. Potential advisors will receive training and be provided guidance on effective advising strategies to ensure a positive experience for all.
With the support of various partners, KDE is developing a toolkit of resources to assist schools in the implementation of Operation Preparation. The toolkit will include a letter for soliciting community advisors, training materials, examples of how activities may be structured, sample press releases and promotional items, and an instrument to collect feedback from students and community advisors.
Your support of Operation Preparation is vital as we strive to achieve college/career readiness for all Kentucky students. Look for more information in the coming weeks.
Items from Outside Agencies
Jim Varney Scholarship (Attached)
UCLA is offering the Jim Varney Scholarship for high school seniors from Kentucky and Tennessee who aspire to a career in theater and/or drama or plan to continue their current involvement in the performing arts during college and after receipt of the degree. The recipient must plan on enrolling full-time in the UCLA College of Letters and Science.
Jim Varney (1949-2000) was a Kentucky native who rose to fame with his portrayal of the character Ernest P. Worrell in TV and films.
The scholarship is open to high school students from Tennessee and Kentucky only. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative 3.75 GPA, major in a UCLA College of Letters and Science department and aspire to a career in theater or drama. The deadline is March 31, 2012.
The scholarship is renewable for four years, provided that the student maintains good academic standing at UCLA.
Applicants must write an essay of 500 words or less that describes their interest and involvement in the performing arts to-date and explains how they plan to achieve academic excellence while pursuing these artistic endeavors and how attending UCLA will help them accomplish their goals.
The scholarship application is attached.
KASC’s 2011 Conference
Don’t miss KASC’s 2011 Conference…Leading the Next Generation, September 27 and 28, Marriott Downtown Louisville!
Our annual conference brings together teachers, parents and school administrators from across the state to focus on what’s working in Kentucky schools. Highlights for 2011:
* Keynote Speaker Scott McLeod, one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 technology leadership and explaining the global forces challenging U.S. schools.
* Attend pre-conference sessions on Sept. 26: Ken Mattingly on standards-based grading & Leslie Robertson on formative assessment.
Visit www.kasc.net for more information and registration.
Should you have any questions, please contact Lisa Stone at lisa@kasc.net .