In this edition of Fast Five on Friday, you will find articles on the following:
Ø Teacher Effectiveness Steering Committee Update
Ø Race to the Top (RTTT) Phase 3 Grant Submitted
Ø SEEK Shortfall; Final Seek Calculations For FY 2011-2012 Posted
Ø Dealing with Budget Shortfalls and Increased Expectations
Ø EAARS Committee Approves Two Assessment and Accountability Regulations
Fast Five on Friday
Teacher Effectiveness Steering Committee Update – This group has been working diligently over the past year to develop a common teacher effectiveness and evaluation system for statewide adoption by the Kentucky Board of Education. The work of this committee is critical to our ESEA waiver request and our Race to the Top Phase 3 Grant. This past week, the National Education Association reported on the work of the NEA Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching. The report, Transforming Teaching: Connecting Professional Responsibility and Student Learning, is an excellent roadmap for Kentucky as we implement the recommendations from our Teacher Effectiveness Steering Committee. I encourage educators and other stakeholders to read the highlights of the report that can be found at the following link: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/Transforming_Teaching(2).pdf
Race to the Top (RTTT) Phase 3 Grant Submitted – Governor Beshear submitted Kentucky’s Race to the Top Phase 3 Grant this week. While the grant amount ($17 million) is significantly less than the original $175 million request, we are very excited about being able to gain funds to implement Senate Bill 1 initiatives and expand AdvanceKY sites. If approved by the U.S. Department of Education, Kentucky will gain $17 million to fund strategies that were included in our RTTT Phase 2 finalist application. Within the budget of $17 million we will use state and district allocations to implement professional development and resources for Senate Bill 1. Once we receive notification of approval (late December) we will notify districts of how funds must be used to support Senate Bill 1 work. We will be posting our application on the KDE website next week and will send you the link to access it.
SEEK Shortfall; Final Seek Calculations For FY 2011-2012 Posted – Districts’ Final SEEK Calculation for 2011-2012 contains all actual data elements and is available for viewing on the SEEK website. These documents include pro rata adjustments and reflect the impact of the FY2012 shortfall for each school district.
Your district’s payments, which are based upon the 2011-2012 Final SEEK Calculation, will begin January 1, 2012. Documentation regarding payments is posted on the SEEK website.
January Growth and Adjustment Assessment calculations, per KRS 157.360, will not be provided due to the insufficient funding in the 2011-2012 SEEK appropriation. No further revisions will be made to the 2011-2012 Final SEEK Calculation unless substantive changes in data elements necessitate a change.
If you have questions about the data, please contact Kay Kennedy, Director of District Support, at (502) 564-3930 or kay.kennedy@education.ky.gov.
Additionally, we are waiting on word from the Governor’s Office of Policy and Management to provide the district impact of the 2% mid-year reduction from other grant funds. As soon as we are able to provide this, we will send it to you.
Dealing with Budget Shortfalls and Increased Expectations – In case you missed my blog last week on strategies to deal with budget shortfalls and increased expectations, it is available by clicking here. I was delighted to hear Governor Beshear in his inaugural address speak to the issue of education and increased revenue to ensure all children have a bright start.
EAARS Committee Approves Two Assessment and Accountability Regulations – This week the two regulations for Senate Bill 1 implementation were moved forward through the Education Assessment and Accountability Review Subcommittee (EAARS). Those regulations were 703 KAR 5:200, Next Generation Learners and 703 KAR 5:230, Next Generation Instructional Programs and Support (Program Reviews). Additional regulations will be presented over the next few months that must be in place by June 2012 in order to meet elements of Senate Bill 1 and ESEA waiver requirements.
If you have questions on any of the articles included in this edition of Fast Five, please contact me at the e-mail address or phone number found below.
Terry Holliday, Ph.D.
Commissioner of Education
Kentucky Department of Education
Office 502-564-3141
Fax 502-564-5680
E-mail Terry.Holliday@education.ky.gov