(FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- At its regular meeting Wednesday and Thursday, the Kentucky Board of Education heard presentations, had in-depth discussions and made decisions on a number of items.
The board heard a review of Kentucky's writing assessment, including input about potential modifications to both the writing portfolio and the on-demand portion of the Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT). The board will hear further discussion on these items at its next meeting.
Other items that the board heard discussion on include:
- Online testing and in-state scoring -- As part of the Seven Steps Forward in Assessment initiative, online testing and in-state scoring are being analyzed and discussed as ways to improve the turnaround time for test scores, enabling schools and educators to more efficiently use the data from those scores.
- Reading First -- The Kentucky Department of Education monitors the implementation of the federal Reading First program to determine whether grants for the program should be continued. The board heard an update on the process for monitoring.
- Early Reading Incentive Grants (ERIG) -- The Department of Education prepares an annual report on ERIG to the state legislature's Interim Joint Committee on Education. The department presents its findings to the board prior to presenting them to the committee. The report notes that:
- 107 schools implemented early reading intervention programs in the 2003-04 school year.
- Nearly 13,000 students benefited from those programs.
- More than 3,000 teachers, administrators and parents were involved in training.
The board also took action on the secondary GED program and the formal application to the GED Testing Service (GEDTS). The board agreed to give final approval to 704 KAR 7:150, the regulation that will govern the secondary GED program, and the application to GEDTS.
During its luncheon on Wednesday, the board hosted the recently-selected participants in the Minority Superintendent Internship Program (MSIP) and their mentors. During the 2004-05 school year, the two will work closely with superintendents, receiving hands-on experience that may be beneficial as they apply for administrative positions in Kentucky public schools.
Aundrea Locke, currently an assistant principal at Ft. Knox Community Schools, will intern with Nelson County Superintendent Janice Lantz and Oldham County Superintendent Blake Haselton. Diana Woods, currently middle school director for the Fayette County School District, will intern with Fayette County Superintendent Stu Silberman and Marion County Superintendent Roger Marcum.
The board also took the following actions:
- approved 2004-05 local tax rates levied
- approved the District Facility Plans for Green County, Lincoln County and Erlanger-Elsmere Independent
- approved 702 KAR 1:001, Implementation Guidelines - Kentucky School Facilities Planning Manual
- approved a joint resolution on coordinated school health for inclusion in the board's 2005 legislative package
- approved a request from the Jefferson County Board of Education to use an alternative formula to allocate funds to school councils
- adopted the written evaluation of the Commissioner of Education
The board reviewed the following items:
- an annual report from the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development
- a regulation on home/hospital instruction
- the annual "State of the Union" report by Kentucky Educational Television (KET)
- the board's 2005 legislative Agenda
The next meeting of the Kentucky Board of Education will be November 3 in Frankfort. More information about the board is available here.
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