KRS 161.1221 requires the Kentucky Department of Education to provide to each school district a summary of the teachers identified as teaching out-of-field and give the district an opportunity to correct the situation during the year. An out-of-field teacher does not meet all applicable Kentucky certification requirements in the subject area in which they are teaching. 16 KAR 1:050 outlines the Local Educator Assignment Data (LEAD) reporting requirements to document teaching assignments and identify out-of-field teachers.
Understanding LEAD
- Certification Verification: LEAD ensures all students are taught by properly certified educators.
- Integration of Data Systems: LEAD links information in Infinite Campus with educator credentials in the Kentucky Educator Credentialing System (KECS).
- Data Requirements: LEAD supports District, State, and Federal reporting.
Support for School Districts
- Reporting Requirements: Public school districts must report information about course offerings and assignments of all certified staff to the EPSB. This includes details such as course names, content areas, student populations, grade levels, teacher assignments, and staff IDs. Data is collected through the Kentucky Educator Credentialing System (KECS) and Infinite Campus.
- Reporting Deadlines: Each school district is required to submit two assignment reports to the EPSB each school year: the first by November 1 and the second by March 1. Because KECS validates IC data on a daily basis, the department has a more robust data set and can pull any time during a school year.
- Data Submission: Districts must submit all required data electronically via software approved by the Kentucky Department of Education. The data must conform to the content and format specified in the "Education Professional Standards Board Local Educator Assignment Data Reporting Standards and Procedures." This is automated through KECS daily.
- Technical Assistance: The EPSB, in collaboration with the Kentucky Department of Education, provides technical assistance and support to school districts to facilitate accurate and timely data collection. Schools have access to a live dashboard that displays percentages of the following: Clear, Out of Field, Error and Vacancy.
Course Validations
PLEASE NOTE: LEAD validations run daily. Corrections to courses in Infinite Campus will now be reflected in LEAD the following day.
Districts should review Course Validation Results to verify vacancies and confirm if staff members are showing as Error or Out of Field. To access the LEAD system, log in to the
Kentucky Educator Credentialing System (KECS). LEAD is conveniently located in the top menu bar. Users should select “LEAD” from the menu to view your Course Validation
Results.
- Green: Clear (The primary teacher certification covers the content, grade level, and disability for student populations assigned to the course.)
- Yellow: Out of Field (The primary teacher certification doesn’t align with the content, grade level, or disability for student populations assigned to the course.)
- Blue: Vacancy (The district/school does not currently have a fully certified educator to assign to the primary teacher role; watch for postings on the Kentucky Educator Placement Service, KEPS.)
- Red: Error (Data quality issues that require correction in Infinite Campus.)
Refer to the LEAD Manual for more information about Validating Courses.
Vacancies and Dual Credit College Professor Placeholders
A unique placeholder should be used for each vacancy within a school. For example, if there are three staff vacancies in a school, three different vacancy placeholders need to be used: Vacancy01 Placeholder, Vacancy02 Placeholder, and Vacancy03 Placeholder. Up to 20 vacancy placeholders can be used per school.
College professor placeholders should be used for courses that are dual credit courses offered by a partner postsecondary institution.
Helpful Resources