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AN ACT establishing the Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness pilot project. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 157 IS CREATED TO 3
READ AS FOLLOWS: 4
(1) The General Assembly hereby finds and declares that: 5
(a) During the first five (5) years of life, children experience rapid learning and 6
development that have effects that endure their lifetimes; 7
(b) A key milestone in children's development is their transition into and 8
readiness for kindergarten; 9
(c) High quality early childhood literacy programs can significantly improve a 10
child's readiness for kindergarten and future academic success; 11
(d) Children in Kentucky would benefit from access to varied and effective 12
early literacy services; and 13
(e) Developing new and innovative services for the children of the 14
Commonwealth can expand access to early literacy services and improve 15
kindergarten readiness. 16
(2) For the purposes of this section: 17
(a) "Child-care center" has the same meaning as in KRS 199.894; 18
(b) "Contractor" means the educational technology provider selected pursuant 19
to subsection (4) of this section; 20
(c) "Department" means the Kentucky Department of Education; and 21
(d) "Eligible child" means a child who is four (4) or five (5) years old and is 22
not currently enrolled in kindergarten in a public school district, but is 23
eligible to enroll during the following school year. 24
(3) The Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Project is hereby established to 25
provide preschool children with access to educational technology programs that 26
use family engagement to improve kindergarten readiness. The pilot project shall: 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2304
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(a) During the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, provide a cohort of 1
eligible children during each school year with access to an educational 2
technology program that: 3
1. Utilizes family engagement to deliver age-appropriate instruction in 4
reading that may be implemented in homes or in child-care centers; 5
2. Offers optional instruction in mathematics and science; 6
3. Aligns with relevant state standards for preschool under KRS 7
157.3175; 8
4. Assists with the objectives of the Head Start Act, 42 U.S.C. sec. 9801 et 9
seq.; 10
5. Assists children with disabilities in preparing for kindergarten; and 11
6. Meets the benchmarks for evidence-based programs established by the 12
United States Department of Education; 13
(b) Operate under the oversight of the Kentucky Department of Education; 14
(c) Solicit families to encourage their eligible child's participation in the pilot 15
project through public information campaigns, outreach programs, and 16
referrals from other educational entities that is partially focused on 17
communities and areas of the state encountering persistent poverty; 18
(d) Reserve forty percent (40%) of a cohort's membership for eligible students 19
with a household income of no more than two hundred percent (200%) of 20
the federal poverty level. However, if a seat reserved under this paragraph 21
remains vacant for more than two (2) months, the seat in that cohort may be 22
given to any eligible child. The pilot project shall enroll eligible children as 23
students in both the reserved and unreserved membership in the order the 24
completed applications were submitted. The maximum enrollment for each 25
cohort shall be established by the department and provider based on the 26
funds available; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2304
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(e) Use: 1
1. A multisensory reading tutoring program; and 2
2. A validated adaptive reading test that does not require the presence of 3
trained adults to administer and that has been demonstrated as an 4
accurate indicator of a child's reading readiness; and 5
(f) As needed and at no cost for the student's family, for the duration of the 6
student's participation in the pilot project, provide a student with a 7
household income of no more than four hundred percent (400%) of the 8
federal poverty level with: 9
1. A computer or tablet; and 10
2. Access to internet service. 11
(4) The Kentucky Department of Education shall select a provider to implement the 12
pilot project under the department's oversight. In evaluating provider applicants, 13
the department shall require an applicant to have: 14
(a) At least three (3) years of experience in implementing similar services; 15
(b) Conducted a randomized controlled trial or other external evaluation that 16
support the efficacy of the educational technology program the provider 17
implements; and 18
(c) Capabilities to: 19
1. Partner with preschool, head start, and child-care centers to serve 20
participating students; 21
2. Communicate with parents and other education professionals involved 22
in the pilot project; 23
3. Update the instructional software as needed; 24
4. Validate user access; 25
5. Collect user data; 26
6. Store research data; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2304
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7. Produce reports for parents, schools, the department, and the 1
Legislative Research Commission; and 2
8. Comply with state and federal education and digital privacy laws. 3
(5) The selected provider shall: 4
(a) Develop a recruitment plan to solicit families to participate in the pilot 5
project; 6
(b) Implement the pilot project in compliance with subsection (3) of this 7
section; 8
(c) Provide administrative and technical support to students, families, and any 9
other involved education professionals for the installation and operation of 10
the instructional software; 11
(d) Seek the advice and expertise of local stakeholders, such as public and 12
private early childhood education professionals, the department, local 13
school board members, kindergarten teachers, and parents, on the 14
implementation of the pilot project in areas such as: 15
1. Soliciting families to participate in the pilot project; 16
2. Providing training to families and education professionals; and 17
3. Motivating families to regularly use the instructional software; and 18
(e) At the conclusion of each school year, report any data required by the 19
department to conduct an evaluation of the pilot project's effectiveness. 20
(6) By December 1, 2025, the department shall submit a report to the Legislative 21
Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Education, 22
that contains the following: 23
(a) The extent to which the pilot project is accomplishing the objectives 24
identified in this section; 25
(b) The number of families: 26
1. Participating in the project; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2304
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2. Who have received technology devices or internet service in the 1
project; and 2
3. Who have household incomes of no more than two hundred percent 3
(200%) of the federal poverty level or who reside in areas of persistent 4
poverty; 5
(c) The number of private and public educational entities the provider has 6
partnered with during the pilot project; 7
(d) The frequency of use of the instructional software; 8
(e) Obstacles encountered with software usage, hardware, internet access, or 9
providing technical assistance; and 10
(f) Student performance on any kindergarten entry or exit assessments 11
conducted by school districts or public charter schools that compare 12
students have participated in the project and students who have not. 13
(7) The Kentucky Department of Education shall implement this section to the extent 14
that funds are available. 15
Section 2. Notwithstanding the provider selection requirements in Section 1 of 16
this Act, if by the date this Act becomes law, the Kentucky Department of Education has 17
already entered into a contract with an entity to provide services that are substantially 18
similar to the Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Project established in Section 1 of 19
this Act, and that entity substantially meets the eligibility requirements for a "provider" 20
under Section 1 of this Act, the Kentucky Board of Education may vote to select that 21
entity to be the provider for Section 1 of this Act. 22