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AN ACT relating to the evaluation of educator preparation programs. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
ď˘Section 1. KRS 158.840 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) The General Assembly hereby finds that reading and mathematics proficiency are 4
gateway skills necessary for all Kentucky students to achieve the academic goals 5
established in KRS 158.6451. It is the General Assembly's intent that: 6
(a) All students in kindergarten through grade three (3) having difficulty in 7
reading and mathematics receive early diagnosis and intervention services 8
from highly trained teachers; 9
(b) All students in kindergarten through grade three (3) needing to make 10
accelerated progress toward proficiency in mathematics based on data from 11
valid and reliable universal screening and diagnostic assessments receive 12
high-quality, evidence-based mathematics instruction and intervention aligned 13
to the Kentucky academic standards for mathematics; 14
(c) All students demonstrate proficiency in reading and mathematics as they 15
progress through the relevant curricula and complete each assessment level 16
required by the Kentucky Board of Education for the state assessment 17
program established under KRS 158.6453 and in compliance with the 18
requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 19
114-95, or its successor; and 20
(d) Students who are struggling in reading and mathematics or are not at the 21
proficient level on statewide assessments shall be provided evidence-based 22
and developmentally appropriate diagnostic and intervention services, and 23
instructional modifications necessary to learn. 24
The General Assembly, the Kentucky Board of Education, the Kentucky 25
Department of Education, the Council on Postsecondary Education, colleges and 26
universities, local boards of education, school administrators, school councils, 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 879
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teachers, parents and families, and other educational entities, such as the Education 1
Professional Standards Board, P-16 councils, the statewide reading research center 2
established under KRS 164.0207, and the Center for Middle School Academic 3
Achievement must collaborate if the intentions specified in this subsection are to be 4
met. Intensive focus on student achievement in reading and mathematics does not 5
negate the responsibility of any entity to help students obtain proficiency in other 6
core curriculum content areas. 7
(2) The General Assembly's role is to set policies that address the achievement levels of 8
all students and provide resources for the professional growth of teachers and 9
administrators, assessing students' academic achievement, including valid and 10
reliable universal screening and diagnostic assessment and instructional 11
interventions, technology innovations, targeted reading and mathematics statewide 12
initiatives, research and the distribution of research findings, services for students 13
beyond the regular school day, and other services needed to help struggling 14
learners. 15
(3) The Kentucky Board of Education shall regularly review and modify, when 16
appropriate, its statewide assessment policies and practices to enable local school 17
districts and schools to carry out the provisions of the statewide assessment and 18
accountability system, required under KRS 158.6453 to improve student 19
achievement in mathematics and reading. 20
(4) The Kentucky Department of Education shall: 21
(a) Provide assistance to schools and teachers, including publicizing professional 22
development opportunities, methods of measuring effective professional 23
development, the availability of high quality instructional materials, and 24
developmentally appropriate, valid, and reliable screening and diagnostic 25
assessments of student competency in mathematics and reading. The 26
department shall provide access to samples of units of study, annotated 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 879
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student work, diagnostic instruments, and research findings, and give 1
guidance on parental engagement; 2
(b) Work with state and national educators and subject-matter experts to identify 3
student reading and mathematical skills in each subject area that align with the 4
state content standards adopted under KRS 158.6453 and identify teaching 5
strategies in each subject area that can be used explicitly to develop the 6
identified reading and mathematical skills under this paragraph; 7
(c) Encourage the development of comprehensive middle and high school 8
adolescent reading and mathematics plans to be incorporated into the curricula 9
of each subject area to improve the reading comprehension and mathematical 10
skills of all students; 11
(d) Conduct an annual review of the state grant programs it manages and make 12
recommendations, when needed, to the Interim Joint Committee on Education 13
for changes to statutory requirements that are necessary to gain a greater 14
return on investment; 15
(e) Provide administrative support and oversight to programs to train classroom 16
coaches and mentors to help teachers with reading and mathematics 17
instruction; and 18
(f) Require no reporting of instructional plans, formative assessment results, staff 19
effectiveness processes, or interventions implemented in the classroom, 20
except for: 21
1. Interventions implemented under KRS 158.305(2) and 158.8402; 22
2. Funds provided under KRS 158.792 or 158.844; or 23
3. Schools that are identified for comprehensive support and improvement 24
and fail to exit comprehensive support and improvement status after 25
three (3) consecutive years of implementing the turnaround intervention 26
process as described in KRS 160.346. 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 879
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(5) The [Council on Postsecondary Education, in cooperation with the ]Education 1
Professional Standards Board, in cooperation with the Council on Postsecondary 2
Education, shall exercise its duties and functions under KRS 161.028[164.020] to 3
ensure that teacher education programs are fulfilling the needs of Kentucky for 4
highly skilled teachers. The Education Professional Standards Board[council] 5
shall: 6
(a) Coordinate the federal and state grant programs it administers with other 7
statewide initiatives relating to improving student achievement in reading and 8
mathematics to avoid duplication of effort and to make efficient use of 9
resources; 10
(b) [No later than November 1 of each year, ]Submit a[an annual] report every 11
three (3) years to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the 12
appropriate Interim Joint Committee on Education and the Interim Joint 13
Committee on Appropriations and Revenue, summarizing the compliance of 14
each teacher preparation program for alignment to early childhood education 15
or elementary regular education standards and to the instructional 16
requirements set forth in KRS 164.306(1) and 164.3061; and 17
(c) Regularly report program data to an external evaluator for[Require that an 18
external evaluator provide] an annual analysis of the ability of teacher 19
preparation programs to properly train and equip teacher preparation program 20
students with the literacy and mathematics content knowledge and skills to 21
educate students in kindergarten through grade three (3); and 22
(d) [. 23
(6) The Education Professional Standards Board shall ]Exercise its duties and 24
responsibilities under KRS 161.030 and 161.048 to ensure highly qualified 25
teachers. 26
(6)[(7)] Colleges and universities shall: 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 879
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(a) Utilize institution-wide resources to work with elementary and secondary 1
educators and other entities to align curriculum content to ensure that students 2
who achieve proficiency on standards established at the prekindergarten 3
through secondary levels will require no remediation to successfully enter a 4
postsecondary education program; 5
(b) Provide quality undergraduate teacher preparation programs to ensure that 6
those preparing to teach reading or mathematics at all grade levels have the 7
necessary content knowledge, assessment and diagnostic skills, and teaching 8
methodologies and that teachers in all subject areas have the requisite skills 9
for helping students at all grade levels develop critical strategies and skills for 10
reading and comprehending subject matter; 11
(c) Deliver evidence-based continuing education for teachers in reading and 12
mathematics through institutes, graduate level courses, and other professional 13
development activities that support a statewide agenda for improving student 14
achievement in reading and mathematics; 15
(d) Conduct or assist with research on best practices in assessment, intervention 16
strategies, teaching methodologies, costs and effectiveness of instructional 17
models, and other factors as appropriate to reading and mathematics; 18
(e) Provide staff to consult and provide technical assistance to teachers, staff, and 19
administrators at elementary, middle, and secondary school sites; 20
(f) Assume active roles in the statewide initiatives referenced in KRS 156.553 21
and 158.842; and 22
(g) Develop written procedures for measuring the effectiveness of activities 23
outlined in paragraphs (a) to (f) of this subsection. 24
(7)[(8)] School councils at all school levels are encouraged to identify and allocate 25
resources to qualified teachers to become coaches or mentors in mathematics or 26
coaches or mentors in reading with a focus on improving student achievement in 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 879
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their respective schools. 1
(8)[(9)] Local school boards and superintendents shall provide local resources to 2
supplement or match state and federal resources to support teachers, school 3
administrators, and school councils in helping students achieve proficiency in 4
reading and mathematics. 5
(9)[(10)] Local school superintendents shall provide leadership and resources to the 6
principals of all schools to facilitate curriculum alignment, communications, and 7
technical support among schools to ensure that students are academically prepared 8
to move to the next level of schooling. 9