KRS 158.840: Legislative findings and intent -- Importance of students' reading and

mathematics skills in achieving scholastic goals -- Roles of statewide entities in

improving student achievement.

(1) The General Assembly hereby finds that reading and mathematics proficiency are

gateway skills necessary for all Kentucky students to achieve the academic goals

established in KRS 158.6451. It is the General Assembly's intent that:

(a) All students in kindergarten through grade three (3) having difficulty in

reading and mathematics receive early diagnosis and intervention services

from highly trained teachers;

(b) All students in kindergarten through grade three (3) needing to make

accelerated progress toward proficiency in mathematics based on d ata from

valid and reliable universal screening and diagnostic assessments receive

high-quality, evidence-based mathematics instruction and intervention aligned

to the Kentucky academic standards for mathematics;

(c) All students demonstrate proficiency in reading and mathematics as they

progress through the relevant curricula and complete each assessment level

required by the Kentucky Board of Education for the state assessment

program established under KRS 158.6453 and in compliance with the

requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. No.

114-95, or its successor; and

(d) Students who are struggling in reading and mathematics or are not at the

proficient level on statewide assessments shall be provided evidence -based

and develop mentally appropriate diagnostic and intervention services, and

instructional modifications necessary to learn.

The General Assembly, the Kentucky Board of Education, the Kentucky

Department of Education, the Council on Postsecondary Education, colleges an d

universities, local boards of education, school administrators, school councils,

teachers, parents and families, and other educational entities, such as the Education

Professional Standards Board, P -16 councils, the statewide reading research center

established under KRS 164.0207, and the Center for Middle School Academic

Achievement must collaborate if the intentions specified in this subsection are to be

met. Intensive focus on student achievement in reading and mathematics does not

negate the responsib ility of any entity to help students obtain proficiency in other

core curriculum content areas.

(2) The General Assembly's role is to set policies that address the achievement levels of

all students and provide resources for the professional growth of teac hers and

administrators, assessing students' academic achievement, including valid and

reliable universal screening and diagnostic assessment and instructional

interventions, technology innovations, targeted reading and mathematics statewide

initiatives, research and the distribution of research findings, services for students

beyond the regular school day, and other services needed to help struggling

learners.

(3) The Kentucky Board of Education shall regularly review and modify, when

appropriate, its stat ewide assessment policies and practices to enable local school

districts and schools to carry out the provisions of the statewide assessment and

accountability system, required under KRS 158.6453 to improve student

achievement in mathematics and reading.

(4) The Kentucky Department of Education shall:

(a) Provide assistance to schools and teachers, including publicizing professional

development opportunities, methods of measuring effective professional

development, the availability of high quality instructi onal materials, and

developmentally appropriate, valid, and reliable screening and diagnostic

assessments of student competency in mathematics and reading. The

department shall provide access to samples of units of study, annotated

student work, diagnostic instruments, and research findings, and give

guidance on parental engagement;

(b) Work with state and national educators and subject -matter experts to identify

student reading and mathematical skills in each subject area that align with the

state content standards adopted under KRS 158.6453 and identify teaching

strategies in each subje ct area that can be used explicitly to develop the

identified reading and mathematical skills under this paragraph;

(c) Encourage the development of comprehensive middle and high school

adolescent reading and mathematics plans to be incorporated into the curricula

of each subject area to improve the reading comprehension and mathematical

skills of all students;

(d) Conduct an annual review of the state grant programs it manages and make

recommendations, when needed, to the Interim Joint Committee on Educati on

for changes to statutory requirements that are necessary to gain a greater

return on investment;

(e) Provide administrative support and oversight to programs to train classroom

coaches and mentors to help teachers with reading and mathematics

instruction; and

(f) Require no reporting of instructional plans, formative assessment results, staff

effectiveness processes, or interventions implemented in the classroom,

except for:

1. Interventions implemented under KRS 158.305(2) and 158.8402;

2. Funds provided under KRS 158.792 or 158.844; or

3. Schools that are identified for comprehensive support and improvement

and fail to exit comprehensive support and improvement status after

three (3) consecutive years of implementing the turnaround intervention

process as described in KRS 160.346.

(5) The Education Professional Standards Board, in cooperation with the Council on

Postsecondary Education, shall exercise its duties and functions under KRS 161.028

to ensure that teacher education programs are fulfilling the needs of Kentucky for

highly skilled teachers. The Education Professional Standards Board shall:

(a) Coordinate the federal and state grant programs it administers with other

statewide initiatives relating to improving student achievement in reading and

mathematics to avoid duplication of effort and to make efficient use of

resources;

(b) Submit a report every three (3) years to the Legislative Research Commission

for referral to the appropriate Interim Joint Committee on Education and the

Interim Joint Com mittee on Appropriations and Revenue, summarizing the

compliance of each teacher preparation program for alignment to early

childhood education or elementary regular education standards and to the

instructional requirements set forth in KRS 164.306(1) and 164.3061;

(c) Regularly report program data to an external evaluator for an annual analysis

of the ability of teacher preparation programs to properly train and equip

teacher preparation program students with the literacy and mathematics

content knowledge and skills to educate students in kindergarten through

grade three (3); and

(d) Exercise its duties and responsibilities under KRS 161.030 and 161.048 to

ensure highly qualified teachers.

(6) Colleges and universities shall:

(a) Utilize institution -wide re sources to work with elementary and secondary

educators and other entities to align curriculum content to ensure that students

who achieve proficiency on standards established at the prekindergarten

through secondary levels will require no remediation to s uccessfully enter a

postsecondary education program;

(b) Provide quality undergraduate teacher preparation programs to ensure that

those preparing to teach reading or mathematics at all grade levels have the

necessary content knowledge, assessment and diag nostic skills, and teaching

methodologies and that teachers in all subject areas have the requisite skills

for helping students at all grade levels develop critical strategies and skills for

reading and comprehending subject matter;

(c) Deliver evidence -based continuing education for teachers in reading and

mathematics through institutes, graduate level courses, and other professional

development activities that support a statewide agenda for improving student

achievement in reading and mathematics;

(d) Conduct or assist with research on best practices in assessment, intervention

strategies, teaching methodologies, costs and effectiveness of instructional

models, and other factors as appropriate to reading and mathematics;

(e) Provide staff to consult and provide technical assistance to teachers, staff, and

administrators at elementary, middle, and secondary school sites;

(f) Assume active roles in the statewide initiatives referenced in KRS 156.553

and 158.842; and

(g) Develop written procedures for measurin g the effectiveness of activities

outlined in paragraphs (a) to (f) of this subsection.

(7) School councils at all school levels are encouraged to identify and allocate

resources to qualified teachers to become coaches or mentors in mathematics or

coaches or mentors in reading with a focus on improving student achievement in

their respective schools.

(8) Local school boards and superintendents shall provide local resources to

supplement or match state and federal resources to support teachers, school

administrators, and school councils in helping students achieve proficiency in

reading and mathematics.

(9) Local school superintendents shall provide leadership and resources to the

principals of all schools to facilitate curriculum alignment, communications, a nd

technical support among schools to ensure that students are academically prepared

to move to the next level of schooling.