Kentucky Statutes 158.840 – General Assembly findings and intent — Importance of students’ reading and mathematics skills in achieving scholastic goals — Roles of statewide entities in improving student achievement. (Effective until July 1, 2024)
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(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 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
(c) Students who are struggling in reading and mathematics or are not at the proficient level on statewide assessments be provided evidence-based and developmentally 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 and universities, local boards of education, school administrators, school councils, teachers, parents, and other educational entities, such as the Education Professional Standards Board, P-16 councils, the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development, and the Center for Middle School 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 responsibility 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 teachers and administrators, assessing students’ academic achievement, including 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 statewide 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 instructional materials, and
developmentally appropriate 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 skills in each subject area that align with the state content standards adopted under KRS § 158.6453 and identify teaching strategies in each subject area that can be used explicitly to develop the identified reading skills under this paragraph;
(c) Encourage the development of comprehensive middle and high school adolescent reading plans to be incorporated into the curricula of each subject area to improve the reading comprehension 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 Education 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);
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 Council on Postsecondary Education, in cooperation with the Education
Professional Standards Board, shall exercise its duties and functions under KRS
164.020 to ensure that teacher education programs are fulfilling the needs of
Kentucky for highly skilled teachers. The council 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 to the Interim Joint Committee on Education no later than November 1 of each year summarizing the compliance of each teacher preparation program for interdisciplinary early childhood education or elementary regular education to the instructional requirements set forth in KRS § 164.306(1); and
(c) Regularly report program data to an external evaluator for an analysis of the progress of teacher preparation programs for interdisciplinary early childhood education and elementary regular education to increase the success of new
teacher candidates in demonstrating reading instruction knowledge and skills. (6) The Education Professional Standards Board shall exercise its duties and
responsibilities under KRS § 161.030 and 161.048 to ensure highly qualified
teachers.
(7) Colleges and universities shall:
(a) Utilize institution-wide resources 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 successfully 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 diagnostic 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 appropriate 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 KRS § 158.842; and
(g) Develop written procedures for measuring the effectiveness of activities outlined in paragraphs (a) to (e) of this subsection.
(8) 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.
(9) Local school boards and superintendents shall provide local resources, whenever possible, 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.
(10) Local school superintendents shall provide leadership and resources to the principals of all schools to facilitate curriculum alignment, communications, and technical support among schools to ensure that students are academically prepared to move to the next level of schooling.
Effective: March 29, 2022
History: Amended 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 40, sec. 4, effective March 29, 2022. — Amended
2017 Ky. Acts ch. 156, sec. 10, effective April 10, 2017. — Amended 2010 Ky. Acts
ch. 42, sec. 2, effective July 15, 2010. — Created 2005 Ky. Acts ch. 164, sec. 1, effective March 18, 2005.
Legislative Research Commission Note (3/29/2022). 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 40, sec. 10, provides that the Act, which amended this statute, may be cited as the Read to Succeed Act.
(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;
Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 158.840
- Federal: refers to the United States. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
- Intervention services: means any preventive, developmental, corrective, supportive services or treatment provided to a student who is at risk of school failure, is at risk of participation in violent behavior or juvenile crime, or has been expelled from the school district. See Kentucky Statutes 158.441
- Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
- Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
- Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
- Year: means calendar year. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
(b) 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
(c) Students who are struggling in reading and mathematics or are not at the proficient level on statewide assessments be provided evidence-based and developmentally 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 and universities, local boards of education, school administrators, school councils, teachers, parents, and other educational entities, such as the Education Professional Standards Board, P-16 councils, the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development, and the Center for Middle School 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 responsibility 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 teachers and administrators, assessing students’ academic achievement, including 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 statewide 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 instructional materials, and
developmentally appropriate 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 skills in each subject area that align with the state content standards adopted under KRS § 158.6453 and identify teaching strategies in each subject area that can be used explicitly to develop the identified reading skills under this paragraph;
(c) Encourage the development of comprehensive middle and high school adolescent reading plans to be incorporated into the curricula of each subject area to improve the reading comprehension 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 Education 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);
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 Council on Postsecondary Education, in cooperation with the Education
Professional Standards Board, shall exercise its duties and functions under KRS
164.020 to ensure that teacher education programs are fulfilling the needs of
Kentucky for highly skilled teachers. The council 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 to the Interim Joint Committee on Education no later than November 1 of each year summarizing the compliance of each teacher preparation program for interdisciplinary early childhood education or elementary regular education to the instructional requirements set forth in KRS § 164.306(1); and
(c) Regularly report program data to an external evaluator for an analysis of the progress of teacher preparation programs for interdisciplinary early childhood education and elementary regular education to increase the success of new
teacher candidates in demonstrating reading instruction knowledge and skills. (6) The Education Professional Standards Board shall exercise its duties and
responsibilities under KRS § 161.030 and 161.048 to ensure highly qualified
teachers.
(7) Colleges and universities shall:
(a) Utilize institution-wide resources 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 successfully 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 diagnostic 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 appropriate 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 KRS § 158.842; and
(g) Develop written procedures for measuring the effectiveness of activities outlined in paragraphs (a) to (e) of this subsection.
(8) 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.
(9) Local school boards and superintendents shall provide local resources, whenever possible, 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.
(10) Local school superintendents shall provide leadership and resources to the principals of all schools to facilitate curriculum alignment, communications, and technical support among schools to ensure that students are academically prepared to move to the next level of schooling.
Effective: March 29, 2022
History: Amended 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 40, sec. 4, effective March 29, 2022. — Amended
2017 Ky. Acts ch. 156, sec. 10, effective April 10, 2017. — Amended 2010 Ky. Acts
ch. 42, sec. 2, effective July 15, 2010. — Created 2005 Ky. Acts ch. 164, sec. 1, effective March 18, 2005.
Legislative Research Commission Note (3/29/2022). 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 40, sec. 10, provides that the Act, which amended this statute, may be cited as the Read to Succeed Act.