There are a number of exciting technology-related initiatives underway at the Kentucky Department of Education. Each of these projects will provide innovative ways to support the diverse instructional needs of students and prepare them for the 21st century.
Two of the projects - the Kentucky Education Network (KEN) and the Instructional Device Upgrade - will shore up the foundation of our technology program. They will provide districts with necessary network communication improvements and an infusion of new instructional workstations and devices that will pave the way for other projects. Those projects, many of which are underway, include:
- Student Information System (SIS) , which will enable schools to maintain student information for all state reporting requirements.
- Online Assessment, which provides online Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) assessments to students in both the regular and special populations.
- Kentucky Instructional Data System (KIDS) , which will provide the ability to track individual student data over time through a consolidated, statewide data collection and analysis system. This data warehouse will be used to reform classroom instruction and meet the reporting requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. When implemented, KIDS will provide information required by educators to make high-quality decisions about student achievement and instruction at individual or group levels, reduce reporting turnaround time and assist teachers in determining the interventions needed for each student to successfully approach the next level of learning.
- Individual Learning Plan (ILP) , a planning tool that will identify the needs of individual learners over time through continuous assessment. The ILP will provide planning for allocation of learning resources related to individual career and academic interests.
Most of these educational and infrastructure projects will involve local district staff time and expense for planning, implementation and ongoing costs for maintenance and operations. In consultation with schools and districts, KDE will guide the planning and implementation of these activities.
These projects are proceeding on aggressive timelines and nearing completion of planning. They will strengthen the foundation of the technology program and pave the way for other important initiatives, such as online assessment.
When infusing such significant levels of funding, the Governor and the legislature ensured that our technology infrastructure will include workstations and a network that are reliable and capable of running modern instructional software and will support advanced instructional activities such as online learning, online assessment and Internet 2.
The following checklists are a product of the collaborative effort among KDE’s technology staff, local district staff and technology advisory groups. These checklists, which will provide you with the necessary general information and first steps to move forward, should be filled out and returned to your KETS Engineer over the next few weeks. The KETS Engineer will be working with your staff to ensure they understand the details behind the general questions that are being asked. It is also important to note that as work on these projects continues, there may be revisions/updates made to the attached checklists (when clarification or more detail is warranted).
Our staff recommends that you begin with the educational planning checklist, then move on to the IDU and KEN checklists. Our staff will continue to work with each district on any questions and concerns you may have while completing these checklists and preparing for your district’s instructional devices and high speed connection.
Thank you for taking the time to review these documents and consider how they will be applied at the district level. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your KETS engineer.