– The CATS accountability program was going to leave kids behind The Bluegrass Institute has pointed out for some time such as here and here and in our four-part You Tube series: Does Kentucky’s CATS Assessment Require Proficiency Pt 1 Does Kentucky’s CATS Assessment Require Proficiency Pt 2 Does Kentucky’s CATS Assessment Require Proficiency Pt…
We’ve been covering the teething problems with the Kentucky Department of Education’s new computer support program for schools (see here, here, here and here) for some time. The first version, known as STI, failed some time ago. The replacement, known as Infinite Campus, has just now become operational in all school districts – more or…
– Sort of The Kentucky Board of Education launched a new Public Comments Segment in its meeting today, but this decent idea needs more thought. The rules published in the meeting agenda said those desiring to speak had to sign up before the meeting began. Since this meeting start was at 8:30 AM, anyone who…
There have been more than a few eyebrows raised by the Kentucky Senate’s failure (refusal?) to confirm Steve Neal, The executive director of the Jefferson County Teachers Association, as a member of the Kentucky Board of Education. However, maybe that was the legally appropriate thing to do. There aren’t a large number of restrictions on…
This will warm you up for the Bluegrass Tax Liberation Day on April 18. See you at: Applebee’s Ball Park 207 Legends Lane Lexington, KY 40505 Saturday, April 18, 2009 11am-2pmrain or shine
The “North Area Counties of Kentucky Exposition of Science” was held on March 21, 2009, and the list of winners is now posted. To put it mildly, the winners’ list is dominated by the Northern Kentucky parochial schools. In fact, a Catholic school won the school-level award for both junior (grade 5 to grade 8)…
— Finally getting the message From our early days the Bluegrass Institute has pointed out that there is something wrong with the ratio of teachers to other staff in our schools. This graph, which shows Kentucky ranks dead last for this ratio among the 50 states and even Washington, DC, has run ever since the…
– Are they worth the cost? Around 74,000 teachers now have been certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), and 32,000 teachers have been certified for more than half a decade. The organization’s directory of teachers indicates that as of March 30, 2009 there are 1,605 active certified teachers in Kentucky, although…
The legislative session has ended, and Senate Bill 1 (SB-1), which drops the CATS assessments, is now law. Next, activity to implement the nuts and bolts of the bill shifts to the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) and the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). The first chance these two groups will have to work SB-1…
I blogged on an Ohio anti-government transparency trick yesterday. Already, the fruits of these shenanigans are coming to light. Today the Cincinnati Enquirer reports Ohio’s special education community is up in arms about the education budget that resulted from conducting the work in a private company immune from Ohio’s open records laws. Some of the…