November 2016
Making the gradeThe standards-based grading concept is catching on in Kentucky schools, and where it is being used, parents, teachers and students seem to be accepting the loss of classic letter grades. It could be described as a triumph of substance over style.
The Jessamine County school district uses standards-based grading at all of its schools, but the report cards differ from school to school.
Find links to other examples of Kentucky schools' standards-based report cards, plus more articles and resources, in this online extra.
Facilities at a glanceThe Kentucky Department of Education is pursuing a revised system for evaluating and classifying school facilities. The Jefferson County school district has created an in-house system that could provide some ideas for the statewide model.
Still yellow…But lots of other things have changed about school buses that travel Kentucky roads. Fuel efficiency, student safety and more have been improved with the advent of GPS, camera systems and sensors – with more to come.
Virtual experienceGet behind the wheel of a school bus without even going outdoors. Laurel County Schools’ transportation department is using a realistic simulator to help train drivers.
Several Kentucky districts added hybrid gas-electric buses to their fleets earlier this decade with the help of federal grant money. Transportation officials in two districts have different opinions on hybrids.
Year-end trainingIt’s an election year, and that means make way for new school board members at KSBA’s Winter Symposium. The New School Board Member Boot Camp will be offered at the Dec. 2–3 event, but so will new offerings that focus on school law and district audits.
New faces, new servicesKSBA’s new staff attorney will not make lawyers out of school board members, but will give them a grounding in basic school law. And thanks to a new role for a seasoned trainer, board members will have more online learning courses. Plus, there’s a new face on the Medicaid billing scene.
Montgomery County elementary students display the art of reading
Camargo Elementary School in Montgomery County held its third annual Reading Extravaganza last month with 30 K-4 students participating. Each student picked a fiction book to read and then created a story board to illustrate what the book was about.