The Kentucky Department of Education’s Superintendent Advisory Council met virtually on Monday to look at guidance released by the department on special education, compensatory education and daily participation for non-traditional instruction. The topic of developing reopening plans amid rising case numbers was also addressed.
David Cook, KDE’s director of innovation and coordinator of the NTI Program, kicked off the meeting by discussing the “COVID-19 Considerations for Reopening Schools: Daily Participation and Non-Traditional Instruction” guidance document.
This guidance explains the different types of daily student participation, the types and uses of NTI and how districts will record daily participation for the 2020-2021 school year.
For the 2020-2021 school year, districts will record participation in Infinite Campus for all students instead of recording attendance. The guidance document defines participation as the measure of the interactions between teachers and students. According to Cook, these interactions will vary based on whether the student is learning in person or participating in remote instruction.
Grading, not participation, still will be the determination of the quality of work completed by the student, said Cook.
Office of Special Education and Early Learning guidance
KDE’s Office of Special Education and Early Learning (OSEEL) released two guidance documents on Monday.
The first, “COVID-19 Considerations for Reopening Schools for Exceptional Learners and Preschool Students,” provides guidelines and recommendations for the health and safety of exceptional students – those with Individual Education Programs (IEP), 504 plans and students who are gifted and talented – and preschool students.
The document includes guidance on things like social distancing, classroom environments, food distribution and masks.
The document is designed to align with the “Guidance on Safety Expectations and Best Practices for Kentucky Schools (K-12”) and is organized into four main sections: reopening considerations; special education questions and answers; preschool questions and answers; and resources.
“As we move forward … the thing that we have to be the most careful about is that students with disabilities are able to participate to the full extent in whichever environment,” said OSEEL Associate Commissioner Gretta Hylton.
Hylton added that a student’s instructional location should not equate to change in placement. A student’s placement is based on individual needs and their IEP should not be altered due to the nature of the pandemic, she said.
“A student’s needs don’t change as a result of this,” said Hylton. “The district is still responsible for providing that offer of FAPE (free appropriate public education).”
Another document released by OSEEL, “COVID-19 Considerations for Reopening Schools: Compensatory Education and Extended School Year Services,” explains the differences between compensatory education and extended school year services.
According to the guidance, compensatory education is not defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Kentucky Administrative Regulations on Special Education Programs.
Compensatory education services are any services designed to place the student in a position he or she otherwise would have been in, but for the lack of educational benefit resulting from a denial of FAPE.
Extended school year services, on the other hand, are defined in 707 KAR 1:002, Section 1 (26) as “specially designed instruction and related services that are provided to a student with a disability beyond the normal school year in accordance with the child’s IEP at no cost to the parents.”
The document guides how to provide both compensatory education and extended school year services during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as through NTI.
Kentucky Online and Virtual Schools Network
KDE Chief Digital Officer Marty Park joined the superintendents to discuss the Kentucky Online Virtual Schools Network.
In 2012, the department moved away from a KDE-operated virtual school and, according to Park, the department does not feel that KDE should return to this format.
However, KDE has been working alongside districts and the state’s educational cooperatives to better understand district needs when it comes to virtual schools.
About 30 school districts either are in the initial stages or have a fully developed virtual school program, said Park.
KDE plans to build a network across the Commonwealth to expand the work of virtual schools. The network is not ready to launch yet, Park said, but it is important to note that KDE will not endorse any specific platform that offers virtual curriculum services because that will be a decision made at the local level.
Districts will be able to partner with other districts or an educational cooperative through this virtual network. Park does recommend that before doing so, the district understands what content is being offered.
Developing reopening plans amid rising case numbers
Interim Education Commissioner Kevin C. Brown provided SAC members with the opportunity to ask questions.
David Rust, superintendent of Campbell County Public Schools, said he has heard concerns from teachers within his district about the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Kentucky. He said that when Kentucky schools closed in March, there were much fewer cases than the state now is seeing. He asked why schools should consider reopening when there appears to be a greater risk.
“The one thing that is a little different from the spring is we have more tools available to us through contact tracing and increased testing,” Brown said.
Brown added that even though districts have developed reopening plans, there is a possibility the governor may recommend schools again close their doors due to the virus.
Kentucky Department for Public Health Deputy Commissioner Connie White echoed Brown’s statements and said that if schools do have to close due to the virus, they will be able to re-use their reopening plans.
“If something happened next week that things were closed, these plans will be used later on,” she said. “So, don’t feel like you’re spinning your wheels.”
