KDE seeking public comment on waiver request for federal accountability and school identification

The full waiver can be accessed online on KDE’s website

(FRANKFORT, KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is seeking public comment on the state’s waiver request for temporary changes to accountability, school identification and reporting requirements in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for the 2022-2023 school year.

The public comment period on the 202​1-2022 ​​COVID-19 Addendum Template to Kentucky’s state plan will be held from Monday, Feb. 28, to Friday, March 4. Public comments must be received by 5 p.m. ET on March 4.

The request for the waiver, which will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education (USED), is meant to address the extraordinary situation stemming from the extended and widespread school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also supports the advancement of student academic achievement by maintaining the integrity of Kentucky’s accountability system.

Through the waiver, KDE is seeking to:

• Shift the timeline for its long-term goals by two years;
• Temporarily adjust the state’s methodology for identifying Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) schools to reflect gaps in available testing data;
• Exempt the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years from the regulatory timelines for exiting Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) and Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) status; and
• Temporarily modify the exit criteria for schools currently identified with CSI or ATSI status.

The full waiver can be accessed online on KDE’s website. To request an accessible version, please contact Meredith Brewer, director of education policy for KDE, at Meredith.Brewer@education.ky.gov.