Kentucky Revised Statutes Title XIII. Education § 156.095.Professional development programs and training schedule; required topics; professional development coordinator; long-term improvement plans; electronic consumer bulletin board; training to address needs of students at risk of school failure; teacher academics; annual report to Juvenile Justice Oversight Council

(1)(a) The Kentucky Department of Education shall establish, direct, and maintain a statewide program of professional development to improve instruction in the public schools.

(b) By August 1, 2025, the department shall create a four (4) year recurring professional development training schedule that includes all professional development for certified personnel required by subsection (2) of this section and federal law.

(c) Each local school district shall implement the professional development training schedule created by the department.

(a) How to respond to an active shooter situation training prepared by the Department of Criminal Justice Training in collaboration with the department, the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council, and the Center for School Safety;

(b) Child abuse and neglect prevention, recognition, and reporting training from the list of trainings approved by the department in accordance with subsection (7) of this section;

(d) Self-study review of seizure disorder materials.

(3)(a) Each local school district superintendent shall appoint a certified school employee to fulfill the role and responsibilities of a professional development coordinator who shall disseminate professional development information to schools and personnel. Upon request by a school council or any employees of the district, the coordinator shall provide technical assistance to the council or the personnel that may include assisting with needs assessments, analyzing school data, planning and evaluation assistance, organizing districtwide programs requested by school councils or groups of teachers, or other coordination activities.

(b) The manner of appointment, qualifications, and other duties of the professional development coordinator shall be established by the local board of education.

(c) The local district professional development coordinator may participate in the Kentucky Department of Education annual training program for local school district professional development coordinators. The training program may include but not be limited to the demonstration of various approaches to needs assessment and planning; strategies for implementing long-term, school-based professional development; strategies for strengthening teachers' roles in the planning, development, and evaluation of professional development; and demonstrations of model professional development programs. The training shall include information about teacher learning opportunities relating to the core content standards. The department shall regularly collect and distribute this information.

(a) Strategies to reduce the achievement gaps among various groups of students and to provide continuous progress;

(b) Curriculum content and methods of instruction for each content area, including differentiated instruction;

(c) School-based decision making;

(d) Assessment literacy;

(e) Integration of performance-based student assessment into daily classroom instruction;

(f) Nongraded primary programs;

(g) Research-based instructional practices;

(h) Instructional uses of technology;

(i) Curriculum design to serve the needs of students with diverse learning styles and skills and of students of diverse cultures;

(j) Instruction in reading, including phonics, phonemic awareness, comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary;

(k) Educational leadership; and

(l) Strategies to incorporate character education throughout the curriculum.

(6)(a) Upon the request of a school district or school council, the department shall assist with the development of long-term school and district improvement plans that include multiple strategies for professional development based on the assessment of needs at the school level.

(b) Professional development strategies may include but are not limited to participation in subject matter academies, teacher networks, training institutes, workshops, seminars, and study groups; collegial planning; action research; mentoring programs; appropriate university courses; and other forms of professional development.

(c) In planning the use of the four (4) days for professional development under KRS 158.070, school councils and districts shall give priority to programs that increase teachers' understanding of curriculum content and methods of instruction appropriate for each content area based on individual school plans. The district may use up to one (1) day to provide district-wide training and training that is mandated by state or federal law. Only those employees identified in the mandate or affected by the mandate shall be required to attend the training.

(d) State funds allocated for professional development shall be used to support professional development initiatives that are consistent with local school improvement and professional development plans and teachers' individual growth plans. The funds may be used throughout the year for all staff, including classified and certified staff and parents on school councils or committees. A portion of the funds allocated to each school council under KRS 160.345 may be used to prepare or enhance the teachers' knowledge and teaching practices related to the content and subject matter that are required for their specific classroom assignments.

(7)(a) The department shall develop and maintain a list of approved comprehensive evidence-informed trainings on child abuse and neglect prevention, recognition, and reporting that encompass child physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect.

(b) The trainings shall be web-based or in-person and cover, at a minimum, the following topics:

(c) The trainings shall include a questionnaire or other basic assessment tool upon completion to document basic knowledge of training components.

(d) Each local board of education shall adopt one (1) or more trainings from the list approved by the department to be implemented by schools.

(a) Identify at-risk students early in elementary schools as well as at-risk and potential dropouts in the middle and high schools;

(b) Plan specific instructional strategies to teach at-risk students;

(c) Improve the academic achievement of students at risk of school failure by providing individualized and extra instructional support to increase expectations for targeted students;

(d) Involve parents as partners in ways to help their children and to improve their children's academic progress; and

(e) Significantly reduce the dropout rate of all students.