Kentucky Revised Statutes Title XIII. Education § 160.346.Definitions; targeted and comprehensive support and improvement; revised plans; turnaround audit; review and report; intervention process; professional learning requirement; adoption of evidence-based curriculum and selection of high-quality instructional resources; exit criteria; schools requiring rigorous support and action; district with significant number of targeted schools; evidence of violation; restoration of school's right to establish council

(a) “Department” means the Kentucky Department of Education;

(b) “ESSA” means the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-95, or its successor;

(c) “Level” means elementary, middle, or high school;

(d) “Turnaround” means a comprehensive transformation of a school to achieve accelerated, meaningful, and sustainable increases in student achievement through improved school leadership and school district support;

(e) “Turnaround plan” means a mandatory school plan that is designed to improve student learning and performance with evidence-based interventions as defined in ESSA and that is developed and implemented by the local school district in partnership with stakeholders, including the principal, other school leaders, teachers, and parents; and

(f) “Turnaround team” means the turnaround training and support team described in subsection (8)(a) of this section.

(2)(a) The department shall annually identify a school for targeted support and improvement if the school has one (1) or more of the same subgroups, as defined by ESSA, whose performance in the state accountability system by level is at or below that of all students in any of the lowest-performing five percent (5%) of all schools for three (3) consecutive years.

(b) Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, and every three (3) years thereafter, the department shall identify a school for additional targeted support and improvement if the school has one (1) or more subgroups, as defined by ESSA, whose performance in the state accountability system by level is at or below the summative performance of all students in any of the lowest-performing five percent (5%) of all schools identified under subsection (3)(a) of this section and the school was identified in the immediately preceding year for targeted support and improvement as described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.

(a) In the lowest-performing five percent (5%) of all schools in its level based on the school's performance in the state accountability system;

(b) A high school with a four (4) year cohort graduation rate that is less than eighty percent (80%); or

(c) Identified by the department for additional targeted support and improvement under subsection (2)(b) of this section and fails to exit additional targeted support and improvement status based on criteria established under subsection (11) of this section.

(4)(a) When a school is identified for targeted support and improvement under subsection (2)(a) of this section, the local school personnel, working with stakeholders, including the principal, other school leaders, teachers, and parents, shall revise its school improvement plan, which shall be subject to review and approval by the local board of education.

(b) Each revised plan shall be informed by all available indicators, including student performance compared to long-term goals, and shall include:

(c) If adequate performance progress, as defined by the department, is not made, the local school district shall take additional action to assist and support the school in reaching performance goals.

(6)(a) When a school is identified for comprehensive support and improvement, an audit shall be performed by the department to diagnose the causes of the school's low performance.

(b) The audit conducted under this subsection shall be the only comprehensive audit required for a school unless the school fails to exit comprehensive support and improvement status as described in subsection (11) of this section or exits comprehensive support and improvement status but subsequently repeats as a school identified for comprehensive support and improvement.

(7)(a) The audit conducted by the department under subsection (6) of this section shall include:

(b) The report of an audit conducted under this subsection shall be provided to the superintendent, local board of education, school principal, commissioner of education, and the Kentucky Board of Education.

(a) The superintendent and principal shall collaborate with the department to create a turnaround training and support team for the school identified for comprehensive support and improvement. The local board of education shall approve the turnaround team;

(b) The authority of the school council granted under KRS 160.345 shall be transferred to the superintendent;

(c) The superintendent shall select a principal for the school if a principal vacancy occurs. The superintendent shall consult with the turnaround team, parents, certified staff, and classified staff before appointing a principal replacement;

(d) Upon recommendation of the principal, the superintendent may reassign certified staff members to a comparable position in the school district;

(e) The superintendent shall collaborate with the turnaround team to design ongoing turnaround training and support for the principal and a corresponding monitoring system of effectiveness and student achievement results;

(f) The principal shall collaborate with the turnaround team to establish an advisory leadership team representing school stakeholders including other school leaders, teachers, and parents;

(h) The school district may request technical assistance from the department for development and implementation of the turnaround plan, which may include conducting needs assessments, selecting evidence-based interventions, and reviewing and addressing resource inequities;

(i) The turnaround plan shall be fully implemented by the first full day of the school year following the school year the school was identified for comprehensive support and improvement; and

(j) The superintendent shall periodically report to the local school board, and at least annually to the commissioner of education, on the implementation and results of the turnaround plan.

(a) The department shall periodically review a local board's resource allocations to support school improvement and provide technical assistance to the local school board; and

(b) The department may provide a recommended list of turnaround or school intervention providers that have demonstrated success implementing evidence-based strategies.