Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Reading and Writing
Implementation Guide
This catalog includes resources available on KYStandards.org to support implementation of the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Reading and Writing across the following categories:
• What are Academic Standards? • Knowledge of the Kentucky Academic Standards
• Translating Standards to High-Quality Instruction
• Professional Learning Tools: Kentucky’s Markers of High-Quality Literacy Instruction
• For Families and Caregivers
• Course Codes
Please contact ELATeam@education.ky.gov with questions. If you are looking for information or resources related to The Read to Succeed Act or early literacy, please visit the Division of Early Literacy webpages.
WHAT ARE ACADEMIC STANDARDS?
Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing
Adopted in 2019 and scheduled for revision in 2025, the Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing (KAS) represent a comprehensive view of literacy, incorporating reading, composition and language to ensure Kentucky students are fully prepared for a successful transition to post-secondary education, work and the community. A standard represents a goal or outcome of an educational program. The standards do not dictate the design of a lesson plan or how units should be organized. The standards establish what students should know and be able to do at the conclusion of a course. The instructional program should emphasize the development of students’ abilities to acquire and apply the standards. The curriculum must assure that appropriate accommodations are made for diverse populations of students found within Kentucky schools. The standards address what is to be learned but do not address how learning experiences are to be designed or what resources should be used. To learn more about high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs), access the HQIR page.
KNOWLEDGE OF THE KENTUCKY ACADEMIC STANDARDS
• Reading and Writing Standards at a Glance
A brief overview of the KAS, including vision, design, architecture, interdisciplinary literacy practices and multidimensionality, is provided. This document also describes the major changes to the revised standards (2019).
• Getting to Know the KAS for Reading and Writing Module
This PowerPoint poses questions and engages participants with the standards to help them gain a better understanding of the revision process, the architecture, Interdisciplinary Literacy Practices and multidimensional approach. The goal of the module, when utilized with the facilitator’s guide, is to deepen understanding of the KAS for Reading and Writing document.
• Interdisciplinary Literacy Practices
An overall facilitator’s guide and PowerPoint slide deck are available to orient participants to the Interdisciplinary Literacy Practices in Action Video Series. Each linked tile opens a new webpage which houses the Interdisciplinary Literacy Practices in Action video for that grade level and content area along with a one-pager designed to orient participants to the most important features of the video.
• Standards Family Guides
The Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) Family Guides have been developed to help families familiarize themselves with the content of each grade level’s standards. Each guide contains a standards overview for Reading and Writing, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies and is available in English and Spanish.
• Standards Revision Process
KRS 158.6453 calls for the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to implement a process for reviewing all academic standards and aligned assessments beginning in the 2017-18 school year. The current schedule calls for one or two content areas to be reviewed each year and every six years thereafter on a rotating basis. The KAS for Reading and Writing will be reviewed during the 2024-25 school year.
TRANSLATING STANDARDS TO HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTION
• High-Quality Instructional Resources (HQIRs) and Equity
This resource outlines the differences in standards, curriculum and high-quality instructional resources as well as stakeholder responsibility related to each. The Opportunity Myth Student Profile module is the first in a series of modules intended to help teachers become more comfortable in the work of evaluating student assignments to ensure they are grade appropriate and meet the demands of the KAS. It will do this by introducing teachers to an actual student’s experience with the four resources, as highlighted in The Opportunity Myth.
• Student Assignment Library
This Reading and Writing Student Assignment Library provides examples of student tasks that are weakly, partially and strongly aligned to standards. The assignments can be used with the Assignment Review Protocol to develop a better understanding of the tool and how it can be applied to a teacher’s own work.
• Unit & Lesson Internalization
The Reading and Writing Unit Internalization Protocol and Note-catcher support understanding of the HQIR at the unit level. The Reading and Writing Lesson Lesson Internalization Protocol and Note-catcher support understanding of the HQIR at the lesson level. The Lesson Rehearsal Protocol supports refining lesson delivery.
• Breaking Down a Standard
This protocol helps educators develop an understanding of the KAS for Reading and Writing by providing a guide for breaking down a standard to gain clarity.
• Text Talk Protocol
This protocol supports shared understanding of grade-level, complex texts and of the standards-based learning they make available.
• The Read to Succeed Act
The goal of Senate Bill 9 (2022), the Read to Succeed Act, is to support evidence-based early literacy instruction throughout the commonwealth by investing in teachers to increase student success in reading. A child’s ability to read is a critical predictor of both educational and lifelong success. Students must have every opportunity to gain and strengthen this skill, and teachers must be equipped and empowered in the teaching of reading to best support their students.
• Writing Program Guidelines
This document provides guidance on important elements to consider when developing an effective writing program. More information about including an effective writing program within the curriculum can be found on the KDE webpage.
• Composition in the Classroom
Composition in the Classroom takes an in-depth look at each of the three modes of writing, the three types of writing, and authentic audiences, forms and purposes. Each section on the three modes of writing contains examples of potential instructional for elementary and secondary classrooms. Writing Across Disciplines, an expansion of Composition in the Classroom, is a webpage developed by an interdisciplinary team of consultants. The Writing Across Disciplines Foundational Document contains sample discipline-specific writing tasks in reading and writing, mathematics, social studies, science and visual/performing arts.
For Leaders
• High-Quality Instructional Resources (HQIRs)
This website provides access to resources about adoption and selection of HQIRs as well as curriculum-based professional learning. Among alignment rubrics and consumer guides, webinar recordings of HQIR Coordinator Convenings are available.
• Reading and Writing Consumer Guide
The instructional resources consumer guide is designed to help decision-makers at Kentucky districts and schools select high-quality reading and writing instructional resources that meet the unique needs of students, educators and families within their local communities. It includes an overview of the characteristics and markers of high-quality instructional resources for Reading and Writing and outlines four key steps districts may utilize as they seek out resources, evaluate their effectiveness and ultimately select them for use in schools.
• Curriculum-Based Professional Learning (CBPL)
This document provides guidance to support developing an understanding of curriculum-based professional learning and its role in supporting local curriculum implementation and overall improvement of instructional practice. It also outlines the three stages of curriculum-based professional learning, including each stage’s purpose, key questions to consider and key tools to support the work.
• The Read to Succeed Act
The goal of Senate Bill 9 (2022), the Read to Succeed Act, is to support evidence-based early literacy instruction throughout the commonwealth by investing in teachers to increase student success in reading. A child’s ability to read is a critical predictor of both educational and lifelong success. Students must have every opportunity to gain and strengthen this skill, and teachers must be equipped and empowered in the teaching of reading to best support their students.
• Writing Program Guidelines
This document provides guidance on important elements to consider when developing an effective writing program. More information about including an effective writing program within the curriculum can be found on the KDE webpage.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TOOLS: Kentucky’s Markers of High-Quality Literature Instruction
Research- and Evidence-Based Instruction
• Structured Early Literacy
This website provides extensive knowledge and resources related to Structured Literacy. The Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing work with Structured Literacy to ensure vibrant student experiences in literacy. Through Structured Literacy instruction, emphasis is placed on systematic and explicit instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness. Additionally, Structured Literacy uses modeling and guided practice for each skill or strategy taught in tandem with vocabulary development to build background knowledge. Further, reading fluency and comprehension instruction are integral parts of Structured Literacy that provide students with a solid foundation in decoding, phonics, and vocabulary (Foorman et al., 2016).
• Structured Adolescent Literacy (coming soon)
To understand the content taught in subject-area classes, students, especially in grades 4-9 need to engage with and gain information from complex texts (Vaughn et al., 2022). This upcoming series provides research along with evidence-based resources and strategies necessary for teachers to use with adolescents who struggle to read and/or right at grade-level.
• Evidence-Based Instructional Practices (EBIPs)
This series takes a close look at what is meant by evidence-based instructional practices, as well as the importance of effective implementation, intentional planning and gathering evidence to determine the impact on student learning. Following the introduction, this series will examine six evidence-based instructional practices teachers can use to support learners in reaching the expectations within the Kentucky Academic Standards and the local curriculum.
• Academic Vocabulary (Grades 6-8 & Grades 9-12)
These modules provide teachers with opportunities to gain knowledge and skills for teaching academic vocabulary by analyzing units and lessons, creating lessons, rehearsing those lessons and reflecting on videos of classroom practice. Teachers also will apply strategies from this module in their own instruction to examine student progress through formative student work analysis and product-based student performance.
• Text-Based Writing Across Disciplines
Text-Based Writing Across Disciplines intends to show how to ensure opportunities for students to engage in discipline-specific literacies or learning that uses reading and writing skills specific to each field to teach content knowledge, demonstrate content knowledge and publish learning. Text-based writing grounds students in complex, grade-level texts, or “anything that communicates a message” (Interdisciplinary Literacy Practice 1), meaning that students engage with a wide range of multimodal texts across disciplines and grade levels.
Text Quality & Complexity
• Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
This interactive professional learning module helps teachers analyze text complexity. By analyzing quantitative and qualitative features as well as reader and task considerations, teachers will be able to use this learning to select appropriate texts for their students.
• Text Talk Protocol
This protocol supports shared understanding of grade-level, complex texts and of the standards-based learning they make available. Text-Dependent Questions & Tasks
• Text-Dependent Questions (TDQ) Module
This interactive professional learning module provides information on TDQ, a classroom technique that teachers can use to improve students’ understanding of complex texts. Teachers will learn how to write questions that are only answerable by referring to the text being read. • Close Reading This module explains what close reading is and provides step-by-step directions for planning a close reading lesson.
• Text-Based Writing Across Disciplines
Text-Based Writing Across Disciplines intends to show how to ensure opportunities for students to engage in discipline-specific literacies or learning that uses reading and writing skills specific to each field to teach content knowledge, demonstrate content knowledge and publish learning. Text-based writing grounds students in complex, grade-level texts, or “anything that communicates a message” (Interdisciplinary Literacy Practice 1), meaning that students engage with a wide range of multimodal texts across disciplines and grade levels.
• Improving ELA Tasks
Building upon the learning from the Task Predicts Performance module, Improving ELA Tasks offers guidance on improving ELA assignments to meet the rigor and demands of the new Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing after internationalization and reflection of HQIR implementation.
• Implementing Reading Standards 2 and 5
Three modules address gaps in instruction that may be present in existing High-Quality Instructional Resource (HQIRs) for Reading Informational (RI) Texts and Reading Literature (RL) Standards 2 and 5 of the KAS for Reading and Writing. For a summary of each module, visit the Facilitator’s Guide.
• Student Assignment Library
The Reading and Writing Student Assignment Library provides examples of student tasks that are weakly, partially and strongly aligned to standards. Use this resource to support the implementation of existing High-Quality Instructional Resources (HQIRs) adopted by school districts as well as educators teaching in districts that have not yet adopted an HQIR in reading and writing. The weakly and partially aligned examples should compare and demonstrate the high quality found in HQIRs. Further, HQIRs compared to weakly and partially aligned examples can be used to better understand the intended depth and rigor of the Kentucky Academic Standards. Engaging in the comparisons of weakly, partially, and strongly aligned assignments will still be beneficial as PLCs internalize lessons.
Access for ALL Learners
• Equity Lenses for High-Quality Reading and Writing Instructional Resources
This table supports schools and districts in selecting equitable resources, a detailed table of the equity lenses provides guidance on what to look for in reading and writing resources. This guidance supports the selection of resources that are culturally relevant, free from bias, and accessible for all students to further the KDE’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
• KyMTSS.org Website
KyMTSS is a multi-level prevention system designed to maximize student achievement and support students’ social and behavioral competencies through an integration of differentiated core instruction, assessment and intervention. This website provides a variety of resources for districts and schools related to implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.
FOR FAMILIES AND CAREGIVERS
• Standards Family Guides
The Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) Family Guides have been developed to help families familiarize themselves with the content of each grade level’s standards. Each guide contains a standards overview for Reading and Writing, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies and is available in English and Spanish.
COURSE CODES
• Course Code Resources Course Standards documents are available on the Reading and Writing Course Standards Documents webpage for all English/Language Arts courses at the elementary, middle, and high school levels for courses that are either required or can be used to fulfill minimum high school graduation requirements. For more information, including course descriptions, visit the Searchable State Course Codes Database (SSCD).