District Spotlight

Discover how Kentucky educators and school districts are putting the academic standards into practice. Read our District Spotlight success stories and tips.

  • Oldham County Spotlight

Spotlight on Oldham County: Aligning Professional Learning with High-Quality Instructional Resources

2025-08-14T13:30:33-04:00August 14th, 2025|Categories: Standards Newsletter|Tags: , |

Spotlight on Oldham County: Aligning Professional Learning with High-Quality Instructional Resources When Oldham County launched its district-wide effort to implement high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs) K-5 in English/Language Arts, leaders knew that deep, curriculum-based professional learning would be essential to ensuring success. Through intentional planning, cross-role collaboration, [...]

  • A group photograph of approximately 45 diverse students of various ages posing together in front of a purple illuminated geometric wall and a pattern convention floor. Many wear white JCPS lanyards and some are holding small green or blue signs. A few specific students, including one in a historic costume and others with matching spirit shirts, are visible. The students are smiling and looking at the camera.

Redefining Learning: How JCPS is Aligning Vision and Resources to Transform Student Literacy

2026-03-19T13:57:43-04:00July 29th, 2025|Categories: Standards Newsletter|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is on a mission to transform what teaching and learning look like for every student. At the center of this work is Journey to Success, an initiative that goes beyond access to grade-level content and empowers students to actively engage in their learning, demonstrate their [...]

Brooks Elementary Teachers in Bullitt County Make the Shift to Explicit, Systematic  Instruction in Foundational Skills

2026-03-19T14:49:54-04:00May 19th, 2025|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Brooks Elementary is currently in its first full year of implementing a resource developed by the University of Florida Literacy Institute called UFLI Foundations, an explicit and systematic program for teaching students foundational reading skills. Teachers from kindergarten to grade 3 are using UFLI in their Tier 1 instruction. With [...]

  • Spotlight On: Danville Independent Schools

Spotlight on Science: High-Quality Instructional Resources Transform Elementary Classrooms in the Danville Independent School District

2025-05-19T10:31:35-04:00May 8th, 2025|Categories: Standards Newsletter|Tags: , |

Spotlight on Science: High-Quality Instructional Resources Transform Elementary Classrooms in the Danville Independent School District Teachers in the Danville Independent School District are bringing science to life with new high-quality instructional resources (HQIR). Elementary educators use Smithsonian and Carolina Biological resources to foster inquiry-based learning. Chief [...]

  • Spotlight on: Carroll County

Building a Stronger System: How Carroll County Transformed Instruction Through Walkthroughs

2025-05-05T10:55:42-04:00May 5th, 2025|Categories: Standards Newsletter|Tags: , |

Building a Stronger System: How Carroll County Transformed Instruction Through Walkthroughs Identifying the Need: A District in Transition  Change was happening fast in Carroll County—new leaders, new priorities, and new instructional resources. But with so much in motion, one critical piece was missing: a clear, consistent [...]

  • A female teacher stands patiently as a young student points to a sentence on a large wall-mounted monitor during a class on a multi-colored number grid rug. Approximately 15 young children are seated, listening, with one child in the foreground raising their hand. The classroom is filled with educational posters, charts, currency and math displays, and shelving with books and colorful bins. The sentence on the screen reads 'Ron rips paper.'

Greenup County Kindergarten Teacher Finds Success Through Internalization of High-Quality Instructional Resources

2026-03-19T14:56:49-04:00April 29th, 2025|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Kindergarten teacher Cassie Thompson at Argillite Elementary in Greenup County faced a unique challenge this year: Implementing two new high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs), Magnetic Reading Foundations and Wit and Wisdom, for the first time. With eight years of teaching experience and a strong dedication to student success, Thompson approached this [...]

  • In a blue-walled classroom labeled "Mrs. Garrison," a teacher stands between two third-grade students at their desks. The students are actively engaged in a "Gallery Walk" activity, examining printed historical artifacts and papers. In the background, a digital timer on a large monitor shows seven minutes remaining, and an American flag hangs on the wall.

Third Grade Students at Flat Lick Elementary are More Engaged in Their Learning and Taking Ownership

2026-03-19T15:02:58-04:00April 15th, 2025|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , |

This spring, Mrs. Garrison’s third grade class at Flat Lick Elementary in Knox County, kicked off a study of the earliest known residents of North America with an engaging gallery walk to spark curiosity and initial student interest, also referred to as priming for learning. The unit is part of the [...]

  • Elementary School Children playing the game Operation in School

Teachers at Lebanon Elementary Say They’ve Gone from Overwhelmed About Teaching Reading to Thriving

2026-03-19T15:06:27-04:00April 1st, 2025|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Lebanon Elementary School (LES) in Marion County, KY, is in its first year of implementing the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) Listening and Learning Strand for grades K-3, emphasizing language comprehension through engaging, content-rich read-alouds. Teachers at LES are seeing increased student engagement and deeper connections between content and real-world [...]

  • Picture of coach and teacher standing at whiteboard with math problems

The Power of Coaching at Robert B. Turner Elementary

2026-03-18T11:10:56-04:00February 25th, 2025|Categories: Standards Newsletter|Tags: , , , |

The Power of Coaching at Robert B. Turner Elementary In 2023, Robert B. Turner Elementary in Anderson County embarked on a transformative journey with the help of a Math Achievement Fund (MAF) grant. This funding allowed the school to adopt a high-quality instructional resource (HQIR) and [...]

  • Teacher with group of students in small group

District Spotlight: Powell County Transforms the Teacher Experience with High-Quality Instructional Resources

2025-01-28T09:07:34-05:00January 28th, 2025|Categories: Standards Newsletter|Tags: , |

District Spotlight: Powell County Transforms the Teacher Experience with High-Quality Instructional Resources When Powell County Schools embarked on the journey to adopt a high-quality instructional resource (HQIR) for mathematics, the district’s leadership aimed to address long-standing challenges faced by teachers. Over the years, educators had been [...]

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