703 KAR 5:140. Requirements for school and district report cards.

703 KAR 5:140. Requirements for school and district report cards.

RELATES TO: KRS 158.6453

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: KRS 158.6453

NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: KRS 158.6453(7) requires the Kentucky Board of Education to promulgate an administrative regulation to define the implementation and the components of a school and district report card that clearly communicates with parents and the public about school and district performance. This administrative regulation establishes the standards for a school and district report card.

Section 1. Definitions. (1) "Average student/teacher ratio" means the total enrollment of the school (end of year membership) divided by the number of teachers on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis, not including administrators, guidance counselors, or media specialists.

(2) "Average years of experience" means the average number of years of professional experience of classroom teachers excluding certified staff such as administrators, guidance counselors, or media specialists.

(3) "Base year" means the academic year immediately preceding the publication of the school report card components.

(4) "Content-focused professional development" means professional development that is teacher focused, discipline-based and content grounded, and provides teachers with in-depth learning experiences in the chosen core discipline.

(5) "District report card (base)" means the summary of district and school information that is required to be published in the newspaper with the largest paid circulation in the county in which the district resides.

(6) "District report card (expanded)" means the compilation of information, including the district report card (base) and other information as required in Section 5 of this administrative regulation, including the disaggregated data elements, available for viewing in the district central office upon request by parents and public.

(7) "School" means an A1 school as defined in 703 KAR 5:040, Section 1(1).

(8) "School report card (base)" means the printed compilation of school information to be sent by the school to every parent or guardian with a child or children in a school.

(9) "School report card (expanded)" means the compilation of information, including the school report card (base) and other information as required in Section 3 of this administrative regulation, including the disaggregated data elements, available for viewing in the main office of each school upon request of parents and public.

(10) "School safety data" means a list of components as established in Section 2 of this administrative regulation, critical to providing for a safe school environment for students and school staff.

(11) "Spending per student - district" means the total expenditures made divided by the total primary through grade twelve (12) end of year average daily attendance in the district.

(12) "Spending per student - school" means a set of instructional expenditures established in "Calculation Procedures for Data Included in the School Report Card" incorporated by reference in Section 9 of this administrative regulation common to all schools divided by the total end of year average daily attendance of the school.

(13) "Spending per student - state" means the total expenditures made divided by the total primary through grade twelve (12) end of year average daily attendance in the state.

(14) "Total enrollment" means the number of primary through grade twelve (12) students enrolled in a school or district as reported by the local superintendent at the close of the year.

Section 2. School Report Card (Base). (1) A school report card (base) shall be sent to the parents or guardians of each student in a school by United States mail, unless a waiver is granted by the Department of Education for a proposal that is equally effective in notifying parents or guardians of the card and its contents. If a parent or guardian has more than one (1) child in the same school, one (1) report card may be sent to the family.

(2) A school report card shall include the following information:

(a) The name and address of the school, the name of its principal, and telephone, fax and e-mail contact information, all of which shall be current;

(b) The total enrollment of the school;

(d) The school level results of state-sanctioned performing arts competitions or other state-sanctioned academic or speech competition, if applicable;

(e) Teacher qualification information, including:

1. The percent of classes taught by teachers with a major, minor, or the equivalent in the subject being taught (i.e., certified via an alternative route, having an endorsement in the area being taught, middle school areas of concentration for middle school certification, passing the relevant PRAXIS II content test, or other assessments stipulated by the Education Professional Standards Board);

2. The percent of classes taught by teachers participating in content-focused professional development related to the content being taught during the base year;

3. The percent of teachers with a masters degree or greater or the equivalent; and

4. Average years of teaching experience;

(f) School safety data including:

1. Whether visitors are required to sign in;

2. Whether all parents receive the district discipline code;

3. What procedures are in place for drug and weapons detection;

4. The percentage of classrooms with telephones able to access outside lines; and

5. Data detailing safety violations of aggravated assault (with intent to cause injury), drug abuse, and weapons. The safety data shall include:

a. The number of incidents; and

b. The number of students suspended or expelled for that kind of incident;

(g) Student resource data including:

1. Spending per student at the school, district and state level;

2. Average student to teacher ratios at the school, district, and state level;

3. Student to computer ratios at the school, district and state level;

4. Percentage of computers five (5) years old or less and

5. Description of integration of technology into instruction;

(h) Parental involvement information including:

1. Number of students whose parent or guardian had at least one (1) teacher conference;

2. Number of parents and guardians voting in school council elections;

3. Number of parents and guardians serving on the school council or its committees; and

4. Number of school-related volunteer hours;

(i) A narrative describing to the public actions being taken to address issues in equity related to the delivery of educational services to all students; and

(j) The names of members of the current year school council with contact information, including telephone numbers or e-mail addresses where the members can be reached for questions or comments.

Section 3. School Report Card (Expanded). (1) A school report card (expanded) shall be available for viewing on request in the office of the school. Copies shall be made available at no charge or at a charge not to exceed cost, except for all data disaggregation pages which shall be supplied at no cost.

(2) A school report card (expanded) shall include:

(a) The data disaggregation pages of reports supplied by the Department of Education;

(b) Documentation of plans, policies and procedures specified in KRS 158.440 for assisting students at risk of academic failure or of engaging in disruptive and disorderly behavior;

(d) The number of students and the percentage of the student population receiving instructional accommodations;

(e) The executive summary from the school consolidated plan;

(f) A listing of average class sizes for core classes including reading, mathematics, science, social studies and writing at all grade levels, and, if feasible, arts and humanities and practical living and vocational studies classes;

(g) A school technology report. The school technology and the learning interface section from the consolidated planning comprehensive needs assessment and any technology-related action items included in that plan may be used to fulfill this requirement; and

(h) The number of students enrolled for a fifth year in the primary program, if the school includes a primary program.

(3) Upon the implementation of a statewide student data base, the following shall be included in the expanded school report card:

(a) At the high school level, a list of the advanced placement subjects offered by grade, the total number of students enrolled in each advanced placement class, and these enrollments disaggregated by gender, race, and free and reduced lunch participation. The number of students who take the advanced placement tests and the average advanced placement examination scores by subject shall be disaggregated by gender, race, and free and reduced lunch participation;

(b) At the high school level, an indication of whether a Commonwealth diploma is offered. If offered, the number of students earning this diploma shall be disaggregated by gender, race, and free and reduced lunch participation; and

(c) The total number of students enrolled in the gifted and talented program in each of the following areas disaggregated by gender, race, and free and reduced lunch participation:

1. General intellectual;

2. Specific academic;

3. Creativity;

4. Leadership; and

5. Creative and performing arts.

Section 4. District Report Card (Base). A district report card shall include a district level summary of all school data required on the school report card (base) and shall be the aggregation of the school report cards by grade level. This card shall be published in the newspaper with the largest circulation in the county by the date specified in Section 6 of this administrative regulation. The base district report card shall include a narrative describing to the public actions being taken to address issues in equity related to the delivery of educational services to all students. The district report card (base) shall also include the names and appropriate addresses of the district superintendent and members of the local board of education.

Section 5. District Report Card (Expanded). (1) A district report card (expanded) shall be available for viewing in the district central office no later than the date specified in Section 6 of this administrative regulation. Copies shall be made available at no charge or at a charge not to exceed cost, except for all data disaggregation pages which shall be supplied at no cost.

(2) A district report card (expanded) shall include:

(a) The data disaggregation pages of reports supplied by the Department of Education;

(b) Documentation of plans, policies and procedures specified in KRS 158.440 for assisting students at risk of academic failure or of engaging in disruptive and disorderly behavior for the district;

(d) The number of students and the percentage of the student population receiving instructional accommodations;

(e) The executive summary from the district consolidated plans;

(f) A listing of district average class sizes for core classes including reading, mathematics, science, social studies and writing at all grade levels, and, if feasible, arts and humanities and practical living and vocational studies classes;

(g) A school district technology report. The district technology plan as required by KRS 157.615 and 157.665 and the district technology and the learning interface section from the consolidated planning comprehensive needs assessment and any technology related action items included in this plan may be used to fulfill this requirement; and

(h) The number and percent of students enrolled for a fifth year in the primary program in the district; and

(i) Copies of all base school report cards.

(3) Upon the implementation of a statewide student data base, the following shall be included in the expanded district report card:

(b) At the high school level, an indication of whether a Commonwealth diploma is offered. If offered, the numbers of students earning this diploma shall be disaggregated by gender, race, and free and reduced lunch participation; and

(c) The total number of students enrolled in the gifted and talented program in each of the following areas disaggregated by gender, race, and free and reduced lunch participation:

1. General intellectual;

2. Specific academic;

3. Creativity;

4. Leadership; and

5. Creative and performing arts.

Section 6. Reporting Requirements; Timelines. (1) Prior to printing, the school council, or in the absence of a council, the principal, shall review and approve the school report card (base) and school report card (expanded). The school report card (base) shall be printed and shall be sent to parents and guardians having students in the schools.

(2) A school and district report card (base) may be placed upon the Internet on a site maintained by the district and shall be linked to the official Department of Education Website.

(3) District and school data supplied by the Department of Education shall be available electronically to districts no later than November 1 of each year.

(4) A district shall have twenty-one (21) calendar days in which to report inaccurate data to the Department of Education school report card help desk and to request that the data be changed.

(5) The Department of Education shall have twenty-one (21) calendar days from the receipt of the data change request from the district in which to either correct the data or to report to the district that the data will not be altered.

(6) After all data alterations have been reported to the district by the Department of Education and before the school report card (base) is sent to parents and guardians, the district superintendent shall send a communication by letter, fax or e-mail to the Department of Education accepting the data as amended.

(7) A school report card (base) shall be sent to all parents and guardians no later than seventy-seven (77) calendar days from the department’s original release of data to the schools.

(8) A school report card (expanded) shall be available in the schools no later than the date when the school report card (base) is sent to parents and guardians.

(9) A district report card (base) shall be published in the newspaper with the largest paid circulation in the county no later than the second Sunday in February.

(10) A district report card (expanded) shall be available in the district central office no later than the date when the district report card is published in the newspaper, and the school (base and expanded) and district (base and expanded) report cards may be made available on the Internet.

(11) All school and district report cards shall be made available to the Department of Education upon request.

Section 7. Verification; Audits. The Department of Education shall conduct an audit of school and district report cards for compliance with the provisions of this administrative regulation. School and district report card components generated at the school and district shall be delivered to the Department of Education upon request.

Section 8. Noncompliance. (1) Noncompliance shall include:

(a) Failure to meet a publication deadline;

(b) Failure to mail school report cards (base) or to implement a Department of Education approved plan for distributing them;

(d) Unauthorized alteration of data; or

(e) Falsification of data.

(2) If a school or district fails to meet the timelines for publication of a component of the school report card, it shall communicate by letter to the Department of Education, identifying the component and indicating when the component was or will be communicated to the appropriate public.

(3) If a school or district fails to mail the school report cards (base) to parents and guardians and does not have a waiver granted by the Department of Education for a proposal that is equally effective in notifying parents or guardians of the card and its contents, it shall determine which parents and guardians did not receive a report card and supply one (1) to each of them.

(4) If a school or district refuses to produce a required component of the school report card, the matter shall be referred to the Office of Communications to investigate and make recommendations to the Commissioner of Education.

(5) If a school or district alters data supplied by the department without authorization from the department, it shall supply documentation to the department demonstrating the accuracy of its changes. If the documentation cannot be produced or does not support the alterations made, the matter shall be treated as the publication of incorrect data in paragraph (e) of this subsection.

(6) If a school or district publishes incorrect information in a component of the report card, it shall supply corrected information to the audience that received the incorrect information, using the same medium by which it conveyed the original information. If there is reason to believe that the data error was intentional, the matter shall be referred to the Office of Communications to investigate and make recommendations to the Commissioner of Education.

Section 9. Incorporation by Reference. (1) The "Calculation Procedures for Data Included in the School Report Card", February 2006, is incorporated by reference.

(2) This material may be inspected, copied, or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the Department of Education, Office of Assessment and Accountability, 18th Floor, Capital Plaza Tower, 500 Mero Street, Frankfort, Kentucky, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. (27 Ky.R. 881; Am. 2148; eff. 1-18-2001; 32 Ky.R. 1775; eff. 6-2-06.)