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News from Jefferson County Public SchoolsOctober 2015
IN THIS ISSUE
KDE releases school and district scores
Four teachers receive state achievement awards
See JCPS educators at work
New budget maintains classroom investments
Watch the award-winning Our Kids TV program
JCPS offers Adult ESL Program
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Visit the JCPS Middle and High School Showcase
Get answers to your questions about schools and programs   
The Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) District's Middle and High School Showcase will be held Fri., Oct. 16, from 3 to 7 p.m., and Sat., Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Kentucky International Convention Center.
 
Representatives from all middle and high schools and from many JCPS offices will be available to answer your questions. You'll get a free copy of the middle and high school version of Choices, the guide to the district's schools and programs. This guidebook also is available as a PDF file.
Get a free copy of Choices at the Showcase of Schools.
The application and registration period for JCPS middle and high schools for the 2016-17 school year is Mon., Oct. 19, through Fri., Jan. 8. 
 
You'll be able to submit an application from any computer with Internet access or from registration sites that are located throughout the district. Details on the application process will be available on the JCPS website during the application period.

For a schedule of stops for the Mobile Online Registration Site -- a school bus retrofitted to accept applications -- click here. 

A commercial for the showcase is scheduled to start running on local television stations today. This commercial was voiced by Ballard High junior Laurel Deppen, who is a student in Ballard's Communication, Media, and the Arts Professional Career Theme Program. You also can see the commercial here.

The Elementary School Showcase will be held at the Kentucky International Convention Center on Sat., Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The application period for JCPS elementary schools is Mon., Nov. 16, through Fri., Jan. 8. Watch for more information in the next issue of Parent Connection eNews.
  
KDE releases school and district scores  
Highlights of the scores released by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) last week include the following:
  • The overall JCPS score rose from 64.2 in 2014 to 64.5 in 2015.
  • JCPS increased in four out of the five components of the KDE Next Generation Learners Model.
  • 21,833 of our students scored Proficient or higher on reading and math assessments.
  • 63 percent of our students are considered college- and career-ready; this reflects a 32 percent jump since 2010 and a 2.4 percent gain over 2014.
  • JCPS now has 18 KDE Schools of Distinction, up from just 3 in 2013, and 50 JCPS schools are Proficient or better, with 33 more schools designated as Progressing.
  • One of ten schools across Kentucky to come out of Priority status this year is Waggener High. Six JCPS Priority Schools met their KDE target Annual Measurable Objective (AMO), which is a bar that rises every year and, thus, is increasingly harder to reach.
  • We have Proficient students in all of our schools. Among this year's shining stars are students at Knight Middle and Zachary Taylor Elementary, who are progressing at well above the state's average growth rate.
A JCPS news release and a video of Superintendent Donna Hargens' comments on the scores are available.


Four teachers receive state Achievement Awards
Four JCPS teachers are among the 24 statewide winners of the 2016 Teacher Achievement Awards sponsored by KDE and Ashland Inc. As Achievement Award winners, the following teachers have qualified to compete for Kentucky Teacher of the Year:
  • Tonya Artman, Crosby Middle
  • Joshua DeWar, Engelhard Elementary
  • Terrilyn Fleming, Central High School Magnet Career Academy
  • Emily Lomax, Foster Traditional Academy
Judging for the Achievement Awards was conducted in August by a blue-ribbon panel of veteran educators, many of whom have more than 25 years of teaching experience. Applications included information on the nominees' teaching philosophies and experiences as well as their community involvement. The judges also considered recommendation letters from peers, students, parents, and administrators.
 
All 24 teachers will be honored at a ceremony in Frankfort on Tues., Oct. 20, in the State Capitol Building. Governor Steve Beshear will honor the Achievement Award winners and recognize the Kentucky Elementary, Middle, and High School Teachers of the Year. From this group of three finalists, the Kentucky Teacher of the Year will be named and will represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition. 
 
See JCPS educators at work
At some schools, teacher work group meetings are open to the community 
JCPS is inviting parents and other community members to attend Professional Learning Community (PLC) Rounds in several elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the 2015-16 school year.

PLCs involve ongoing conversations among teachers, administrators, and students to discuss strategy, interventions, accountability, and results.

The PLC Rounds allow members of the community to see how these conversations occur inside schools, and they provide an opportunity for the community to meet school employees and members of the Jefferson County Board of Education (JCBE). For more information and a schedule of PLCs, click here.
  
New budget maintains classroom investments
The 2015-16 JCPS budget, which was approved at the last JCBE meeting, prevents cuts to support services, maintains investments in instruction, and avoids a tax rate increase.
 
"This budget directly aligns with our top priorities for our students' education and development. We've taken a hard look at what works and what doesn't, and we're investing in our proven successes," said JCPS Superintendent Donna Hargens. "Our community expects us to be smart stewards of these funds. We're living within our means, but we've found ways to maximize these limited dollars to give our students the best possible instruction and equipment."

Click here for a news release about the budget. 
 
Our Kids Watch the award-winning Our Kids TV program
The October episode features stories about students, programs, and events at several JCPS schools:
  • A compassionate third-grader at Kennedy Montessori Elementary
  • VEX Robotics at 24 district schools
  • The new JCPS grading system
  • A tour of Alex R. Kennedy Elementary
  • The U.S. Secretary of Education visits Jeffersontown High
  • The PRP Pulse literary magazine
  • Free lunch at Luhr Elementary and Fern Creek High
  • Ramsey Middle Schoolers Skype with an author
  • DuPont Manual High WorldQuest winners
  • Fern Creek, Ballard, and PRP students help with Our Kids production
JCPS offers Adult ESL Program
Know someone who wants to learn or improve his or her English language skills? The JCPS Adult Education English as a Second Language (ESL) Program works with internationals to improve their everyday communication and overall language skill level. Call 485-3400 or click here for more information.

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