Guides aim to assist families with back-to-school preparations

The Kentucky Department of Education has released a series of guides aimed at assisting families as students return to school. These resources are designed to help parents understand educational standards and assessments, as well as support reading development at home.

The KAS Family Guides offer an overview of grade-level standards for subjects including reading and writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. These guides are available for grades K-8 and high school. To accommodate Spanish-speaking families, the guides are also offered in Spanish.

A separate guide titled "A Family’s Guide to Understanding Student Assessment" is available to help families comprehend how various types of assessments—formative, diagnostic, interim, and summative—can aid student learning. This guide aims to provide a common language for teachers and families when discussing student assessments.

Additionally, the "Read At Home Plan Family Guide" provides activities that families can engage in with their children to bolster reading skills. The guide covers Senate Bill 9 (2022), known as the Read to Succeed Act, Reading Improvement Plans, and emphasizes the critical role families play in student success. It includes a glossary of literacy terms and general tips for reading at home. The document organizes learning experiences into five essential components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.