New Job-Embedded Program for Kentucky Teacher Rank Change Gaining Momentum with Educators

ASHLAND, Ky., April 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kentucky Educational Development Corporation (KEDC) is pleased to report strong interest from Kentucky teachers in its new micro-credential based program for professional rank change for educators. Since last fall's announcement of the partnership between KEDC and BloomBoard, the leading provider for educator advancement via micro-credentials, KEDC and BloomBoard have enrolled more than 150 teachers into the program, with hundreds more coming.

The program, "Foundations in Teaching and Learning," which was approved by the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) last fall, allows Kentucky educators to improve their individual instructional practices while getting immediate support for such timely skills as blended learning instruction and supporting student well-being. EPSB's approval of the Foundations in Teaching and Learning Program qualifies the program as a rank change vehicle for teachers to achieve Rank II or Rank I and to receive all associated recognition and salary advancement.

According to Nancy Hutchinson, Executive Director of KEDC, teachers are seeing great benefit in a more affordable, more applied model than in traditional degree programs. "KEDC is excited about the enthusiastic reaction we are getting from Kentucky educators to this program. Teachers love this learn-by-doing approach, which links their development closely to their instructional practice."

Sanford Kenyon, BloomBoard's CEO, added, "The structure of KEDC's program allows educators to address their real-world challenges and to demonstrate their competency based on their actual classroom practice. The curriculum is self-paced, with no tests or tracking of time or attendance, so it's easier to make professional advancement fit into their busy lives."

Tanya Queen, a special education resource teacher at Catlettsburg Elementary School in Boyd County, KY enrolled in the pilot program and since has earned 7 micro-credentials toward her advancement from Rank II to Rank I. She was attracted to the program because it closely aligned with daily work in her own classroom, "It hasn't been too much added work onto my already busy schedule. I can focus on my own classroom challenges and apply the development tasks I am assigned to the class I am teaching. This makes the instruction relevant and meaningful and is helping me become more intentional as a teacher. I can involve the children I teach into my own professional learning.  I just have to go home every day and write up my experiences."

Additional program and enrollment information is available at bloomboard.com/program/kedc-continuing-education/

About Kentucky Educational Development Corporation

KEDC provides support and adds value to member districts through a united spirit of cooperation and innovation. With 68 member districts statewide and over 50 years of service KEDC is Kentucky's oldest and largest educational cooperative. For more information, visit www.kedc.org

About BloomBoard

BloomBoard offers micro-credential based advancement pathways for educators to meaningfully improve their instructional practice and accelerate both their careers and their compensation. Their learn-by-doing process allows teachers to demonstrate their growth through classroom practice.

BloomBoard partners with states, universities, districts and schools to create planned roadmaps for advancing educators based on a system's uniquely identified needs and gaps. They also offer programs directly to teachers, including the National Board Pre-Candidacy Program. For more information, visit www.bloomboard.com

Media contact:
Lydia Morris
646.246.7475
[email protected]

SOURCE BloomBoard