Officials from the Kentucky Department of Education shared information about the state’s use of educational technology in a recent meeting of superintendents.
David Couch, associate commissioner of the KDE Office of Education Technology, recalled trailblazing acts by the Commonwealth when most digital technology was not yet used in schools.
“Kentucky K-12 is the pioneer national leader in most every aspect of K-12 education technology, but we’re always looking to get better, and I always remind folks that we were the very first state, for example, to have internet to every district in every classroom in the 1990s,” said Couch.
This school year, nearly 100 percent of schools in the Commonwealth have WiFi internet that can handle a digital device for every student.
The code.org 2024 national report found the number of rural schools in Kentucky that offer foundational computer science courses is well above the national average. Though only 34 percent of these students were female, this number is also above the national average.
Couch said the KDE will make budget requests in the upcoming legislative session to provide Kentucky with the resources it needs to stay up to date in education technology.
During the meeting, Kentucky Department of Education officials introduced multiple new services that will be implemented in schools across the Commonwealth to ensure secure access to technology for students and school employees.
One of these programs is the Connected User Experience System, or CUES. Chuck Austin with the KDE’s Office of Education Technology said CUES is one of the top five initiatives Kentucky schools asked the KDE to implement in 2024.
“To make sure that every participant in our learning environment has timely access to the technology resources they need as they’re hired, as they’re enrolled, as they enter our facilities,” said Austin.
CUES will replace Microsoft Active Directory, which the KDE has provided since 2003. Four districts already use the new program.
KDE is also partnering with Identity Automation to ensure students’ and teachers’ access to technology is secure and will provide a way for students to stay connected to Kentucky’s education technology resources. Over 100 districts have implemented the new Identity Automation service.
More information about these programs is available at education.ky.gov.