Kentucky Digital Learning Landscape
The Kentucky Department of Education, a DLC State Affiliate, was instrumental in conducting the research for this profile.
| State virtual school? | NO |
| Multi-district fully online schools? | NO |
| Online learning requirement for graduation? | NO |
| State approval process for online providers? | NO |
| State approval process for online courses? | NO |
Kentucky has significant district activity but does not have multi-district online schools and there is no state virtual school. Kentucky was among the first states in the nation to offer a state virtual school beginning in the year 2000. For a dozen years students from across the state were able to utilize the Kentucky Virtual High School for part-time or supplemental course enrollment. Due to budgetary constraints, the state virtual school was forced to close in favor of public school districts creating their own online programs.
Kentucky does not require approval for online courses offered by a district program or third-party online provider. The school-based decision making council and local board of education work together to establish appropriate school and district policies for online programs. These policies ensure online and blended learning courses meet or exceed the scope and sequence of the Kentucky Academic Standards.
Examples of district programs include the following.
Jefferson County Public Schools eSchool serves students in grades 6–12 in a competency-based curriculum. The eSchool also acts as a provider of online courses to other districts in the state.
Barren Academy of Virtual and Expanded Learning (BAVEL) offers students in grades K–12 offers part- and full-time online learning options. BAVEL also acts as a provider of online courses to other districts in the state.
Corbin School of Innovation offers online options for homeschooling and a hybrid program for grades 9-12.
Hardin County Schools Virtual School serves students in grades K-12 with some synchronous requirements.
Kenton County Schools Virtual Learning Program provides a full-time option for students in grades K-12.
Fayette County Public School’s Virtual Learning Center serves students in grades 6-12.
Bullitt Virtual Learning Academy offers full-time enrollment for district students in grades 2-12.
Christian County Public Schools’ Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) serves grades 4-12 and limits enrollment to 600 students for the 2022-23 SY. VLA students are not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities or sports.
State Policies
No major legislation impacting online and/or blended learning was passed January through August 2022.
The Kentucky Digital Learning Guidelines establishes five guiding principles to ensure that online courses meet or exceed the criteria of traditional instruction:
Review, Align, and Endorse: A Kentucky Content Specific Certified teacher in the school (and/or district) reviews, aligns to appropriate KAS (Kentucky Academic Standard), and endorses the digital content.
Steward Learning: A Kentucky Content Specific Certified teacher or content mentor stewards learning performance and demonstrated mastery by consistently and continuously ensuring progress.
Ensure Access to Supports: Learners have access to Kentucky Content Specific Certified teachers, content coaches, or professionally recognized masters in the course field, as active mentors in their digital learning experience.
Personalize Experiences: Digital learning experiences are personalized based on student progress data, interests and learning goals allowing customization of student path, place and pace.
Apply Effective Teaching Practices: Effective teaching practices prescribed by Kentucky Framework for Teaching apply equally to digital learning experiences.
The 2017 Regular Session of the General Assembly approved HB 520, legislation that for the first time allowed public charter schools in Kentucky. However, Kentucky Revised Statute 160.1591 Section 4 prohibits virtual public charter schools.
The Kentucky General Assembly passed House Bill 563 (2021) resulting in KRS 157.350(4)(b). This change to nonresident pupil policies related to average daily attendance eliminates the previous requirement for districts to create agreements with other districts to enroll students into their virtual program from outside their attendance boundaries. Enrollment will be subject to the policy criteria so enrollment is not guaranteed.
The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) provided a waiver to specific sections of the Pupil Attendance Regulation allowing K-12 students to enroll full-time in a virtual program to be counted in attendance for 2021-2022 school year. This is the first time students K-12 could be enrolled full-time in a virtual program. The waiver has been made available to districts for the 2022-2023 school year. Regulatory changes are currently being considered by the KBE to make this provision, or a version of, available to districts long term.