Building a Strong Foundation
Building the Foundation for the Future
Adoption of Common Core Standards for Language Arts and Math in the Pulaski County School System has reiterated a fact that has held true throughout the ages…the foundation is the most crucial part of any endeavor. Without a solid foundation, there cannot be any further progress. We believe this to be true whether it is a building or a child’s education.
Over the past few years, the Pulaski County School System has reaffirmed its belief in a solid foundation through a renewed emphasis on early education especially in the area of reading. Research shows that if a child can read at grade level by the time they exit the primary program (3rd), then that child is likely to be successful through out the rest of their academic career.
We provide high quality half-day preschool and full-day kindergarten programs, adopted aggressive district-wide reading goals, and staffed our elementary schools with curriculum specialists. These early education initiatives have received support and praise from staff, students, and parents alike and have proven to be successful. Our elementary assessment scores continue to climb each year.
Pulaski County School System supports a full-day kindergarten program. Since the implementation of the full day kindergarten program, students have definitely been better prepared for the 1st grade. Pulaski County’s kindergarten teachers are a very dedicated and professional staff. Under the direction of our elementary supervisor, Amy Polston, the kindergarten staff has been involved in a district-wide project of developing a consistent kindergarten curriculum. This district-wide kindergarten curriculum will insure that all kindergarten students in all schools will receive the same quality instruction. This helps prepare all students to be equally ready for 1st grade. The kindergarten staff has recently revised the progress report to align with the KY Core Academic Standards, in order to clearly communicate student progress toward mastery of standards.
The Pulaski County Board of Education has aggressive reading improvement goals. All students are tested during the first weeks of the school year in order to determine which students are not reading at grade level. Through RTI, our teachers, assistants, and parents have received training and materials to ensure students reach individual goals for reading and math. This training has resulted in an “army” of educators and parents who are equipped to help their children succeed.
Curriculum specialists are working in our elementary schools to further improve early education instruction. These curriculum specialists have been charged with the task of clearly identifying students who need additional instructional services and making sure children receive these services. The specialists assess students to determine exactly what skills each child needs to improve and help classroom teachers develop individual plans to meet each child’s needs.
The Pulaski County School System strongly believes that the early grades are the key to future success and reading in particular gives children the solid academic foundation needed for higher learning. We are continually working to enhance and strengthen our learning opportunities. With these early education initiatives we reaffirm our dedication of providing an education of superior quality.
2019-20 Kindergarten
BR-Elementary-English pdf (SECURED)
Elementary Standards Based Report Cards
KCAS Planning Guides
Links
- AIMSweb
- CHETL
- Deconstructed ELA Standards
- Deconstructed Math Standards
- Discovery Education
- KAHN Academy
- Lexiles
- Math Tools & Activities
- Quantile Framework
- "The Hat" random name tool
Contacts
Amy Polston
Business: 606-679-1123
Email: amy.polston@pulaski.kyschools.us
Address: 925 N. Main St. Somerset, KY 42503
Elementary Supervisor