Kentucky Education Continuation Plan for COVID-19 NTI Instruction to Reach 1,062 Hours

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Damian

Plan outlines how Kentucky school districts maximize instructional delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic using non-traditional instruction (NTI) to reach 1,062 equivalent hours before May 29, 2020. Assumes in-person closure through June 30, 2020 and counts each NTI day as seven instructional hours. Establishes statewide equity, coordination with education cooperatives and partners, and conditions for calendar amendments. Provides commissioner-counting rules and exception options if districts cannot continue NTI due to extraordinary circumstances or public health determinations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Education Continuation Plan

Assumptions and statewide context

Instructional hour calculation (NTI as seven hours)

Equity and support for districts

Exceptions and options under SB 177

Summary: The following plan is designed to maximize instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic while using non-traditional instruction (NTI) to reach 1,062 hours of instruction in all Kentucky school districts prior to May 29, 2020. This plan assumes school closure for in-person classes for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year (through June 30, 2020) . This plan facilitates districts reaching 1,062 hours as called for by SB 177 (2020); however, the plan enables districts to end the 2019-2020 school year two weeks earlier than envisioned by SB 177. The plan relies upon districts continuing to provide NTI instruction and permits each NTI day utilized during the 2019-2020 school year to count as the equivalent of seven hours of daily instruction. Assumptions: Under the Seven Benchmark Criteria approach announced on April 17 , 2020, by Gov. Andy Beshear, a return to in-person classes on or before June 1, 2020, is very unlikely and not feasible in the first stage of reopening Kentucky. Without an education continuation plan, districts are unclear as to expectations and are on various differing schedules to reach 1,062 hours of instruction – some as early as April 24 and some as late as June 3 or later. SB 177 envisions districts taking until June 12, 2020, to complete 1,062 hours of instruction. Districts need to be able to plan for end-of-year activities, end-of-year closeout and utilize remaining teacher contract days to plan for the opening of the 2020-2021 school year. Announcement of school closure to in-person classes for the remainder of the year is necessary now to enable planning and preparation of alternatives using social distancing, virtual events and teacher/staff professional development using technology/virtual meetings. In order to provide equity across the state and ensure that all students receive at least 1,062 hours of equivalent instruction, districts must continue to provide instruction under the NTI program for the remainder of the year. Kentucky is “the” national leader in cloud-based computing services for K-12 schools. While weare far from 100% perfect, all of this experience has made Kentucky’s public school districts better positioned than most states for the current increased interest and focus on virtual administrative and learning operations/services. Additionally, Kentucky’s NTI Program has been in effect since 2011, affording regional educational cooperatives and many districts great experience in NTI-based instruction. Even though almost half of Kentucky’s districts are new to NTI this year, assistance from the eight educational cooperatives and other partners, such as Kentucky Educational Television (KET), will allow all of our school districts to continue using NTI for the remainder of the school year and reach at least 1,062 hours of equivalent instruction for every student. Districts may choose to continue NTI engagement beyond the 1,062 hours, even if only intermittently, to keep students connected during school closure. At this time, there are no known public health reasons that would discourage the continued use of NTI through the end of the school year to reach 1,062 hours in all districts, assuming districts continue to maintain social distancing and follow other protocols around the delivery of instructional packets, etc. While NTI fatigue is being reported across the state from students, teachers and parents, our students require continued instruction using the only operable education delivery platform available to us at this time, which is NTI. Students, teachers and parents also are reporting learning success using NTI via social media. Districts still maintain the flexibility to amend their district calendars to add closure days to help address fatigue. Education Continuation Plan: All districts shall be closed to in-person classes and activities through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. All districts shall continue using NTI to deliver instruct

FAQs

What is the main objective of the plan for Kentucky school districts?

To maximize instructional time during COVID-19 by using NTI so every district reaches 1,062 equivalent hours before May 29, 2020.

How are NTI days counted toward the 1,062 instructional hours?

Each NTI day used during the 2019-2020 school year is treated as the equivalent of seven hours of daily instruction by the Kentucky Department of Education.

What happens if a district cannot continue NTI as required?

If extraordinary circumstances, logistical hardships, or a governor determination prevent continued NTI, the district can use SB 177 options to seek relief and a plan to maximize instructional time.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Damian