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BGISD Results on the 2024 Kentucky Summative Assessments Open House 

BGISD Partners with GRREC ED Kentucky Rank Change Program for Teacher Cohort

BGISD Partners with GRREC ED Kentucky Rank Change Program for Teacher Cohort

Bowling Green Independent School District (BGISD) is investing $155,000 for 62 current teachers to obtain career advancement through a partnership with GRREC ED Kentucky Rank Change Program. The district’s investment covers half the cost for each teacher to pursue a rank change with coursework aligned to district goals. 

As part of the partnership, GRREC ED is also providing a $500 scholarship for all BGISD teacher candidates.

Superintendent Gary Fields says, “We are proud to begin an exciting partnership that not only aligns with our district's priorities for student success, but also presents an opportunity for teachers to see tangible rewards. This collaboration enhances our mission and underscores our commitment to investing in educators."

All Kentucky educators may increase their educational attainment and annual salaries through a three-tier rank system: 

  • Rank III teachers have a four-year college degree and teaching certificate; 

  • Rank II teachers have a teaching certificate plus a master’s degree, National Board Certification, or have completed a Continuing Education Option; 

  • Rank I teachers have earned at least thirty semester hours of approved graduate work beyond a master’s degree, or a master’s degree plus a National Board Certification, or completion of a Continuing Education Option.

Based on the current BGISD Salary Schedule, a teacher with five years experience earns $47,494 annually with a Rank III, $52,183 with Rank II, and $57,155 with Rank I.

GRREC ED is a Continuing Education Option that meets Kentucky regulations for educators to change from a Rank III to a Rank II, or a Rank II to a Rank I. Since 2020, this program has provided low-cost rank-change opportunities for over 1,000 Kentucky educators. It includes local teachers and leaders as mentors, and the meetings are mostly virtual. The course of study is job-embedded, with personalized professional growth that is proven to improve teacher effectiveness and impact student learning. The two-year program costs $5,500 per candidate. 

BGISD teachers in the program will personally invest $2,500. 

Fifty-one BGISD teachers have committed to working toward a rank change by participating in a Marzano Cohort that begins with an in-person session on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Eleven additional teachers will begin an independent GRREC ED program of study in August.

All BGISD schools are implementing Marzano student-centered strategies through their professional learning and curriculum alignment. This includes collaborating across grade levels to align assignments and assessments to the Kentucky Academic Standards, providing targeted feedback to help students know how to improve and grow their learning, and to further enhance student ownership of their learning. Marzano also emphasizes the need for data-driven decision-making to inform instruction and support student progress.

With the commitment of BGISD to pay half of the program fee, teacher candidates in the program have committed to staying in BGISD for at least five years or reimburse the district for the fee. After completion of the GRREC ED program, teachers will have a change in rank for salary beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.

For more information about GRREC ED, click here.