With the passage of Senate Bill 1 in the 2009 session of the Kentucky General Assembly, the Commonwealth of Kentucky began a new era in public school assessment and accountability.
Senate Bill 1 addresses many areas – what will be tested, how subjects will be tested, when tests are given, what should comprise the public school accountability system and more.
The Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky Board of Education, along with partners such as the Education Professional Standards Board and the Council on Postsecondary Education, are continuing the work that will lead to a strong, effective system of assessment and accountability that provides valuable information to a wide range of users, from educators and parents to legislators and citizens and more.
This page is designed to provide information and updates on the work related to Senate Bill 1, including timelines and summaries of activities to be completed.
For summary and complete versions of the bill, click
here.
For test score and other data, visit KDE's Open House.
Documents
Learn the basics of 2009's Senate Bill 1.
How are Kentucky's public schools and districts be judged on their performance?
What are the differences between NCLB's requirements and Kentucky's?
Race to the Top Applications
Kentucky's application for federal Race to the Top funds provides a blueprint for the work under Unbridled Learning. The applications for
Phase 1 (January 2010),
Phase 2 (June 2010) and
Phase 3 (December 2011) of the competition can be seen by clicking on the embedded links.
NCLB Flexibility
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) applied for flexibility under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, which was reauthorized in 2001 as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. The waiver was initially approved in February 2012. Since that time, amendments have been made to Principles 1 and 2 of the waiver and were approved by the United States Department of Education on September 28, 2012. See the most current version of Kentucky’s approved waiver request and Appendix for more details. Also, a revised version of Principle 3 of the waiver request is under review by USDOE and it can be found here. See more details on the flexibility opportunity at http://www.ed.gov/esea/flexibility. Unbridled Learning Summary
This
document summarizes the Unbridled Learning: College/Career-Readiness for All accountability model.
Parent Brochures
A Parent's Guide to School Accountability in Kentucky is targeted at parents, but may be useful for other audiences. The "
print" document is designed to be printed on 11"x17" paper, two-sided, then folded. The "
text" document contains the text of the printable brochure.
A Parent's Guide to Testing in Kentucky is targeted at parents, but may be useful for other audiences.
The "
print" document is designed to be printed on 11"x17" paper, two-sided, then folded. The "
text" document contains the text of the printable brochure.
This
brochure was produced by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and provides an overview of the new standards and testing in Kentucky.
This
video produced by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce addresses the importance of the Kentucky Core Academic Standards.
Commissioner Holliday’s Blogs on Unbridled Learning
August 24, 2012: Finding Excitement and Focus Throughout Kentucky’s School Districts
August 3, 2012: Changes in Proficiency Percentages: A State-Level View
June 8, 2012: Setting Standards and Moving Past Basic Skills
Senate Bill 1 Presentations
Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday explains the Unbridled Learning accountability model in a videotaped presentation. Click
here to view the presentation.
All Eyes on Kentucky, a video related to the Common Core Academic Standards and produced by the School Improvement Network; click
here to view.
The Hunt Institute and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) have developed a series of video vignettes that explain the Common Core State Standards in depth. An
overview is available, as are individual vignettes on
mathematics and
English/language arts.