Beginning in 1990, Kentucky chose to have an all-inclusive assessment and accountability system by having all Kentucky public school students participate in annual testing with the results of those assessments included in the state’s accountability system for schools and districts.
Kentucky tests students on various subjects beginning in grade 3. See a list of the mandatory tests at each grade level, as well as the tests which are administered to select students. On average, administering Kentucky’s state-level assessments take less than one percent (1%) of the total instructional time in a given school year. For a breakdown of time spent testing at each grade level, click here.
The Kentucky Alternate Assessment Program was developed for students with moderate to significant cognitive disabilities (less than 1% of the total student population) for whom traditional assessments would be an inappropriate measure of progress. The Alternate Assessment Program mirrors the other state assessments.
Information on each state assessment, required or optional, is available through the links below and on the navigation panel on the left-hand side of the page.
K-PREPRequiredKentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress
Grades 3-8, 10, 11
Subjects: Reading, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Writing
Window: During last 14 instructional days of the school’s calendar
Alternate K-PREP
Required
Grades 3-8, 10, 11
Subjects: Reading, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Writing
ACTRequiredGrade 11
Window: March
End-Of-CourseACT QualityCore
RequiredTested upon completion of high school credit for Algebra II, Biology, English 10 and U.S. History.
ACCESS for ELLs
Required
Language Proficiency assessment for students who are English Learners (EL)
Window: January 1 – Mid-February
College/Career Readiness
These tests are optional for the state accountability system, but students on a career pathway may be required to participate in one or more of these assessments due to local policy.
College ReadinessKYOTEMeet benchmarks set by the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) to demonstrate college readiness.
Career ReadinessACT WorkKeysKOSSAASVABIndustry Certificates See individual assessments for criteria to determine career readiness.