2022-2023 and Beyond School Accountability System
In 2022, Senate Bill 59 made changes to Postsecondary Readiness indicators. In February 2023, the Kentucky Board of Education approved proposed amendments to 703 KAR 5:270 to align with those changes. The amended regulation was filed with the Legislative Research Commission on Feb. 10.
After that time, Senate Bill 25 (2023) was signed into law and included an emergency clause. This bill makes additional changes to Postsecondary Readiness indicators, which includes clarifying how earning a minimum of three (3) hours of dual credit or a minimum of three (3) hours of postsecondary articulated credit can be achieved.
This bill also added language to the Work-Based Learning (WBL) measure for postsecondary readiness to indicate that apprenticeships, cooperatives, and internships are not limited to be offered as high school courses nor are work hours required to be earned during the regular school day, week, or year.
Full implementation of the accountability system, which includes Status and Change, became effective in the 2022-2023 school year. In the fall of 2023, the accountability system results will be displayed in an online dashboard (School Report Card) using 2022-2023 data. Reporting for schools and districts will include, overall performance, status and change for each indicator with color-coded performance levels.
In the fall of 2022, accountability system results were displayed on an online dashboard (School Report Card) using 2021-2022 data. Reporting for schools and districts included overall performance and status (only) for each indicator with color-coded performance levels. Visit the Accountability page for additional information.
2022 Legislative Change
Senate Bill 59 (2022) reduces the requirements for students to demonstrate postsecondary readiness. High school students will now be considered postsecondary ready by meeting one academic or career ready measure instead of two.
Postsecondary Readiness (formerly known as “Transition Readiness") is the attainment of the necessary knowledge, skills and dispositions for a student to successfully transition to the next level of his or her educational career. To demonstrate postsecondary readiness, high school students must earn a high school diploma or be classified as a grade 12 non-graduate AND meet one type of readiness (Academic or Career).
Visit the Postsecondary Readiness webpage for more information.
2021-2022 School Accountability System
The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) has approved amendments to Kentucky's Accountability System (703 KAR 5:270 ) to include changes required by Senate Bill 158 and other clarifying details.
Amendments include:
Alignment of language and requirements to Senate Bill 158 (2020)
Alignment of language in regulation to process for dual credit data collection for academic and career readiness
Recommendations to KBE based on guidance and discussion from the Nov. 6 special KBE meeting
Status and Change for indicators (status only for 2021-2022)
Weights and combining performance; and
English learner progress indicator with flexibilities; and
Minimum-n count
Connecting reporting requirements in Section 5 of the regulation to Kentucky's Consolidated State Plan currently under federal review.
The regulation became effective in the fall of 2021.
The system's first year of implementation will be reported in fall 2022, reporting Status only for indicators.
Visit the Accountability page for additional information.
Continued Development During 2020-2021
On Dec. 1, 2020, during a special called Local Superintendent Advisory Council (LSAC) meeting, members discussed proposed amendments to 703 KAR 5:270, Kentucky's Accountability System. One topic of discussion was the minimum n-count for inclusion in accountability. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states are responsible for setting the minimum number of students needed to form a student demographic group for federal accountability and reporting purposes.
The proposal under consideration is to change the minimum n-count from 10 students per grade to 30 students per school. This modification could impact schools at all levels (elementary, middle and high). In order to make a more informed recommendation to the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE), members of LSAC requested additional information. The School Configurations and N-Count Analysis Summary was created to fulfill LSAC's request.
Senate Bill 158 (2020)
Senate Bill 158 (2020) made substantial changes to Kentucky's statewide school accountability system. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is reviewing the Bill and planning for its implementation.
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) will communicate accountability system changes and updates as specifics are determined. All modifications made to the assessment and accountability system must be approved by the U.S. Department of Education through Kentucky's ESSA Consolidated State Plan.
2018-2019 School Accountability System
Kentucky's school accountability system reported for the 2018-2019 school year was grounded in over two years of outreach and engagement efforts with thousands of Kentuckians, including educators at all levels, families, businesses, education partners, policymakers and communities. In developing the system, Kentucky residents were challenged to think boldly and innovate to take our system of public education in Kentucky to the next level.
Kentuckians brought forth a shared vision of K-12 public education in our state that each and every student is empowered and equipped with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to pursue a successful future. It is that vision, the values of equity, achievement and integrity, and the following ideals upon which this multi-dimensional system was based.
- Our children, all children, must be at the heart of the system.
- A well-rounded education is important and necessary.
- All subjects, both tested and non-tested, need to be valued.
- Access and opportunity for students are critical.
- An emphasis on teaching is needed.
- Collaboration instead of competition among schools and districts needs to be the focus.
Our accountability system aligned to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), had students at its center—ensuring that they were well-rounded, transition ready, and prepared with the knowledge, skills, and essential dispositions to successfully pursue the pathway of their choice after graduating from high school. The indicators of the multi-dimensional system worked together to support several important concepts that promoted a valuable educational experience for all Kentucky's students. The goals of the system included
- Stimulating higher levels of student learning and achievement;
- Reducing achievement gaps and ensure equity;
- Emphasizing opportunity and access for students to receive a quality education;
- Building a culture of high expectations and continuous improvement; and
- Communicating a clear and honest understanding of the strengths and opportunities for improvement in Kentucky's schools and districts.
Rather than relying just on traditional measures of only test scores, the innovative system incorporated more than test scores. The indicators included Proficiency, Separate Academic Indicator, Growth, Transition Readiness, Quality of School Climate and Safety (not implemented until 2019-2020) and Graduation Rate that combined to provide an overall accountability score.
Advisory Groups
Many shareholders were involved in the development of the accountability system driven by the guidance of advisory groups comprised of educators, citizens, legislators, testing and measurement experts, and legislative staff.
Kentucky Technical Advisory Committee (KTAC)
School Curriculum, Assessment and Accountability Council (SCAAC)
Education Assessment and Accountability Review Subcommittee (EAARS)
Office of Education Accountability (OEA)
Local Superintendents Advisory Council (LSAC)
Legislative Research Commission (LRC)
ESEA State Assessment Peer Review