State board approves new graduation requirements
Kentucky School Advocate
January 2018
By Brenna R. Kelly
Staff writer
New minimum graduation requirements are headed to the state legislature after the Kentucky Board of Education unanimously approved the proposal despite calls for a delay.
Starting with freshman entering high school in the 2019-20 school year graduating students will have to meet one of eight graduation qualifiers and students entering high school in 2020-21 will also have to prove basic competency in reading and math on a either a state assessment or through a portfolio of work.
The proposal that will now be reviewed by a legislative committee is a scaled back version of Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis’ original plan that was opposed by every state education group.
Just days before the vote, Lewis amended the plan saying he agreed with critics who cautioned that many districts would not be able to offer the numerous pathways to transition readiness as called for in his original plan.
“In some of our larger and better-resourced districts, we have those opportunities, but in resource-starved districts, they could only provide two or three pathways,” Lewis said. “Whether we are talking about high school graduation requirements or not, there is an equity issue among districts.”
Instead of requiring students to meet a transition readiness requirement as laid out in the accountability system, the department added the graduation qualifiers.
1. Precollege curriculum as established by the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE); or
2. Benchmark score in one section of a college admissions or placement examination as established by CPE; or
3. Three postsecondary credit hours or more of a Kentucky Department of Education-approved dual credit course with a grade of C or higher; or
4. One course and corresponding assessment with:
a. Advanced placement (AP) with a score of three or higher; or
b. Cambridge Advanced International (CAI) with a score at or above benchmark; or International Baccalaureate (IB) with a score of five or higher; or
5. Industry certification as approved by the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board; or
6. Four credits from valid courses within a single KDE-approved career pathway; or
7. Complete two years of a KDE-approved or Kentucky Labor Cabinet-approved pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship
8. A KDE-approved process to verify 500 hours of exceptional work experience, or alternative requirements as prescribed in a student’s IEP.
As the plan moves through the legislative process, KSBA will worth its partners in the General Assembly to review all aspects of the proposal.
“Our concerns on behalf of local school boards over inequities and unintended consequences at the district level — the same ones echoed by other education groups throughout the Commonwealth — warranted further discussion,” said Kerri Schelling, KSBA executive director.
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