Kentucky School Advocate

November 2024

Members of the Kentucky United We Learn Council narrowed down the options for what new assessment and accountability systems might look like during the group’s Oct. 21-22 fall convening.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and the Kentucky United We Learn Council have been working on prototypes for reimagined assessment and accountability systems that will prioritize innovation, personalization, local community and student voice, and the incorporation of vibrant learning experiences. Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher said one of his top priorities is the development of new assessment and accountability systems of which the Commonwealth can be proud.

“The beauty of this is that we are continuing to work to build a prosperous Kentucky and creating an accountability system that is useful and meaningful to all learners,” he said. 

Fletcher noted that the feedback has shown that people are strongly in favor of replacing the change component in the current accountability system, which compares this year’s indicator status scores to last year’s status scores for each school, focusing on the growth in learning for each student.

The council’s work has been focused on creating an accountability system that reflects the diverse needs of Kentucky’s students and reflects the communities in which they live, Fletcher said.

“How do we lift each other up and then, most importantly, how do we build a prosperous Kentucky?” he said. “The only way that will happen is if we collaborate with our communities.”

KDE and the council began a study phase of the most recent assessment and accountability prototype in August. So far, the study phase has sought input from all districts through Kentucky’s education cooperatives, conducting focus groups with 36 school districts and distributing a survey to the public.

Across the state, 647 people responded to the survey, including educators and paraprofessionals, school administrators, business and industry representatives, community members and superintendents.

Of the respondents, 75% favor adopting a local accountability system that considers multiple factors, including broader school improvement efforts such as opportunities for vibrant learning experiences, parental engagement, community partnerships and non-academic factors affecting the school experience.

There were nearly 2,000 comments within the open-ended responses, with most of the comments directly correlated to the survey questions, said Leslie McKinney a KDE strategic data analyst.

“Funding was a great concern we saw in the comments, and this funding went from everything from we need more funding for staff, some training and the need for high-quality instructional resources, in addition to funding being more equitable so that everybody had access to the same resources,” she said.

McKinney said some additional findings support the removal of social studies and writing from the accountability model and reporting them at the local level.

Council members did stress that they value all content areas and want to make sure that social studies and writing continue to be a focus.

McKinney said some respondents felt there were challenges with the idea of how schools or districts would demonstrate vibrant learning experiences for their students and the need for consistent criteria and/or rubrics. Some respondents also raised equity concerns, mentioning the disparity of resources between districts that may affect their ability to ensure all students benefit from vibrant learning experiences.

A total of 77% of respondents were in favor of removing the current color-rated accountability system that ranks schools and districts from red at the lowest to blue at the highest.This was one of the common themes among respondents, many of whom shared the belief that the color system can misrepresent school quality and damage morale.

Jim Flynn, vice chair of the council and executive director of the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, spoke about the work and how this prototype would allow for the federal requirements to be met, but also provide flexibility at a local level.

“A federal minimum that is stable and reliable, we know we can count on that part,” he said, “but then at a local community-based piece, that’s where it is more agile and nimble and responds to the local contextual needs of our students and communities.”

KDE staff and its partners will review the feedback received during the fall convening and will present a new framework to Kentucky United We Learn Council members during a virtual meeting in November.