The Kentucky Department of Education unveiled the latest framework to revamp the Commonwealth’s assessment and accountability systems during the School Curriculum, Assessment and Accountability Council or SCAAC meeting in early May.
Jana Beth Francis, chair of SCAAC and assistant superintendent in Daviess County, said some of the changes to the framework, such as clarifying the language about federal requirements, were good. But she said there are still areas where there can be improvements.
“We need to have state accountability indicators for high school that involve 9th grade. It is the largest and most challenging transition to go from 8th grade to 9th grade. We consistently see high failure rates in core subject areas,” said Francis.
She said that focus is disproportionately put on 10th graders, and that it should be balanced out by a 9th grade reading and math assessment.
She said she worries about how a framework that’s designed to be flexible will be applied consistently across all districts.
“I’ve been worried about the fact that we will have over 170 different accountability standards going. And I understand the emphasis on local, and that’s important to the state board. I do think at the end of the day, there has to be some uniformity,” said Francis.
She said that, for example, there could be a district which takes attendance as its only indicator. The superintendent adds it’s possible that school systems will do the bare minimum when compliance is optional. More information about the current framework and the Kentucky United We Learn Council’s timeline can be found on KDE’s Reimagining Assessment and Accountability webpage.