During a recent Family Partnership Council meeting, Kentucky Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher spoke about the state’s plan for local and state accountability. With this accountability model, state testing and student growth requirements will be met alongside community and local standards that can be customized to fit the district.
Fletcher said with this plan, the districts will be able to innovate and create plans that best fit the needs of their community.
“Now, you don’t see that on a paper/pencil test. So, we’re wanting local innovation so local businesses, local parents, our students can say, ‘This is what’s important to our community.’ Then, of course, I talked a little bit about feedback and support,” said Fletcher.
These local accountability plans can include goals to get more students in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities and future job preparation like job shadowing. Local businesses, teachers, and parents can decide what they would like to see from their students in preparation for their future after high school.
Fletcher said everyone in the district can have input on what they think is important for their youth to learn before leaving high school.
“If you got a diploma from Wayne County, what does that mean for the business leaders within that group? Does it automatically say something that is other than, ‘They met state standards, but have they met things like employability? Are they also good communicators, collaborators, do they have persistence, are they global learners?’ And I give you all of those as examples of profiles of learners you can see across the state,” said Fletcher.
The KDE plans to propose this accountability plan to legislature in the winter of 2026, where they will see what can be approved and trialed in a number of districts across the state.