Beech Tree News Network

KENTUCKY STUDENTS are being taught mathematics and English/language arts under new, more challenging standards that are designed to improve their preparation for college and career. Progress is measured by state tests, administered for the first time in 2012, that reflect the performance of both students and schools in meeting the requirements of the higher standards. The complexity of the process understandably raises many questions as parents, employers, civic leaders and other interested Kentuckians seek to learn more about the state’s education improvement efforts. This overview addresses some of those questions and suggests additional resources that offer more detailed information.

LEGISLATION ENACTED by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2009 mandated new, more rigorous academic standards and new state tests. Two years later, Kentucky became the first of 46 states to adopt what are called the Common Core State Standards in math and English (science and social studies standards are still being developed). These became the Kentucky Core Academic Standards, and they were incorporated into the state’s classrooms beginning in the 2011-12 school year.

Standards are simply what students are expected to learn as they move from grade to grade through school. They help set clear, consistent expectations for students, parents and teachers and build students’ knowledge and skills. Kentucky’s new standards – benchmarked internationally to better prepare students to succeed in a global economy – require students to show they have a deeper understanding of subjects.