The state of Kentucky and Department of Education will be changing the methods and criteria of testing school students’ learning levels and college readiness beginning this school year. By General Assembly action, the former KCCT or CATS testing system will now be known as K-PREP, or Kentucky Performance Rating for Education Progress tests.

The close out of the former KCCT and NCLB (No Child Left Behind) will be in the current 2010-11 year, with the public reporting month being in September.

The new assessment system was mandated in 2009 by the Kentucky General Assembly under Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), to begin with the 2011-12 school. The legislation also allowed, with approved by KDE (Kentucky Department of Education) an ‘end-of-course’ (EOC) assessment program at the high school level.

The state has also asked for a federal waiver to cease the NCLB, claiming the criteria included in K-PREP contains mandated performance set for the No Child Left Behind Act.

Unbridled Learning: Next-Generation Accountability Model, set forth three components, including next generation learner–achievement, gap, growth, college/career readiness and graduation rate; instructional programs and support, which calls for program reviews in arts/humanities, practical living/career studies, writing and primary/world languages and next generation professionals, teachers and leaders.

The next assessment in grades 3-8 is a blended model built with criterion-referenced test (CRT) and norm-referenced test (NRT) items and grades 9-12, the KDE approved EOC (end of course) program, which includes on-demand writing required twice and editing mechanics required once in high school.

In early August, the KDE approved the regulation relating to how schools and districts will be classified under the new accountability system. There are three main components of the accountability model: Next Generation Learners (achievement, growth, gap, college/career readiness and graduation rate), 70 percent; Next Generation Instructional Support (program reviews), 20 percent; and Next Generation Professionals (effective teachers and leaders), 10 percent.

Required K-PREP assessments in grades 3-8 will be in reading, writing, math, science and social students. In grades 9-12, the End of Course requirements will be in English II, Algebra II, Biology, U.S. History and on-demand writing will be tested in grades 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11 with editing mechanics in grade four.

The ACT quality core testing for EOC in English and Algebra II, Biology and U.S. History are courses for graduation requirements.

A major change in the testing system will be the time frame in which tests are administered. As opposed to beginning testing in April, as in years past, each district will administer the K-PREP within a five-day testing window during the last 14 days of the district’s instructional calender.

The EOC test results may be used for a percentage of a student’s final grade in the course, and if less than 20 percent, school districts will be required to submit reports to the KDE providing justification.

Dr. Paula Little, Instruction Supervisor for the Clinton County School District, said the new accountability system that replaces the CATS testing covers the entire accountability system, not just testing, but next generation learners.

The achievement and gap criteria takes in sub-groups such as minorities, those with disabilities and those eligible for free or reduced lunch, among others. She added she was glad to see the growth factor added into the new Kentucky testing system, but it will help show the positive gains made by students and schools that are not seen in the past testing system.

The EOC exam for high school students are specific to each course requirement and the grade factors into that schools’ overall accountability, Little said. Due to 20 percent of a students’ grade being counted in a particular course means it’s important for the students to do well, she added.

The Instructional Supervisor also hopes the shorter five-day testing window, as opposed to over a more than two-week period in April and May as in the past, will be a benefit, especially if there are a lot of missed days in a school year, which previously pushed school districts to administer the CATS tests while having to make up school days missed.

“There will now be more instructional time before testing,” said Little.

At the elementary level, content area in achievement and gap will account for 30 percent each and growth 40 percent. At the middle school grades, 28 percent each for achievement, gap, reading and math and 16 percent on the EXPLORE, or college readiness test and at the high school level, 20 percent across the board on end-of-course tests in on-demand writing in achievement and gap, ACT reading and math in growth, college/career readiness rate and AFGR/Cohort Model.

College or career readiness means students must meet benchmarks on ACT, Compass, or KYOTE and one requirement in the Career Ready Academic and one requirement in the Career Ready Technical area.

Built into the new K-PREP testing system is also recognition and support, as based on overall accountability results, schools and districts will be eligible for recognition and support. The lowest-performing five percent of schools will receive intensive turnaround options and support and the lowest-performing 20 percent will also receive assistance.

Kentucky’s activities to provide assistance to low-performing schools are outlined in state law under KRS 160.346, or House Bill 176 that was passed last year. Persistently low-achieving schools will receive leadership assessments, which will guide them in selecting options for improvement. Depending on funding availability, schools may be eligible for federal School Improvement Grants.

There are again categories that set aside a school’s success, either “high distinction,” “proficient” and “on the move” categories. Web logos and flags will be provided to schools and districts which obtain either of those status test results.

Schools as a whole will be classified as distinguished, proficient, needs improvement or persistently low-achieving, based upon the accountability component scores.

Although Dr. Little indicated she didn’t feel the new testing system would be much simpler to administer and carry out, she added that hopefully it will be a better system in determining students’ and schools’ progress, including the areas of preparing students for college and careers. “Only time will tell,” she concluded.