By Matthew Tungate
matthew.tungate@education.ky.gov
Jon Akers, executive director for the Kentucky Center for School Safety, speaks about bullying with the Kentucky Board of Education. Photo by Amy Wallot, June 6, 2012
Teachers will be an integral part of determining whether students score novice, apprentice or distinguished on state reading and mathematics tests.
But scoring proficiency, which was previously based on how well a student performed on state tests, will be determined by whether a student is on track to be college- and career-ready beginning as early as 3rd grade, the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) learned at its meeting last week.
More than 450,000 state public school students took the Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP) tests this spring. K-PREP includes tests in reading, mathematics, science, social studies and writing, and standards must be set for all subjects in all grades 3-12.
Student performance on state tests is a factor – along with other school data like graduation rates – in determining school and district scores in the state’s Unbridled Learning: College- and Career-Ready for All assessment and accountability system. The system replaces the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System, or CATS.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will decide this summer what score is needed for a student to be considered novice, apprentice and distinguished, Associate Commissioner Ken Draut told the board during its meeting.
Draut said both statistical data and educator judgment will be used to determine those scores, also called cut scores. Continue Reading
