(FRANKFORT, KY) – Members of the Teachers Advisory Council provided input on upcoming changes to Kentucky’s assessment and accountability systems during the council meeting on June 17.
House Bill (HB) 257, passed during the General Assembly’s 2026 regular session, provides districts with the flexibility to work more closely with their communities to establish priorities for their schools and help ensure all students have access to vibrant learning experiences. Representatives with the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Office of Assessment and Accountability – Associate Commissioner Jennifer Stafford and Division Director Shara Savage – outlined the new legislation and the timeline for implementation while seeking input.
“We do not have this system developed yet. We are in the process of gathering feedback and stakeholder input, and you have a very important voice, being on the Teachers Advisory Committee,” Stafford said.
Over the next few months, leaders with KDE will continue to meet with stakeholder groups as the department proposes regulations surrounding assessment and accountability for the Kentucky Board of Education to begin considering in August.
HB 257 includes locally developed indicators of quality – also known as local accountability – and a state accountability system that meets federal requirements.
Local indicators of quality include flexible options for districts to set their own indicators in collaboration with their communities that do not factor into the state accountability model. The indicators of quality must include vibrant learning experiences for students.
The legislation makes changes to the current state assessment and accountability systems by:
- Reducing the state testing time;
- Using the individual student growth in the accountability system instead of comparing cohorts of students from year to year, while retaining the ability to compare results; and
- Prioritizing student attendance in the accountability model.
Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher stressed how much control local communities will have with their indicators of quality, pointing to examples of districts in Kentucky that have already piloted work in this area.
“The districts that are going through this local accountability process are building trust (in their communities),” Fletcher said.
The new KDE How It’s Working in Districts webpage includes several district spotlights and videos that highlight more stories of innovation within Kentucky school districts. Fletcher also promoted the Local Accountability Design Guide and Toolkit, which is designed to help Kentucky districts transition toward locally developed indicators of quality.
The state indicators will continue to include math, reading, science and social studies. Postsecondary readiness and graduation rate will remain in the state accountability model for high schools. Chronic absenteeism will replace the school climate and safety survey in the state accountability model.
Savage explained additional details of the legislation, including new targeted quality measures. These include the number of students earning at least one high school credit by the end of 8th grade and the percentage of graduates who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by graduation or have an approved parental opt-out. The measures also include how schools will report the percentage of teachers with either National Board Certification or a Rank II status or higher.
These targeted quality measures will just be reported on the Kentucky School Report Card until the summer of 2030, at which point they will also be included as a new indicator in the state accountability system with a cumulative weight of no less than 5%.
A primary focus of the discussion centered on how individual growth will be measured in the accountability system and comparing different options that have been proposed in other advisory council meetings.
Other parts of the discussion focused on including chronic absenteeism factors into the accountability system, including how to address students who miss class for documented medical reasons, such as recurring appointments and appointments that require a lot of travel. Teachers also asked questions about how the growth of English learner students will be measured.
KDE has already convened several groups of stakeholders including directors of pupil personnel, English learner education leaders and Accountability Thought Partners, who are immersed in the work and shared their perspectives through an inclusive and collaborative approach.
KDE will continue to engage with several other advisory groups for further feedback and to guide the development of policy to align with HB 257.
Teachers Advisory Council members also heard an update on other bills passed during the 2026 legislative session, including Senate Bill 197 and what it means for the future of Kentucky’s college entrance exam.
The next Teachers Advisory Council meeting is scheduled for Sept. 9.
Leave A Comment