Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher and staff members of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) provided details on a proposed bill to revamp Kentucky’s assessment and accountability system during the Superintendents Webcast on Jan. 13.
For years, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has been working with the Kentucky United We Learn Council and a variety of stakeholders – ranging from parents, students, teachers, community members, business leaders, legislators and education groups – to reimagine assessment and accountability in Kentucky. Thousands of people from across the state have provided input on what they wanted to see in their students’ classrooms, whether it was by completing a survey, attending a town hall or by participating on the Kentucky United We Learn Council.
Rep. J.T. Payne filed House Bill (HB) 257 on Jan. 8, which would make changes to Kentucky’s assessment and accountability systems to encourage districts to work more closely with their communities to establish priorities for their schools and help ensure all students have access to vibrant learning experiences.
The bill was influenced by the work of the Kentucky United We Learn Council, the Kentucky Board of Education, and feedback from stakeholders on what they want to see in their students’ classrooms. The bill includes locally developed measures of quality and state accountability that meets federal requirements. Local accountability would include flexible options for districts to set their own indicators in collaboration with their communities.
“This bill represents a promising beginning — a positive launch toward our moonshot, and I am eager to see this bill get across the finish line,” Fletcher said.
More details on the legislation can be found in the breakdown of HB 257 on Kentucky Teacher, and Fletcher spent time going over how the new legislation compares to the Model Framework 4.0 KDE and the Kentucky United We Learn Council developed.
One of the changes under the bill would keep the school climate and safety survey as an option for districts to include in local measures of quality, but the survey will not be included in the state accountability model. Chronic absenteeism would replace the school climate and safety survey in the state accountability model. Additionally, the “Change” component of the current system would be replaced with individual student growth.
Also under the bill, establishing local measures of quality remains optional until more than 60% of districts – or 103 of Kentucky’s 171 districts – have established their own measures. Once that level is reached, it will become mandatory for all districts. The bill includes a financial incentive of $10,000 per district with $3 added per student to help districts develop and maintain local measures of quality in collaboration with local community members.
“I am very positive about the financial incentive,” Fletcher said. “Including it is a great idea because, without it, district leaders could view this as an unfunded mandate.”
If the bill is adopted as currently written, changes to assessment and accountability would take effect beginning with the 2026–2027 school year.
Brian Perry, KDE director of government relations, also updated superintendents on the legislative session, including a rundown of key dates for lawmakers. The legislative session ends on April 15.
AI Resources
Staff within KDE have been working on advancing artificial intelligence (AI) in Kentucky K-12 education, including guidance for schools and districts on how to use AI resources, developing standards around the use and creation of AI and integrating AI into computer science education.
Associate Commissioner David Couch of KDE’s Office of Education Technology went over several resources KDE has compiled on the AI in Kentucky K-12 webpage, encouraging superintendents to work together with the leadership teams, curriculum and instruction specialists and their technology staff on how to incorporate safe, secure, and responsible uses of AI into their schools and navigate the challenges associated with AI.
“AI is for sure going to be a part of every student’s future and every adult’s future, so we’re going to need to consistently adapt as AI continues to evolve,” Couch said.
The resources include KDE’s AI in Action Across Kentucky quick list document, which provides information about guidance, academic standards, supports for teachers and students, emerging innovations and professional development opportunities.
“This is not all-inclusive by any means, but we have many, many strategies leveraging artificial intelligence currently today,” said KDE Chief Digital Officer Marty Park. “We’re not waiting around. We’re not sitting back.”
Beth Hargis, associate commissioner of KDE’s Office of Career and Technical Education, explained the work being done to incorporate AI into Kentucky’s career and technical education (CTE) offerings. She said KDE is approaching AI from two perspectives: the computer programming side and the AI utilization side.
Hargis said KDE is working with Warren County to develop a computer science CTE pathway geared toward the programming side of AI. KDE is also working on how the use of AI fits with other CTE pathways, including healthcare and automotive programs.
KDE Chief Academic Officer Micki Marinelli discussed efforts to incorporate AI into existing professional development networks and how the Kentucky Academic Standards for Technology should help guide districts.
KDE Deputy Commissioner Thomas Tucker discussed the policy negotiations happening with AI at the state and federal level and how that could impact what KDE and Kentucky schools do with AI. Tucker said KDE has focused on guidance over policy because officials at the federal level are seeking a singular national standard.
Special Education Class Sizes and Caseloads
The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) recently approved revisions to 707 KAR 1:002 and 707 KAR 1:350 as it relates to special education placement decisions, including revisions to clarify how maximum class sizes and teacher caseloads should be determined.
Melody Cooper, policy advisor with KDE’s Office of Special Education and Early Learning, said the revisions include a reference to KRS 157.360, which authorizes the commissioner of education to enforce special education maximum class sizes set by administrative regulations adopted by KBE.
Other revisions include adding a definition for special classes and clarifying how maximum class sizes should be determined when there are students from more than one disability category in a special class. In those situations, the district should use the disability category of the majority of the students in the special class to make decisions about class size.
The recommended changes also include revisions that align with the current waiver submission process outlined in KRS 156.161 and authorized by KRS 157.360, allowing superintendents or local school councils to request a waiver relating to maximum class sizes for special classes.
Cooper explained class sizes and caseloads did not change or increase. She said KDE typically approves waivers for certain situations and the amendments KBE members approved in December are an effort to eliminate some of the paperwork for waiver requests for those situations in the future. This includes waivers for situations such as increasing special education class sizes by one or two students.
In other business, superintendents also heard about KBE’s new virtual meetings. The board will meet monthly in 2026, alternating between virtual meetings for the purpose of conducting working sessions and the typical two-day, in-person meetings in Frankfort for the transaction of business.
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