(FRANKFORT, KY) – Leaders of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) shared Kentucky’s growth in reading and math from results in the Education Scorecard and the National Assessment of Educational Progress to the Interim Joint Committee on Education during its meeting on Aug. 4.
The Education Scorecard provides insight on where students’ academic recovery stands, combining state test results for roughly 35 million grade 3–8 students nationwide. The report is a collaboration between Harvard University, Stanford University and Dartmouth College.
Kentucky is among the top states in terms of student growth in reading and math. Between 2022 and 2025, Kentucky ranked 5th out of 35 states in reading and ranked 8th out of 38 states in mathematics. Several Kentucky districts were identified as “Districts on the Rise,” meaning they’ve shown exceptional progress relative to similar districts.
Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher thanked legislators for the recent state investments in improving reading and math, and said the goal is to challenge students and give them a setting where they can grow.
“All that starts with the fundamentals,” Fletcher said. “We also talk about collaboration, communication and we talk about other areas where we want students to grow – whether it be creative thinking, problem solving – but it needs to start with foundational skills in reading and mathematics.”
All of the states that improved in reading between 2022 and 2025 were implementing comprehensive “science of reading” reforms – Maryland, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, Minnesota and the District of Columbia.
The science of reading refers to a large interdisciplinary body of research that explains how children learn to read and write. The approach is based on studies conducted across fields over several decades, including cognitive psychology, linguistics, neuroscience and education research.
KDE Chief Academic Officer Micki Marinelli shared that KDE is actively implementing the science of reading through initiatives like the Kentucky Reading Academies, which aim to improve literacy outcomes for students by enhancing educator training and instructional practices.
The Kentucky Reading Academies were established in 2022 following the passage of the Read to Succeed Act. The program offers no-cost professional learning opportunities for K-5 educators and administrators. Kentucky has seen significant success with the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) as part of the Kentucky Reading Academies. Registration is now open for Cohort 5 of LETRS and will remain open through August 21.
A study by the Kentucky Reading Research Center found that schools with more LETRS-trained teachers experienced stronger growth in the share of students reaching the proficient level and a greater reduction of the number of students at the novice level on the Kentucky Summative Assessment.
Fletcher said professional learning is an important part of implementing the Read to Succeed Act, and in talking with teachers who have participated in these professional learning experiences, he’s heard positive feedback.
“One of the things that speaks loudly to me is when teachers walk out of this professional learning, they say we can implement this tomorrow in our schools,” Fletcher said. “That is so important when you have professional learning that, first of all they see the connection and then they’re able to implement that the next day. … You can see the excitement they have and the turnaround that’s happening with this science of reading and that relevancy is critical.”
The Read to Succeed Act is funded at $11 million in each year of the biennium and is also used to support the Kentucky Early Literacy Leadership Network, the annual KY Reads to Succeed Summer Conference, and the statewide school-based literacy coaching model.
Kentucky also offers professional learning for mathematics through the Kentucky Numeracy Counts Academies, in which hundreds of districts have participated. These academies are made possible through Numeracy Counts Act funding at $5 million in each year of the biennium.
Senator Stephen West, co-chair of the Interim Joint Committee on Education (IJCE), thanked KDE for its work on implementation. He said KDE appears to be using the funds in an efficient manner.
“I think your implementation on Read to Succeed and numeracy has been very effective,” West said. “When we first did that, I honestly didn’t expect many results for four or five years honestly, and I think you’re way ahead of schedule.”
National Assessment of Educational Progress
Jennifer Stafford, associate commissioner of KDE’s Office of Assessment and Accountability, gave a presentation on results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) from 2024. First administered in 1969, NAEP is the largest nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s students know in subjects such as mathematics, reading, science and other content areas.
Teachers, principals, parents, policymakers and researchers all use NAEP results to assess progress and develop ways to improve education in the country. NAEP is a congressionally mandated project administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. It is given to a sample of schools and students throughout the country.
Stafford presented an overview of results on reading and mathematics in grades 4 and 8 from the 2024 winter assessment. In math at grade 4, Kentucky had an increase of four points on the scale score between 2022 to 2024. In grade 8, Kentucky increased by two points.
In reading in grade 4, Kentucky saw an increase in one point whereas the national score went down. In grade 8, Kentucky stayed the same whereas the national score went down.
Rep. James Tipton, a member of the IJCE, pointed out how reading and math scores overall dropped after 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began, and how scores are now starting to improve.
“The pandemic definitely had an impact on reading scores across our nation, and I think that’s just a telling factor in the importance of classroom instruction and early education and reading. I think that’s just evident of the need of that,” Tipton said.
The 2026 NAEP results will be shared in winter 2027.
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