(FRANKFORT, KY) – During the School Curriculum, Assessment and Accountability Council meeting on July 21, members provided feedback on the first draft of the new assessment and accountability regulation presented by Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) staff.
The KDE Office of Assessment and Accountability – represented by Associate Commissioner Jennifer Stafford and Policy Advisor Jennifer Larkins – broke down the proposed revisions to 703 KAR 5:270, which come after the passage of House Bill 257 during the 2026 legislative session. The legislation 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.
The key regulatory changes under House Bill 257 mean Kentucky will use the individual growth of each student in the accountability system instead of change in accountability indicators from year to year. The bill reduced testing by removing on-demand writing and editing and mechanics from Kentucky’s assessment exams, while chronic absenteeism replaced the quality of school climate and safety indicator.
After gathering input from advisory groups made up of different stakeholders in the education community, KDE developed the proposed regulation, which will be discussed by the Local Superintendents Advisory Council on July 28 and the Kentucky Board of Education on Aug. 5-6.
The regulation is expected to be finalized during the KBE meeting on Oct. 7-8 ahead of a public comment period. The School Curriculum, Assessment and Accountability Council will have more chances to weigh in with KDE, along with other advisory groups, before the public comment period.
Council members spent time discussing the proposed table to measure growth from year to year and the values assigned within it. Jana Beth Francis, assistant superintendent of Daviess County, said she wants to ensure schools are treated fairly and growth is rewarded evenly across all performance levels.
“We have to have the growth measure be the same no matter where you’re growing,” Francis said.
The discussion also focused on the overall weight assigned to each indicator in the new accountability system.
Revised Kentucky Academic Standards for Technology
Representatives with the KDE Office of Education Technology presented a revised version of 704 KAR 8:090, the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Technology for the council’s consideration.
The revisions come as part of the typical academic standards revision cycle, with the last revision to KAS for Technology coming in 2020.
Marty Park, KDE’s Chief Technology Officer, explained how the standards connect to Kentucky’s minimum graduation requirements and require students to demonstrate competencies in technology.
“I think that the academic standards for technology are critically important right now, and again, very timely as we’re having additional conversations about high-quality screen use,” Park said. “And so we’re using the opportunity right now to really work with folks to better understand how we envision using technologies to learn.”
The standards also incorporate grade bands encompassing all of K-12 to ensure students aren’t waiting until high school to be exposed to technology.
Laura Raganas, a digital learning coach for KDE, explained the timeline for how these standards were revised, dating back to September 2025 when KDE sought public comment on the existing standards. Multiple teams of educators were assembled to write and review the standards, opening another round of public comment on the proposal in February 2026.
Raganas said the writers of the regulation were deliberate about ensuring technology standards were aligned with and embedded within the rest of Kentucky’s academic standards, focusing on how students use technology to demonstrate how they understood the lesson they were taught.
Raganas detailed other updates in the new standards, including how the safe, secure and responsible use of artificial intelligence is embedded within the standards and how the content concept areas within the technology standards are based off the statewide Portrait of a Learner: empowered learner, digital citizen, creative communicator and knowledge constructor.
The revised standards are up for consideration next with the Local Superintendents Advisory Council on July 28 and the Kentucky Board of Education on Aug. 5-6.
Revised Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies
KDE’s Office of Teaching and Learning presented details on revisions made to 704 KAR 8:060, the KAS for Social Studies.
Chrystal Rowland, director of the KDE Division of Academic Program Standards, was joined by Assistant Director Lauren Gallicchio to go over the revisions and the revision process, which was similar to the process for the KAS for Technology.
“The standards writers design social studies standards that give students real opportunities to question, create and collaborate as they think about the future,” Rowland said. “The goal is for students to engage with the social studies disciplinary concepts and practices of civics, economics, geography and history across all grades. The focus is on critical thinking, evaluating sources and communicating clearly so students are prepared for informed civic participation.”
Rowland said there was also an emphasis on the importance of teaching the social studies disciplinary strands in unison rather than in isolation.
These revised standards will be presented for consideration to the Local Superintendents Advisory Council on July 28 and the Kentucky Board of Education on Aug. 5-6.
Gallicchio introduced council members to a new, upcoming K-8 curriculum, entitled “Our Commonwealth, Our Nation, Our World.” The curriculum, in partnership with the Core Knowledge Foundation, is being built specifically for Kentucky students and educators and is a high-quality instructional resource that is directly aligned with the KAS for Social Studies.
“This partnership is a direct response to feedback the state has consistently heard from districts across Kentucky,” Gallicchio said. “Educators have requested high-quality, standards-aligned social studies materials that require less local adaptation and preparation, rather than adapting materials developed for other states.”
Often shortened to “Our Commonwealth,” the curriculum will integrate civics, economics, geography and history around grade-level themes that build knowledge cumulatively across K-8. The curriculum reflects the KAS for Social Studies design principle that content knowledge and inquiry are inseparable, and that deep knowledge in civics, economics, geography and history strengthens students’ reading comprehension, vocabulary and academic language.
The curriculum, which is optional for districts to implement, will be released in phases: kindergarten and grades 3, 5 and 8 in 2027-2028, followed by grades 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7 in 2028-2029. Comprehensive curriculum-based professional learning will accompany each release, including regional in-person summer learning sessions, live virtual follow-ups throughout the academic year, and self-paced modules on the KY Learning Hub.
In other business, council members:
- Discussed literacy updates with the KDE Office of Teaching and Learning;
- Heard an update on the Kentucky High School Transformation Work Group; and
- Heard an update on the bidding process for Kentucky’s college entrance exam.
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