House Bill (HB) 257  

The following press release was sent out today, Friday, Jan. 9, and may be of interest to District Assessment Coordinators.  

Rep. J.T. Payne introduces bill to improve Kentucky’s assessment, accountability systems 

(FRANKFORT, KY) – 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. 

Payne represents District 11: Henderson County and serves as the assistant principal of the Henderson County Career and Technical Center. 

The bill was influenced by the work of the Kentucky United We Learn Council – an inclusive working group of students, educators, families, community members, legislators and other education stakeholders that was tasked with reimagining what the Commonwealth’s assessment and accountability systems could look like. 

The bill includes locally developed indicators 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. 

“I am thankful to the thousands of Kentuckians who have contributed to this piece of legislation,” said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. “Residents from across the state have let us know what they wanted to see in their student’s classrooms, whether it was by completing a survey, attending a town hall or by participating on the Kentucky United We Learn Council. These efforts have contributed to legislation that encourages collaboration among our districts and communities to ensure meaningful learning experiences for all students.” 

The changes in HB 257 include: 

• There will be less time on state testing.  

• The state indicators would continue to include math, reading, science and social studies. 

• On-demand writing and editing mechanics would no longer be included in state assessments, which reduces testing time. 

• The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) would provide all school districts with guidelines and professional learning to support effective, standards-aligned writing programs across all content areas. 

• Each school must adopt and publish a writing program policy that promotes subject-specific writing and offers students various opportunities to develop complex communication skills using diverse tools and resources. 

• “Change” is replaced by “student growth.” 

• In the current accountability system, schools are evaluated by the change in accountability indicators from year to year. 

• In the new system, schools will be evaluated by the academic progress each individual student makes over the course of a year in reading and mathematics. 

• Local measures of quality encourage more collaboration between school districts and their communities. 

• School districts will be encouraged to create their own local measures of quality – formerly called local accountability. 

• Local measures of quality must include: 

• Vibrant learning experiences for students. 

• Local measures of performance identified by community members. 

• A method of displaying data that includes breaking down data by demographic groups. 

• Establishing local measures of quality remains optional until more than 60% of districts (or 103 districts currently) 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. 

• Local measures of quality will not be used in federal Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) calculations. 

• Other changes include: 

• The school climate and safety survey would remain 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. 

“While we have many districts who have created or are on the road to creating their own local measures of quality, KDE and its partners will continue to provide support for districts that are just beginning their journey,” Fletcher said. “This bill also includes funding for six additional regional specialists who can help provide support for districts. This is an exciting opportunity for Kentucky to lead the way in personalizing education and making sure all students have a meaningful and joyful learning experience.”