(FRANKFORT, KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is accepting public comment on revisions to Kentucky’s Consolidated State Plan to implement the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Public comments must be received by 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 30. The public can review the revised plan on KDE’s website.
KDE also has submitted the plan to Gov. Andy Beshear for review.
Amendments to Kentucky’s plan are necessary to ensure alignment with federal and state laws. Several edits are made to align with Kentucky House Bill 298 (2025 Regular Session) which amended KRS 160.346 to require KDE to annually identify schools for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI). Previously, KDE identified schools for CSI every three years. Changes to the plan since April 25, 2025, are indicated through track changes.
Historical background information from Kentucky’s original ESSA plan has not been updated; revisions include changes only to address the statutory requirement and programmatic updates to the current school accountability system.
In 2022, KDE applied for a Competitive Grant for State Assessment and was awarded $3 million over the next four years. The funds are supporting a grassroots effort to design a reimagined assessment and accountability system. Legislation related to this redesigned system has been introduced in the 2026 legislative session, and KDE anticipates that updates to all areas of Kentucky's Consolidated State Plan may be required pending the outcome of the 2026 regular legislative session. Updates to all areas of Kentucky's Consolidated State Plan may be required at that time.
Under federal law, state education agencies are required to submit a plan detailing the implementation of the law and how federal education dollars will be spent. After public comments and the governor’s review, the state plan must be resubmitted to the U.S. Department of Education (USED) for review.
Since the initial plan approval, updates have been made when required to align with federal and state law. The public is being invited to provide feedback on this latest update to the plan.
Comments may be emailed to kdecommunications@education.ky.gov or submitted to Todd Allen, General Counsel, Kentucky Department of Education, 300 Sower Blvd, 5th Floor, Frankfort, KY 40601.
Comments also may be submitted via fax at (502) 564-9321. All comments that are received by the deadline will be considered before submission of the revised state plan to USED.
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