Call to Order and Roll Call
The 2nd meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Education was held on Monday, July 10, 2017, at 1:00 PM, in Room 154 of the Capitol Annex. Senator Mike Wilson, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Mike Wilson, Co-Chair; Representative John Carney, Co-Chair; Senators Julie Raque Adams, Danny Carroll, Jimmy Higdon, Alice Forgy Kerr, Gerald A. Neal, Reginald Thomas, Johnny Ray Turner and Stephen West; Representatives Danny Bentley, Regina Bunch, Jim DeCesare, Mark Hart, Mary Lou Marzian, Charles Miller, Phil Moffett, Kimberly Poore Moser, Rick G. Nelson, Melinda Gibbons Prunty, Jody Richards, Steve Riley, Attica Scott, James Tipton, Russell Webber, and Jill York.
Guests: Stephen Pruitt, Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Education; Andre’ Dulaney; Bob Rowland, KASA, KRTA; Kathy Moore, KDE; Eric Kennedy, KSBA; Abby Piper, MML&K; Barbara Hamilton, Shannon Jett, and Wanda Carter, DJJ; Phil Shepherd, KCAE; Wayne Young, KASA.
LRC Staff: Jo Carole Ellis, Janet Stevens, Joshua Collins, Yvette Perry, and Christal White.
Chairman Wilson read and presented Janet Stevens with a resolution honoring her retirement at the end of July.
Approval of the minutes of June 12, 2017, meeting
Representative DeCesare made a motion to adopt the minutes of the June 12, 2017, meeting, seconded by Senator West. The motion passed by voice vote.
Senate Bill 1 and Kentucky's New Accountability System
Chairman Wilson said the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law in December, 2015. The passage of Senate Bill 1 with bi-partisan, unanimous support during the 2017 Regular Session allows Kentucky to move K-12 education forward. Clear guidelines are provided for the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) to reinvent school accountability and adjust regulations to better serve school districts. The feedback received from the Commissioner of Education, Secretary Heiner, the Governor’s Office, fellow legislators, educators, Kentucky Education Association (KEA), Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA), Kentucky Association of School Superintendents (KASS), and the Kentucky School Board Association (KSBA) has been valuable and has instilled confidence that Senate Bill 1 successfully purges No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and effectively mirrors the ESSA. Senate Bill 1 coherently aligns K-12 academic standards, state assessments, and school accountability and will significantly increase post-secondary readiness of Kentucky’s graduates, increase local decision-making, and decrease bureaucratic burdens for educators.
Stephen Pruitt, Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), discussed KDE’s proposed regulations for Kentucky’s new school accountability design and how the proposal aligns with Senate Bill 1. While progress has been made in Kentucky, Commissioner Pruitt said the development of ESSA and Senate Bill 1 creates an avenue to take Kentucky to the next level. With the work continuing for a year and a half and over 400 people serving on different committees, multiple shareholders had a hand in the development of the accountability system. Dr. Pruitt referred to the KDE/ESSA webpage at www.education.ky.gov for detailed information.
Kentucky’s focus is to insure that students have skills and knowledge necessary to pursue their passion, whether a student goes directly to the workforce or into post-secondary education. The system addresses the achievement gap and is designed to promote and hold schools and districts accountable for student achievement, without placing undue burden on the districts or teachers but putting more focus on students. Indicators of the accountability system work together to complete an accurate synopsis for Kentucky schools and the education students receive.
Dr. Pruitt said Senate Bill 1, known as the “Let Teachers Teach Bill,” as well as coherency within the accountability system is important. The proposed system keeps students at its center and overall school/district classification is determined by performance on proficiency, growth, graduation rate, closing the achievement gap, transition readiness, and opportunity and access.
Proficiency is defined as achieving the desired level of knowledge and skills and is measured on state assessments in English/language arts (reading, writing, and editing mechanics), mathematics, science, and social studies. Student performance levels will continue to be identified as novice, apprentice, proficient, and distinguished, with a target for all students to reach proficiency level or above. Points earned are based on student performance level; advanced students taking higher level tests earn more points and equal weight is given for all tested subjects. He said the system enhances the idea of a student moving forward when academically ready instead of their age or the grade level in which they should be, allowing students to prove what they know through testing.
Growth relating to elementary and middle school students will monitor a student’s continuous improvement toward the goal of proficiency and beyond. Students will have an annual personal target for improvement based on individual student trajectory toward proficiency and above and will be measured on progress targeting reading and mathematics through equally weighted state assessments. English Language Development Standards (ELDS) will measure progress toward English attainment through World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA). WIDA advances academic language development and academic achievement for children and youth who are culturally and linguistically diverse through high quality standards, assessments, research, and professional learning for educators. The 2012 amplification of ELDS was developed with input from leaders in the field and educators in WIDA Consortium-member states. The process was formed by the latest developments in both English language research and state content standards for college and career readiness. Schools will earn credit based on whether and how much the student’s performance “catches up, keeps up or moves up” toward proficiency and achievement. Catch up specifies proficiency is achieved within two years, keep up signifies student proficiency has continued, and move up designates improvement has occurred. The system, as required by ESSA and Senate Bill 1, places more emphasis toward English language through the WIDA assessment. While promoting growth, the system also allows a penalty if student regression is indicated.
Regarding the achievement gap closure, Dr. Pruitt said the overall rating for schools is geared toward a five-star rating, with the lowest rating being one star. If a significant achievement gap is noted in a particular school or district, a rating higher than three will not be allowed. A group-to-group index was added to reduce or close the disparity in performance between student groups with a goal of reducing or closing the gap by moving all students to higher levels and moving those at the lowest levels more rapidly. Students will be measured on state assessments in English, mathematics, science, and social studies, and those subjects will be equally weighted. Gap to Group compares student performance between referenced student groups and compared student groups. Gap to Proficiency is the group performance compared to the goal of 100 percent proficiency. Gap to Group and Gap to Proficiency will be reported separately but combined equally to produce an indicator score. Credit earned will be based on student performance level.
Transition Readiness measures the student’s attainment of the necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions to successfully move to the next level of education, career, or life. Once called college and career readiness, the language has changed due to observing elementary readiness for middle school and middle school readiness for high school. An elementary student must meet or exceed a benchmark on a composite score combining the student’s performance on English/Language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies by the end of grade 5 whereas middle school students must meet or exceed these same requirements by the end of grade 8. High school students must have a high school diploma and meet certain requirements of having academic, technical, or military readiness. Dr. Pruitt said children should be able to follow their passion and provided a chart of readiness criteria for each of these areas.
Opportunity and access will include providing equitable availability to research based student experiences and considering school factors impacting student success and measures beyond test scores. Points will be earned for areas of providing rich curriculum, equitable access, school quality, and social and emotional support to students. Dr. Pruitt explained in detail the required measures and the selected measures and said schools will be responsible for offering career pathways aligned to the most needed areas.
Dr. Pruitt said the overall accountability rating will be based on performance indicators and will range in five levels from very low to very high and then combined for an overall rating. All schools will have a supplemental label of gap closure or gap issues. This supplemental designation is intended to close differences in achievement between students of historically low-performing or high-performing schools. A five-star rating in the gap closure category requires a very high rating in proficiency, growth, graduation rate, opportunity and access, and significant progress in achievement gap closure. In the gap issue category, a one-star rating is very low, comprises the bottom 5 percent, and includes the comprehensive support schools.
Dr. Pruitt said KDE is working with a vendor to develop a dashboard mockup with pie charts that can be viewed as the report card, including an overall rating as well as individualized details per category. Comparisons will be available for school, district, and state rankings.
A goal by the year 2030 has been established to increase student proficiency rates significantly for all students, decrease the achievement gap of lower-performing student groups by 50 percent, increase the proportion of early learning students making significant progress toward becoming proficient in English language, and significantly increase the graduation rate for all students and each student group. Specific goals will be set for each student group and each academic area at each level. Dr. Pruitt said it is important to ensure the changes are compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
In response to Representative DeCesare’s concern regarding the provider and coverage for the cost of technical readiness testing, Dr. Pruitt said Senate Bill 1 specifically addresses articulated credit and said the cost of the Kentucky Occupational Skills Standards Assessment (KOSSA) exam is covered because of a strict, articulated agreement with KDE. Representative DeCesare referred to the National Career Readiness Certification (NCRC), a more well-known and highly recognized industry certification and said the KOSSA exam is not widely recognized or accepted by many companies. He expressed concern that KDE will cover the cost of KOSSA and other certification programs recommended through the regional Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board (KWIB), although funding appears to have been removed for NCRC testing.
Responding to a question from Representative Moffett, Dr. Pruitt said if an aggressive goal of closing the gap by 50 percent is achieved, the results will put students in the upper 70 or lower 80 percentile rating. He said when addressing the gap between proficiency and where the student is actually classified, various racial and socio-economic groups are taken into consideration. He said the goal is to push students toward proficiency but at the same time study group to group to insure all students are included.
In response to a question from Representative Moffett regarding schools who are classified as distinguished with fewer than half of the students reading at grade level, Dr. Pruitt said the new five-star rating should bring schools more in line. Regarding opportunity and access, Representative Moffett encouraged KDE to focus on academic monitoring and use social services and other groups to provide services but not make those services a conglomerate for all families and students.
Responding to a question from Representative Riley, Dr. Pruitt said a score of 50 is needed on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test to meet career readiness standards for students in the military. A 50 is equivalent to benchmarks for a college admission exam and opens up more opportunities for the student.
In response to a question from Representative Riley, Dr. Pruitt said KDE is currently writing a Request for Proposals for the college admissions exam and a full bid process will follow. Concerning on-demand testing and end-of-course testing, Dr. Pruitt said budgetary constraints play a huge part, and KDE is looking at options that may be a better indicator. Dr. Pruitt suggested the idea of a hybrid approach, where modules are included that students are able to take throughout high school and test according to the courses they complete. Representative Riley said high school students should never be given a test for accountability for which the school or district is not held accountable.
Senator Neal commended the legislature for consistent and refreshing accountability and its alignment with Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Responding to a question by Senator Neal, Dr. Pruitt said KDE will need legislative support through budgetary funds and indicated many of the aspects could be expensive, such as changing the high school assessment system and paying for industry certifications for all students. Dr. Pruitt said last year KDE covered the cost for low-income students to take an Advanced Placement exam and experienced a 25 percent increase; however, funding won’t be possible next year.
Senator Neal applauded the committee and legislature for passing responsible legislation but is concerned that backing words with actions regarding the budgetary aspect have not happened historically throughout the years. Dr. Pruitt and Senator Neal agreed that if the legislature makes a commitment and raises the priority, it is highly conceivable that the goals set forth can be achieved.
Responding to a question from Representative York, Dr. Pruitt said when a district’s gifted student population may appear the same, the diversity of the county may be a factor.
In response to a question from Representative Weber, Dr. Pruitt said there are legal issues involving students being drug tested and therefore it is not part of the accountability system. He said essential skills are part of the graduation requirement and may need a better definition. Dr. Pruitt said caution must be taken regarding drug testing due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) concerns and unintended consequences, and drug testing would be a huge undertaking for many districts that would require a well-thought-out implementation plan.
In response to a question from Senator Higdon, Dr. Pruitt said Kentucky meets the minimum Federal requirement testing standards, with the exception of adding social studies. Senate Bill 1 produces on-demand writing in both elementary and middle school and the system will concentrate less on test scores and get back to the basics of good instruction, test preparation, and relieving the burden on teachers. He said mandating students to take additional math and reading classes is counterproductive if the student is more interested in classes such as art, science, or social studies.
Responding to a question from Senator Higdon, Dr. Pruitt said the bottom 5 percent should be identified and supported to attain a benchmark.
Representative Tipton said schools may be unaware of extenuating circumstances at a student’s home and feels the DARE program should be implemented earlier than fifth grade, especially with the drug epidemic today. Dr. Pruitt said KDE will be working more closely with social and emotional health professionals, revising health standards, and looking at states with high rates of success. Dr. Pruitt said KDE is unable to force programs on schools. In his position as Chairman of the State Inter-Agency Council (SIAC), Dr. Pruitt hopes to raise awareness and have discussions on social, emotional, and drug-prevention issues.
In response to a question by Representative Tipton, Dr. Pruitt said KDE must have a conversation encompassing K-16 regarding graduation requirements to discuss academic and technical readiness and needed changes. Universities are considering different methodologies by replacing developmental studies or remediation classes with more co-curriculum support. Dr. Pruitt said there is a need to determine if graduation requirements are appropriate, if the information is verifiable through performance, and if the passing grade in a course is accurate. The Kentucky Center for Educational and Workforce Statistics gives KDE an avenue for tracking post- high school for in-state students but privacy issues are a factor. KDE is looking for a better way of tracking kids going to college, going immediately into careers, and success rates.
Responding to a question from Representative Prunty, Dr. Pruitt said testing in math and reading occur in grades 3 through 8, science in grades 4 and 7, social studies in grades 5 and 8, and writing in grade 5 and 8. He said every test each year has reliability as to what students know and is a valid measure.
In response to Representative Prunty’s question, Dr. Pruitt said because so much attention is given to test scores, science is typically taught in elementary schools only during testing years. KDE has implemented a true science assessment which includes providing training on better classroom and assessment development by teachers and introducing course tasks that measure progress but are not tied to accountability.
Responding to Senator Carroll’s question, Dr. Pruitt said special needs students must be a primary focus for schools. He said they are a component of the accountability system, excluding less than 1 percent with cogitative disabilities who will be given an alternative assessment with performance levels subdivided into low and high levels as a means to measure growth. In his role as superintendent for Kentucky School for the Deaf and Kentucky School for the Blind, Dr. Pruitt said a goal is moving these groups to an accountability system and away from compliance mentality to quality mentality.
In response to Representative Bunch’s question as to whether KOSSA and WorkKeys measure the same skills, Dr. Pruitt said KOSSAs are specific to the career pathway, and he is not as familiar with WorkKeys but will ask staff to compare the similarity and inform the committee. Representative Bunch is concerned if one certification is recognized by the industry and a different certification tool is presented, it will be difficult to measure unless they are similar in content. Dr. Pruitt said KDE is working with the KWIB for clarification. He said KOSSA is mainly there for articulating credit and the industry certification specific to a pathway is the bigger piece, such as welding, carpentry, or auto mechanics. Dr. Pruitt said KDE is working through details, but the focus is giving students industry certifications when they graduate high school. Career and technical pathways are already embedded in our schools but KDE needs to determine a way to insure essential skills are offered as well. He said KDE does not want to create a new test for it, but is strongly committed to making sure essential skills are in all schools.
Chairman Wilson stated that if the NCRC is recognized as an industry certification and the WorkKeys assessment leads to NCRC, then WorkKeys should be included in the accountability system. Dr. Pruitt said he would look into the issue and provide information to the committee.
Responding to a question by Senator West, Dr. Pruitt said KDE’s focus is to ensure that a diploma earned in Kentucky alleviates the need for mediation when a student reaches college level. He would like to see high school assessments restructured and a willingness to discuss innovative ideas, which could have a more predictive power than the current college admission assessments. Senator West said part of Senate Bill 1 asks KDE to come up with a measurement for school climate and school safety. Dr. Pruitt said it is included as part of the opportunity and access category. The Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) survey is a good assessment for school climate and safety, but that particular tool is not currently in the accountability structure. KDE is reviewing factors that impact what makes a school safe and what makes a quality school climate, including chronic absenteeism, course offerings for all students, and effective or non-effective teachers.
Senator West said it is important to have an aggressive path to improve reading levels by third grade, as this is a building block and component for all other learning. Dr. Pruitt responded he expects legislation in the 2018 session addressing this issue and added KDE will need funding and intervention support.
In response to a question from Representative Richards, Dr. Pruitt said Kentucky history is taught in the 4th grade, and KDE is working on a revision to bring social studies standards up to date. He said Kentucky has a fascinating and robust history on which we should place more emphasis.
Responding to a question from Representative Richards, Dr. Pruitt said the postsecondary performance-based funding model passed last year is attached to graduating in four years and places emphasis on remaining in college. He said this is where the partnership between K-12 and higher education must continue and get stronger.
Responding to a question from Representative Carney, Dr. Pruitt said Kentucky must submit its ESSA plan to the USDE by September 18, 2017, for review and approval. The plan will be sent to the Governor for his review 30 days prior to submission to the federal government. Dr. Pruitt said Senate Bill 1 basically ended Unbridled Learning. The next school year will be a period of transition, discussion will occur regarding test results that concentrate on kids and not on points, and there will be a focus on the aspects of measurements at the local level that will be submitted to KDE. He said the new system will be in place in 2019.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:50 p.m.