AN ACT relating to education, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring an emergency.
     Direct the Kentucky Department of Education and the Finance and Administration Cabinet to terminate all contracts related to the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS); administer in the 1997-98 school year a national norm-referenced basic skills test to students in the final year of the primary program to grade 12; provide that the selected national norm-referenced test of basic skills not be part of the KIRIS or the accountability system but provide a national comparison of individual students; suspend any determination of school success, rewards, or sanctions for the current assessment cycle; declare void the classifications of school success based on data obtained prior to 1998-99 and prohibit use of academic assessment data obtained before 1998-99 in a new assessment and accountability system; limit a distinguished educator to acting only in an advisory capacity during the current school year; direct the General Assembly to develop a valid, practical measurement of school performance and accountability during the 1998 Regular Session; transfer from the Kentucky successful schools trust fund within 30 days outstanding reward funds to qualified schools whose results changed for Accountability Cycle 2, $9,500,000 to be distributed to the local school districts based on the average daily attendance to purchase technology equipment and software, and $25,000,000 to local school districts based on the prior year's average daily attendance, 3/5 of which is to be allocated to school councils or, if none exists, used for the benefit of the school; provide that unexpended funds for the 1997-98 assessment program shall be transferred to the education technology trust fund; EMERGENCY.

     Feb 2-introduced in House
     Feb 3-to Education (H)