kentucky academic standards

kentucky academic standards

Analyzing and Understanding the Kentucky Academic Standards

1. Introduction to the Kentucky Academic Standards

The Kentucky Academic Standards contain the minimum required standards that all Kentucky students should have the opportunity to learn before graduating from Kentucky high schools. The standards address what is to be learned, but do not address how learning experiences are to be delivered. The standards do not control the curriculum. Kentucky school districts may devise their own lesson plans, state-wide standardized and end-of-course assessments, as well as instructional materials to ensure that the content of the standards has been taught.

The Kentucky Academic Standards look different from previous versions of Kentucky’s learning standards (2009 and previous) and the Common Core Standards of other states. This document provides a comprehensive explanation of the Kentucky Academic Standards. The first part of this document provides an overview of the standards and their organization. This explanation includes how the standards look different from previous standards documents and how local districts may customize their curriculum to provide instruction for students.

The second part of the document explains how committees of Kentucky teachers identified, reviewed, and revised the standards. This part also explains the structure of the standards and the summaries that precede each content area. Part three provides guidance on how to read the standards for each content area with the specific standards further explained in part four of this guide. Each content area details the standards as presented in the document.

The guidelines are intended to help applicants choose an appropriate course of study early in their education at the high school level. It is important to be aware that these entry requirements represent the minimum number of units required for eligibility. It does not ensure admission to an accredited or selective college in the state of Kentucky. Many programs have a higher number of units required for graduation at each institution.

2. Key Components of the Kentucky Academic Standards

Educators should be aware of the key components of the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) so that they can redesign their school curriculum to focus on a deeper understanding of concepts in an integrated concept curriculum. Taking the standards and creating a school curriculum that includes how students will access and demonstrate their understanding is a very important function of a Professional Learning Community. Revising how to disseminate the content of the material because of Information Age tools is a pressing issue that schools need to address.

Standards show what students are expected to learn by the end of a school year or at the end of a designated course of study, and help to focus the learning environment in the classroom. Curriculum shows the instructional strategies and experiences that will help students develop an understanding of the content and skills. These are the ways that students learn the standards. Instructional resources can be tailored to meet the required diversity. There are key components that are also extremely important to build a school curriculum.

3. Implementation and Impact of the Standards in Education

The standards have been in place since 2010. There is no direct evidence that the standards have had an independent impact on educational trends – such as student performance, curriculum or board policy – over the last decade. With the revised assessment transition plan, the connection points for impact are more clearly in focus. In addition, the Kentucky Department of Education will be creating tools, guidance and resource documents to support the implementation of the standards as they are revised. K-12 schools should be implementing the standards. The current testing system will, over time, use new tests which are directly aligned to the new standards. Results from the system will provide incentive and direction to adjust instructional strategies and materials to bring them into compliance with the new standards. Kentucky K-12 schools should also be reviewing and revising their local board policies as necessary. Examples might include course content, graduation requirements, and public hearing and/or communication plans.

In Kentucky, standards revisions are a key element of the Commonwealth’s standards, assessment, and accountability system. They form the foundation for the Kentucky K-12 educational environment. The standards serve as the Kentucky Board’s anchor point of misalignment for the full system. Their primary stakeholders are Kentucky’s educators, students, and postsecondary partners. Initial suggestions for revision tend to be toward combining or eliminating standards. Other comments usually relate to minor changes to clarify content for instructional purposes. High school teachers, postsecondary institutions, workforce preparation instructors, and parents typically express the most interest in having the standards revised. What sets these groups apart from others in the tiered stakeholder model is the number of different content areas that express this interest. Data on the usage of the reading and mathematics standards in college and career readiness programs and courses provided justification for their specific revision and assessment alignment by the End-of-Course Exam Working Group.

4. Challenges and Future Directions in Adhering to the Kentucky Academic Standards

In order to effectively promote the full development of Kentucky’s students so that they learn and develop to the best of their abilities, Kentucky Academic Standards explicitly require a practice of being aware of the personal skills, aptitudes, abilities, and preferences necessary for achieving employment and job satisfaction. However, a large percentage of Kentucky’s students are not aware of all of their abilities and preferences. The problem of an inadequate awareness of skills, aptitudes, abilities, and preferences has plagued Kentucky and the United States for many years, particularly in Kentucky’s public secondary schools.

A major problem found in adhering to the High School Academic Standards is the fact that teachers are under pressure to cover a tremendous amount of content. There is so much content for almost every course that to adequately cover the material, teachers often have to eliminate any in-depth examination of that content. Then, teachers must move on and cover all the content for that class. If material has seldom been covered in any detail, this matter often shows up in the role doing set in the classroom. Since so much content has to be covered, teachers often do not have time to elaborate or practice with the material in most classes. For a good understanding on subject, teachers need to make sure they completely cover the main ideas and details. This is an almost insurmountable challenge.