AN ACT relating to middle school advanced mathematics.

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AN ACT relating to middle school advanced mathematics. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 158.6453 (Effective July 1, 2026) is amended to read as 3
follows: 4
(1) As used in this section: 5
(a) "Accelerated learning" means an organized way of helping students meet 6
individual academic goals by providing direct instruction to e liminate student 7
performance deficiencies or enable students to move more quickly through 8
course requirements and pursue higher level skill development; 9
(b) "Advanced coursework" means educational programs or opportunities 10
designed to challenge students wi th more rigorous content beyond the 11
standard curriculum, including but not limited to advanced placement, 12
International Baccalaureate, and honors courses; 13
(c) "Constructed-response items" or "performance-based items" means individual 14
test items that require the student to create an answer rather than select a 15
response and may include fill -in-the-blank, short -answer, extended -answer, 16
open-response, and writing-on-demand formats; 17
(d) "Criterion-referenced test" means a test that is aligned with defined academic 18
content standards and measures an individual student's level of performance 19
against the standards; 20
(e) "Formative assessment" means a process used by teachers and students during 21
instruction to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students' 22
achievement of intended instructional outcomes. Formative assessments may 23
include the use of commercial assessments, classroom observations, teacher -24
designed cl assroom tests and assessments, and other processes and 25
assignments to gain information about individual student learning; 26
(f) "Interim assessments" means assessments that are given periodically 27
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throughout the year to provide diagnostic information and to s how individual 1
student performance against content standards; 2
(g) "Summative assessment" means an assessment given at the end of the school 3
year, semester, or other period of time to evaluate students' performance 4
against content standards within a unit of instruction or a course; and 5
(h) "Writing" means a purposeful act of thinking and expression that uses 6
language to explore ideas and communicate meaning to others. Writing is a 7
complex, multifaceted act of communication and is distinct from basic 8
handwriting or penmanship. 9
(2) (a) Every six (6) years, the Kentucky Department of Education shall implement a 10
process for reviewing Kentucky's academic standards and the alignment of 11
corresponding assessments for possible revision or replacement to ensure 12
alignment with transition readiness standards necessary for global 13
competitiveness, state career and technical education standards, and KRS 14
158.196. 15
(b) The revisions to the content standards shall: 16
1. Focus on critical knowledge, skills, and capacities needed fo r success in 17
the global economy; 18
2. Result in fewer but more in -depth standards to facilitate mastery 19
learning; 20
3. Communicate expectations more clearly and concisely to teachers, 21
parents, students, and citizens; 22
4. Be based on evidence-based research; 23
5. Consider international benchmarks; and 24
6. Ensure that the standards are aligned from elementary to high school to 25
postsecondary education so that students can be successful at each 26
education level. 27
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(c) 1. The department shall establish four (4) standards a nd assessments 1
review committees, with each committee composed of a minimum of six 2
(6) Kentucky public school teachers and a minimum of two (2) 3
representatives from Kentucky institutions of higher education, 4
including at least one (1) representative from a public institution of 5
higher education. Each committee member shall teach in the subject 6
area that his or her committee is assigned to review and have no prior or 7
current affiliation with a curriculum or assessment resources vendor. 8
2. One (1) of the four (4) committees shall be assigned to focus on the 9
review of language arts and writing academic standards and 10
assessments, one (1) on the review of mathematics academic standards 11
and assessments, one (1) on the review of science academic standards 12
and assessments, and one (1) on the review of social studies academic 13
standards and assessments. 14
(d) 1. The department shall establish twelve (12) advisory panels to advise and 15
assist each of the four (4) standards and assessments review committees. 16
2. Three (3) ad visory panels shall be assigned to each standards and 17
assessments review committee. One (1) panel shall review the standards 18
and assessments for kindergarten through grade five (5), one (1) shall 19
review the standards and assessments for grades six (6) thro ugh eight 20
(8), and one (1) shall review the standards and assessments for grades 21
nine (9) through twelve (12). 22
3. Each advisory panel shall be composed of at least one (1) representative 23
from a Kentucky institution of higher education and a minimum of six 24
(6) Kentucky public school teachers who teach in the grade level and 25
subject reviewed by the advisory panel to which they are assigned and 26
have no prior or current affiliation with a curriculum or assessment 27
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resources vendor. 1
(e) The commissioner of educat ion and the president of the Council on 2
Postsecondary Education shall also provide consultants for the standards and 3
assessments review committees and the advisory panels who are business and 4
industry professionals actively engaged in career fields that de pend on the 5
various content areas. 6
(f) 1. The standards and assessments process review committee is hereby 7
established and shall be composed of the commissioner of education or 8
designee as a nonvoting member and nine (9) voting representatives of 9
public sc hools, of whom at least two (2) shall be parents of public 10
school students, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate 11
in accordance with KRS 11.160 as follows: 12
a. One (1) language arts teacher; 13
b. One (1) math teacher; 14
c. One (1) science teacher; 15
d. One (1) social studies teacher; 16
e. Two (2) school principals; 17
f. Two (2) school superintendents; and 18
g. One (1) school board member. 19
2. On making appointments to the committee, the Governor shall ensure 20
broad geographical urban and rural representation and representation of 21
elementary, middle, and high school levels; ensure equal representation 22
of the two (2) sexes, inasmuch as possible; and ensure that appointments 23
reflect the minority racial composition of the Commonwealth. 24
3. The review of the committee shall be limited to the procedural aspects 25
of the review process undertaken prior to its consideration. 26
4. Notwithstanding KRS 12.028, t he committee shall not be subject to 27
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reorganization by the Governor. 1
(g) 1. The review process implemented under this subsection shall be an open, 2
transparent process that allows all Kentuckians an opportunity to 3
participate. The department shall ensure th e public's assistance in 4
reviewing and suggesting changes to the standards and alignment 5
adjustments to corresponding state assessments by establishing a 6
website dedicated to collecting comments by the public and educators. 7
An independent third party, which has no prior or current affiliation with 8
a curriculum or assessment resources vendor, shall be selected by the 9
department to collect and transmit the comments to the department for 10
dissemination to the appropriate advisory panel for review and 11
consideration. 12
2. Each advisory panel shall review the standards and assessments for its 13
assigned subject matter and grade level and the suggestions made by the 14
public and educators. After completing its review, each advisory panel 15
shall make recommendations for changes to the standards and alignment 16
adjustments for assessments to the appropriate standards and 17
assessments review committee. 18
3. Each standards and assessments review committee shall review the 19
findings and make recommendations to revise or replace existi ng 20
standards and to adjust alignment of assessments. 21
4. The recommendations shall be published on the website established in 22
this subsection for the purpose of gathering additional feedback from the 23
public. The commissioner shall subsequently present the 24
recommendations and the public feedback to the Interim Joint 25
Committee on Education. 26
5. The commissioner shall subsequently provide a report to the standards 27
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and assessments process review committee summarizing the process 1
conducted under this subsection and the resulting recommendations. The 2
report shall include but not be limited to the timeline of the review 3
process, public feedback, and responses from the Interim Joint 4
Committee on Education. 5
6. After receiving the commissioner's report, the standards and assessments 6
process review committee shall either concur that stakeholders have had 7
adequate opportunity to provide input on standards and the 8
corresponding alignment of state assessments or find the input process 9
deficient. If the process is found defic ient, the recommendations may be 10
returned to the appropriate standards and assessments review committee 11
for review as described in subparagraph 3. of this paragraph. If the 12
process is found sufficient, the recommendations shall be forwarded 13
without amendment to the Kentucky Board of Education. 14
(h) The Kentucky Board of Education shall promulgate administrative regulations 15
in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A as may be needed for the administration 16
of the review process, including staggering the timing and seq uence of the 17
review process by subject area and remuneration of the review committees 18
and advisory panels described in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this subsection. 19
(i) 1. The Kentucky Board of Education shall consider for approval the 20
revisions to academic s tandards for a content area and the alignment of 21
the corresponding state assessment once recommendations are received 22
from the standards and assessments process review committee. Existing 23
state academic standards shall remain in place until the board appro ves 24
new standards. 25
2. Any revision to, or replacement of, the academic standards and 26
assessments as a result of the review process conducted under this 27
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subsection shall be implemented in Kentucky public schools no later 1
than the second academic year follow ing the review process. Existing 2
academic standards shall be used until new standards are implemented. 3
3. The Department of Education shall disseminate the academic content 4
standards to the schools and teacher preparation programs. 5
(j) The Department of Ed ucation shall provide or facilitate statewide training 6
sessions for existing teachers and administrators on how to: 7
1. Integrate the revised content standards into classroom instruction; 8
2. Better integrate performance assessment of students within their 9
instructional practices; and 10
3. Help all students use higher-order thinking and communication skills. 11
(k) The Education Professional Standards Board in cooperation with the 12
Kentucky Board of Education and the Council on Postsecondary Education 13
shall coordinate information and training sessions for faculty and staff in all of 14
the teacher preparation programs in the use of the revised academic content 15
standards. The Education Professional Standards Board shall ensure that each 16
teacher preparation program inclu des use of the academic standards in the 17
pre-service education programs and that all teacher interns will have 18
experience planning classroom instruction based on the revised standards. 19
(l) The Council on Postsecondary Education in cooperation with the Kent ucky 20
Department of Education and the postsecondary education institutions in the 21
state shall coordinate information sessions regarding the academic content 22
standards for faculty who teach in the various content areas. 23
(m) The Education Professional Standar ds Board shall, as a condition of program 24
approval, require teacher preparation programs to align curriculum with the 25
expectations set forth in the state's academic content standards. 26
(3) (a) The Kentucky Board of Education shall be responsible for creatin g and 27
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implementing a balanced statewide assessment program that measures the 1
students', schools', and districts' achievement of the goals set forth in KRS 2
158.645 and 158.6451, to ensure compliance with the federal Every Student 3
Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114 -95, or its successor, and to ensure 4
school accountability. 5
(b) The board shall revise the annual statewide assessment program as needed in 6
accordance with revised academic standards and corresponding assessment 7
alignment adjustments approved by the board under subsection (2) of this 8
section. 9
(c) The statewide assessments shall not include any academic standards not 10
approved by the board under subsection (2) of this section. 11
(d) The board shall seek the advice of the Office of Education Accountability; the 12
School Curriculum, Assessment, and Account ability Council; the Education 13
Assessment and Accountability Review Subcommittee, and the department's 14
technical advisory committee in the development of the assessment program. 15
The statewide assessment program shall not include measurement of a 16
student's ability to become a self -sufficient individual or to become a 17
responsible member of a family, work group, or community. 18
(4) (a) The academic components of the statewide assessment program shall be 19
composed of annual student summative tests, which may inclu de a 20
combination of multiple competency -based assessment and performance 21
measures approved by the Kentucky Board of Education. 22
(b) The annual student summative tests shall: 23
1. Measure individual student achievement in language, reading, English, 24
mathematics, science, and social studies at designated grades; 25
2. Provide teachers and parents a valid and reliable comprehensive analysis 26
of skills mastered by individual students; 27
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3. Provide diagnostic information that identifies strengths and academic 1
deficiencies of individual students in the content areas; 2
4. Provide information to teachers that can enable them to improve 3
instruction for current and future students; 4
5. Provide longitudinal profiles for students; and 5
6. Ensure school and district accountability f or student achievement of the 6
goals set forth in KRS 158.645 and 158.6451, except the statewide 7
assessment program shall not include measurement of a student's ability 8
to become a self -sufficient individual or to become a responsible 9
member of a family, work group, or community. 10
(5) The state student assessments shall include the following components: 11
(a) Elementary and middle grades requirements are: 12
1. A criterion -referenced test each in mathematics and reading in grades 13
three (3) through eight (8) that i s valid and reliable for an individual 14
student and that measures the depth and breadth of Kentucky's academic 15
content standards; 16
2. A criterion-referenced test each in science and social studies that is valid 17
and reliable for an individual student as neces sary to measure the depth 18
and breadth of Kentucky's academic content standards to be 19
administered one (1) time within the elementary and middle grades, 20
respectively; 21
3. An on-demand assessment of student writing to be administered one (1) 22
time within the e lementary grades and one (1) time within the middle 23
grades; and 24
4. An editing and mechanics test relating to writing, using multiple choice 25
and constructed response items, to be administered one (1) time within 26
the elementary and the middle grades, respectively; 27
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(b) High school requirements are: 1
1. A criterion-referenced test in mathematics, reading, and science that is 2
valid and reliable for an individual student and that measures the depth 3
and breadth of Kentucky's academic content standards to be 4
administered one (1) time within the high school grades; 5
2. A criterion-referenced test in social studies that is valid and reliable for 6
an individual student as necessary to measure the depth and breadth of 7
Kentucky's academic content standards to be administere d one (1) time 8
within the high school grades; 9
3. An on-demand assessment of student writing to be administered one (1) 10
time within the high school grades; 11
4. An editing and mechanics test relating to writing, using multiple choice 12
and constructed response items, to be administered one (1) time within 13
the high school grades; and 14
5. A college admissions examination to assess English, reading, 15
mathematics, and science in the spring of grade eleven (11); 16
(c) The Kentucky Board of Education shall add any other c omponent necessary 17
to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114 -95, 18
or its successor, as determined by the United States Department of Education; 19
(d) The criterion -referenced components required in this subsection shall be 20
composed of constructed response items and multiple choice items; and 21
(e) The results of the assessment program developed under this subsection shall 22
be used by schools and districts to determine appropriate instructional 23
modifications for all students in order f or students to make continuous 24
progress, including that needed by advanced learners. 25
(6) Each school district shall administer the statewide student assessment during the 26
last fourteen (14) days of school in the district's instructional calendar. The 27
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Kentucky Board of Education may change the testing window to allow for 1
innovative assessment systems or other online test administration and shall 2
promulgate administrative regulations that minimize the number of days of testing 3
and outline the procedures to be used during the testing process to ensure test 4
security, including procedures for testing makeup days, and to comply with federal 5
assessment requirements. 6
(7) A student enrolled in a district -operated or district -contracted alternative program 7
shall participate in the appropriate assessments required by this section. 8
(8) A local school district may select and use commercial interim or formative 9
assessments or de velop and use its own formative assessments to provide data on 10
how well its students are growing toward mastery of Kentucky academic standards, 11
so long as the district's local school board develops a policy minimizing the 12
reduction in instructional time re lated to the administration of the interim 13
assessments. Nothing in this section precludes teachers from using ongoing teacher-14
developed formative processes. 15
(9) Each school that enrolls primary students shall use diagnostic assessments and 16
prompts that measure readiness in reading and mathematics for its primary students 17
as determined by the school to be developmentally appropriate. The schools may 18
use commercial products, use products and procedures developed by the district, or 19
develop their own diagnosti c procedures. The results shall be used to inform the 20
teachers and parents or guardians of each student's skill level. 21
(10) The state board shall ensure that a technically sound longitudinal comparison of the 22
assessment results for the same students shall be made available. 23
(11) The following provisions shall apply to the college admissions examination 24
described in subsection (5)(b)5. of this section: 25
(a) The cost of the college admissions examination administered to students in 26
high school shall be paid fo r by the Kentucky Department of Education. The 27
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costs of additional college admissions examinations shall be the responsibility 1
of the student; 2
(b) If funds are available, the Kentucky Department of Education shall provide a 3
college admissions examination preparation program to all public high school 4
juniors. The department may contract for necessary services; and 5
(c) Accommodations provided to a student with a disability taking the college 6
admissions assessment under this subsection shall consist of: 7
1. Accommodations provided in a manner allowed by the college 8
admissions assessment provider when results in test scores are 9
reportable to a postsecondary institution for admissions and placement 10
purposes, except as provided in subparagraph 2. of this paragraph; or 11
2. Accommodations provided in a manner allowed by a student's 12
individualized education program as defined in KRS 158.281 for a 13
student whose disability precludes valid assessment of his or her 14
academic abilities using the accommodations provided under 15
subparagraph 1. of this paragraph when the student's scores are not 16
reportable to a postsecondary institution for admissions and placement 17
purposes. 18
(12) Kentucky teachers shall have a significant role in providing feedback about the 19
design of the assessme nts, except for the college admissions exam described in 20
subsection (5)(b)5. of this section. The assessments shall be designed to: 21
(a) Measure grade appropriate core academic content, basic skills, and higher -22
order thinking skills and their application; 23
(b) Provide valid and reliable scores for schools. If scores are reported for 24
students individually, they shall be valid and reliable; 25
(c) Minimize the time spent by teachers and students on assessment; and 26
(d) Assess Kentucky academic standards only. 27
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(13) The results from assessment under subsections (3) and (5) of this section shall be 1
reported to the school districts and schools no later than seventy -five (75) days 2
following the last day the assessment can be administered. Assessment reports 3
provided to t he school districts and schools shall include an electronic copy of an 4
operational subset of test items from each assessment administered to their students 5
and the results for each of those test items by student and by school. 6
(14) The Department of Educat ion shall gather information to establish the validity of 7
the assessment and accountability program. It shall develop a biennial plan for 8
validation studies that shall include but not be limited to the consistency of student 9
results across multiple measures, the congruence of school scores with documented 10
improvements in instructional practice and the school learning environment, and the 11
potential for all scores to yield fair, consistent, and accurate student performance 12
level and school accountability deci sions. Validation activities shall take place in a 13
timely manner and shall include a review of the accuracy of scores assigned to 14
students and schools, as well as of the testing materials. The plan shall be submitted 15
to the Commission by July 1 of the firs t year of each biennium. A summary of the 16
findings shall be submitted to the Legislative Research Commission by September 17
1 of the second year of the biennium. 18
(15) The Department of Education and the state board shall offer optional assistance to 19
local sc hool districts and schools in developing and using continuous assessment 20
strategies needed to ensure student progress. The continuous assessment shall 21
provide diagnostic information to improve instruction to meet the needs of 22
individual students. 23
(16) The Administration Code for Kentucky's Assessment Program shall include 24
prohibitions of inappropriate test preparation activities by school district employees 25
charged with test administration and oversight, including but not limited to the issue 26
of teachers being required to do test practice in lieu of regular classroom instruction 27
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and test practice outside the normal work day. The code shall include disciplinary 1
sanctions that may be taken toward a school or individuals. 2
(17) The Kentucky Board of Education, a fter the Department of Education has received 3
advice from the Office of Education Accountability; the School Curriculum, 4
Assessment, and Accountability Council; and the department's technical advisory 5
committee, shall promulgate an administrative regulatio n under KRS Chapter 13A 6
to establish the components of a reporting structure for assessments administered 7
under this section. The reporting structure shall include the following components: 8
(a) A school report card that clearly communicates with parents an d the public 9
about school performance. The school report card shall be sent to the parents 10
of the students of the districts, and information on electronic access to a 11
summary of the results for the district shall be published in the newspaper 12
with the largest circulation in the county. It shall include but not be limited to 13
the following components reported by race, gender, and disability when 14
appropriate: 15
1. Student academic achievement, including the results from each of the 16
assessments administered under this section; 17
2. For Advanced Placement, Cambridge Advanced International, and 18
International Baccalaureate, the courses offered, the number of students 19
enrolled, completing, and taking the examination for each course, and 20
the percentage of examinees recei ving a score of three (3) or better on 21
AP examinations, a score of "e" or better on Cambridge Advanced 22
International examinations, or a score of four (4) or better on IB 23
examinations. The data shall be disaggregated by gender, race, students 24
with disabilities, and economic status; 25
3. Nonacademic achievement, including the school's attendance, retention, 26
graduation rates, and student transition to postsecondary; 27
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4. School learning environment, including measures of parental 1
involvement; and 2
5. Any other scho ol performance data required by the Every Student 3
Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-95, or its successor; 4
(b) An individual student report to parents for each student in grades three (3) 5
through eight (8) summarizing the student's skills in reading, sc ience, social 6
studies, and mathematics. The school's staff shall develop a plan for 7
accelerated learning for any student with identified deficiencies or strengths; 8
and 9
(c) A student's score on the college admissions assessment administered under 10
subsection (5)(b)5. of this section. 11
(18) (a) Every six (6) years, the Kentucky Department of Education shall implement a 12
comprehensive process for reviewing and revising the academi c standards in 13
visual and performing arts and practical living skills and career studies for all 14
levels and in foreign language for middle and high schools. The department 15
shall develop review committees for the standards for each of the content 16
areas that include representation from certified specialist public school 17
teachers and postsecondary teachers in those subject areas. 18
(b) The academic standards in practical living skills for elementary, middle, and 19
high school levels shall include a focus on drug a buse prevention, with an 20
emphasis on the prescription drug epidemic and the connection between 21
prescription opioid abuse and addiction to other drugs, such as heroin and 22
synthetic drugs. 23
(c) The department shall provide to all schools guidelines for progra ms that 24
incorporate the adopted academic standards in visual and performing arts and 25
practical living and career studies. The department shall provide to middle and 26
high schools guidelines for including a foreign language program. The 27
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guidelines shall addr ess program length and time, courses offered, staffing, 1
resources, and facilities. 2
(d) The Kentucky Department of Education, in consultation with certified public 3
school teachers of visual and performing arts, may develop program standards 4
for the visual and performing arts. 5
(19) The Kentucky Department of Education shall provide to all school districts 6
guidelines for including an effective writing program within the curriculum. 7
(20) (a) The Kentucky Department of Education, in consultation with the review 8
committees described in subsection (18) of this section, shall develop a school 9
profile report to be used by all schools to document how they will address the 10
adopted academic standards in their implementation of the programs as 11
described in subsection (18 ) of this section, which may include student 12
opportunities and experiences in extracurricular activities. The department 13
shall include the essential workplace ethics program on the school profile 14
report. 15
(b) By October 1 of each year, each school principal shall complete the school 16
profile report, which shall be signed by the members of the school council, or 17
the principal if no school council exists, and the superintendent. The report 18
shall be electronically transmitted to the Kentucky Department of Educat ion, 19
and the original shall be maintained on file at the local board office and made 20
available to the public upon request. The department shall include a link to 21
each school's profile report on its website. 22
(c) If a school staff member, student, or a stude nt's parent has concerns regarding 23
deficiencies in a school's implementation of the programs described in 24
subsection (18) of this section, he or she may submit a written inquiry to the 25
school council. 26
(21) (a) [No later than December 1, 2025, ] Each local b oard of education shall adopt 27
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and maintain a district plan establishing clear policies on the promotion of 1
advanced coursework or accelerated learning in language arts, mathematics, 2
social studies, and science by grade level for students in grades four (4) to 3
twelve (12). 4
(b) The district plan required by paragraph (a) of this subsection shall: 5
1. Be published on a publicly accessible location on the district website; 6
2. Describe the strategies and approach to advanced coursework or 7
accelerated learning op tions by grade level for language arts, 8
mathematics, social studies, and science; and 9
3. Require that the service delivery options for students identified as gifted 10
and talented in language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science 11
include the following for each grade level and subject area: 12
a. i. Accelerated learning; or 13
ii. Advanced coursework; and 14
b. At least one (1) of the following service delivery options: 15
i. Collaborative teaching and consultation services; 16
ii. Special counseling services; 17
iii. Differentiated study experiences for individuals and cluster 18
groups in the regular classroom; 19
iv. Distance learning; 20
v. Enrichment services that are not extracurricular during the 21
school day; 22
vi. Independent study; 23
vii. Mentorships; 24
viii. Resource services delivered in a pull -out classroom or other 25
appropriate instructional setting; 26
ix. Seminars; 27
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x. Travel study options; or 1
xi. Special schools or self -contained classrooms for students in 2
grades four (4) through twelve (12) only. 3
(c) The district plan required by paragraph (a) of this subsection may: 4
1. Automatically enroll a student who scores distinguished in any subject 5
area on the most recent statewide assessment for which scores are 6
available in available advanced coursework for that subject area and any 7
corresponding subject area designated by the local board of education; 8
2. Include eligibility criteria for qualification for available advanced 9
coursework for all other students; 10
3. Require written consent from a parent or guardian of a student to 11
withdraw or exclude a student that is eligible for advanced coursework 12
according to the district plan from that advanced coursework. If a 13
student requests to withdraw from advanced coursework to pursue 14
another educational opportunity, a princip al may withdraw the student 15
without written consent from a parent or guardian only after a good-faith 16
attempt to contact the parent or guardian is unsuccessful; and 17
4. Permit a principal to withdraw a student from advanced coursework 18
without written consen t from his or her parent or guardian if the 19
student's participation in advanced coursework would have an adverse 20
educational impact on a student, including interference with his or her 21
career pathway, access to career and technical education coursework, or 22
another educational opportunity. 23
(d) Beginning with the 2028 -2029 school year, the district plan required by 24
paragraph (a) of this subsection shall: 25
1. For students entering grade eight (8), automatically enroll a student in 26
an Algebra I for high school credit if the student: 27
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a. Scored proficient or higher on the most recent statewide 1
assessment in mathematics for which scores are available; 2
b Scored within the top thirty percent (30%) of students in the 3
district in a universal mathematics screener within the past year; 4
or 5
c Met an alternate enrollment criteria established by the district; 6
2. If a student has already earned high school credit for Algebra I, enroll 7
the student in a higher -level mathematics course in the same manner 8
as Algebra I enrollment under subparagraph 1. of this paragraph; 9
3. Only exclude or withdraw a student identified in subparagraph 1. of 10
this paragraph from the course if the district receives a written request 11
from the parent or guardian; 12
4. Not require students identified in subparagraph 1. of this paragraph to 13
repeat coursework for credits already earned; and 14
5. Not preclude other students from enrolling in an Algebra I course or 15
students in grade eight (8) from enrolling in more advanced 16
mathematics coursework. 17
(22) (a) The Kentucky Board of Education may promulgate administrative regulations 18
in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to administer the provisions of 19
subsection (21) of this section. 20
(b) By December 1, 2025, the Kentucky Department of Education, in 21
collaboration with local school districts, shall establish school district 22
recommendations for the consistent use of preliminary assessment data and 23
other criteria to identify students prepared for advanced coursework. 24
(c) For each school year until the end of the 2036 -2037 scho ol year, the 25
Kentucky Department of Education shall submit an annual report to the 26
Legislative Research Commission for referral to the appropriate interim 27
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joint committees that details the number, demographics, and geography of 1
students in grade eight (8) who were: 2
1. Enrolled in Algebra I or higher courses for high school credit; 3
2. Eligible for automatic enrollment under subsection (21)(d)1. of this 4
section; or 5
3. Excluded or withdrawn under subsection (21)(d)3. of this section. 6
Districts shall report t he data required under this paragraph to the 7
department in a format and timeline determined by the department. 8
Section 2. KRS 158.791 is amended to read as follows: 9
(1) The General Assembly hereby finds that: 10
(a) Reading proficiency is a gateway skill necessary for all of Kentucky students 11
to achieve the academic goals established in KRS 158.6451. It is Kentucky's 12
goal that all children learn to read well before exiting g rade three (3) and that 13
all middle and high school students have the skills necessary to read complex 14
materials in specific core subjects and comprehend and constructively apply 15
the information; and 16
(b) Mathematics proficiency is essential for all Kentucky students to achieve the 17
academic goals established in KRS 158.6451. It is Kentucky's goal that all 18
children have the skills necessary to demonstrate procedural skill and fluency, 19
building from conceptual understanding to application, in order to solve rea l-20
world problems. 21
(2) It is the intent of the General Assembly that: 22
(a) Every elementary school: 23
1. Provide comprehensive schoolwide reading and mathematics instruction 24
aligned to reading, writing, and mathematics standards required by KRS 25
158.6453 and ou tlined in administrative regulation promulgated by the 26
Kentucky Board of Education; 27
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2. Provide a multitiered system of supports, as set forth in and required by 1
KRS 158.305, to support and engage all students in learning to read at 2
the proficient level, me aning a level that reflects developmentally 3
appropriate grade-level performance, by the end of grade three (3); 4
3. Provide a multitiered system of supports, as set forth in KRS 158.8402, 5
to support and engage all students in learning to apply mathematical 6
content and practices at a proficient level, meaning a level that reflects 7
developmentally appropriate grade -level performance, by the end of 8
grade five (5); 9
4. Ensure quality instruction for reading and mathematics by highly trained 10
teachers and intervent ion by individuals most qualified to provide the 11
intervention; and 12
5. Provide high quality library media programs; 13
(b) Every middle and high school: 14
1. Provide direct, explicit instruction to students lacking skills in how to 15
read, learn, and analyze information in key subjects, including language, 16
reading, English, mathematics, science, social studies, arts and 17
humanities, practical living skills, and career studies; 18
2. Ensure that teachers have the skills to help all students develop critical 19
content knowledge, strategies, and skills for subject -based reading and 20
grade-level appropriate mathematics; 21
3. Provide a multitiered system of supports to support and engage all 22
students in learning to apply mathematical content and practices at a 23
proficient level;[ and] 24
4. Ensure all students routinely have opportunities to experience high -25
quality mathematics instruction, learn challenging, grade -level 26
appropriate mathematics content and practices, and receive the 27
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necessary support to make progress toward proficiency; and 1
5. Ensure all students have the opportunity to complete advanced high 2
school mathematics courses by completing Algebra I in grade eight (8) 3
as provided in Section 1 of this Act. 4
(c) The Kentucky Department of Education shall provide technical assista nce to 5
local school districts in the identification of high -quality professional 6
development, including teaching strategies to help teachers in each subject 7
area to: 8
1. Implement evidence -based reading, intervention, and instructional 9
strategies that empha size phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, 10
vocabulary, comprehension, and connections between reading and 11
writing acquisition, and motivation to read to address the diverse needs 12
of students; 13
2. Implement evidence -based mathematics instruction, interventio n, and 14
instructional strategies that emphasize algebraic reasoning, conceptual 15
understanding, procedural skill and fluency, geometry, data and 16
measurement, statistics and probability, number sense, place value 17
understanding, spatial reasoning, and subitizi ng for multiplicative 18
reasoning; 19
3. Identify and teach the grade -level content, practices, and skills that 20
students need to comprehend the concepts and content of each subject 21
area; and 22
4. Use learning experiences and high -quality instructional materials t hat 23
will help the students comprehend, meet grade -level expectations, and 24
constructively apply information based on the unique content of each 25
subject area; 26
(d) The Education Professional Standards Board shall review and revise when 27
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deemed necessary the te acher certification and licensure requirements to 1
ensure that all teachers, regardless of the subject area taught, are prepared to 2
improve students' subject reading and mathematics skills; and 3
(e) The department shall collaborate with relevant groups for t he purpose of 4
increasing student outcomes in literacy and mathematics. 5
Section 3. Notwithstanding the implementation date required in subsection 6
(21)(d) of Section 1 of this Act, a local board of education may elect to i mplement the 7
provisions of that subsection prior to the start of the 2028-2029 school year. 8
Section 4. By August 1, 2027, the superintendent of each school district shall 9
submit to the local board of education a plan for the implementation of subsection (21)(d) 10
of Section 1 of this Act. The plan shall identify any personnel, technology, or 11
transportation needs that would be required for implementation with the 2028 -2029 12
school year. The local board shall review the propos ed plan, and after any amendments, 13
adopt an implementation plan for the district. A local board may subsequently amend the 14
plan as the local board determines necessary. 15