Kentucky Department of Education

News Release 08-066 - September 2, 2008

**Please note that, since the release of this information on September 2, additional items reflecting educational progress have been added to the list below, including information about technology, school facilities, school nutrition and preschool programs.

            (FRANKFORT, Ky.) – Kentucky Education Commissioner Jon E. Draud says that, although Kentucky faces many obstacles in the struggle to raise academic achievement for its public school students, the state has made remarkable progress in the nearly 20 years since the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) was passed.

            “Kentucky has faced decades of educational neglect and a whole host of barriers to learning, such as poverty, but we can no longer use these obstacles as an excuse,” Draud said. “Progress is evident in many measures of educational achievement, and Kentuckians should appreciate and build on that progress.

            “Investment in education – not just providing more money – is the key to our future success,” Draud said. “Spending on P-12 education in Kentucky, as a percentage of the state’s General Fund, has declined since the early 1990s. In 1994, education spending represented 48 percent of General Fund monies. In the 2008-2010 biennial budget, P-12 education receives 43.8 percent of the General Fund.”

            Draud also noted that, according to data from the National Education Association and other sources, Kentucky’s school funding per student ranks as low as 36^th in the nation and is below the national average.

            “Given Kentucky’s relative poverty and economic struggles, a commitment to investment in P-12 education will bring about dramatic changes,” he said. “Since KERA was passed in 1990, we’ve made educational progress. Educators, legislators, businesspeople and the general public must work together to continue that momentum and guarantee that our system will serve the needs of our youngest and most important citizens.” 

            Draud noted several indicators of Kentucky’s educational success.

·        An October 2007 study by the Kentucky Long Term Policy Research Center said, “The state’s overall profile is one of steady, measurable and broadly recognized improvement.” 

• Based on the center’s National Education Index, Kentucky’s ranking has gone from 43^rd in 1992 to 34^th in 2005, a finding consistent with Education Week’s “Quality Counts 2007” Achievement Index, which also ranks Kentucky 34^th, and the Morgan Quitno 2006-07 Smartest State Index, which ranks Kentucky 31^st. 
• The study concludes, “Kentucky’s gains have come in spite of considerable and broadly recognized liability of educating children who are at a profound economic disadvantage and lifting the educational status of a population that has historically been undereducated and disproportionately poor.”
• The center also notes that Kentucky’s “investments in education yield higher results than predicted considering the obstacles we face.” Kentucky ranks as high as 8^th nationally for cost-effective educational spending, although we rank 36^th in the area of per-pupil funding. 

 

·        For its 12th annual “Quality Counts” report in 2008, Education Week provided grades for states’ efforts to enhance the teaching profession. Kentucky’s overall grade in that area was 80.9 out of 100 possible points, which was a B-. Kentucky was ranked 9th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 

·        In early 2008, the 11^th annual Technology Counts report by Education Week gave Kentucky favorable marks. Overall, Kentucky was tied for third place nationally, up from fourth place overall last year. More than 23,000 classrooms (59%) have 21^st-century applications, including electronic display devices.

 

·        According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, or the “Nation’s Report Card”), Kentucky children are performing better in comparison to their peers nationally than they ever have before.

• The 2007 NAEP in reading and mathematics showed that Kentucky’s 4^th- and 8^th-graders made gains when compared to the state’s performance in previous NAEP assessments. In reading, Kentucky 4^th- and 8^th-graders scored just above the national average. In mathematics, the scale scores are just shy of the national average.
• A June 2008 study by the Center on Education Policy indicated that Kentucky was one of four states to show consistent moderate-to-large gains in NAEP scores at all levels since 2002, indicating that achievement has improved across the board.

 

·        For the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, in the 2007-08 school year, data indicated that 70.9 percent – 820 of Kentucky’s 1,157 public schools made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) despite significantly higher goals in reading and math. In 2008, fewer schools were subject to consequences than in 2007.

 

·        The average composite ACT score in Kentucky has improved one full point since KERA took effect (19.9 in 1990 vs. 20.9 in 2008). During that time the national average has only increased a half-point. In Kentucky the number of students taking the ACT test has increased significantly from 24,942 in 1990 to 31,728 in 2008.

• In the four subjects tested by the ACT, Kentucky students score equal to or just slightly less than their counterparts across the U.S.

o       In 2008, 65 percent of Kentucky high schoolers who took the ACT noted on surveys that they also took the recommended core courses. This compares with only 28 percent who took the recommended rigorous coursework in 1990.

       

·        According to the National Institute for Early Education Research’s 2007 State Preschool Yearbook, Kentucky was one of seven states that meet eight of ten benchmarks for high-quality preschool programs. Only eight other states met more benchmarks than Kentucky.

 

·        The Kentucky School Facilities Program has been recognized by the state’s General Accounting Office as being a leader, with a comprehensive program of long-range planning, technical support, high-quality state architectural and educational standards and state school financial support. Since 1993, more than 57% of Kentucky’s public schools have been replaced or completely renovated. Twenty-one percent of Kentucky’s school facilities are  heated and cooled with geothermal HVAC.

 

·        The School Breakfast Scorecard 2007, produced by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), shows that Kentucky ranks eighth nationally in the percentage of schools that offer breakfast and fifth in the percentage of low-income students participating in School Lunch Program who also eat breakfast.

 

·        The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides lunches to approximately 500,000 students every day in public, private and parochial schools and residential child care institutions in Kentucky. During 2006 and 2007, Kentucky ranked first among states that have made improvement in the nutritional quality of school foods, according the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

 

·        According to state test results, students at all grade levels have shown progress since the inception of KERA, with performance trends going up in all subjects. In addition, elementary, middle and high schools have reduced the percentage of novice-level learners every year.

 

• The number of students scoring proficient or higher in reading and math on the KCCT improved significantly from 1999-2006. In reading, the percentage increased by 14 points at the elementary level, 13 points in middle school and 16 points at the high school level. In math, the story was much the same, with a 29-point increase at the elementary level, 11 points in middle school and 13 points in high school.
• The performance of students in various demographic groups has risen since 1999. At the elementary, middle and high school level, African American students, students with disabilities and those who qualify for free and reduced-price meals have posted double-digit gains in their overall average scores.

 

·        Kentucky’s public school nonacademic measures also have improved since the early 1990s.

• The dropout rate in Kentucky has declined from more than five percent (5.06%) in 1993 to slightly above three percent (3.17%) in 2007.
• We’ve seen the graduation rate increase. In 2001, it stood at 79.72 percent. In 2007, it climbed to more than 83.72 percent.
• Of those who do graduate, more are pursuing some sort of postsecondary education. Fifty-five percent of our high school graduates are opting for college. Another five percent are pursuing vocational or technical education. 

 

·        Kentucky has seen improvements in teacher quality as well. The Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) reports that the number of highly qualified teachers increased in recent years, while the number emergency certifications is down especially in the area of special education. More than 250 Kentucky teachers earned National Board certification in 2007,  and Kentucky now ranks eighth nationwide in the total number of National Board Certified Teachers with 1,376. 

 

·        According to the SREB Challenge to Lead Goals for Education Report, Kentucky has made some progress in reforming school leadership and is considered a “pacesetter” state in providing support for aspiring and newly appointed principals.

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