The weeks of standardized tests Kentucky schools spend all year preparing are being canceled. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) says the federal government will grant the state’s request to cancel testing for the 2019-2020 school year because of closures and other challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Kentucky Department of Education has been informed by the U.S. Department of Education that we meet the requirements for the waiver of assessment & accountability for the 2019-20 school year and that formal approval is forthcoming. As a result, we are canceling the administration of 2020 K-PREP,” KDE spokeswoman Toni Konz Tatman wrote in an emailed statement.
The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires all states to carry out standardized testing in public schools to determine how well schools are serving students and teaching them important skills and concepts. Kentucky’s tests are called K-PREP, and students’ scores determine the rating each school gets on the state’s new 5-star rating system. Schools with low ratings can face consequences from the state, like changes in staffing and management takeovers.
