The Evolution of K-12 Education in Kentucky - Assignment Example

The Evolution of K- 12 education in Kentucky The federal, and local initiatives that have influenced changesin the student testing system In the recent years, there has been increased emphasis on administration of standardized tests in United States for both elementary and secondary education. However, the state legislation, which herald the age of education reforms is the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) with regulatory responsibility that led to the establishment of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). This came into effect in early 1990s, a period characterized by efforts to adopt new ways of student assessment and how to make the old techniques more respondent to the needs of the students. Consequently, there was emphasis on schools to replace the testing system, which depended on multiple-choice items with authentic testing. The 1990 legislation that mandated KIRIS to undertake this reform set the 1996 as the year when all assessments in Kentucky K-12 schools should be performance-based (Pankratz and Petrosko, 2002). Following the adoption of different legislation in different states, there was a federal intervention into the testing system through the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. This law increase the mandate of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act especially with regard to the testing system adopted by K-12 schools (Hull, 2002). This law requires the education boards in all state to adopt such systems in the assessment of student performance while also expanding the requirements of the assessment system through provisions on administration of math and reading tests in grades 3-8 and once in high school (Pankratz and Petrosko, 2002; Hull, 2002). After the NCLB came into effect in 2001, there have been further initiatives to improve the testing system in Kentucky. Among such initiates are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which is practiced under the office Council of Chief State School Officers in Kentucky with the National Governors Association, providing important input through development and adoption of common standards in core academic subjects of math and English language arts (ELA). The aim of CCSS is to provide a state-mandated initiative that will improve the quality of testing systems to match internationally benchmarked efforts in this area in order to prepare students to be competitive in the global economy (Lynch, 2012). Therefore, there has been a shift in assessment from comprehension of subjects to using critical thinking. Kentucky has adopted the provisions of CCSS by introducing and making student assessment based on the Kentucky Core Academic Standards (KCAS). The adoption of KCSAS was undertaken in the 2011–12 academic school year through incorporation into teaching methods followed by first testing in the spring of 2012 to measure progress made by students over the period (Ellis, 2011). Another initiative to improve the testing system in the state is the introduction of the Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP) introduced following the enactment of Senate Bill 1 (SB1) in 2009 in the state legislature. The bill was passed based on the need to adopt new testing system that could challenge students while also preparing them for the college education and subsequent skill development for the current century. Consequently, the SB1 provided for the adoption of new set of criteria in student testing to replace all the previous systems where application of K-PREP was initially practised in the 2011-2012 school academic year (Pankratz and Petrosko, 2002). 2. How these political initiatives have affected K-12 education both students in the schools and teachers in the state The introduction of various testing systems in K-12 education has had various impacts on the teaching and learning to respond to the new requirements on assessment. When KIRIS was introduced, teachers had to increase the level of student preparedness in examinations as the previous system that depended on multiple-choice objective tests could not adequately prepare their students. Additionally teachers are aware of the financial implications that come with the performance-based approach adopted by KIRIS where best performance is rewarded. The reward scheme is affected through a monitoring process where the progress of schools in the state are collected with schools that are succeeding based on increased average KIRIS scores being rewarded. This award system does not only recognize the difference in school performance but also performance of teachers as essential aspect of the education system. On the part of the students, the introduction of KIRIS implies the need for deeper grasp of content as they will not only be tested on concepts in various disciplines but also on critical thinking through writing of essays of various lengths. Students haven to prepare for a testing system that is not based on the tradition of multiple-choice objective tests. Students are required to create a portfolio of writing and mathematics work especially for those in the 4th (writing only), 8th, and 12th grades (Pankratz and Petrosko, 2002). The adoption of CCSS on the federal level and KCAS in Kentucky led to adoption of various assessment procedures to improve teaching and student learning further. Among the effect of this initiative on K-12, education for students is in the area of creative and critical thinking instead of learning through rote memorization. Students are prepared for the future through instilling skills that emphasize creativity, collaboration and communication that are essential in the contemporary workplace. Application of learning experiences is also an important aspect of the KCAS initiative as it has provided an opportunity for students to develop the ability to think and reason necessary for problem solving. Internalization of knowledge and application to both academic and real life experiences instead of regurgitate during a test has also been emphasized by this testing system. Therefore, application of the KCAS in the Kentucky educational system is a move that resulted in the better preparation for students to succeed at higher-grade level and subsequent graduation from high school as students who graduate have been primed for college and different career paths (America’s Edge, 2013). There is also an implication of KCAS in the approaches adopted by teachers to help their students improve their knowledge and attitude both academically and in real life experiences. Apart from providing clear, focused and easy standards for teachers and students to adopt in the classroom, KCAS provides teachers with a framework where they can deliberate on the common standards to improve their collaborative efforts development of lessons, resources and best teaching methods. The result of such approaches by teachers is that it is simple to prepare individualized instruction that reflects various student needs. However, the ease in practicing different teaching and approaches under this initiative can only be reflected in students according to the amity of the teacher to create new, innovative and more effective teaching methods that will ensure students are actively engaged in the learning process (Pankratz and Petrosko, 2002). The adoption of K-PREP in Kentucky K-12 education system has a range of implications for the teachers and students especially considering that the test system is based on national college readiness standards set for math and English/language arts (ELA) with more rigorous practices compared to previous state standards being introduced. For instance, achieving proficiency levels in math and ELA has been made more demanding of students through adjustments on assessment scale, which previously ranged from 0-140 into a new system that range from scores of 0-100 in rating schools. Another area of adjustment is in academic index gained by schools in different content area that was the only area of achievement scores reported in previous systems. Under the K-PREP, this assessment criterion is maintained but there is also an introduction of measures where scores and ranking of schools in the state is done based Gap and Growth measures (Pankratz and Petrosko, 2002). For any given school, the Gap score is arrived at by calculating the difference in achievement levels of students belonging to the majority groups (such as white students, those not disabled, non-English learners and others who do not meet requirements for free or reduced lunch) against students in these groups. Consequently, teachers are expected to adequately prepare their students in order to close the achievement gap between these groups of students. In terms of the Growth score for a particular school in Kentucky, K-PREP has provided a basis to measure the degree to which every student attains annual growth in reading and math respectively. The consequence of this assessment practice is that schools through teachers should develop learning experiences that will ensure every student records a positive academic growth on a yearly basis (Ellis, 2011). 3. The historical impact of state and local demographic shifts to the curriculum, standards for learning, and the states student accountability testing Over the years, the Kentucky K-12 education sector has gone through different changes to ensure provision of learning opportunity to students from different demographic backgrounds. Initially, the educational system was divided based on racial lines with the Whites and African American students learning different curriculums. The learning environment was also different especially since students from White majority group went to institutions of learning that attracted more finances from the state government compared to schools serving the African American children. Female learners were also less compared to male students regardless of their racial background although there were slightly more White female students that African American female students. Due to such differences in the educational system, there were a number of studies over time that was conducted to address some of the problems affecting the educational system in Kentucky (Ellis, 2011). As the education system increasingly seeks to include all the groups of American citizens in the learning process, there has been increased emphasis on the development of a curriculum; standards for learning and student accountability testing that reflect diversity in terms of race, gender, physical abilities and economical situations of students accessing K-12 education. Consequently, the Kentucky educational board has introduced measures to ensure diversity in classrooms by introducing a curriculum that is sensitive to all these groups. The curriculum demands that teachers should be aware of diversity when preparing their lesson plan especially by considering educational needs of students with disabilities, those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities, and from immigrant families who are sometimes non-native speakers. In addition to identifying these differences, teachers should also be aware of gender-based differences that affect the way teachers should treat students based on whether they are male or female (Kentucky Department of Education, 2011). Even with the changes that have been undertaken over the years, there are still areas of difficulty especially for disadvantaged children who find it difficult to enter elementary grades. There are a number of initiatives such as the Education Professional Standards Board put in place to minimize such effects (Ellis, 2011). 4. A conclusion that wraps up all 3 of the sections and tells how the state’s education has evolved and what is seems to be moving toward in the future Kentucky K-12 educational system has gone through significant transformations over the years. A study of the testing system indicates a shift from reliance on multiple-choice items in tests to emphasis on performance-based testing. These changes indicate improvement in the testing system as the education system increasingly assesses the levels of comprehensive knowledge gained over a given learning period. Following the introduction of NCLB, emphasis in K-12 is shifting towards adoption of a testing system that will gauge the level of knowledge acquisition by students based on their ability to fit into the demands of higher learning and workplaces in terms of skills gained in academics and personal experiences. Consequently, the testing system is moving from rote learning towards adoption of measures that will challenge students while also developing career individuals who can compete with the best in the world. The consequence of this shift in education is that teachers and students have to adopt teaching and learning approaches that will ensure they have the capacity to meet the needs of contemporary education and professional development. Acquisition of relevant skills in different disciplines becomes an essential goal. While K-12 education demands enhanced levels of knowledge acquisition for students, contemporary curriculum, standards for learning, and the states student accountability testing also demands that diversity is embraced in the process teaching and learning. Consequently, there is a need for the education sector to introduce approaches and designs that accommodate students from different groups within the community. In conclusion, the evolution of Kentucky’s K-12 education indicates a move towards inclusiveness of every child in the community while also seeking to increase the level of skill acquisition that will ensure such a child can competitive favorably in the global job market. References America’s Edge (2013). Kentucky Core Academic Standards Fact Sheet. Washington DC: America’s Edge Ellis, W. (2011). A history of education in Kentucky. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. Hull, J. W. (2002). The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Leaving the States Behind? Little Rock, Arkansas: Council of State Governments, Southern Legislative Conference. Lynch, M. (2012). Its Time for a Change: School Reform for the Next Decade. Lanham, Maryland: R&L Education. Pankratz, R. S., & Petrosko, J. M. (Eds.). (2002). All children can learn: Lessons from the Kentucky reform experience. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Kentucky Department of Education (2011). Model curriculum framework 2011. Kentucky Department of Education. Available at: http://education.ky.gov/curriculum/docs/documents/kentucky%20model%20curriculum%20framework%202011%20revised%20july%2026.pdf Read More