(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 36th 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 43rd in 1992 to 34th in 2005, a finding consistent with Education
Week’s “Quality Counts 2007” Achievement Index, which also ranks Kentucky 34th,
and the Morgan Quitno 2006-07 Smartest State Index, which ranks Kentucky 31st.
SOURCE: KDE press releaseThe 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 8th
nationally for cost-effective educational spending, although we rank 36th 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 11th 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.
· 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 4th- and 8th-graders made gains when compared to the state’s performance in previous NAEP assessments. In reading, Kentucky 4th- and 8th-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.
. 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 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 providing support for aspiring and newly appointed principals.
4 comments:
The KDE news release says: “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 4th- and 8th-graders made gains when compared to the state’s performance in previous NAEP assessments.”
Not true.
Kentucky’s eighth grade NAEP reading scale score was 266 in 2003 but dropped to only 262 in 2007. That 2007 score is statistically significantly lower than the 2003 score. During the same time frame, the national score stayed flat, so we are not doing better than ever before as of the latest NAEP eighth grade reading results.
Furthermore, Kentucky excludes learning disabled students at well above the national average on both fourth and eighth grade NAEP reading tests, which means the state’s reading scores, as published, are inflated.
In fourth grade NAEP math, in 1992 Kentucky’s scale score was 4 points below the national average. In 2007, Kentucky’s score was also 4 points below the national average. There has been no improvement relative to peers in other states.
Kentucky did narrow the gap for eighth grade math, but at a cost of a doubled rate of exclusion for students with learning disabilities, which throws the published score improvement into limbo. Why did we suddenly exclude twice as many disabled kids in 2007 given that NAEP now allows all sorts of testing accommodations?
The really sad thing is that the correct information is readily available in the NAEP math and reading report cards. Anyone with Web access can see for themselves that the KDE’s assertions are not correct. Why does the KDE put out such easily disproved material?
And, why do Kentucky educators stand silent while the KDE continues to pull this sort of stuff?
I imagine its because educators whose experience predates KERA, like Draud, have experienced great changes in the schools and know from experience how much more is being done to assure a quality education for all children.
Draud is making a much broader point - "...the state has made remarkable progress in the nearly 20 years since the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) was passed."
Arguing specific data points in the face of the larger picture might be seen as an attempt to focus on a tree while ignoring the forest.
Then what is KDE doing to the forest and the trees when they paint their picture with false data points?
Are you seriously trying to call Innes' fact-checking on the KDE myopia?
David,
No...more like tedious. And it's not the fact-checking - it's the conclusions.
The problem with Draud's statement, "better in comparison to their peers nationally than they ever have..." is that it only takes one variance to disprove. That's Dick's stock-in-trade. He does his homework. He's good at it.
I assume all studies to be imperfect because we're dealing with social science data. But the studies are helpful tools that point out strengths and weaknesses and guide our efforts.
Still, I don't blame Innes for treating them suspiciously. That's just smart.
And, there are weaknesses in the system. For example, Dick and I agree about the graduation rate debacle - which seems to be en route to improvement. And I'm certainly not saying he's wrong about everything. He catches errors and causes KDE to work harder to present good data.
Heck, Draud is quick to agree the system is far from perfect. But we're not going to starve it to health. Let's get some smart folks in a room, fix the tax code, and move on.
But this data dispute does nothing to disuade me from what I know to be true because I lived it - an experience Innes might completely discount because it's not quantitative.
I wouldn't trade my working knowledge after 35 years in Kentucky schools (rural/suburban/city/public/private/college/K-12) for any report - and that goes double for any report that concludes Kentucky schools haven't improved much since the 80's.
Draud is correct to cite the studies that show Kentucky in the middle third of states in student achievement. It was much of that same data that caused the circuit court to declare that Kentucky had made substantial progress since KERA, when Young v Williams was thrown out of court.
Is there some suggestion that the court was in error in Young v Williams? If so, please, regale me.
Progress in student achievement data is not a straight line. It's more like a stock market ticker. What you look for in long-term change is the trend, and a positive trend in Kentucky is undeniable - unless one is in the denial business.
Surely that's not the case.
Richard
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