Interim Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis has cancelled the Town Hall meetings planned to get feedback on Kentucky’s graduation requirements. Instead, he is taking to the Internet to streamline the citizen engagement process.
The Kentucky Department of Education now will collect input online through an expanded survey. This will cut down on staff time and expense, and expedite the development process so that schools have ample time to implement the new requirements for the incoming class of freshmen in the fall of 2019.
“It is still critical to get input from parents, educators and others,” Lewis said. “But we want to be more aggressive with the timeline for developing and implementing more rigorous, meaningful, and flexible requirements for graduation. We intend to present the Kentucky Board of Education of Education with a framework for consideration and feedback in June, and have a draft regulation prepared for a first reading in August. Kentucky’s students, colleges and the business community cannot wait another year.”
Despite changes in the economy and the expectations of employers and postsecondary institutions, Kentucky’s minimum high school graduation requirements have not changed in more than six years.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) along with education and business partners from across the Commonwealth have begun to develop the “Profile of a Kentucky High School Graduate.” The profile is intended to identify the competencies needed for high school graduates to successfully transition to the next step in life, whether that be a two-year or four-year college, apprenticeship, and/or the workforce.
Lewis is encouraging parents, educators, students, business and industry partners, and community members to provide feedback to some basic survey questions around high school graduation requirements. Go online to access information about current graduation requirements and the survey. The survey will close May 15.
Input that has already been collected through the Town Hall process will be used along with that gathered through the expanded survey to inform the revision of the graduation requirements.
From the Kentucky Department of Education
