Kentucky finally gets trustworthy test scores

By Richard G. Innes

Introduction

The most frustrating aspect of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act is its failure to provide credible school measurements.

First, the state experimented with the ill-fated Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS) assessments. No one believed the scores, and the Legislature got rid of this assessment in 1998. Then the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) was implemented, accompanied by more doubts. Student proficiency skyrocketed under the CATS in some cases soaring to more than double the proficiency rates reported by federal testing programs.

Finally, in 2006, the Legislature not educators decided to get a better handle on our students' actual performance. This led to the requirement that all eighth-, 10th- and 11th-graders take the ACT Inc.'s EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT assessments, respectively.

This test system known as EPAS evaluates a student's readiness for college and/or for the vast majority of those better-paying jobs that do not require a college degree. ACT's extensive experience in creating assessments both for college and for the workforce is a testament to the value of EPAS.

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