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For Immediate Release Contact: Jim Waters
Thurs., March 26, 2009 270-782-2140
Institute hails CATS’ final meow
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Senate Bill 1, which replaces the ineffective, costly and controversial state public-school testing system, was signed into law today by Gov. Steve Beshear in a ceremony at the state capitol.
The decision by policymakers to overhaul CATS was hailed by the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Kentucky’s free-market think tank, as an important step toward meaningful reform of the commonwealth’s struggling education system.
“Replacing this failed testing system has been a high priority of the institute since our beginning six years ago,” said Jim Waters, the institute’s director of policy and communications. “Parents deserve to know if their children are getting the education they need to compete in the 21st century marketplace. CATS did not provide that.”
The bill calls for a comprehensive review of the education standards used to develop test questions and mandates coordination with the needs of colleges and universities to reduce high remediation rates and adequately prepare Kentucky students for higher education.
“This policy change will result in the return of nationally norm-referenced tests to our elementary schools, so parents at all school levels will have a good idea of how their children stack up against kids nationally,” said Richard G. Innes, education analyst for the Bluegrass Institute. “Taking advantage of recent advances in testing, Kentucky’s new assessments will provide diagnostic information to both teachers and parents.”
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