My first foray into the 2017 NAEP results is for Kentucky’s historic worst performance area – Grade 8 Math. This comparison map, generated with the new NAEP Data Explorer web tool shows the state’s white eighth graders were outscored by a statistically significant amount by white eighth graders in almost all the states in the…
One of the first to report, US News is already online saying that “NAEP Shows Little to No Gains in Math, Reading for U.S. Students,” NAEP being the federal National Assessment of Educational Progress. But, echoing concerns I discussed several days ago, in what might become one of the biggest credibility challenges NAEP has ever…
Thanks to information in the Postsecondary Feedback Reports from the Kentucky Center for Education and Workforce Statistics (KCEWS), Kentuckians have access to some interesting salary data for the state’s college graduates. The following table extracts data from several Postsecondary Feedback Reports issued in 2014 that show how much Kentucky bachelors’ and graduate degree winners in…
Uh, Oh! There are disturbing indications that there could be some interesting problems brewing for the validity of scores from the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), especially for state level results. According to a Chalkbeat article, Louisiana Superintendent John White, as is usual with state education leaders, has already gotten an advanced look…
For Immediate Release: Monday, March 26, 2018 Groups and media organizations across the political spectrum were alarmed when, as the Bluegrass Institute Center for Open Government reported, House Bill 302 was changed to reclassify government business done on private devices and accounts as outside the reach of the open records law. As a result, the…
Editor’s note: The Bluegrass Beacon is a weekly syndicated statewide newspaper column posted on the Bluegrass Institute website after being released to and published by newspapers statewide. The incredible demolition of the Capital Plaza Tower, Frankfort’s tallest building brought down after falling into disrepair, offers a stark visual reminder not only of what’s going to…
Surprise NPR published an interesting ranking of the average teacher salaries across the 50 states a few days ago. I think the findings will surprise many in Kentucky. Below is an extract from a graphic in the NPR article that shows the top-ranked states for teacher salaries as of 2016. Surprise! After adjusting for the…
As Kentucky legislators harshly reacted to our position on proposed legislation aimed at vastly narrowing the scope and application of the Open Records Act by redefining the term “public record” to exclude “any electronic communications . . . using a private cell phone or other private electronic device that is paid for with private funds or…
By Amye Bensenhaver When it was introduced into the House of Representatives on February 2, 2018, HB 302 was described as “An act relating to reorganization.” At that time, its stated purpose was to “Amend KRS 12.020 and 12.252 to create the Professional Licensing Legal Division within the Public Protection Cabinet; create the Office of…
In a fitting climax to Sunshine Week, 2018, the Kentucky Supreme Court heard oral argument on March 15 in Department of Revenue v. Mark F. Sommer. The question before the Court is whether the public has a right to know how the Department of Revenue interprets Kentucky’s tax laws in recurring taxpayer protests. In October,…