KRS 158.649 (SB 168), Kentucky's achievement gap legislation, became effective July 15, 2002. This statute requires all school councils (principals if there is not a council) to set biennial targets for eliminating any achievement gaps and submit them to the superintendent for consideration. The superintendent shall meet with the school council (principal if there is not a council) to agree on the biennial targets addressed in the school improvement plan. School councils are not required to include targets for each subpopulation in their improvement plans.
Based on the disaggregated biennial assessment results, the local board must determine if each school achieved its biennial targets. If the local board makes this determination, the school council (principal if there is not a council) shall be required to submit revisions to the school improvement plan describing use of professional development and continuing education funds to close the achievement gap.
The superintendent shall report to the commissioner of education if a school fails to meet its targets to reduce the gap in student achievement for any student group for two (2) successive biennia. The school's improvement plan shall be subject to review and approval by the Kentucky Department of Education.
A letter from the Interim Commissioner of Education was sent to all Superintendents on January 9, 2007 outlining this process. This letter can be read in full on the Messages to Superintendents page.
For assistance with improvement planning, visit the KDE Planning Tools for Schools and Districts webpage.
For assistance with closing achievement gaps, visit the Achievement Gap Coordinators' webpage.