This brief is part of a four-part series examining the past, present, and future of modern school accountability systems. With the dual forces of the COVID-19 pandemic and the national call to action on racial inequity, the question of how we should measure and hold schools accountable for the impact they have on students is more urgent than ever.…

As an institution built on the foundation of a Normal School, collaboration among faculty members and across program areas and academic units has been part of Western Kentucky University's (WKU) heritage since 1906. In addition to the various collaborative initiatives across campus, there are a variety of initiatives that involve various agencies…

Across the United States the state education agency (SEA) is a "sleeping giant" with untapped potential to build instructional capacity in the nation's 110,000 public schools. The SEA is positioned to build the system-wide synergy requisite to achieve the unprecedented school-level student outcomes mandated by the No Child Left Behind…

Outlines implications of educational reform initiatives for psychologists and discusses the roles they can play in the process of educational reform. The experience of Kentucky with its Kentucky Educational Reform Act serves as an example of the systemic education reform efforts many states are undertaking and illustrates the importance of…

This paper summarizes some studies designed to measure the effectiveness of reforms brought about by the Kentucky Educational Reform Act and the changes resulting from the implementation of the current assessment system, the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS). Results of one study indicate that the use of the writing portfolio did…

This paper discusses the role of educational psychology in meeting the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (KEPSB) requirements and mandates for the Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA) for new and experienced teachers. There are two areas at the university program level where educational psychologists, individually and collectively,…

Designed to monitor school accountability, KIRIS (Kentucky Instructional Results Information System) offers a powerful lesson about how high-stakes accountability systems can distort and undermine original visions for effective curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices. Changes have been influenced by several interconnected elements:…

The passage of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) in the 1990s made Kentucky one of the first states to initiate comprehensive education reform. It established a legislatively mandated goal that all public schools reach "proficiency" (100 of 140 points) on an accountability index by 2014. This paper tries to predict which schools…

Examines the relationship between efficacy and productivity and stakeholders' attitudes about the school-based council's usefulness as a decision-making body. A survey of participating and nonparticipating staff and parents indicates that school councils' efficacy and productivity are related to noninstructional, but not student-achievement…

The goal of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990 was that all schools would be successful as measured by the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). The Kentucky Distinguished Educator Program was created to promote the goal. The program sought to create a pool of distinguished educators who would serve in School…

Although at least four states have developed and validated instruments to assess principals' performance, most states, including Kentucky, rely on outdated criteria and continue to use inappropriate technical procedures in developing appraisal instruments. There is need to evaluate the principal as an individual on processes and as a team member…

Presents case studies of four exemplary schools as they worked to meet the demands of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) and the assessment system, the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System. Finds that the ways schools met the challenges were unique to each site, but outlines aspect common to teachers in all four sites. (SLD)

This study examined how teachers perceived their professional development needs and how to best meet those needs in the context of systemic reform (the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990), noting plans for professional development created by teachers themselves. A stratified random sample of schools from five geographic locations in Kentucky…

In 1990, in response to court orders, Kentucky took the unprecedented step of throwing out the state's entire public educational system. Using outside consultants, they fashioned a model for education reform that many experts have hailed as the best in the United States. The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) has become a beacon of hope for a…

Equity, the driving force of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990, serves as the underpinning for an array of initiatives including the Kentucky Education Technology System (KETS). Sparse research exists on decision-making practices relative to equity measures associated with the distributions of KETS resources. The purpose of this…