FRANKFORT, Ky. – Governor Steve Beshear today announced that Kentucky has been selected by the National Governors Association to work with other states in developing policies related to more efficient education funding and flexibility in awarding of high school credits.

Kentucky, along with Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, will receive grant funds and technical assistance to develop policies that increase the options for students to earn high school credits toward graduation. Kentucky will work with Arizona, Minnesota and New Mexico to focus on how best to reallocate state education resources in support of increasing educational performance.

Many states are expanding the measure of their education systems from fixed timelines that do not necessarily mean a student has mastered course material to educational outcomes, such as a student’s readiness for college and career training. Flexibility in awarding credit could be beneficial to re-engage students who have dropped out or are at risk, and states could reduce the cost of education. 

Several school districts and states have explored the option of allowing students to earn high school credits through various forms, including:

•  online courses
• college courses that earn both college and high school credits (commonly known as dual enrollment)
• expanded learning opportunities (ELOs)
• extracurricular activities
• volunteerism
• internships/externships

“Awarding credits based on inputs like enrollment and attendance leaves educators with limited options to provide remedial services that will support students during the transition to more rigorous standards and assessments,” said Gov. Beshear. “I am pleased that our state has this opportunity to learn how we can advance our credit awarding policies to better serve students.”

Grantee states for the policy academy will receive technical assistance from NGA staff, as well as consultants from the private sector, research organizations and academia as part of the project. States also will be provided with access to and training on how to use a policy audit tool designed to help them determine what new policies will need to be enacted to help students earn credits. 

Funding for this project was made possible by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

The other NGA policy academy that will include Kentucky will focus on budget constraints faced by states and the trade-offs states need to assess when it comes to education budgets. The states will focus their work on how to more efficiently and effectively compensate educators and how to increase productivity and flexibility in the provision of educational services inside and outside the classroom. At the end of the process, NGA staff will capture the lessons and accomplishments of the participating states and share them with all of the states and territories.

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