No Title 1400

Supplement to “College Testing Strategies”

For detailed information on Senate Bill 130
Go to the Kentucky Department of Education Web site, www.education.ky.gov, click on “Administrative Resources” top left, on left side click on “Legal & Legislative Services,” then below that click on “2006 Legislative Session.” Scroll down to “Accelerated Learning and High School ACT testing” for Senate Bill 130 as amended and passed.

Additional provisions to Senate Bill 130
Parents with students of all ages and aptitudes need to know about this new legislation, Senate Bill 130, that was approved by the 2006 Kentucky General Assembly beginning no later than 2008 that every high school junior in Kentucky will be required to take the ACT at the Department of Education’s expense. The bill also contains provisions for younger students and those who want to go directly into the workplace.

In fact, eighth- and tenth-grade students will take diagnostic tests designed to determine a student’s academic progress and identify any areas needing attention. Students with academic deficiencies will receive help in those areas.

Furthermore, high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors can also elect to take the Work Keys exam at state expense. This ACT-administered test measures skills when applied to workplace situations and is used extensively by employers across the U.S. to measure workplace readiness.

“This legislation is not just for college-bound kids,” says Alicia Sells, director of government affairs for the Kentucky School Boards Association, a strong advocate for the legislation. “Kids also need to know if they have the skills to be competitive in the modern workplace. The Work Keys exam tells them that, and the state will pay for it.”

For college-bound students, the benefits don’t end with college admission, according to Sen. Dan Kelly (R-Springfield), who notes that 54 percent of Kentucky high school students have to take remedial, noncredit college courses, costing the state and those paying for tuition some $25 million a year.

“I think we can dramatically reduce that by learning early on where students need help,” he says. “We can also encourage students who show an ability in math and science, for instance, to take advanced placement classes. There are a lot of statistics that show students who take more advanced placement classes are more successful in college.”

To read the Kentucky Living September 2006 feature that goes along with this supplement, click here: College Testing Strategies