Over the last decade, Kentucky has led efforts to catalyze local innovation related to high school transformation. The state’s “United We Learn” vision for education emphasizes “vibrant learning experiences for every student; encouraging innovation, especially around assessment; [and] creating a bold new future for Kentucky’s schools through collaboration with our communities.”
This vision is well-suited to the implementation of the 10 policy actions outlined in this report. Accordingly, Kentucky is one of the top-performing states in our analysis, having taken steps to meet the criteria for five policy actions.
In 2023, the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) adopted a statewide Portrait of a Learner that defines a set of durable skills and competencies—including mastering challenging academic content and fostering skills like communication, collaboration, and adaptability—that all Kentucky graduates should acquire by the end of high school.
The state continues to invest in high school innovation by developing guides and resources for educators that facilitate the transition to competency-based instruction. It has also launched a competency-based math badging pilot program, in partnership with the Kentucky Center for Mathematics and the XQ Institute, to catalyze the shift to a system in which students earn credit based on demonstrations of learning, not seat time.
As Kentucky continues to build on this work, the state could explore opportunities for a statewide initiative with dedicated resources to incentivize community-based high school redesign.
