Education in Kentucky includes elementary school (kindergarten through fifth grade in most areas), middle school (or junior high, sixth grade through eighth grade in most locations), high school (ninth through twelfth grade in most locations), and postsecondary institutions. Most Kentucky schools and colleges are accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional accreditor for over 13,000 public and private educational institutions ranging from preschool to college level in the Southern United States. ...

Education in Kentucky suffers from the same negative stigma as many other Southern states. Some statistics, such as ranking 47th in the nation in percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree^[1] and an adult illiteracy rate of about 40%^[2], seem to justify the stereotype, while others, such as ranking 14th in educational affordability^[1], 25th in K-12 attrition^[3], and being named the 35th smartest state using a formula by author Morgan Quitno^[4] (ahead of western states like California, Nevada, and New Mexico) suggest that the stereotype may be overblown. In fact, Lexington, Kentucky ranks 10^th among US cities in percent of population with college degree or higher^[5]. Whatever the case, due to a number of reforms beginning in 1990, most studies agree that Kentucky is making progress in the area of education. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... there is a jungle in nevada by the park This article is about the U. S. state of Nevada. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ... Nickname: Location in the Commonwealth of Kentucky Coordinates: Country United States State Kentucky Counties Fayette Government  - Mayor Jim Newberry (D) Area  - City  285. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...

K-12

The Kentucky Board of Education is responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of K-12 education in each of the commonwealth's 175 school districts.^[6] In 2003-2004, Kentucky's public schools enrolled 656,503 students, with another 12,170 being home schooled.^[7]

The Commonwealth Diploma

In order to motivate Kentucky high schoolers to take a more demanding curriculum, the Kentucky Board of Education began awarding the Commonwealth Diploma in 1987. The Commonwealth curriculum requires that the student take four Advanced Placement courses (one English, one science or math, one foreign language, and one elective) and sit for the Advanced Placement exam in at least three of the four areas. Students whose combined scores on any three Advanced Placement exams meet or exceed a given threshold are eligible to have their registration fees for those exams refunded.^[8] 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES)

In 1998, the Kentucky General Assembly voted to utilize some of the profits generated by the state lottery to fund the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship. The program was designed both to encourage high school students to take a pre-college level curriculum while in high school and to encourage them to pursue higher education in the commonwealth after graduation. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Kentucky State Capitol Building in Frankfort, KY The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. ... The Kentucky Lottery, consisting of various games of chance, is state-regulated form of gambling in Kentucky. ...

To be eligible, students must attain a grade point average of 2.5 or higher in a rigorous curriculum defined by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), and attend college at an eligible institution in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.^[9] The actual amount of the award is based on a combination of the student's grade point average and score on the ACT. The scholarship is renewable for four years, provided the student maintains his or her eligibility. The ACT® test is a standardized achievement examination for college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. ...

Colleges and universities

See also: List of colleges and universities in Kentucky The following is a list of colleges and universities in Kentucky: // Eastern Kentucky University Kentucky State University Morehead State University Murray State University Northern Kentucky University University of Kentucky University of Louisville Western Kentucky University Alice Lloyd College Asbury College Asbury Theological Seminary Bellarmine University Berea College Brescia University Campbellsville...

Kentucky is home to 8 public universities. Additionally, the commonwealth has 16 public community and technical colleges and over 30 private colleges and universities. The oldest of these is Transylvania University, the first college established west of the Allegheny Mountains and only the sixteenth established in the United States.^[10] Another of Kentucky's colleges, Berea College, was the first non-segregated, co-educational college in the South. Like many southern states, the ACT, not the SAT, is the preferred college entrance test. Transylvania University is a private liberal arts college related by covenant to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) located in Lexington, Kentucky, with approximately 1,100 students. ... The Allegheny Mountain Range (also spelled Alleghany and Allegany) -- informally, the Alleghenies -- is part of the Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States. ... Berea College is a small liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky, south of Lexington, Kentucky with a full-time enrollment of 1514 students. ... Formerly the American College Testing Program, or American College Test and now officially the ACT (pronounced A.C.T.), the ACT is a college-entrance examination that emerged in 1959 as a competitor to the College Boards Scholastic Aptitude Test (now SAT). ... The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. ...

The University of Louisville School of Medicine has been part of a number of notable firsts: The University of Louisville (also known as U of L) is a public, state-supported university located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. ...

• Became the first hosptial with a trauma care center, the forerunner of the modern emergency room
• Employed the first emergency vehicles equipped with medical supplies and trained nurses, today known as an ambulance
• Established the first blood bank in the United States
• Developed the pap smear test for Human Papilloma Virus
• Developed the first Human Papilloma Virus vaccine
• Performed the first hand transplant in the United States^[11]
• Performed the first wireless artificial heart transplant in the world

The emergency room is the American English term for a room, or group of rooms, within a hospital that is designed for the treatment of urgent and medical emergencies. ... An ambulance in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico A Helicopter used as an Ambulance. ... The pap smear as we know it is an invention of Dr. Georgios Papanikolaou (1883-1962), an American of Greek birth, the father of cytopathology. ... Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus which affects humans. ... Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus which affects humans. ... A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to establish immunity to a disease. ... A hand transplant is a medical operation to transplant a hand from one human to another. ... An artificial heart is a device that is implanted into the body to replace the original biological heart. ...

Kentucky Educational Television (KET)

Main article: Kentucky Educational Television

KET is the commonwealth's public television network, and is the largest PBS network in the nation.^[12] KET took the air in 1968 after a generous gift from Ashland Oil founder Paul Blazer.^[13] In addition to the PBS schedule, KET now airs programming aimed at local audiences and educational series used by some colleges in Kentucky as telecourses. The Kentucky Educational Television network is Kentuckys statewide public television network. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... Marathon Ashland Petroleum is a US based petroleum corporation. ...

Reform

Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA)

In 1990, the Kentucky General Assembly passed the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) in response to a ruling the previous year by the Kentucky Supreme Court that the commonwealth's education system was unconstitutional. The court mandated that the Legislature was to enact broad and sweeping reforms at a systemic level, statewide. The changes were so unpopular with Kentucky's teachers that some of them began to refer to KERA as the "Kentucky Early Retirement Act," though no spike in teacher attrition actually occurred following KERA's passage.^[14] Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... The Kentucky State Capitol Building in Frankfort, KY The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. ... In the context of the United States of America, a state constitution is the governing document of a U.S. state, comparable to the U.S. Constitution which is the governing document of the United States. ... Retirement is the point where a person stops employment. ...

Goals

KERA was based on six goals:

1. Students use basic communication and mathematics skills for purposes and situations they will encounter throughout their lives.
2. Students apply concepts and principles from mathematics, the sciences, the arts, the humanities, social studies, practical living studies, and vocational studies to what they will encounter throughout their lives.
3. Students develop their abilities to become self-sufficient individuals.
4. Students become responsible members of a family, work group, or community, including demonstrating effectiveness in community service.
5. Students think and solve problems in school situations and in a variety of situations they will encounter in life.
6. Students connect and integrate experiences and new knowledge from all subject matter fields with what they have previously learned, and build on past learning experiences to acquire new information through various media sources.

Outcomes

While the commonwealth's own assessment program, called the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS), showed considerable progress in the early 1990s, the commonwealth's reading scores remained flat for reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) between 1992 and 1994. This triggered an audit by the Kentucky Office of Educational Accountability in 1995 that raised a number of serious issues with the assessment program. Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ...

Continuing difficulties with the assessment program, including failure of two of the most radical elements, the "mathematics portfolios" and the "performance events" test element, triggered more audits that led to the demise of KIRIS in 1998. The Kentucky legislature replaced KIRIS in 1999 with the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS). However, this new assessment has also been controversial. Charges were made, with some substantiation, that the changeover from KIRIS to CATS had resulted in a very notable reduction in the academic goals. Not only did school scores suddenly jump upward as a result of the CATS score resetting process, but the effective goal where schools could avoid all sanctions was changed from an end score of 100 in the year 2014, on a zero to 140 point scale, to a score slightly below 80. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... 2014 (MMXIV) will be a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Kentucky did begin to show improvements in NAEP reading in 1998, but it was quickly pointed out that those NAEP results were suspect because the commonwealth had radically increased its rate of exclusion of students with learning disabilities on the NAEP. This controversy continues unresolved in 2006 as the NAEP has never corrected scores for this increasingly severe problem, which now impacts the validity of scores in a number of other states, as well. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Kentucky's NAEP math results generally continue to rank below the rest of the nation, and there is ample evidence such as high math remediation rates in Kentucky colleges that the problems are indeed severe. Testimony from the commonwealth's leaders admit that there are severe problems with math instruction after more than 15 years of reform effort.

Despite these problems, there have been those who claim the program is worthwhile. In 1998, The Ford Foundation and Harvard University awarded Kentucky's education system the Innovations in American Government Award. However, more recently, interest in Kentucky has waned as the generally unspectacular results have become more apparent. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Ford Foundation is a charitable foundation based in New York City created to fund programs that promote democracy, reduce poverty, promote international understanding, and advance human achievement. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ...

Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997

The Kentucky General Assembly completely revamped higher education in the commonwealth with the passage of the Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997, commonly referred to as House Bill 1 (HB1). HB1 mandated that the University of Kentucky become a Top 20 Public Research University by the year 2020.^[15] It also charged the University of Louisville to become a preeminent metropolitan research university over the same time frame.^[16] The Kentucky State Capitol Building in Frankfort, KY The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Kentucky, also referred to as UK, is a public, co-educational university located in Lexington, Kentucky. ... 2020 (MMXX) will be a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Louisville (also known as U of L) is a public, state-supported university located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. ...

Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS)

One of the most significant changes in the Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997 was the creation of a new entity to govern the commonwealth's community and technical colleges - the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). Previously, many of the commonwealth's community colleges had been part of the University of Kentucky's Community College System, while many of the technical colleges had been operated by the Workforce Cabinet. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... (KCTCS)Founded in 1997 by former Kentucky Governor Paul Patton to replace the University of Kentuckys Community College System, the system connects the states two-year colleges to make education readily available to Kentucky, and allows transfer of credits toward public universities for 4-year degrees. ...

Kentucky Virtual University (KYVU)

Another reform of Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997 was the creation of the Kentucky Virtual University (KYVU). Originally designated the Commonwealth Virtual University (CVU), KYVU is an online collaboration among many of the accredited colleges and universities in Kentucky. KYVU does not offer degrees; it simply provides access to online courses already being offered at the participating colleges. This is a tremendous benefit for rural users who may not have easy access to higher education. This population accounts for more than three-quarters of students using KYVU.^[17] 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2002, KYVU received the “Award of Excellence” and an “Award of Merit” from the Kentucky Association of Government Communicators. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL)

To support the Kentucky Virtual University, Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997 also created the Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL). KYVL provides students with the ability to search a number of databases of books and scholarly works, while providing help on research methods and techniques. KYVU is maintained exclusively online and supports not only KYVU, but also a number of the commonwealth's colleges and libraries. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Kentucky Public universities ranked by endowment

Graph of endowment for Kentucky's eight public universities. U of L & UK combine for over 92% of the total state system endowment

1. University of Louisville $607 million
2. University of Kentucky $555 million
3. Northern Kentucky University $30 million
4. Morehead State University $22 million
5. Murray State University $14 million
6. Eastern Kentucky University $14 million
7. Western Kentucky University $12 million
8. Kentucky State University $8 million

Combined Total: 1,262 billion Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (911x581, 12 KB) Graph of endowment by KY public universities. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (911x581, 12 KB) Graph of endowment by KY public universities. ... The University of Louisville (also known as U of L) is a public, state-supported university located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. ... The University of Kentucky, also referred to as UK, is a public, co-educational university located in Lexington, Kentucky. ... Northern Kentucky University is a public, co-educational university located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, seven miles (11 km) southeast of Cincinnati, Ohio. ... Morehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky. ... Murray State University, located in the town of Murray in Kentuckys far-western Jackson Purchase in the United States, is an approximately 10,000-student, four-year public university. ... University Building Eastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU by local residents, is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution located in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A.. EKU is known for nationally prominent programs in criminal justice, education, environmental health, forensic science, the... Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. ... Kentucky State logo Kentucky State University (KSU, or less commonly, KYSU, to differentiate from Kansas State University) is a four-year institution of higher learning, located in Frankfort, Kentucky, the states capital. ...

Kentucky Public universities ranked by average ACT scores

Graph of Kentucky public universities by average ACT score

1. University of Kentucky 25.1
2. University of Louisville 24.2
3. Murray State University 23.0
4. Morehead State University 21
5. Northern Kentucky University 21
6. Western Kentucky University 20.8
7. Eastern Kentucky University 20.2
8. Kentucky State University 18

Cumulative Average: 21.6 Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 510 pixelsFull resolution (911 × 581 pixel, file size: 16 KB, MIME type: image/gif) Graph of Kentucky public universities by average ACT score. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 510 pixelsFull resolution (911 × 581 pixel, file size: 16 KB, MIME type: image/gif) Graph of Kentucky public universities by average ACT score. ... The University of Kentucky, also referred to as UK, is a public, co-educational university located in Lexington, Kentucky. ... The University of Louisville (also known as U of L) is a public, state-supported university located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. ... Murray State University, located in the town of Murray in Kentuckys far-western Jackson Purchase in the United States, is an approximately 10,000-student, four-year public university. ... Morehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky. ... Northern Kentucky University is a public, co-educational university located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, seven miles (11 km) southeast of Cincinnati, Ohio. ... Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. ... University Building Eastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU by local residents, is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution located in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A.. EKU is known for nationally prominent programs in criminal justice, education, environmental health, forensic science, the... Kentucky State logo Kentucky State University (KSU, or less commonly, KYSU, to differentiate from Kansas State University) is a four-year institution of higher learning, located in Frankfort, Kentucky, the states capital. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Kentucky improves in post-secondary education report
2. ^ Kentucky's Moderate Spending Cuts
3. ^ Kentucky's K-12 Achievements
4. ^ Smartest State 2005-2006
5. ^ Most-Educated Cities in the United States - MSN Encarta
6. ^ Kentucky Department of Education - About Schools and Districts
7. ^ Kentucky Education Facts
8. ^ Kentucky Department of Education - Commonwealth Diploma
9. ^ KEES Frequently Asked Questions
10. ^ Transylvania University - History
11. ^ HandTransplant.com - Participating Organizations
12. ^ Kentucky Educational Television's Ginni Fox Honored with CPB Lifetime Achievement Award
13. ^ KET History
14. ^ Trends and Issues Affecting Primary and Secondary Education (The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence}
15. ^ UK Reaching Top 20 Critical to Moving Kentucky Forward
16. ^ President Ramsey's Speech at the Civil Rights Champions Event
17. ^ KYVU - Our Story

External links

• Kentucky Department of Education
• Kentucky Virtual University
• Kentucky Virtual Library
• Kentucky Community and Technical College System
• Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
• Text of Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997