Commissioner Pruitt: What happens now that Unbridled Learning is ending?

During yesterday’s meeting of the Kentucky Legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on Education, Kentucky Commissioner of Education Stephen Pruitt made it very clear that Unbridled Learning, Kentucky’s Common Core era assessment and accountability program, has been ended by Senate Bill 1 from the 2017 Regular Legislative Session.

So, what comes next? The new assessment and accountability program won’t be online until the 2018-19 school term.

Pruitt indicated that for the coming school term, school test scores will still be reported, but schools won’t get accountability “labels” like Distinguished or Proficient. There won’t be any additions to the Priority Schools roster, either.

Hear exactly what the commissioner said in this recording.

Of particular note, the demise of Unbridled Learning marks the third time since the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 was passed that attempts to create a vibrant and credible school assessment and accountability program has foundered in Kentucky.

The big question: Will the attempt under way now to come up with a fourth program work much better?

Don’t forget, while Kentucky’s educators have continually been unable to create a lasting system, thousands of our students have continued to be left behind. We don’t need more experiments – we need a real, working program.