New high school graduation requirements are headed to the state legislature for review after being approved by the state’s board of education last week.

The updated requirements, part of which will apply to students entering high school next school year, reflect feedback from education stakeholders across the state.

“I’m confident that the proposed changes are not only reasonable but they’re changes that we can implement with fidelity across the state,” Warren County Public Schools Superintendent Rob Clayton said.

The Kentucky Board of Education unanimously approved the changes Wednesday. The move followed criticism from some educator groups, such as the Kentucky School Boards Association, which argued the changes would have benefited from further review and a fiscal impact analysis.

“Our concerns on behalf of local school boards over inequities and unintended consequences at the district level – the same ones echoed by other education groups throughout the Commonwealth – warranted further discussion,” the group said in a statement Wednesday.

“Now legislators will have an opportunity to carefully review all aspects of the proposal. KSBA will work with our partners in the General Assembly as they undertake these measures.”

Bowling Green Independent School District Superintendent Gary Fields shared a similar view. He described the process for developing the requirements as fast moving and said he would have liked to see more discussion.

“I think it’s OK that we have a healthy discussion to say what is best for kids in Kentucky,” Fields said.

Perhaps the biggest change made in the final version of the proposal approved by the board was the removal of the “transition readiness” requirement, which asked students to prove their readiness for college or a career after high school through several pathways.

Some education stakeholders raised concerns that not every school district would have the resources to fully comply with the requirement, thus ultimately penalizing students.

One example included an exceptional work experience pathway, which would allow students to earn credit for transition readiness by completing 500 hours of relevant work experience within a single career field during high school.

Some school district leaders worried the pathway wouldn’t be feasible in smaller communities with fewer jobs.

“The key concern is, depending on the district that we are talking about, the routes that some districts can provide to help students achieve transition readiness are just not there,” Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis said in a news release, reflecting those concerns.

“In some of our larger and better-resourced districts, we have those opportunities, but in resource-starved districts, they could only provide two or three pathways. Whether we are talking about high school graduation requirements or not, there is an equity issue among districts,” he said.

Under the revised proposal, students entering high school in the 2019-20 school year must meet one of eight “graduation qualifiers.” They include the following options:

• Pre-college curriculum as established by the Council on Postsecondary Education.

• A benchmark score in one section of a college admissions or placement examination as established by the Council on Postsecondary Education.

• Three postsecondary credit hours or more of a Kentucky Department of Education-approved dual credit course with a grade of C or higher.

• One course and corresponding assessment that’s either an Advanced Placement exam with a score of three or higher, Cambridge Advanced International with a score at or above benchmark or International Baccalaureate with a score of five or higher.

• Industry certification as approved by the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board.

• Four credits from valid courses within a single KDE-approved career pathway.

• Complete two years of a KDE-approved or Kentucky Labor Cabinet-approved pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship.

• A KDE-approved process to verify 500 hours of exceptional work experience, or alternative requirements as prescribed in a student’s Individual Education Program.

Students entering high school in the 2020-21 school year will be subject to both the qualifiers listed above and “graduation prerequisites.”

The prerequisites mean students will be required to show their competency in basic reading and math in one of three ways. They include the following:

• The student’s 10th grade, state-required assessments that meet the minimum criteria in reading and mathematics. The minimum criteria include scoring at least at an apprentice level in reading and math on the assessments. Students who don’t meet that requirement can retake both tests in the 11th and 12th grades.

• The student’s eighth grade, state-required assessment, with a rating of proficient or higher for reading or mathematics or both reading and mathematics.

• The school’s principal may submit a collection of student evidence to the superintendent or designee for review and approval. The evidence could include the student’s performance on the 10th grade reading and math assessments, work demonstrating their competency in reading or math and other information.

The new requirements will next go to two legislative committees for review, with a possible effective date of March next year.