Commonwealth Policy Center

Kentucky has a 94 percent high school graduation rate, making it one of the top states in the country. However, as of 2018, less than two-thirds of Kentucky graduates were prepared for the next step, whether its college or the workforce. Commissioner of Education Wayne Lewis asked, “Why are we granting high school diplomas to kids that we don’t believe are prepared for the next steps in their lives?” In order to change that, the Kentucky Board of Education has been working on new high school graduation requirements in order to measure basic math and reading skills.  The goal is to ensure that kids are ready for the real world. Otherwise, the diploma they hold may give them a false sense that they know more than they think they know.