LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- Expect lower test scores at first for some students -- that's the message from Jefferson County Public Schools.
JCPS spent the morning educating business leaders about the state's new way of testing students.
Business leaders are learning about the movement toward more rigorous Common Core State Standards in grades K-12. JCPS says not enough students graduate from high school, and many of those who do lack the knowledge and skills needed for success in college and the workforce.
Kentucky was the first state to adopt the new testing and will be the first to get those test results back. JCPS says school scores should be back in late October and parents should get individual student scores in November.
The district says implementing the Common Core State Standards will provide students with the necessary foundation to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
JCPS says it wants everyone to understand the new test that was put into use last year. The test measures reading and math skills and helps with college and career readiness.
JCPS Superintendent Donna Hargens says, "Parents should not be alarmed if your student was proficient under the old system and when new scores if they come out and they are not proficient, know that it's a higher standard. Your child is not less smart than last year, they are probably smarter, but what we want to know is where they are relative to where they are to the higher international benchmark standard."
Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer says, "It's exciting for our community, as the Common Core Standards stay focused on the prize, quality instruction, world-class schools. If we do that we'll be just fine."
45 States and three U.S. territories have formally adopted the Common Core State Standards.
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