All tests require some preparation, and Kentucky Summative Assessments (KSA) are no different. As you work with your students this year, make sure they have opportunities to master digital testing features like they’ll encounter on KSA tests — so when test time rolls around, they’ll be ready.
Here’s what you should know about Kentucky Summative Assessments, KSA practice tests, and how to best prepare your students for Kentucky’s annual exams.
What Is KSA?
Kentucky Summative Assessments (KSA), previously called Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP), are annual summative assessments for students in grades 3 through 8, 10, and 11. The online assessments are aligned to Kentucky Academic Standards and provide information about student progress in achieving expected learning outcomes.
KSA tests cover the following subjects and grades:
- Reading (grades 3–8, 10, 11)
- Mathematics (grades 3–8, 10, 11)
- Writing (once per grade band: elementary, middle, and high school)
- Social studies (one per grade band: elementary, middle, and high school)
- Science (grades 4, 7, 11)
Students with cognitive disabilities that make standard KSA tests an inappropriate measure of their academic growth may take the Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment. Spring 2022 is the first time the Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment is being administered; previously, qualifying students took Alternate K-PREP. The Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment mirrors other state assessments, covering the same subjects and grades.
Kentucky high school students also take the ACT in grade 11, and the Kentucky Department of Education is seeking funding to provide the ACT to grade 10 students as well. High school students on the Early Graduation Pathway, which incentivizes early graduation with college scholarships, must take end-of-course assessments in the following subjects in order to demonstrate the needed academic achievements to graduate early:
- Algebra II
- Biology
- English 10
- U.S. History
Kentucky administers the ACCESS for ELLs to measure English language proficiency in English language learners in kindergarten through grade 12. English learners with significant cognitive disabilities take the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, unless they are in kindergarten, in which case they will take the Kindergarten ACCESS with appropriate accommodations.
The 2022-2023 Kentucky testing windows are as follows:
- KSA (Grades 3-8, 10, 11): Last 14 Instructional Days of District Calendar
- ACT Administration Dates for Juniors in Spring 2023
- Online (Standard & Accommodation): March 7–9, 14–16, 2023
- Paper (Accommodations): March 7-10, 13-17, 2023
- ACCESS for ELLs: January 5–Feb 17, 2023
For more information on testing windows, accommodations, Alternate KSA, and Kentucky state assessment details, visit the KY Department of Education website.
How to Use the KSA Practice Tests to Prep Your Students
Kentucky Summative Assessments are delivered digitally, which means to test successfully, students need to know how to navigate the testing technology and properly interact with it to provide their answers. KSA tests go beyond standard multiple choice that were ubiquitous on ScanTron bubble tests for so long.
Taking advantage of the possibilities of virtual technology, KSA tests include extended response and technology-enhanced items, such as drag-and-drop, graph building, and so on. These more in-depth questions require more in-depth answers, as students put their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to use.
To ensure that your students are prepared not just for the test content, but also for the testing technology, you’ll want to provide opportunities for them to engage with similar technology using KSA practice tests. With a few sessions in a virtual testing environment, your students will learn and hone the skills they need to show off everything they’ve learned this year in your class. KSA practice tests give students a sense of the content they’ll be tested on, as well as the types of questions they’ll encounter on the real test. For an added bonus, have them practice on the same device they’ll use for the real test, whether tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.
With every practice session, your students will build digital testing expertise — and much-needed confidence that will shoo away test-taking butterflies when it’s time for this year’s KSA tests.
The KSA Practice Test Is Available in Edulastic
To make KSA practice easy, give students practice on Edulastic. Sign up for a free account, and you’ll be able to welcome your students into the Edulastic environment, where they can easily prepare for KSA tests.
Ready to quickly create or assemble your KSA practice tests? Let’s go! Pick from an item bank of thousands of standards-aligned questions and either assign right away to students, or customize to meet your classwork or individual class needs. From the Edulastic Live Class Board or Standards Mastery Report you’ll get a solid look at how students did. With that performance data, you’ll know how to best support student learning and what to expect on the official exam day.
Edulastic mimics the look and feel of the real KSA tests, so your students won’t run into any surprises on test day. Ready to get started?
