Kentucky students take the Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) in the Spring of 2025. The tests were developed in collaboration with Kentucky teachers and align with the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) in each content area.

What is it?

KSA is the annual summative assessment given in grades 3 through 8, 10 and 11 to Kentucky public school students. KSA provides content area assessments, including reading and mathematics (grades 3 through 8 and 10), science (grades 4, 7, 11), on-demand writing and editing and mechanics (grades 5, 8, 11), and social studies (grades 5, 8, 11).

What data does this provide? What does it assess?

These assessments are Kentucky’s measure of student proficiency and progress on the state academic content standards. These standards establish goals for what all students should know and be able to do in each grade. The KSA was given online with only a small percentage of students testing on paper. This assessment goes beyond multiple-choice questions. It includes questions where students can demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and extended response questions where students construct a response or answer with a technology-enhanced response. This annual assessment provides critical information about student learning, but no single assessment should ever be the sole factor in making an educational decision. It is important to remember that assessments provide only one measure of student learning. When combined with grades, classroom activities, student projects, personalized learning opportunities, and school and district-level measures and processes, the end-of-year assessments can help provide a more complete picture of your child’s abilities over the course of the school year and path toward academic success on these content standards.

Will I know how my child performed?

For KSA, students receive a separate scale score (400-600 for each content area: reading, mathematics, science, social studies, editing and mechanics and on-demand writing) along with a performance level (distinguished, proficient, apprentice, and novice). Combined writing is assigned a performance level only (no scale score.) Scale scores are reported as numbers, while performance levels are descriptive. The performance level descriptors (PLDs) are different by content area and describe student performance on groups of items that measure similar skills.

In the fall, the reports will be returned to each school district. During open house, or upon request, your child’s school can show and explain their specific results with you.

Additional Resources:

PLDs for each grade and content area are available for review on the KSA website at https://education.ky.gov/AA/Assessments/Pages/KentuckySummativeAssessment-.aspx. The Individual Student Reports (ISRs) also contain more information about the performance levels in each area.

To view the performance and participation in past years, visit the Open House on the KDE website.