"Career ready pathway completion/certification must hold to the following criteria:

1. Recognized, endorsed, or required by industry;
2. Written and verified by national or state industry;
3. Curriculum and certification aligned with state and/or national standards;
4. Certification must be an end-of-program assessment related to the student's identified career pathway achieved through a sequence of courses.

"The Arts Pathways and Capstone Assessment Plan that have been developed do not satisfy the first two criteria for career ready certification described above. A search and review of arts career opportunities in the Commonwealth also was done. What was discovered is that there are going to be very limited opportunities for careers in the arts over the next ten years.

"Many of those careers also require no formal preparation or certification beyond high school graduation. However, we do believe that these pathways and assessments can assist a student in being ready for and accepted into college programs -- particularly college arts programs. Additionally, the capstone model provides an excellent means for schools to establish a more balanced assessment system, as called for in Senate Bill 1 (2009) and may enhance a student's overall academic portfolio of achievement. We also see arts courses as providing enrichment for many career pathways. As a result, KDE staff is working diligently to identify suggested pathways that incorporate the arts. When the sample pathways are completed, they will be posted on the KDE website. Finally, KDE will be promoting how the inclusion of the arts are an integral part of the success that Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math (STEAM) academies are having in Kentucky and other states.

"At this time, due to the pilot results, we do not feel we can justify the release of the capstone assessments as a formal career readiness component because the first two criteria are not met. Currently, we do not have evidence that the recognition and endorsement by industry of the capstone assessments will be forthcoming. KDE staff and I plan to continue this discussion to determine next steps. We do feel that promoting pathways in terms of individual learning plans (ILPs) and as a more informal component of college readiness is the approach to take at this time.

"If you have questions regarding this message, please contact Phil Shepherd at Philip.shepherd@education.ky.gov."