AN ACT relating to high school graduation requirements.
HB301 amends Kentucky law governing the Kentucky Board of Education’s administrative regulations on curriculum and high school graduation requirements. The bill removes the ability to use postsecondary readiness indicators or minimum statewide assessment scores as graduation requirements, while still requiring that certain assessment results be placed on student transcripts if they are valid and reliable at the individual level. It also directs the board to include cursive writing in elementary school beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, with the goal of proficiency by the end of grade 5.
The bill also expands or clarifies several instructional and course-credit rules. It requires Holocaust and genocide instruction in every public middle and high school, allows American Sign Language to satisfy foreign language requirements if offered, and allows physically demanding activities such as athletics, cheerleading, marching band, or ROTC to satisfy physical education requirements. In addition, it addresses alternative diplomas for certain students with disabilities, student identification systems, school health and screening requirements, and procedures for homeless students to transfer credits, complete coursework, and receive diplomas under specified conditions.
HB301 would change the framework for Kentucky high school graduation by limiting the use of statewide assessments and postsecondary readiness measures as mandatory graduation gates, shifting those measures to transcript reporting instead. It would also require the Kentucky Board of Education to update administrative regulations on curriculum, health screenings, and student transfer protections, affecting public schools statewide and, in some cases, local school board policies. The bill would not directly impose new requirements on private, parochial, or church schools, but it preserves their ability to voluntarily comply with state standards.
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the available record. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to reflect a policy preference for broader graduation access, more flexible crediting of activities and courses, and added emphasis on traditional instruction such as cursive writing and Holocaust/genocide education. The overall tone of the bill is prescriptive but student-accommodation oriented.
The most likely points of contention are the removal of postsecondary readiness indicators and minimum statewide test scores as graduation requirements, which may be viewed by some as lowering academic standards and by others as reducing high-stakes barriers to graduation. Another possible area of disagreement is the mandate for cursive instruction, which some may see as a useful foundational skill and others as an added curriculum requirement. The bill’s provisions allowing athletics, cheerleading, marching band, and ROTC to count toward physical education, and its detailed rules for homeless students and students with disabilities, may also draw discussion over local control, equity, and implementation burdens.