A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION directing the Legislative Research Commission to establish the Performance-Based Education Task Force.
SCR 140 is a concurrent resolution directing the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission to create the Performance-Based Education Task Force. The task force would study whether state statutes and administrative regulations help or hinder performance-based credit in public schools, review how such credit is already being used in Kentucky, and identify what support local school districts need to expand these opportunities. The resolution is framed around the idea that learning should be measured by mastery and outcomes rather than seat time, and it cites the federal Every Student Succeeds Act and examples from other states as support for expanding this approach.
The task force would be composed of legislators, the education commissioner or designee, and members with expertise in performance-based credit and local school governance. It would meet during the 2026 interim and submit recommendations by December 1, 2026, with the Legislative Research Commission retaining authority to redirect the study to an interim committee or subcommittee if needed. Because this is a resolution to study and recommend changes, it does not itself change graduation requirements or credit rules, but it could lead to future statutory or regulatory revisions affecting high school credit, diploma pathways, and district-level implementation.
The general sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive of performance-based education. The resolution emphasizes benefits for students who struggle with traditional Carnegie-unit, time-based models, and it argues that expanded performance-based credit could help students earn diplomas faster and move into postsecondary education or the workforce sooner. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no recorded debate or formal vote sentiment in the available materials.
The main point of potential contention is whether Kentucky should move further away from seat-time requirements and toward mastery-based credit, and whether local districts have the capacity, training, and systems needed to implement such a shift consistently. The bill also implicitly raises questions about state oversight versus local flexibility, since it asks the task force to examine both barriers and support systems. Supporters are likely to include education reform advocates, while skeptics may worry about standards, comparability, accountability, and uneven adoption across districts.
SCR 140 would not directly amend Kentucky statutes or regulations, but it would initiate a formal legislative study of laws and rules affecting performance-based credit in public schools. The task force’s recommendations could later inform changes to high school graduation requirements, credit-earning rules, and local board authority over competency-based or mastery-based education.
The bill’s tone is positive and reform-oriented, presenting performance-based education as a way to better align schooling with student learning and workforce needs. The available record contains no committee transcript or vote history, so there is no documented opposition or divided vote in the materials provided.
The likely areas of contention are the move away from traditional seat-time requirements, the feasibility of scaling performance-based credit across districts, and whether local schools have adequate support, training, and accountability structures. Supporters appear to favor expanding mastery-based pathways for student success and acceleration, while potential critics may be concerned about implementation consistency, academic rigor, and administrative burden.