Ms. Rhonda Sims

"If they continue on the same trend, they will not meet their goals," said Rhonda Sims, director of assessment and support with the Kentucky Department of Education.
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Sims said most of the state's schools have been making progress in the past six years, but not at the rate needed for students in all schools to be proficient by 2014.

Board member Joe Brothers said he believes the state's education system needs a cultural change -- one that needs to take place within the next year that expands beyond the walls of the classroom and includes parents.

"We are not fundamentally doing the right things," he said.

Ms. Rhonda Sims, KDE

Ms. Rhonda Sims, KDE
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Ms. Rhonda Sims, KDE, gave an assessment update.

According to Rhonda Sims, director of the Kentucky Department of Education's Division of Assessment Support, the sessions were designed to "dispel the mystery of assessment scoring" by offering those who administer the CATS a true hands-on scoring experience.

"When teachers get to experience how scoring is done, it changes the misconceptions and addresses the rumors. Then teachers are able to say, 'Oh, that makes sense,'" Sims explained.