Obama education chief: Exits exams won’t ensure success

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – An education secretary from President Barack Obama’s administration says high school exit exams will not benefit Kentucky students unless the state provides more resources for public schools.

The Courier Journal quotes John B. King in a Wednesday report as saying the concern is not the exams themselves but that officials need a plan to improve opportunities. King was education secretary from 2016-17.

The state Education Department is finishing a month-long period of public feedback on proposed changes to high school graduation requirements. Among the changes is creating a math and reading test students must pass to graduate.

King was in Louisville this month on behalf of a group challenging the changes. The department must respond to feedback in writing and through a hearing Thursday in Frankfort before they become final.