(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is seeking feedback on proposed Bible Literacy Standards.

The passage of House Bill 128 (2017) called for the KDE to create academic standards for elective social studies courses to include:

  • Hebrew Scriptures and the Old Testament of the Bible;
  • The New Testament of the Bible; or
  • Hebrew Scripture and the New Testament of the Bible.

The purpose of these courses is to focus on the historical impact and literary style from texts of the Old Testament and/or New Testament era, including the Hebrew Scriptures to teach students knowledge of biblical content, characters, poetry and narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture, including literature, art, music, mores, oratory and public policy. The courses are already taught in some schools and open to 9th-graders and above.

Though creation of the proposed Bible Literacy Standards involved Kentucky educators, it is time to seek additional feedback to support the continued development of these standards. As a result, the public is invited to review and share feedback and suggestions that may be used to refine the proposed standards. The KDE will collect initial feedback through Dec. 10.

To provide feedback on the proposed Bible Literacy Standards, please use the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Bibleliteracy.

Feedback and comments will be thoughtfully considered, and any needed revisions made before a final set of proposed standards is submitted to the Kentucky Board of Education for action.