FRANKFORT — Students are admitted into the teacher education program at Kentucky State University without meeting academic requirements, according to a report to the Education Professional Standards Board.

        Low academic achievement for entering students was cited as the “primary factor” for the low pass rate among KSU-trained students on a standard competency test for aspiring teachers.

        The study found that a minimum score of 21 on the American College Test — ACT — is supposed to be required of students in the teacher education program. But many of the students had not achieved that score before entry and kept taking the test.

        Kentucky State, in Frankfort, had the poorest showing among graduates who took the teaching exam last August. Ten of 15 elementary education graduates failed to score above the 25th percentile, the minimum required by Kentucky for certification. Four KSU graduates took an exam for physical education, and three failed.

        The study found that teacher education students in the term just completed did not fare much better. The study found that 18 students took the test and only seven passed, for a pass rate of about 39 percent.

        The budget for the KSU teaching program has been increased in the last five years, but competency test scores have continued to be low or even decrease, the study said. In addition, the number of students in the education department has fallen.

        The university has until early August to respond to the report, which was disclosed Monday.

        If the programs are found to be deeply flawed, the board has the power to forbid them to admit students this fall.

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