FRANKFORT — Kentucky's school accountability testing system is among the best in the country in terms of quality and effectiveness, according to a national study.

        Ohio's system and Indiana's system ranked 13th and 16th, respectively, according to the study.

        The Princeton Review of education assessments in the 50 states and the District of Columbia ranked Kentucky in a four-way tie for eighth place, citing it for such “sophisticated” testing methods as open-response essays, alignment with state curriculum and support for struggling schools.

        The study, which based its rankings on 25 factors, also scored Kentucky highly for including nonacademic factors such as dropout rates and teacher certification, and its use of data to identify achievement gaps among races and other groups.

        The top-ranked state was North Carolina, followed by Texas, New York, Massachusetts and Arizona. The lowest were Iowa, Hawaii, West Virginia, Montana and Wyoming.

        “This is good news for us,” indicating that Kentucky's system is working as it should, said Lisa Gross, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education.

        Kentucky's Commonwealth Accountability Testing System, which began under a different version and name in 1992, is the centerpiece of the state's education-reform effort. It uses test scores and other indicators to judge school performance. High scores mean cash rewards; low scores can lead to state audits and put jobs on the line.

        The state wants to get all students scoring at “proficient” levels — 100 on a scale of 140 — by 2014.

        In a national education environment where high-stakes testing and accountability have gained unprecedented importance — and play a major role in driving teaching and learning — the quality of state assessments has become critical, according to authors of the study.

        “Without a good assessment program you can't improve your schools,” said Steve Hodas, a study author and vice president of the Princeton Review. “A bad one will tend to make schools worse.”

        Similar findings for Kentucky have appeared in other recent studies. In its annual Quality Counts report card, the journal Education Week ranked the state as one of only three to get an “A” for school accountability and learning standards.

        The Princeton Review, however, found fault with Kentucky for taking five months to get more complex tests back to schools and parents, and for failing to include student consequences for poor performance.

        In other states, students must achieve certain scores to pass courses, avoid summer school or even graduate.

        But the test, which relies significantly on a small number of essay responses, isn't statistically valid enough for a single student to attach consequences, Ms. Gross said, adding that it's designed under the idea that all children can learn, given the right instructional approach.

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