# Kentucky Eyes New College Exam as Gov. Beshear Vetoes Part of SB 197  
**Published:** 2026-04-30T16:49:22.000Z  
**Source:** [Kentucky Teacher](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/04/impact-of-senate-bill-197-and-governors-veto-on-kentuckys-college-admissions-exam/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/kentucky-eyes-new-college-exam-as-gov-beshear-vetoes-part-of-sb-197

The Kentucky Department of Education must conduct a new competitive procurement process for the state's college entrance exam starting in the 2026-2027 school year after [Gov. Andy Beshear partially vetoed Senate Bill 197](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/04/impact-of-senate-bill-197-and-governors-veto-on-kentuckys-college-admissions-exam/) late last month.

The Republican-controlled General Assembly passed SB 197 on April 15, the last day of the legislative session. The bill included provisions to limit the use of general funds for the college admissions exam and to require a new procurement process. On April 27, Beshear used his line-item veto authority under the Kentucky Constitution to strike the funding limitation, but allowed the procurement requirement to stand.

"This legislation brings understandable concern and uncertainty for students, families and educators as the 2026-2027 school year begins," said Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher. The state will begin the 2026-2027 school year without a finalized college entrance exam contract, the Kentucky Teacher reported.

The procurement order represents a significant reversal for [Kentucky's recent switch to the SAT](https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/kentucky-switches-to-sat-as-state-funded-college-admissions-exam-starting-spring-2026). In July 2025, the Kentucky Department of Education awarded a four-year contract to the College Board to administer the SAT Junior State Administration, replacing the ACT as the state-funded exam beginning in spring 2026. [The contract was valued at $30 per student and could save Kentucky up to $350,000 annually](https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/kentucky-switches-to-sat-as-state-funded-college-admissions-exam-starting-spring-2026).

The move to the SAT had sparked controversy. Critics raised questions about whether the test complies with Kentucky law requiring separate assessments in English, reading, mathematics and science. [The SAT lacks a separate English section and includes no science component](https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/kentuckys-switch-to-the-sat-violates-public-trust-it-may-also-violate-state-law/), leading education policy analysts to question its legality under state statute.

The KDE must now work with the Finance and Administration Cabinet to conduct another competitive procurement process. The new exam will take effect in the 2026-2027 school year, leaving Kentucky schools and students facing significant uncertainty about testing procedures as the new academic year approaches.

## Sources

- [Kentucky Teacher](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/04/impact-of-senate-bill-197-and-governors-veto-on-kentuckys-college-admissions-exam/)
- [Lex 18 - Kentucky switches to SAT as state-funded college admissions exam starting spring 2026](https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/kentucky-switches-to-sat-as-state-funded-college-admissions-exam-starting-spring-2026)
- [Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions - Kentucky's Switch to the SAT Violates Public Trust; It May Also Violate State Law](https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/kentuckys-switch-to-the-sat-violates-public-trust-it-may-also-violate-state-law/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Kentucky Teacher, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/04/impact-of-senate-bill-197-and-governors-veto-on-kentuckys-college-admissions-exam/.