Senate Education Committee to hear bills establishing school report cards
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Editor's Note: AI was used in background research for this article.
Two Missouri senators are set to present bills adding provisions to the state's recently added letter-grade system.
Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order creating school report cards in January, before his State of the State address. The order directed the Missouri Department of Education to implement a new letter-grade system for schools by June.
Senate Bills 1194, sponsored by Sen. Ben Brown (R-Washington), and 1653, sponsored by Sen. Curtis Trent (R-Battlefield) seek similar provisions to Kehoe's order but would aslo create the "Show Me Success Program."
During Kehoe's address, he highlighted Brown's bill and encouraged the General Assembly to pass similar legislation.
The program will link high school performance to funding. Schools ranking in the top 5% of student performance statewide will receive $100 per student. Those in the top 10%, but below the top 5%, will be eligible for $50 per student.
According to the Secretary of State's Office, public schools and public charter schools will be graded on a lettered A through F scale based on a 0 to 100-point scale:
- A – producing excellent student outcomes
- B – producing more than satisfactory student outcomes
- C – producing satisfactory student outcomes
- D – producing less than satisfactory student outcomes
- F – failing to produce adequate student outcomes
Scores will be based on the annual Missouri Assessment Program, or MAP, results. High schools will also be evaluated on their graduation rates. The new grade cards are designed to be standardized and easily understood by parents, taxpayers, school personnel and legislators.
Schools that fail to test at least 95% of students will drop a letter grade.
The Missouri Department of Education is required to finalize the implementation plan for the grading system by June. Schools will begin receiving their first annual scores under this system by Sept. 15.
The hearing will begin at noon in Senate Committee Room 2.
