SB 643 - Current law requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to produce an annual accountability report card for each public school district, each individual public school building in a school district, and each charter school in the state.
This act requires the State Board of Education to develop a simplified annual school report card for each school attendance center, including charter schools. Each school, including each charter school, shall be given a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F based on the percentage of points earned on six academic performance indicators, as described in the act.
The report card shall be made publicly available on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's website and shall be distributed by each school to the parents or guardians of each student. A school may distribute the report card through electronic mail.
Alternative schools shall not receive a report card unless they specifically request one. Grades shall not be assigned to schools if the number of students tested is smaller than the minimum sample size necessary based on professional practices for statistical reliability. The report card shall also identify each school's performance as having improved, remained the same, or declined based on the prior year in terms of the letter grade and value.
Both the accountability report card and the simplified annual report card shall be maintained on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website. Each school district, charter school, and attendance center shall also maintain report card information on the school district or charter school website. The report cards shall include additional information about the district, charter school, or attendance center as described in the act.
School attendance centers shall provide report card information in printable form to parents and guardians within five days of the start of the school year or within five days of enrollment.
The Department shall establish an advisory group of parents, researchers, and educators to provide updates and revisions to the report card based on feedback from users and research of practices of school report cards in other states.
This act is similar to SCS/SB 33 (2017), SCS/SB 719 (2016), and SB 28 (2015).
JAMIE ANDREWS