Michigan House Votes to Ditch A-F Grading System for K-12 Schools

Schools in Michigan may no longer be getting letter grades. The Michigan House voted to scrap the A to F system used to grade K-12 schools' academic performance.

Grading System Often Criticized by Education Officials

The system used to evaluate school performance in Michigan has been in place for several years, being approved by the Michigan legislature in December 2018 during a late-night, lame-duck session. According to the Detroit News, the system has been long opposed and often criticized by state education officials.

Matt Koleszar is the State Representative from Plymouth. He calls the current grading system confusing and incomplete.

"It does nothing to actually improve a school’s performance," Koleszar said. "It is way too focused on standardized testing data which has no bearing on what our schools are dealing with.”

 

House Votes to Eliminate A-F Grades for Schools

Koleszar introduced House Bill 4166 which was approved by the State House by a margin of 63 to 45. The bill would not only eliminate the letter grade system for schools, it would also eliminate the state's requirement that the Michigan Department of Education compiles a list of the state's lowest-performing schools.

Schools Would Still be AccountableIf the measure becomes law, Michigan's School Index System would remain in place, giving schools a zero to 100 rating based on growth, proficiency, graduation rates, attendance, advanced coursework completion, postsecondary enrollment, staffing ratios, and progress made by students from families whose primary language is not English.