Gov. Rick Snyder signed a slew of education bills into law on Friday, Dec. 28, including school letter grades and a package of school safety bills.
House Bill 5526, sponsored by state Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw, requires the Michigan Department of Education to give every school an A-F letter grade in five categories: students’ overall proficiency on standardized tests in math and English language arts, their growth on those assessments, graduation rates, academic performance compared to schools with similar student populations and progress for children whose first language is not English.
The grades would be released starting next September and be issued each year after that. The bill narrowly passed the state Senate before Christmas by a 21-17 with no floor debate. All 11 Democrats and six of 27 majority Republicans voted no.
