Schools could soon be the ones being graded

By Brandon Lorenz and Emerson Smith, Missouri News Network
JEFFERSON CITY — A bill passed by the state House on Thursday would create a standardized grading system that would be used to grade the schools themselves.
House Bill 2710, sponsored by Rep. Dane Diehl, R-Butler, would grade all public and charter schools and their districts on an A-F scale for their efficiency in educating students. The grading would be based on student performance, staff, finances and other categories.
The proposed plan holds the the State Board of Education accountable for developing the annual report but leaves the option to have the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) responsible to cover the cost.
There is also an option within the bill for the education board to hire a “private entity” to do the reports on the schools.
This bill follows Gov. Mike Kehoe’s executive order, announced at his State of the State address in January, that requires the education department to draw up a plan on how the grading system would work and present it to the State Board of Education for approval.
“Transparency drives improvement,” Rep. Cecelie Williams, R-Dittmer, explained on the House floor. “When we shine a light on performance, we create a space for innovation, collaboration and progress.”
With majority Republican support, some disagreement came from both sides of the aisle. The bill passed 96-53 with 13 Republicans voting no.
Most Republican opposition comes from how this grading system could affect schools in rural areas and low attendance schools. A provision was put in for students with “suspension, seclusion and restraint incidents.” Debate referenced that the Senate can make its own changes sending it back to the House floor again.
On the other side of the aisle, Democrats felt this bill was taking time away from more pressing issues within the state’s schools.
“The title of this is ‘school accountability,’ but I question our state’s accountability to the Missouri schools and children,” argued Rep. Kathy Steinhoff, D-Columbia.
She cited several statistics; according to U.S. News & World Report, in 2025 Missouri was ranked 33rd in the country when it comes to education. In addition, Missouri students are still behind academically after Covid. The Education Recovery Scorecard currently ranks Missouri 39th in Math recovery and 40th in English recovery.
The state also is ranked 50th in starting teacher salaries, she said.
“Before we ask our schools to increase the well legislated benefits for accountability, I think this body’s time would be better served looking at how we can be more accountable to our schools and the children of the state,” Steinhoff said.
The bill also includes incentives for schools and their districts to score high. A “Show Me Success Program” would grant financial awards to public schools based on improvement seen or reaching achievement goals. The bill also mentions that the funding from these awards will be used to promote teacher recruitment and retention rates.
The House debated the bill with some visiting fourth grade students and teachers viewing from the gallery on a school field trip.