Bill > H7117

This bill revises how school grades and school improvement ratings are calculated, introduces new statewide, standardized assessments, and modifies provisions related to local assessments and personnel evaluations. Key changes include defining "achievement level" as a student's mastery of content on standardized tests, with Level 3 being satisfactory, and "Learning Gains" as student growth from one school year to the next. The bill outlines a new, more detailed system for calculating school grades based on various components like student achievement in English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, as well as student learning gains, particularly for the lowest-performing students. It also adjusts how alternative schools are rated and how student performance data is factored into school grades, including for students with disabilities and those who are hospital or homebound. The bill also mandates local assessments for courses not covered by statewide tests and modifies personnel evaluation procedures to incorporate student academic performance and learning growth, with provisions for transition to new assessments and potential bonus rewards for districts demonstrating progress in educator effectiveness.