SB 1653: Accountability Measures in Education
Sponsor: Curtis Trent
OPPOSE
Entrenches bureaucracy over academics.
SB 1653 replaces Missouri's existing school "report card" statute with a new A-F grading system for every public school, district, and charter school, built around standardized test proficiency, multiple growth metrics, and (for high schools) graduation and "success-ready" indicators.
What Does This Bill Do?
- New Grading Regime: Creates a mandatory A-F letter grade system (0-100 scale) for all districts and schools based heavily on state summative assessments.
- Show Me Success Program: Establishes a bonus system paying $50-$100 per student to top-performing schools, which must be used for staff bonuses rather than classroom needs.
- Testing Enforcement: Mandates that any school or district failing to test at least 95% of students will have its letter grade automatically lowered by one level.
Constitutional or Critical Context
This bill raises significant concerns regarding the delegation of power to unelected bodies. It allows the State Board to outsource core accountability scoring to private vendors and permits outside NGOs to define "living wage" standards for state reporting. Furthermore, the "rigor ratchet" creates a moving target for schools, ensuring perpetual bureaucratic churn rather than educational stability.
Red Flags & Recommended Amendments
Standardized Testing Coercion
The 95% testing penalty hard-codes "test compliance" into statute, punishing schools for student opt-outs or special population attendance issues.
Pay-for-Score Bureaucracy
The Show Me Success Program turns accountability into a state-funded incentive scheme that invites metric gaming and reinforces test-driven schooling.
Act for Missouri Recommendation:
OPPOSE SB 1653. It expands DESE power through a test-driven regime, creates a costly bonus program, and imports outside ideological standards without improving core academics.