A bill

to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by amending Section 59-5-68, relating to THE UNIFORM GRADING SCALE USED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, so as to ENSURE HIGH SCHOOL GRADE POINT AVERAGES ARE A MEANINGFUL INDICATOR OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT BY DIRECTING THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO REVISE ITS UNIFORM GRADING SCALE BEFORE JULY 1, 2025, TO ACHIEVE MAKING THE ASSIGNMENT OF GRADES IN HIGH SCHOOL SUBJECTS ALIGN WITH CONTENT MASTERY AS MEASURED BY THE ACT OR OTHER STANDARDIZED NATIONAL ASSESSMENTS DESIGNATED BY THE STATE BOARD FOR MEASURING A PARTICULAR SUBJECT, TO PROVIDE ONLY ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE MAY BE CONSIDERED IN HIGH SCHOOL SUBJECT GRADE ASSIGNMENTS, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE STATE BOARD SHALL ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THese MANDATES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1.   Section 59-5-68 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

   Section 59-5-68.   (A) The General Assembly finds that given the fact the State provides substantial financial academic assistance to students of the State based on cumulative grade point averages and districts currently use a variety of grading scales, it is in the best interest of the students of South Carolina for a uniform grading scale to be developed and adopted by the State Board of Education to be implemented in all public schools of the State. Therefore, the State Board of Education is directed to establish a task force comprised of superintendents, principals, teachers, and representatives of school boards and higher education no later than June 30, 1999. The task force shall make recommendations to the board including, but not limited to, the following: consistent numerical breaks for letter grades; consideration of standards to define an honors course; appropriate weighting of courses; and determination of courses and weightings to be used in the calculation of class rank. The task force shall report its findings to the State Board of Education no later than December 1, 1999. The State Board of Education shall then adopt and school districts of the State shall begin using the adopted grading scale no later than the 2000-2001 school year.

   (B) To ensure use of the uniform grading scale results in high school grade point averages that are meaningful indicators of academic achievement, the State Board of Education is directed to revise its uniform grading scale before July 1, 2025, to ensure that the assignment of grades in high school subjects aligns with content mastery as measured by the ACT or other standardized national assessments designated by the State Board for measuring a particular subject. Only academic performance may be considered in an assignment of grades in high school subjects. In revising its uniform grading scale, the board shall establish a task force comprised of superintendents, principals, teachers, and representatives of school boards and higher education to make recommendations for the implementation of the mandates of this subsection.

SECTION 2.   This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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