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-HB396 INTRODUCED
-Page 0
-HB396
-DGZJUNN-1
-By Representative Collins
-RFD: Education Policy
-First Read: 05-Feb-26
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-DGZJUNN-1 02/05/2026 KMS (L)cr 2025-3088
+FN-I3BCKZW-1
 Page 1
-First Read: 05-Feb-26
-SYNOPSIS:
-Under existing law, the State Superintendent of
-Education is responsible for the development and
-implementation of a school grading system.
-This bill would revise the school grading system
-to update the design and revise the weights and
-indicators considered in assigning a grade, based in
-part on whether the school includes a 12th-grade class.
-This bill would require the Alabama Workforce
-Board, in consultation with the State Department of
-Education, to develop a system for collecting,
-analyzing, and reporting on student performance data
-associated with completion of college and career
-readiness indicators.
-This bill would also provide for the creation
-and membership of an Accountability Council to review
-and recommend revisions to the state accountability
-system.
-A BILL
-TO BE ENTITLED
-AN ACT
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-HB396 INTRODUCED
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-Relating to public K-12 education; to amend Section
-16-6C-2, Code of Alabama 1975, providing for the school
-grading system; to update the design and revise the weights
-and indicators considered in assigning a grade; to provide
-separate considerations for schools that include and don't
-include a 12th-grade class; to require the Alabama Workforce
-Board to consult with the State Department of Education in
-developing a system to measure student performance data
-associated with completion of college and career readiness
-indicators; and to create the Accountability Council to review
-and recommend revisions to the state accountability system.
-BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
-Section 1.  Section 16-6C-2 of the Code of Alabama 1975,
-is amended to read as follows:
-"§16-6C-2
-(a) In addition to any other labels or designations
-assigned to public schools and public school districts
-pursuant to a federal, state, school, district, or other
-assessment or accountability system, the State Superintendent
-of Education, consistent with this chapter, shall develop a
-school grading system reflective of school and district
-performance. The grading system shall utilize the traditional
-A, B, C, D, or F framework.
-(1) Schools receiving a grade of "A" are making
-excellent progress.
-(2) Schools receiving a grade of "B" are making above
-average progress.
-(3) Schools receiving a grade of "C" are making
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-HB396 INTRODUCED
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-(3) Schools receiving a grade of "C" are making
-satisfactory progress.
-(4) Schools receiving a grade of "D" are making less
-than satisfactory progress.
-(5) Schools receiving a grade of "F" are failing to
-make adequate progress.
-(b) In developing this school grading system, the State
-Superintendent of Education shall seek input from parents,
-teachers, school administrators, existing State Department of
-Education advisory groups or task forces, and other education
-stakeholders on how the system can properly reflect not only
-the overall academic proficiency of each public school but
-also the academic improvements made by each public school,
-along with other key performance indicators that give a total
-profile of the school or the school system, or both.
-(c)(b) The State Superintendent of Education shall
-prescribe  update  the design and content of  the  an improved
-school grading system by not later than December 31,  2012
-2026 . It is the intent of the Legislature that the system be
-in place by no later than the 2013-2014 school year. The
-system may not be utilized by the State Superintendent of
-Education or the State Department of Education until
-sufficient rules have been adopted by the State Board of
-Education pursuant to the Alabama Administrative Procedure
-Act.
-(d)(c) Using an easy to understand grading scale, the
-school grading system shall describe achievement in the state,
-each district, and each school. Additionally, the State
-Superintendent of Education shall not be precluded from also
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-HB396 INTRODUCED
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-Superintendent of Education shall not be precluded from also
-assigning grades to school feeder patterns or grades that
-reflect the fiscal health and fiscal efficiency of a school or
-school system.
-(e)(d) The State Superintendent of Education shall make
-these grades available to the general public and shall post
-these grades on the website of the State Department of
-Education as soon as the grades are available. Additionally,
-appropriate grade information shall be delivered to the parent
-or guardian of each public school student at least once
-annually in the same manner that student report cards are
-currently delivered.
-(f)(e)(1) Using  annual criterion-based,
-state-authorized  summative  assessments and other key
-performance indicators that give a total profile of the school
-or the school system, or both, a school's grade , at a minimum,
-shall be based on a combination of student achievement scores,
-achievement gap, college and career readiness,  learning gains
-of all students, learning gains of the lowest performing 25
-percent of students , and  other indicators as determined by the
-State Superintendent of Education to impact student learning
-and success  college and career readiness .
-(2)a. Each school that does not include a 12th-grade
-class shall use the following indicators:
-1. Student academic achievement using annual
-criterion-based, state-authorized summative assessments shall
-be weighted at 40 percent with 20 percent for Language Arts
-and 20 percent for Math.
-2. Student academic achievement growth using annual
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-HB396 INTRODUCED
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-2. Student academic achievement growth using annual
-criterion-based, state-authorized summative assessments, as
-determined by a criterion-based measure, shall be weighted at
-40 percent.
-3. Student academic achievement growth for the lowest
-performing 25 percent of students, as determined by using
-annual criterion-based, state-authorized summative
-assessments, shall be weighted at 20 percent with 10 percent
-for Language Arts and 10 percent for Math.
-b. Each school that includes a 12th-grade class shall
-use the following indicators:
-1. Student academic achievement using annual
-criterion-based, state-authorized summative assessments shall
-be weighted at 30 percent.
-2. Student academic achievement growth, as determined
-by a criterion-based measure, shall be weighted at 20 percent.
-3. Student academic achievement growth for the lowest
-performing 25 percent of students, as determined by using
-annual criterion-based, state-authorized summative
-assessments, shall be weighted at 10 percent with 5 percent
-for Language Arts and 5 percent for Math.
-4. Additionally, college and career readiness shall be
-weighted at 30 percent and graduation rate shall be rated at
-10 percent. College and career readiness shall include the
-following:
-(i) Benchmark on ACT;
-(ii) Successful completion of an international
-baccalaureate (IB) program with a qualifying score of four or
-above; dual enrollment college credit of A or B; or Advanced
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-above; dual enrollment college credit of A or B; or Advanced
-Placement classes with a qualifying score of three or above;
-(iii) Scoring gold or platinum on WorkKeys.
-(iv) Possessing an industry-recognized credential of
-value for high-demand, high-wage jobs.
-(v) Successful completion of an apprenticeship or a
-work-based learning or career technical degree.
-(3) The State Department of Education shall ensure
-proficiency on the statewide summative assessment is aligned
-to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
-(4) To ensure that the college and career readiness
-indicators accurately signal that students are prepared for
-high-wage, high-growth opportunities in this state, the
-Alabama Workforce Board, in consultation with the State
-Department of Education, shall develop a system for
-collecting, analyzing, and reporting the public school student
-outcomes associated with the completion of college and career
-readiness indicators in this section. This shall include an
-annual legislative report that captures the education system's
-return on investment, ensuring the state captures and reports
-on results beyond what is in the accountability formula
-including, but not limited to:
-a. Postsecondary enrollment and persistence;
-b. Military enlistment;
-c. Industry-recognized credentials;
-d. Median income within six years after graduation; and
-e. High-wage, high-demand career sectors.
-(5) When 60 percent of all public schools and public
-local education agencies earn either an A or B on the state
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-local education agencies earn either an A or B on the state
-A-F school grading system, the grading scale for all letter
-grades awarded shall be raised 10 points the following year.
-(2)a. (f)(1)  Commencing with the 2021-2022 school year,
-the academic achievement of each student identified as an
-English language learner who has not shown proficiency on
-ACCESS for EL, or other state-approved English proficiency
-assessment, may not be considered in assigning an academic
-achievement grade to a school or school system for the first
-five years of enrollment of the student. The educational
-progress of each of these students shall continue to be
-measured in the academic growth category and the progress in
-English language proficiency category, and, at the end of the
-five-year period for the student, his or her proficiency shall
-again be considered in assigning an academic achievement grade
-to a school or school system on the state A-F school grading
-system.
-b.(2) Commencing with the 2024-2025 school year, the
-academic achievement of each student identified as a transfer
-student from a nonpublic school may not be considered in
-assigning an academic achievement grade to a school or school
-system for the first three years of enrollment of the transfer
-student. The educational progress of each of these transfer
-students shall continue to be measured in the academic growth
-category, and, beginning with the fourth year of enrollment of
-the transfer student, his or her academic achievement shall be
-considered in assigning an academic achievement grade to a
-school or school system on the state A-F school grading
-system.
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-HB396 INTRODUCED
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-system.
-(3)(g) The State Superintendent of Education may not
-amend the state Every Student Succeeds Act option for
-including test scores of English language learners enrolled in
-United States schools. The option provides as follows: For the
-first year of enrollment, the test scores shall be reported,
-but the results on both the reading/language arts and math
-tests shall be excluded from the federal accountability
-system; for the second year of enrollment, a measure of
-student growth on both tests shall be included in the federal
-accountability system; and for the third year of enrollment,
-proficiency on both tests shall be included in the federal
-accountability system. Additionally, the option requires
-English language learners who have successfully left the
-English language learner subgroup by attaining English
-proficiency to be included in that subgroup for accountability
-purposes for four years.
-(h) To further the intent of the Legislature to create
-transparency and ensure all agencies uphold the purposes of
-this section, the State Superintendent of Education shall
-oversee the creation and operation of a standing
-Accountability Council. The Accountability Council shall meet
-at least annually to review the entire accountability system
-and annual return on investment study, and provide
-recommendations for any needed revisions to the Governor, the
-Legislature, the State Board of Education, and the State
-Department of Education. The goal of the Accountability
-Council is to ensure that all Alabama students are succeeding
-and will continue to succeed in the future. The membership of
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-and will continue to succeed in the future. The membership of
-the Accountability Council shall consist of all of the
-following:
-(1) Three members appointed by the Governor. One
-at-large member, one member who is a national expert on school
-accountability, and one member who is from the business
-community.
-(2) One member each appointed by the following:
-a. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
-b. The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
-c. The State Superintendent of Education.
-d. The Alabama Education Association.
-e. The School Superintendents of Alabama.
-f. The Alabama Association of School Boards.
-g. The Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools.
-h. The A+ Education Partnership.
-(g)(i) The A-F school grading system shall be
-consistently applied so that grades of one school or system
-may be compared to the grades of any other school or system."
-Section 2.  This act shall become effective on October
-1, 2026.
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+FISCAL NOTE
+House Bill 396
+Committee: Education Policy Sponsor: Representative Terri Collins
+Analyst: John Friedenreich Date: 02/16/2026
+House Bill 396 as introduced would increase the administrative obligations of the Alabama
+State Department of Education (SDE) to adopt rules to update the school grading system not
+later than December 31, 2026.
+Additionally, this bill would increase the administrative obligations of the Alabama Workforce
+Board, in consultation with SDE, to develop a system to track student outcomes pursuant to the
+provisions of the bill and to provide an annual report to the Legislature.