Rep. Henke grading bill clears House

A measure creating a special task force that would review the formulas used by the Oklahoma State Board of Education in developing the controversial A-F school grading system passed out of the House of Representatives last week.

House Bill 2044, by state Rep. Katie Henke, would create a 15-member “School Report and Assessment Calculation Review Task Force” charged with evaluating the calculation metrics used by state education department to publish the annual reports of the Oklahoma School Testing Program and evaluation system, which assigns school districts and sites grades based on an A through F ranking system.

“After hearing the many concerns of parents and educators regarding our current A through F grading system, I felt it was pertinent for the legislature to address those concerns,” said Rep. Henke, R-Tulsa.

“This bill provides an opportunity for legislators, educators, parents and experts in the field of school accountability to come together and cooperate in developing a grading system that is valid, useful and reliable.

“With this task force, Oklahoma will be able to create a model school accountability system worthy of replication in other states.” The bill requires the task force to issue a final report by December 31, 2013.  House Bill 2044 passed out of the House by a vote of 81-1 and now proceeds to the Senate for consideration.