If you’ve watched your child work hard to improve their reading skills, only to be defined by a single test score, you’re not alone. Alabama parents and educators are grappling with a proposal that could fundamentally change how schools are evaluated—and some worry it may shift focus from growth to grades. The debate reveals a deeper tension in education: how do we measure true learning without reducing children to numbers?
What’s Happening
Representative Terri Collins, R-Decatur, has introduced House Bill 396, a sweeping proposal to overhaul Alabama’s A-F school grading system. The bill would fundamentally reweight the measures used to evaluate school performance, most notably by adding a separate growth metric tracking academic progress of the lowest-performing 25% of students.
The proposed changes include reducing chronic absenteeism’s weight from 15% to 5%, adding a 10% growth weight for the bottom 25% of students, and increasing the weight of achievement from 20% to 30%. For schools with a 12th grade, the proposed formula would allocate 30% to achievement, 20% to growth, and 5% to the bottom 25% of students.
Perhaps most significantly, the bill would create a new accountability council empowered to raise the metrics needed to earn each letter grade after just three years—meaning schools that earned a B today might need to perform at A-levels to maintain that grade tomorrow.
Alabama wants to change how schools are graded—but educators are questioning whether the new formula fairly measures student growth. Here's what parents should know about HB 396.
The Context Behind the Debate
Alabama’s A-F system was passed in 2012, with the first report cards issued in 2018. The current framework uses student achievement, academic growth, chronic absenteeism, graduation rates, and college and career readiness to calculate school grades. Recent years have seen incremental increases in standards, including raising the literacy cut score from 435 to 444 in 2024.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 50% of Alabama’s eighth-grade students were at or above basic in 2024, with only 18% at or above proficient. Supporters of the bill argue these numbers warrant raising expectations. “The hardest time to raise the bar is when you’re doing well, but that’s why it’s so important to sustain this progress,” said Mark Dixon, president of A+ Education Partnership.
Quote: We seem to sometimes drag our heels on making improvements in lifting our bar in education. And so pushing accountability and transparency has kind of been my theme and my goal over these years. Attribution: Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, HB 396 sponsor
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
What Educators Are Saying
Nearly two dozen superintendents and school leaders packed the House Education Policy Committee meeting to voice opposition. Their concerns center on both process and substance. “It’s not the indicators themselves, it’s the process that I have a problem with,” said Jefferson County Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin, urging lawmakers to work more collaboratively with educators.
Chris Robbins, assistant superintendent of instruction for Hoover City Schools, raised a mathematical concern: the proposal would effectively count some students twice by measuring overall growth and separately measuring growth among the lowest-performing 25%. “Mathematically, that doesn’t make sense,” Robbins said.
Farrell Seymore, executive director of the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools, warned that changing grading measures could cause some schools’ letter grades to drop even if performance does not decline—affecting community reputation, teacher recruitment, property values, and economic development decisions.
Key takeaways
- Bill Proposes Major Formula Changes: HB 396 would reweight school grading measures, reducing chronic absenteeism to 5%, adding 10% growth weight for bottom 25% of students, and increasing achievement weight to 30%.
- Educators Raise Process Concerns: Nearly two dozen superintendents opposed the changes, questioning both the rushed timeline and the mathematical logic of measuring some students twice.
- Accountability Council Could Raise Standards: A newly created council could raise grade thresholds after just three years, potentially causing grades to drop even without performance declines.
What This Means for Families
As the legislature debates these changes, parents should understand that school letter grades are primarily communication tools—not measures of your child’s individual potential or growth. Research consistently shows that high-stakes accountability systems can inadvertently narrow curriculum focus and increase stress without necessarily improving learning outcomes.
Whatever system Alabama ultimately adopts, remember: your child’s growth cannot be reduced to a single letter. The most powerful factor in your child’s education is your involvement and belief in their potential—not the grade assigned to their school. Stay informed about these changes, ask questions, and remember that labels on schools don’t define the capabilities of the children within them.
Quote: It’s not the indicators itself, it’s the process that I have a problem with. Attribution: Walter Gonsoulin, Jefferson County Superintendent
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Here’s what we know for certain: your child’s potential is not determined by a letter grade on a school report card. Brains change rapidly when given the right support, and growth happens on individual timelines. The best education systems recognize this—focusing on developing skills rather than labeling limitations. Whether Alabama’s legislature raises or lowers the bar, what matters most is whether we as parents continue to believe in our children’s capacity to grow. That belief, backed by your involvement, is more powerful than any accountability formula.
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Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
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References
- Alabama Reflector - Proposed changes to Alabama school grading system leave some educators wary
- Alabama Daily News - Proposed changes to Alabama's A-F school report card spark debate
