SPONSOR: Pollitt
This bill defines "Grade-level equivalence", a metric developed and used by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to show a student's proximity to doing grade-level work, and requires DESE to establish panels to review and revise the performance-level descriptors for each academic subject and grade level. The bill identifies and describes the performance level descriptors as: advanced, proficient, grade level, basic, and below basic, with specified characteristics for each level.
Beginning in the 2026-27 school year and in each subsequent year the school accountability report card must provide each student's grade-level equivalence as measured on the statewide assessment. Data relating to the grade-level equivalence must be searchable on a building-by-building, school-by-school, district-by-district, and statewide level. The data must display a percentage of students at grade level or above for each level, provided that no data will disclose personal identification of any student except to a student's parent (Section 160.522 RSMo.).
The bill removes the inflationary increase for the minimum teacher salary (Section 163.172).
This bill extends the authorization for teachers that are retired to substitute teach without a discontinuance of the teacher's retirement benefit. This authorization was set to expire in 2025 and the bill moves that to 2030 (Section 168.036).
This bill is similar to HB 371 (2025).
Statutes affected: