The bill H. 5073 aims to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by introducing Section 59-29-250, which establishes new requirements for public school grading practices. It emphasizes that grading should reflect student mastery of material through completed assignments and assessments, and prohibits any grading system that assigns a minimum grade exceeding a student's actual performance. Additionally, the bill conditions eligibility for credit recovery and content recovery on the completion of required assignments, and mandates that certain assessments, specifically formative assessments and district-selected benchmark assessments, cannot be included in final grade calculations. If a school district violates these provisions, the State Department of Education may withhold ten percent of the district's State Aid to Classroom funding.

Furthermore, the bill directs the State Board of Education to form a task force before the 2026-2027 school year, consisting of various educational stakeholders, to evaluate and recommend revisions to the Uniform Grading Policy. This task force will focus on enhancing the grading system's effectiveness in assessing college and career readiness, ensuring that high school GPAs accurately reflect academic achievement, and reducing reliance on credit recovery programs. The task force is required to report its findings by February 1, 2027, and the State Board of Education must implement any updates to the grading policy by the 2028-2029 school year.

Statutes affected:
01/29/2026: 59-29-250
Latest Version: 59-29-250