The House Education Committee, in a split vote, Tuesday endorsed a bill that would temporarily suspend the letter grade rating system for schools.
Schools did not receive letter grades for the 2019-20 school year. As a result of the covid-19 pandemic hitting the state in March, schools dismissed early and statewide student assessments did not take place in April. The tests are among the factors used to calculate the grades, ranging A through F, that schools receive.
Rep. Brian Evans, R-Cabot, sponsor of House Bill 1151, said the pandemic continues to disrupt education, and it's unclear whether proper testing will be administered during the 2020-21 school year.
He added that the prospect of being graded while managing the challenges of the pandemic, including virtual learning, safety protocols and quarantines, is an additional stressor for educators.
"I think it would be very unfair for a judgment to be placed upon them with an A through F grading system," Evans said. "Quite frankly, they're just trying to get through every day."
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He noted that he supported the letter-grade system and only wanted to put it on pause because of the pandemic.
The state Department of Education supports HB1151. Education Secretary Johnny Key said the department would continue to collect the data upon which the grades are based, but would not issue the grades.
Test scores are the highest-weighted part of the formula used to calculate the letter grades, but the formula also takes into account graduation rates and other data.
Speaking against the bill was Gary Newton, director of Arkansas Learns, a consumer-focused organization that initiated the grading system. Newton said the system makes it easier for parents to understand which schools are doing well, and that "snapshot" is important now more than ever.
"We have schools performing very well considering the situation, and we have schools performing very poorly considering the situation. Many of those schools are in the same districts, and it's incumbent upon us to do everything we can to illuminate the performance of schools even during our most trying times," he said.
HB1151 passed 13-2, sending it to the House floor for further action. Reps. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, and Richard Womack, R-Arkadelphia, voted no.