Missouri Schools Get New Report Cards: What's the Plan?

Missouri is shaking things up in education. The state is creating a new way to grade schools. This is after Governor Mike Kehoe gave an order. The Missouri Department of Education has until June to make a plan. The new system will use letter grades from A to F. It will be based on how well students do on tests. High schools will also be graded on how many students graduate. Schools that don't test enough students will get a lower grade. The grades will be easy to understand. Everyone from parents to teachers can see them. Schools will get their grades by September 15th. They must show them by September 30th every year.The grading system will get tougher over time. If most schools get A's or B's, the standards will go up. This is to push schools to keep improving. Not everyone is happy with this plan. Some groups don't like grading schools based on tests. They worry about how this will affect funding for education. The new system aims to focus more on student success. Right now, the state looks at how schools follow rules. But the new plan wants to see if students are actually learning. This could change how schools teach and what they focus on.