Missouri education department releases plan to assign schools a letter grade
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Missouri DESE published an A–F school grading framework on June 30, 2026.
- The framework would grade schools mainly on standardized test scores and growth.
- DESE estimated implementation costs of $518,000 first year and $715,000 annually.
It may not just be students who could earn an A or F grade; Missouri schools themselves could be graded under a framework proposed by the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The framework was published June 30 and would create a school-by-school grading system based on student outcomes. The accountability measures aim to reward higher-performing schools and identify schools that need improvement, according to supporters.
Opponents, however, see the measure as overly reliant on standardized testing that doesn’t account for complicating factors like poverty, class size and access to resources.
DESE drafted the framework in response to an executive order by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe. The grading framework would largely rely on standardized test scores, weighted by how quickly they’re improving over time in a given school.
For high schools, the graduation rate and “success ready graduate measure” would also contribute to the scores.
“The goal for the A-F school grading framework is to provide families and communities with a simple, comparable, and rigorous picture of school performance,” DESE interim commissioner of education Stacey Preis said in a statement.
Kehoe said in a statement that he is reviewing the framework, which still must be approved by the Missouri State Board of Education. If approved, DESE would publish grades for individual schools every year.
“Parents deserve clear, easy-to-understand information about how schools are performing so they can make the best decisions for their children,” Kehoe said. “The A-F framework is about bringing greater transparency and accountability to Missouri’s education system by giving greater weight to student outcomes rather than the administrative process.”
A spokesperson for the Park Hill School District said they are reviewing the framework to see how it would affect its schools.
“There are several new considerations in this proposal, and we need to look at implications for not only Park Hill School District but for all public schools in Missouri,” Kelly Wachel, with the Park Hill School District, said in a statement.
A-to-F bill failed to pass
Lawmakers attempted to pass a law mandating an A-F grade, which went further than DESE’s framework by providing incentives for high-performing schools.
The proposal drew supporters from organizations that support private and charter schools, who argued it would bring accountability and transparency to schools.
Opponents, made up of public school advocates and the Missouri State Teachers Association, argued that the accountability systems are punitive and that the reliance on growth creates a moving target that would be hard to maintain.
“It’s frustrating because education isn’t supposed to be a race. It’s a journey,” said Carter Taylor, legislative chair for the Kansas City Federation of Teachers.
“It’s just trying to give more advantages to the kids who are already further ahead on that journey, and it’s going to continue to disadvantage my students who are coming in with a handicap,” Taylor said.
DESE’s framework indicated that it will cost $518,000 in the first year and $715,000 annually to maintain the staff and software that implements the grading system.
