Koenig: Why I voted for grades for Missouri schools

In his latest newsletter, Rep. Andrew Koenig, R- Manchester, explains why he voted for a bill that would give all Missouri schools a letter grade. It is just a shame that he and his colleagues did not develop a system that would give state legislators a letter grade, all in the name of transparency, of couse.

 Wouldn’t it be nice if you could look at how your school performs? Today restaurants and students receive a grade, so why not our schools? The Departmentof Elementary and Secondary Education has this kind of information on every school and every school district yet it is difficult for parents to access.

It is important for parents to know how their children are doing in school. It is alsoimportant for the parents to know how their schools perform.

A report card is a very simple but tightly packed assessment of a child’s overall understanding of the curriculum. House Bill 388 creates a report card for schools that must be given to the parents of those school districts.

These ‘School Report Cards’ will show an overall assessment of how their school ranks compared to other public schools. This will give parents information so they can be more involved in the process of improving their children’s school.

Those that oppose this bill say parents will not be able to understand these report cards, but I believe in transparency and that parents deserve to have this information. I also feel that this information can be explained in simple terms that parents can understand. That is why I voted yes on House Bill 388.

At this time, the information on School performance is still being created. I hope to provide you this information in the near future.