State Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur) wants to raise standards when it comes to grading the success of public schools in the Yellowhammer State.

Collins has introduced HB396, a bill that would change the way Alabama’s public K-12 schools are graded in the state’s annual report card.

That means if triggered, the 100-point grading scale would be raised by 10 points the following year, turning a score of 90 from an A to a B.

“We owe it to taxpayers and families to know whether students are truly prepared — not just to graduate, but to succeed after graduation,” Collins told Alabama Daily News.

One of the main goals of the new system will be to measure positive changes so even the more successfully graded schools don’t get too comfortable or complacent.

In order to achieve that goal, Collins added a provision that would require the state to automatically raise its grading scale if 60% of public schools and public local education agencies earn an A or B in a given year.

That means if triggered, the 100-point grading scale would be raised by 10 points the following year, turning a score of 90 from an A to a B.

According to Alabama Daily News, more than 60% earned an A or B in 2025.

This would directly impact the grades of schools since more than 60% scored and A or B in 2025.

“We’ve never lifted our bar,” Collins said. “And I think our students deserve that.”

According to the synopsis of the bill, it also proposes the following changes to the grading system:

• Would revise the school grading system to update the design and revise the weights and indicators considered in assigning a grade, based in part on whether the school includes a 12th-grade class.
• Would require the Alabama Workforce Board, in consultation with the State Department of Education, to develop a system for collecting, analyzing, and reporting on student performance data associated with completion of college and career readiness indicators.
• Would also provide for the creation and membership of an Accountability Council to review and recommend revisions to the state accountability system.

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee