The House Student Academy Success Subcommittee forwarded a bill 12-4 on Tuesday that would increase transparency surrounding letter grades earned by Florida schools to a more traditional 'A' through 'F' scale.
Rep. Susan Valdes (R-Tampa) explained her bill (HB 1483) to the committee.
"The purpose of this bill is to provide truth and transparency to our parents, students, and teachers on how well each school is preparing its students," Valdes said. "Florida's current school grading system is an 'A' through 'F' letter grade system, and this was established to provide a universally recognized way of summarizing students and school academic performance to motivate schools and improve student achievement."
"From homework assignments to test and course grades, parents in the general public understand the 'A' through 'F' grading system," Valdes added.
Rep. Valdez explained the common grading system.
- 'A' - 90% to 100%
- 'B' - 89% to 80%
- 'C' 79% to 70%
- 'D' 69% to 60%
- 'F' 59% and below
As Valdez explained, the state's grading system is not exactly what you might think. In reality, its marks are giving a false impression on academic achievement.
If you're wondering, these "grades" are defined by the Florida Department of Education.
"In Florida's grading system right now in elementary schools, a 62% in elementary schools is considered an 'A'. And it's not 90%. The bar for a 'C' is at 41%, not 70%. The bar for an 'F' is at 31%," Valdes said.
"If you're in middle or high school in Florida, the bar for an 'A' is set at 64%, not 90%. The bar for a 'C' is at 44%, not at 70%. And the bar for an 'F' is 33%, not 59%," Valdes added.
She added that these "phantom" grades have risen overall school letter marks from 46% in 2016 to 65% in 2024. Valdes said that despite the increase, the state's student performance has declined.
'This bill attempts to align our school grading system with what parents and students are used to," Valdes said.
She noted that a more traditional transition would take place over the next decade. However, no changes would be made for the 2025-2026 school year during the "revamp and repair" period.
The new grading scale would take effect in the 2026-2027 school year.
Those changes are:
- 65% - 'A'
- 55%-64% - 'B'
- 45%-54% - 'C'
- 35%-44% - 'D'
The grading letter scale would then increase in the following school years. By the 2033-2034 school year, an 'A' would equal 90% or greater.
Most of the pushback from state lawmakers centered on whether the goals were achievable, which Valdes downplayed while expressing confidence in students.
Additionally, HB 1483 would require both the school's current grade and grade earned under the traditional A-F grading scale be printed on the students' report card.
The bill has no related bill in the Senate. If fully passed and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the bill would take effect on July 1.
