Phil Matier: State Senate Leader Pushes For Change In How Schools Are Graded

SACRAMENTO (KCBS) – State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg is pushing for a new bill that would put less emphasis on student test scores when doling out report cards for schools in the state.

Steinberg told the Sacramento Bee that he is pushing Senate Bill 1458 because the current system "provides incentive to teach to the test and shortchanges students by not properly gauging their readiness for college or career."

KCBS, CBS 5 and SF Chronicle Insider Phil Matier:

Steinberg's measure would call for standardized test results to make up at least 40 percent of an elementary or middle school's Academic Performance Index score, but no more than 40 percent of a high school's score.

The California Teachers Association has taken no position on the proposal; both the California School Boards Association and the Association of California School Administrators have said they support expanding the index, but that doesn't mean they necessarily endorse Steinberg's bill.

Critics of the bill argue that it will take away from "the building blocks of childhood education: basic reading, writing and arithmetic."

You can hear Phil Matier's comments Monday through Friday at 7:50am and 5:50pm on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

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