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An Act To Fix and Improve the System Used To Evaluate or Rate Public Schools in Maine
 
CONCEPT DRAFT SUMMARY
This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208.
This bill proposes to provide that if the Department of Education or any other state agency uses a system to evaluate or rate public schools:
1. The department or other state agency shall give notice to the public that such a system will be used, shall give an opportunity for the public and interested parties to provide input regarding the development of the system and shall convene a task force on the development and implementation of the system that includes but is not limited to representatives of the following stakeholder groups:
A. Teachers;
B. School boards;
C. Superintendents;
D. Parents; and
E. Students;
2. The system must include:
A. Accurate measures of student progress over at least 5 years;
B. Rates of postsecondary school attendance and enlistment in the United States Armed Forces over at least 5 years;
C. A peer group comparison that takes into account, but is not limited to, utilization of special education services, the number of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, local and county unemployment data and median household income;
D. School attendance rates;
E. Graduation rates; and
F. Interviews with parents of students, members of governing boards of school administrative units, teachers and other education leaders about the overall school environment; and
3. The system may not use a bell curve and a school may not be penalized because of the failure of students to take certain standardized tests.