House Bill 406 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Marcus ParamoreRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

School report card, students who receive a nonstandard high school diploma upon graduation not considered in assigning grade

Summary

HB406 would exclude from school accountability grades the metrics tied to students on alternative education pathways who receive a non-standard diploma upon graduation instead of the Alabama High School Diploma.

What This Bill Does

It amends the state’s school grading law to exclude those students' metrics from counting toward a school’s or district’s annual A-F grade, starting with the 2026-2027 school year. The grading system remains an A-F framework and must be publicly posted and shared with parents. The bill also includes phased exclusions for English learners and transfer students in other parts of the grading system.

Who It Affects

• Students on alternative education pathways who are destined to receive a non-standard diploma; their accountability metrics would not be considered in school or district grades.
• Public K-12 schools and school districts; their annual report card grades would be calculated without counting those students’ metrics.

Key Provisions

• Excludes from accountability metrics the performance of students on alternative education pathways who are to receive a non-standard diploma upon graduation, so those metrics do not affect school or district grades on annual report cards (effective 2026-2027).
• Amends Section 16-6C-2 to create an A-F school grading system that reflects school and district performance and publishes grades publicly, with the design set by the State Superintendent of Education.
• Requires the grading system to use an easy-to-understand A-F scale and measure performance through indicators such as student achievement, growth, college and career readiness, and other key indicators.
• English language learners: beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, the academic achievement score for EL students not proficient on state assessments may not be counted for up to five years; progress is still measured via growth and language proficiency.
• Transfer students from nonpublic schools: beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, the academic achievement score for these students may not be counted for the first three years; from year four onward, it is counted in the school’s grade.
• Alternative education pathway students destined to receive a non-standard diploma: beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, their accountability metrics may not be counted in any accountability metrics for the annual report card during enrollment.
• Grades must be posted publicly on the State Department of Education website and delivered to the parent or guardian of each student annually.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 12, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Education