Senate passes school accountability bill

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A school accountability bill that won Senate approval Wednesday could cost the state more than $150 million in federal funds unless it is revised, the measure's sponsor said.

Many of the bill's provisions are backed by Gov. Bob Holden and were passed previously by the House in different legislation.

The Senate's version includes language exempting some special education students from standardized state tests. They would take specially designed tests instead.

That provision could violate federal rules, jeopardizing more than $150 million in federal education money, said the sponsor, Sen. Roseann Bentley, R-Springfield.

Bentley said revisions to bring the measure into compliance with federal requirements will likely be made in the House.

Rule waivers

Other parts of the bill allow the state Board of Education to waive certain administrative rules for public schools with high student achievement.

Teachers in schools that do not perform well could be required to continue their education and improve their skills.

Under another section, schools in unaccredited or provisionally accredited districts could establish family literacy programs funded through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Such programs would start in July 2005.

The bill also would allow schools to offer phonics to students at an early age.

Phonics is a system of pronouncing and reading individual words by learning sound-association of letters, letter groups and syllables.

Education bill is SB1059 (Bentley).