SB 711: Schools; modifying calculation of the certain adjusted cohort graduation rates; modifying calculation of Oklahoma School Testing Program annual reports. Effective date. Emergency. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was transitioned from the House to the Senate floor version, resulting in significant structural and substantive changes. The Senate version simplifies the bill's title and removes the original House's extensive list of amendments, replacing them with a streamlined set of new requirements. Key policy changes include the addition of 'postsecondary opportunities' (such as internships and apprenticeships) as a metric for school grades, the inclusion of 'bonus points' for schools providing in-person instruction, and a shift in school grading criteria to prioritize climate surveys over chronic absenteeism for elementary and middle schools.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed and clarified; the Senate version removes the complex dual-amendment structure of the House version, focusing instead on specific amendments to 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.545 regarding school accountability and reporting.

DEFINITION

Added 'postsecondary opportunities' to the definition of school success metrics, explicitly including internships, mentorships, and industry certifications.

REQUIREMENT

Created a new provision allowing elementary, middle, and high schools to earn bonus points for providing in-person classroom instruction beyond state minimums.

Changed the grading criteria for elementary and middle schools to include climate surveys for students, staff, and parents, while removing chronic absenteeism as a primary grading factor for these levels.

TECHNICAL

Removed the House version's extensive list of co-sponsors and the complex multi-section amendment structure, replacing it with a single, focused amendment to Section 1210.545.

Senate Conference Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was moved from the Senate Conference Committee to the House floor for final passage, changing the document header and authorship credits. The substantive policy text regarding graduation rates and school testing reports remains identical to the conference version, with no changes to the actual laws being enacted.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; only the procedural status and document formatting were modified.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document title from 'Senate Conference Committee Substitute' to 'House of Representatives - Floor Version' to reflect the bill's current stage in the legislative process.

Adjusted the list of sponsoring legislators and their chambers to match the floor version, removing the conference committee context.

Reformatted page headers and footers to indicate this is the House floor version, including instructions on how to identify committee amendments.

House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill → Senate Conference Committee Substitute · 2 edits

MINOR

This bill transitions from a House Committee Substitute to a Senate Conference Committee Substitute, incorporating additional House members into the legislative record. The substantive text of the bill remains largely identical to the previous version, with changes primarily limited to formatting, line spacing, and the addition of new names to the list of sponsors. No new policy requirements, funding amounts, or eligibility criteria were introduced in this specific diff.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document title from 'Committee Substitute' to 'Conference Committee Substitute' and added additional names (Provenzano, Waldron, Ranson, Deck, Menz, and Pogemiller) to the list of House sponsors.

Adjusted line breaks and spacing throughout the document to align with the conference committee format, though the underlying legal text of the amendments to 70 O.S. 2021 Sections 3-151.1 and 1210.545 remains unchanged.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill · 3 edits

MINOR

The House Committee Substitute replaced the entire bill text to update statutory references from the outdated 'No Child Left Behind Act' to the current 'Every Student Succeeds Act.' It also refined the definitions for calculating high school graduation rates, specifically clarifying how student transfers and emigration are handled to ensure accurate reporting.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on school accountability and graduation rate calculations, but the legal framework it operates under has been updated to reflect current federal education law.

DEFINITION

Updated the legal citation for the governing federal education law from the No Child Left Behind Act to the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Clarified the rules for calculating the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, specifically regarding students who transfer out, emigrate, or pass away.

TECHNICAL

Reformatted the bill header and page numbering to conform to standard legislative requirements.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was reclassified from an 'Oversight' to a 'Policy' substitute, changing its procedural status but not its substantive content. The text of the bill itself remains largely identical, with minor formatting adjustments and a slight rewording of the definition regarding student transfers in the graduation rate calculation.

TECHNICAL

The bill title and header were changed from 'Proposed Oversight Committee Substitute' to 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute', indicating a shift in the legislative committee's handling of the bill.

Minor formatting and line break adjustments were made throughout the document to align with the new policy substitute format.

DEFINITION

The definition of the adjusted cohort graduation rate was slightly clarified by changing 'transfers in and.' to 'transfers in and out of the school' to ensure clarity on how student mobility affects the rate.

Enrolled (final version) → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 · 2 edits

MINOR

The House Oversight Committee substituted a new version of the bill that retains the original text regarding high school graduation rate calculations and school reporting requirements. The primary change is the removal of specific provisions that would have prohibited chronic absenteeism from certain measures and required the inclusion of teacher retention rates in school grades, effectively pausing those specific policy updates while keeping the rest of the bill intact.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding graduation rate definitions and reporting remains unchanged, but the scope regarding chronic absenteeism metrics and teacher retention reporting has been removed.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement to prohibit chronic absenteeism from being included in certain statewide measures.

Removed the directive to include teacher retention rate as a factor in school site grades.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 5 edits · May 29, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was finalized to amend Oklahoma's school accountability laws, specifically updating graduation rate definitions and adding bonus points for schools that provide in-person classroom instruction. It also clarifies how student transfers and specific demographic groups are counted when calculating graduation rates.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include new bonus point incentives for in-person instruction and refined the calculation of graduation rates to exclude specific student groups like emigrants and those transferring after a certain date.

INCENTIVES

Schools are now eligible for bonus points in their overall grade if they provide in-person classroom instruction beyond state requirements.

DEFINITION

The definition of the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate was updated to explicitly exclude students who transfer out, emigrate, or pass away, and to exclude 12th graders transferring in after October 1.

The definition of postsecondary opportunities was expanded to include apprenticeships and industry certifications alongside traditional college pathways.

REQUIREMENT

The bill clarifies that online students enrolled in programs outside their district of residence must be reported separately and excluded from their home school's grade calculation.

TIMELINE

The State Board of Education is directed to establish a timeline for how achievements from new postsecondary opportunities (like internships) will be credited toward graduation.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 4 edits · May 22, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered and reorganized to replace the old House version with the final Senate version. The core policy changes include updating the legal citation for the school accountability system, adding a new requirement for schools to receive bonus points if they provide in-person classroom instruction beyond state minimums, and clarifying that postsecondary opportunities now include internships, mentorships, and apprenticeships alongside traditional college credits.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on Oklahoma school accountability and reporting, but the specific metrics and incentives for schools have been updated and clarified.

REQUIREMENT

Schools must now provide in-person classroom instruction exceeding state minimums to qualify for bonus points in their overall grade.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'postsecondary opportunities' was expanded to explicitly include internships, mentorships, and apprenticeships.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was renumbered and reorganized to reflect the final Senate version, replacing the previous House amendment text.

The legal citation for the relevant section of the Oklahoma Statutes was updated to reflect current law.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 5 edits · May 22, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to replace the original text, shifting the focus from a general accountability report to specific definitions for high school graduation rates and updated school grading indicators. The new version mandates the use of four-year and extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rates, explicitly removes climate surveys as a required metric for school grades, and eliminates bonus points based on attendance improvements.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed regarding school climate data (removed from requirements) and expanded regarding the specific methodology for calculating high school graduation rates.

DEFINITION

Added strict definitions for 'four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate' and 'extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate' to standardize how graduation is measured across the state.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement to include 'climate surveys' as a factor in the overall grade of elementary and middle schools.

Removed the provision allowing schools to earn bonus points based on attendance rates or improvements in attendance.

Updated the list of indicators for school grades to prioritize graduation rates and postsecondary opportunities while removing climate surveys.

Changed the statutory reference for the accountability system from 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.545 to Section 3-151.1 for the specific definition of graduation rates.

Schools; modifying calculation of the certain adjusted cohort graduation rates; modifying calculation of Oklahoma School Testing Program annual reports. Effective date. Emergency.

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