South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

S 537 — School District Grading Policies

Last action — Referred to Committee on Education

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced April 03, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 24% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 21 sponsors

    21 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-29-250 SO AS TO PROHIBIT SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM REQUIRING TEACHERS TO ASSIGN A MINIMUM GRADE OR SCORE THAT EXCEEDS THE STUDENT'S ACTUAL PERFORMANCE.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

23 added · 5 removed

Plain-language change summary

The updated version of Bill S 537 introduces a new section that forbids school districts in South Carolina from requiring teachers to assign grades that are higher than what students actually achieve. This change ensures that grades more accurately reflect student performance, promoting fairness and transparency in education. Additionally, if a school district does not comply, they could face a reduction in state funding, emphasizing the importance of maintaining honest grading practices.

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2025-2026 Bill 537 Text of Previous Version (Apr.
03, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 537Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)                 A bill   TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-29-250 SO AS TO PROHIBIT SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM REQUIRING TEACHERS TO ASSIGN A MINIMUM GRADE OR SCORE THAT EXCEEDS THE STUDENT'S ACTUAL PERFORMANCE.
  Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
  SECTION 1.   Chapter 29, Title 59 of the S.C.
Code is amended by adding:
      Section 59-29-250.
No school district or school may adopt any type of grading system that requires a teacher to assign a minimum grade or score that exceeds the student's actual performance.
If a school district is found to be in violation of this section, the State Department of Education shall withhold ten percent of the school district's State Aid to Classroom funding.
Nothing in this section shall preclude opportunities for revision of student work or the use of credit recovery courses that align with the requirements of the state's Uniform Grading Policy.
  SECTION 2.   This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
----XX---- This web page was last updated on April 03, 2025 at 11:28 AM
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Action History

  1. Referred to Committee on Education

  2. Introduced and read first time

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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21 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 149 not signed on

Sponsors (21)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (149)

149 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 149 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 537 do?
A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-29-250 SO AS TO PROHIBIT SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM REQUIRING TEACHERS TO ASSIGN A MINIMUM GRADE OR SCORE THAT EXCEEDS THE STUDENT'S ACTUAL PERFORMANCE.
Who sponsors S 537?
S 537 is sponsored by Senator Jeff Zell, Senator Daniel B. "Danny" Verdin III, Senator Sean M. Bennett, Senator Thomas D. "Tom" Corbin, Senator Greg Hembree, Senator Tom Fernandez, Senator Richard J. Cash, Senator Michael Johnson, Senator Billy Garrett, Senator Wes Climer, Senator Ross Turner, Senator Stephen L. Goldfinch, Senator Rex F. Rice, Senator Carlisle Kennedy, Senator JD Chaplin, Senator Everett Stubbs, Senator Allen Blackmon, Senator Russell L. Ott, Nutt, Roger A., Senator Tom Young, Jr., and Senator Lee Bright.
What is the current status of S 537?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced April 03, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 537?
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