H 5073 — Public school grading
Last action — Act No. 204
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed House
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✓Passed Senate
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✓To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 29, 2026. Enacted.
Signed by Governor Henry McMaster (Republican) on May 18, 2026.
Odds of enactment
High chanceBased on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.
Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.
A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.
Prognosis
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Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
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46 sponsors
46 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
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Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (2 R).
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 6 recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
In plain language
The bill sets new standards for public school grading systems in South Carolina.
This bill establishes requirements for public school grading, including conditions for credit and content recovery based on assignments. It also limits certain assessments and requires a task force to recommend changes to grading policies.
What this means for you
- Families: This means families can expect clearer and fairer grading standards for their children's education.
Summary
AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-29-250 SO AS TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL GRADING SYSTEMS, TO CONDITION ELIGIBILITY FOR CREDIT RECOVERY AND CONTENT RECOVERY ON COMPLETION OF REQUIRED ASSIGNMENTS, TO LIMIT THE USE OF CERTAIN ASSESSMENTS, TO PROVIDE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS, TO DIRECT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE TO EVALUATE AND RECOMMEND REVISIONS TO THE UNIFORM GRADING POLICY, AND TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO ADOPT THE RECOMMENDED REVISIONS, AMONG OTHER THINGS. - RATIFIED TITLE
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
27 added · 161 removedPlain-language change summary
The recent amendment to Bill H 5073 introduces new requirements for how public schools in South Carolina grade their students. Notably, the bill now specifies that certain types of assessments, like formative and benchmark tests, cannot be counted in a student's final grade if they include materials not previously taught or reviewed by teachers. This change aims to create a fairer grading system that better reflects a student's actual learning and understanding, rather than their performance on potentially unfamiliar assessments. Additionally, it enforces compliance by withholding state funding from districts that do not follow these updated grading practices.
2025-2026 Bill 5073 Text of Previous Version (Feb.(Jan.
26,29, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 5073Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.) Indicates Matter Stricken Indicates New Matter Committee ReportA Februarybill 26, 2026TO AMEND H.THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-29-250 SO AS TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL GRADING PRACTICES, TO CONDITION ELIGIBILITY FOR CREDIT RECOVERY AND CONTENT RECOVERY ON COMPLETION OF REQUIRED ASSIGNMENTS, TO LIMIT THE USE OF CERTAIN ASSESSMENTS IN CALCULATING FINAL COURSE GRADES, TO PROVIDE ENFORCEMENT THROUGH WITHHOLDING OF STATE AID TO CLASSROOM FUNDS, TO DIRECT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE TO EVALUATE AND RECOMMEND REVISIONS TO THE UNIFORM GRADING POLICY, AND TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO ADOPT THE RECOMMENDED REVISIONS.
5073 Introduced by Reps.
Pedalino, Erickson, Montgomery, McCravy, Pace, Bradley, D.
Mitchell, Terribile, Robbins, T.
Moore, Sessions, Neese, Brittain, Crawford, Lawson, Edgerton, Chumley, Brewer, Chapman, Vaughan, Guest, Guffey, Cox, W.
Newton, McGinnis, B.
Newton, McCabe, Rankin, Gagnon, Gibson, J.
E.
Johnson, Long, Moss, Schuessler, G.
M.
Smith, White, Oremus, Teeple, Lastinger and Burns S.
Printed 2/26/26--H.
Read the first time January 29, 2026 ________ The committee on House Education and Public Works To whom was referred a Bill (H.
5073) to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by adding Section 59-29-250 so as to provide requirements for public school grading practices, to condition eligibility, etc., respectfully Report:
That they have duly and carefully considered the same, and recommend that the same do pass with amendment:
Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 1, by striking Section 59-29-250(B) and inserting:
(B) Grades that reflect actual student performance are essential for maintaining academic standards and accountability.
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 on completed assignments.
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.
Amend the bill further, SECTION 1, by striking Section 59-29-250(F) and inserting:
(F) Prior to the start of the 2026-2027 School Year, the State Board of Education is directed to establish a task force comprised of superintendents, principals, teachers, representatives of school boards, and high school students to evaluate potential revisions to the Uniform Grading Policy in order to enhance the utility of grades in evaluating college and career readiness, ensure high school grade point averages are meaningful indicators of academic achievement, and reduce the need for and use of credit recovery and content recovery programs.
The task force shall make recommendations to the board for potential revisions in areas including, but not limited to, the use of term weighting in calculating final student grades, the method of awarding quality points on the basis of unique numeric final course averages when calculating student grade point averages, and the use of a 100-point grading scale.
The task force shall report its findings to the State Board of Education before FebruaryJune 1, 2027.
The State Board of Education shall then adopt, and school districts shall implement, any updates to the Uniform Grading Policy by no later than the 2028-2029 School Year.
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.
SHANNON ERICKSON for Committee.
statement of estimated fiscal impact Explanation of Fiscal Impact State Expenditure This bill specifies that 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 a student's actual performance on completed assignments.
If a school district is found to be in violation of this provision of the bill, SCDE must withhold 10 percent of the school district's State Aid to Classroom funding.
The bill also conditions eligibility for credit recovery and content recovery on the completion of required assignments.
Additionally, the bill states that districts shall not require the inclusion of student performance on the formative assessments required in Section 59-18-310(D) or on any district-selected benchmark assessment in calculating a student's final grade in any course or subject.
Further, the bill specifies that prior to the start of the 2026-2027 school year, the State Board of Education must establish a task force comprised of superintendents, principals, teachers, representatives of school boards, and high school students to evaluate potential revisions to the Uniform Grading Policy.
The task force must report its findings to the State Board of Education before February 1, 2027.
The State Board of Education must then adopt, and school districts must implement, any updates to the Uniform Grading Policy by no later than the 2028-2029 school year.
S.C.
Department of Education.
This bill will have no expenditure impact on SCDE.
The department reports that it will manage the provisions of the bill by assigning duties to existing staff and by using existing equipment and supplies.
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State Agency Schools.
This bill will have no expenditure impact on the Governor's School for Agriculture at John de la Howe, the Governor's School for Arts and Humanities, and the Governor's School for Science and Mathematics.
The agencies indicate that they can manage the provisions of the bill with existing appropriations.
The Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School indicates that this bill will have no expenditure impact on the agency since it a GED program and does not use public school grading.
Based upon these responses, we do not anticipate that this bill will have an expenditure impact on the School for the Deaf and the Blind.
Local Expenditure This bill specifies that 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 a student's actual performance on completed assignments.
Additionally, the bill states that districts shall not require the inclusion of student performance on the formative assessments required in Section 59-18-310(D) or on any district-selected benchmark assessment in calculating a student's final grade in any course or subject.
Further, the bill specifies that prior to the start of the 2026-2027 school year, the State Board of Education must establish a task force to evaluate potential revisions to the Uniform Grading Policy.
The task force must report its findings to the State Board of Education before February 1, 2027.
The State Board of Education must then adopt, and school districts must implement, any updates to the Uniform Grading Policy by no later than the 2028-2029 school year.
SCDE surveyed the seventy-two regular school districts and three charter school districts and received responses from twelve districts.
Seven districts indicate that this bill will have no expenditure impact.
One district reports that any costs associated with this bill can be absorbed by the district.
One district anticipates costs associated with implementing the provisions of the bill but reports that the costs are currently undetermined.
The three remaining districts anticipate that expenses may increase by a significant amount.
One district indicates that this bill may result in board policy revisions, legal reviews, public hearings, and increased administrative work due to grade appeals, parent complaints, documentation requests, hearings, audits, and compliance monitoring.
This district also reports that teachers will need to receive training on new grading standards, documentation, and appeals, which will require additional personal development days and materials.
The district further reports that if fewer students qualify for credit recovery, this may result in more students requiring remediation, tutoring, and summer school, which will increase staffing costs.
One district anticipates that this bill will increase student failures and course repeaters, which will significantly increase staffing costs.
One district indicates that this bill may increase the number of teachers needed to facilitate summer school and teach additional sections for students who need to retake courses.
This district also anticipates hiring an additional graduation coach for each high school, due to an increase in the number of failures and more students not being on track to graduate.
Frank A.
Rainwater, Executive Director Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office _______ A bill TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-29-250 SO AS TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL GRADING PRACTICES, TO CONDITION ELIGIBILITY FOR CREDIT RECOVERY AND CONTENT RECOVERY ON COMPLETION OF REQUIRED ASSIGNMENTS, TO LIMIT THE USE OF CERTAIN ASSESSMENTS IN CALCULATING FINAL COURSE GRADES, TO PROVIDE ENFORCEMENT THROUGH WITHHOLDING OF STATE AID TO CLASSROOM FUNDS, TO DIRECT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE TO EVALUATE AND RECOMMEND REVISIONS TO THE UNIFORM GRADING POLICY, AND TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO ADOPT THE RECOMMENDED REVISIONS.
----XX---- This web page was last updated on FebruaryJanuary 26,29, 2026 at 12:5712:18 PM
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Action History
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Act No. 204
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Effective date 07/01/26
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Signed By Governor
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Ratified R 254
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Scrivener's error corrected
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Roll call Yeas-114 Nays-3
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Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled
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Read third time and returned to House with amendments
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Roll call Ayes-43 Nays-0
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Read second time
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Amended
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Committee Amendment Adopted
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Committee report: Favorable with amendment Education
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Referred to Committee on Education
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Introduced and read first time
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Read third time and sent to Senate
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Roll call Yeas-110 Nays-2
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Read second time
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Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Ballentine
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Requests for debate-Rep(s). McDaniel, King, JL Johnson, Reese Gilliard, Waters, Rivers, Anderson, Dillard, and Jones
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Amended
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Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Hewitt, Haddon, Cromer, Gilreath, Hartnett
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Committee report: Favorable with amendment Education and Public Works
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Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Burns
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Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Lastinger
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Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Oremus, Teeple
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Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works
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Introduced and read first time
Sponsors
- Representative Fawn M. Pedalino · Primary
- Representative Shannon S. Erickson · Primary
- Representative W. Scott Montgomery IV · Primary
- Representative John R. McCravy III · Primary
- Representative Jordan S. Pace · Primary
- Representative Jeff Bradley · Primary
- Representative Jackie R. Terribile · Primary
- Representative Robby Robbins · Primary
- Representative Travis A. Moore · Primary
- Representative Heath Sessions · Primary
- Representative Mike M. Neese · Primary
- Jr. T. Case Brittain · Primary
- Representative Heather Ammons Crawford · Primary
- Representative M. Brian Lawson · Primary
- Representative Sarita L. Edgerton · Primary
- Representative William M. "Bill" Chumley · Primary
- Jr. Representative Gary S. Brewer · Primary
- Representative Donald G. "Don" Chapman · Primary
- Representative David Vaughan · Primary
- Jr. Representative Thomas Duval "Val" Guest · Primary
- Representative Brandon Guffey · Primary
- Representative Brandon L. Cox · Primary
- Representative Wm. Weston J. Newton · Primary
- Representative Timothy A. "Tim" McGinnis · Primary
- Representative Brandon Newton · Primary
- Jr. Representative Donald Ryan McCabe · Primary
- Representative Luke S. Rankin · Primary
- Representative Craig A. Gagnon · Primary
- Representative Daniel Gibson · Primary
- J.E. Johnson · Primary
- Representative Steven Wayne Long · Primary
- Representative Dennis C. Moss · Primary
- Carla M. Schuessler · Primary
- Representative Joseph S. "Joe" White · Primary
- Representative Melissa Lackey Oremus · Primary
- Representative James E. Teeple · Primary
- Representative James Mikell "Mike" Burns · Primary
- Representative Lee Hewitt · Primary
- Representative Patrick B. Haddon · Primary
- Representative April Cromer · Primary
- Representative Thomas Lee Gilreath · Primary
- Jr. Representative Thomas F. "Tom" Hartnett · Primary
- Representative Nathan Ballentine · Primary
- Jr. Representative G. Murrell Smith · Primary
- Representative Dianne Mitchell · Primary
- Jr. Representative John T. Lastinger · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →46 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 124 not signed on · 30 voted No
Sponsors (46)
- Representative Fawn M. Pedalino
- Representative Shannon S. Erickson
- Representative W. Scott Montgomery IV
- Representative John R. McCravy III
- Representative Jordan S. Pace
- Representative Jeff Bradley
- Representative Jackie R. Terribile
- Representative Robby Robbins
- Representative Travis A. Moore
- Representative Heath Sessions
- Representative Mike M. Neese
- T. Case Brittain, Jr. Republican
- Representative Heather Ammons Crawford
- Representative M. Brian Lawson
- Representative Sarita L. Edgerton
- Representative William M. "Bill" Chumley
- Representative Gary S. Brewer, Jr.
- Representative Donald G. "Don" Chapman
- Representative David Vaughan
- Representative Thomas Duval "Val" Guest, Jr.
- Representative Brandon Guffey
- Representative Brandon L. Cox
- Representative Wm. Weston J. Newton
- Representative Timothy A. "Tim" McGinnis
- Representative Brandon Newton
- Representative Donald Ryan McCabe, Jr.
- Representative Luke S. Rankin
- Representative Craig A. Gagnon
- Representative Daniel Gibson
- J.E. Johnson
- Representative Steven Wayne Long
- Representative Dennis C. Moss
- Carla M. Schuessler Republican
- Representative Joseph S. "Joe" White
- Representative Melissa Lackey Oremus
- Representative James E. Teeple
- Representative James Mikell "Mike" Burns
- Representative Lee Hewitt
- Representative Patrick B. Haddon
- Representative April Cromer
- Representative Thomas Lee Gilreath
- Representative Thomas F. "Tom" Hartnett, Jr.
- Representative Nathan Ballentine
- Representative G. Murrell Smith, Jr.
- Representative Dianne Mitchell
- Representative John T. Lastinger, Jr.
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (124)
124 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 124 →"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.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 109 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Republican | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democrat | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 113 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| % of votes cast | 92% | 2% | 0% | 6% |
How each member voted (123)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 43 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 43 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| % of votes cast | 93% | 0% | 0% | 7% |
How each member voted (46)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 90 | 18 | 0 | 11 |
| Republican | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democrat | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 92 | 19 | 0 | 12 |
| % of votes cast | 75% | 15% | 0% | 10% |
How each member voted (123)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 75 | 29 | 0 | 15 |
| Republican | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democrat | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 77 | 30 | 0 | 16 |
| % of votes cast | 63% | 24% | 0% | 13% |
How each member voted (123)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 106 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| Republican | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democrat | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 109 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| % of votes cast | 89% | 2% | 0% | 10% |
How each member voted (123)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 78 | 27 | 0 | 14 |
| Republican | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Democrat | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 79 | 28 | 0 | 16 |
| % of votes cast | 64% | 23% | 0% | 13% |
How each member voted (123)
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does H 5073 do?
- AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-29-250 SO AS TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL GRADING SYSTEMS, TO CONDITION ELIGIBILITY FOR CREDIT RECOVERY AND CONTENT RECOVERY ON COMPLETION OF REQUIRED ASSIGNMENTS, TO LIMIT THE USE OF CERTAIN ASSESSMENTS, TO PROVIDE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS, TO DIRECT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE TO EVALUATE AND RECOMMEND REVISIONS TO THE UNIFORM GRADING POLICY, AND TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO ADOPT THE RECOMMENDED REVISIONS, AMONG OTHER THINGS. - RATIFIED TITLE
- Who sponsors H 5073?
- H 5073 is sponsored by Representative Fawn M. Pedalino, Representative Shannon S. Erickson, Representative W. Scott Montgomery IV, Representative John R. McCravy III, Representative Jordan S. Pace, Representative Jeff Bradley, Representative Jackie R. Terribile, Representative Robby Robbins, Representative Travis A. Moore, Representative Heath Sessions, Representative Mike M. Neese, T. Case Brittain, Jr. (Republican), Representative Heather Ammons Crawford, Representative M. Brian Lawson, Representative Sarita L. Edgerton, Representative William M. "Bill" Chumley, Representative Gary S. Brewer, Jr., Representative Donald G. "Don" Chapman, Representative David Vaughan, Representative Thomas Duval "Val" Guest, Jr., Representative Brandon Guffey, Representative Brandon L. Cox, Representative Wm. Weston J. Newton, Representative Timothy A. "Tim" McGinnis, Representative Brandon Newton, Representative Donald Ryan McCabe, Jr., Representative Luke S. Rankin, Representative Craig A. Gagnon, Representative Daniel Gibson, J.E. Johnson, Representative Steven Wayne Long, Representative Dennis C. Moss, Carla M. Schuessler (Republican), Representative Joseph S. "Joe" White, Representative Melissa Lackey Oremus, Representative James E. Teeple, Representative James Mikell "Mike" Burns, Representative Lee Hewitt, Representative Patrick B. Haddon, Representative April Cromer, Representative Thomas Lee Gilreath, Representative Thomas F. "Tom" Hartnett, Jr., Representative Nathan Ballentine, Representative G. Murrell Smith, Jr., Representative Dianne Mitchell, and Representative John T. Lastinger, Jr..
- What is the current status of H 5073?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 29, 2026. Enacted.
- Where can I track H 5073?
- Track H 5073 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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