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Read. Follow. Verify.Alabama HB 495 excludes transfer students from failing schools in three-year school report card grades
Last action · February 24, 2026: Pending Committee Action in House of OriginSponsor: Jamie Kiel
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What This Bill Would Do
Alabama HB 495 excludes the academic achievement of students transferring from a failing school from school and school district report card grades for their first three years of enrollment, starting June 1, 2026.
Changes how public school performance grades are calculated by removing transferring students' test scores from immediate accountability metrics, affecting school grading metrics across the state.
- Public K-12 schools and districts in Alabama are evaluated and assigned annual performance grades using an A-F grading scale. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
public schools and public school districts
Their annual performance grades exclude the test scores of students transferring from failing schools for the first three years of those students' enrollment.
transfer students from a failing school
Their academic achievement scores are not factored into the receiving school or district's grade for their first three years at the new school, while their educational progress continues to be measured in the academic growth category.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long are transferring students from failing schools excluded from school grade calculations?
When does this legislation take effect?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 24, 2026HouseCommitteePending Committee Action in House of Origin
- Feb 24, 2026HouseIntroducedRead for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Education Policy
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Staggered Accountability Timeline for Transfer Students
The bill aligns policies for students transferring from failing schools with existing exemptions for nonpublic school transfer students and English language learners by establishing a three-year grace period before grades factor into school accountability ratings.
Connected Entities
Sources
alison.legislature.state.al.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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