Graduation requirements could change

A bill is headed to the full Senate that would make wide-ranging changes in the public-education system, including revising graduation requirements for high-school students. The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on Thursday unanimously approved the bill (SB 166), sponsored by Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee. Among other things, the bill would eliminate a requirement that students pass a 10th-grade Algebra 1 assessment and a 10th-grade English-language arts assessment to earn standard high-school diplomas. The bill would require that a student’s performance on the English-language arts assessment make up 30 percent of the student’s course grade — similar to an already-existing requirement for Algebra 1. The 107-page bill addresses issues ranging from the graduation requirements to school facilities and teacher compensation. For example, it says collective bargaining could not prevent school districts from providing supplemental pay in academic areas identified as having “critical” needs for teachers. The bill earlier passed two other Senate committees.