Georgia Legislators Pass Accountability Plan

By Jeff Archer

Georgia has passed legislation based on the sweeping education proposals Gov. Roy E. Barnes outlined earlier this year, setting itself up to join such states as North Carolina and Texas in placing accountability at the center of its school improvement efforts.

The Georgia Senate voted 34-21 late last week in favor of a version of Mr. Barnes' A-Plus Education Reform Act. A conference committee is expected to attempt to iron out the differences between the bill and a similar measure the House passed 136-41 earlier in February.

Despite dozens of amendments introduced in both chambers, the overall framework of the plan remains intact. In addition to eliminating tenure protections for new teachers, the measure would set up a system by which schools would be graded from A to F based on their students' performance on state tests. Schools that did well would reap rewards—such as staff salary bonuses—while those that persistently failed would face sanctions such as the transfer...