State law requires that all schools and districts receive a grade of A, B, C, D, or F based on the performance of the school or district. The grade is assigned using all the information available regarding the school or district’s performance and is called a summative rating. Most states use a summative rating for schools and/or districts to make it easy for the public to know how a school or district is doing in educating students. Fifteen states currently use an A-F rating for schools and districts.
