Michigan's Republican-led Legislature backed letter grades for public schools on Tuesday night, narrowly endorsing a statewide accountability structure that would begin in 2019.

The bill will soon go to Gov. Rick Snyder for his expected signature, capping a yearslong GOP effort to shake up a lagging education system by having the state give schools an A to F ranking.

According to the Associated Press, each school would not receive a cumulative letter grade.  They instead would be graded by the state Department of Education in five categories.

The grades would be released starting next September and be issued each year after that.  The Senate passed the legislation 21-17 with no floor debate.

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