BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Two education groups say Louisiana’s planned method for grading its preschool programs has “serious flaws.”

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/1HXZmL4 ) a study by the groups says the proposed grading plan fails to detail how programs can be improved, relies too heavily on a single grade to judge quality and lacks guarantees needed for fairness.

The study was released Monday by the Policy Institute for Children, which advocates for children, and Education’s Next Horizon, which advocates for public education improvements. Leaders of both groups have been heavily involved in setting up the new system.

New rules to take effect next school year will include academic standards for 3- and 4-year-olds and report cards that grade early childhood education sites.

Officials of the state Department of Education said they haven’t read the report.