,,ii #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #aj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,october #bb1 #bjae,received ,,an ,,act ,to reauthorize the ,scholarships for ,opportunity and ,results ,act1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title2 references in ,act 7a7 ,short ,title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,scholarships for ,opportunity and ,results ,reauthorization ,act or the ,,soar ,reauthorization ,act4 7b7 ,references in ,act ,whenever in this ,act an amendment is expressed in terms of an amendment to or repeal of a section or other provision1 the reference shall be considered to be made to that section or other provision of the ,scholarships for ,opportunity and ,results ,act 7division ,c of ,public ,law #aab-aj2 sec4 #ch-ahec4ja et seq41 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code74 #b4 ,findings2 purpose 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,parents are best equipped to make decisions for their children1 including the educational setting that will best serve the interests and educational needs of their children4 7#b7 ,in #aiie1 ,congress passed the ,,dc ,school ,reform ,act1 which granted the ,district of ,columbia the authority to create public charter schools and gave parents greater educational options for their children4 7#c7 ,in #bjjc1 in partnership with the ,mayor of the ,district of ,columbia1 the chairman of the ,,dc ,council ,education ,committee1 and community activists1 ,congress passed the ,,dc ,school ,choice ,incentive ,act of #bjjc 7,public ,law #ajh-aii2 #aah ,stat4 #abf71 to provide opportunity scholarships to parents of students in the ,district of ,columbia to enable them to pursue a high-quality education at a private elementary or secondary school of their choice4 7#d7 ,the ,,dc ,opportunity ,scholarship ,program 7,,dc ,,osp7 was part of a comprehensive three-part funding arrangement that provided additional funds for both the ,district of ,columbia public schools and public charter schools of the ,district of ,columbia4 ,the intent behind the additional resources was to ensure both ,district of ,columbia public and charter schools continued to improve4 7#e7 ,in #bjaa1 ,congress enacted the three-part funding arrangement when it reauthorized the ,,dc ,,osp and passed the ,scholarships for ,opportunity and ,results 7,,soar7 ,act 7division ,c of ,public ,law #aab-aj7 with bipartisan support4 7#f7 ,while the ,national ,center for ,education ,statistics indicates that per pupil expenditure for public schools in the ,district of ,columbia is the highest in the ,united ,states1 performance on the ,national ,assessment of ,educational ,progress 7,,naep7 continues to be near the bottom of the country when examining scores in mathematics and reading for fourth and eighth grades4 ,when ,congress passed the ,,dc ,school ,choice ,incentive ,act of #bjjc1 students in the ,district of ,columbia ranked #eb out of #eb ,states 7including the ,department of ,defense schools74 ,since that time1 the ,district of ,columbia has made significant gains in mathematics and reading4 ,however1 students in the ,district of ,columbia still rank in the bottom three ,states out of #eb ,states4 ,according to the #bjac fourth grade math ,,naep results1 #cd percent of students are below basic1 #ch percent are at basic1 and #bh percent are at proficient or advanced4 ,the #bjac fourth grade reading results found that #ej percent of fourth grade students in the ,district of ,columbia are at or below basic1 #bg percent are at basic1 and #bc percent are proficient or advanced4 7#g7 ,since the inception of the ,,dc ,,osp1 there has been strong demand for the program by parents and the citizens of the ,district of ,columbia4 ,in fact1 #gd percent of ,district of ,columbia residents support continuing the program 7based on the ,lester ,associates ,february #bjaa ,poll74 7#h7 ,since the program's inception1 parental satisfaction has remained high4 ,the program has also been found to result in significantly higher graduation rates for those students who have received and used their opportunity scholarships4 7#i7 ,the ,,dc ,,osp offers low-income families in the ,district of ,columbia important educational alternatives while public schools are improved4 ,the program should continue to be reauthorized as part of a three-part comprehensive funding strategy for the ,district of ,columbia school system providing equal funding for public schools1 public charter schools1 and opportunity scholarships for students to attend private schools4 7b7 ,purpose ,it is the purpose of this ,act to amend the ,scholarships for ,opportunity and ,results ,act to provide low-income parents residing in the ,district of ,columbia with expanded educational opportunities for enrolling their children in other schools in the ,district of ,columbia1 and provide resources to support educational reforms for ,district of ,columbia ,public ,schools and ,district of ,columbia public charter schools4 #c4 ,prohibiting imposition of limits on types of eligible students participating in the program ,section #cjjd7;a7 7sec4 #ch-ahec4jd7;a71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#c7 ,prohibiting imposition of limits on eligible students participating in the program 7,a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the program under this division1 the ,secretary may not limit the number of eligible students receiving scholarships under section #cjjg7;a71 and may not prevent otherwise eligible students from participating in the program under this ,act1 on any of the following grounds3 7i7 ,the type of school the student previously attended4 7ii7 ,whether or not the student previously received a scholarship or participated in the program4 7iii7 ,whether or not the student was a member of the control group used by the ,institute of ,education ,sciences to carry out previous evaluations of the program under section #cjji4 7,b7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in subparagraph 7,a7 may be construed to waive the requirement under section #cjje7;b77#a77;,b7 that the entity carrying out the program under this ,act must carry out a random selection process which gives weight to the priorities described in section #cjjf if more eligible students seek admission in the program than the program can accommodate4 4 #d4 ,requiring eligible entities to utilize internal fiscal and quality controls ,section #cjje7;b77#a7 7sec4 #ch-ahec4je7;b77#a71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking and at the end of subparagraph 7,k72 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,m7 how the entity will ensure that it utilizes internal fiscal and quality controls2 and 4 #e4 ,clarification of priorities for awarding scholarships to determining eligible students ,section #cjjf7a7 7sec4 #ch-ahec4jf7a71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,a71 by striking identified for improvement1 corrective action1 or restructuring under section #aaaf of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaf7 and inserting identified as one of the lowest-performing schools under the ,district of ,columbia's accountability system2 and 7#b7 in subparagraph 7,c71 by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting the following3 1 or whether such students have1 in the past1 attended a private school24 #f4 ,modification of requirements for participating schools and eligible entities 7a7 ,criminal ,background ,checks2 ,compliance ,with ,reporting ,requirements ,section #cjjg7;a77#d7 7sec4 #ch-ahec4jg7;a77#d71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking and at the end of subparagraph 7,e72 7#b7 by striking the period at the end of subparagraph 7,f7 and inserting a semicolon2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs3 7,g7 conducts criminal background checks on school employees who have direct and unsupervised interaction with students2 and 7,h7 complies with all requests for data and information regarding the reporting requirements described in section #cjaj4 4 7b7 ,accreditation ,section #cjjg7;a7 7sec4 #ch-ahec4jg7;a71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking paragraphs 7#b7 and 7#c7 and inserting paragraphs 7#b71 7#c71 and 7#e72 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#e7 ,accreditation requirements 7,a7 ,in general ,none of the funds provided under this division for opportunity scholarships may be used by an eligible student to enroll in a participating private school unless one of the following applies3 7i7 ,in the case of a school that1 as of the date of enactment of the ,,soar ,reauthorization ,act1 is a participating school1 the school is provisionally or fully accredited by an accrediting body described in subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,g7 of section #bbjb7af7 of the ,district of ,columbia ,school ,reform ,act of #aiie 7sec4 #ch-ahjb4jb7af77;,a-,g71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code74 7ii7 ,in the case of a school that1 as of the day before the date of enactment of the ,,soar ,reauthorization ,act1 is a participating school but does not meet the requirements of clause 7i7-- 7,i7 not later than #a year after the date of enactment of such ,act1 the school is pursuing full accreditation by an accrediting body described in clause 7i72 and 7,,ii7 not later than #e years after the date of enactment of such ,act1 the school meets the requirements of clause 7i71 except that an eligible entity may extend this deadline for a single #a-year period if the school provides the eligible entity with evidence from such an accrediting body that the school's application for accreditation is in process and that the school will be awarded accreditation before the end of such period4 7iii7 ,in the case of a school that1 as of the date of enactment of the ,,soar ,reauthorization ,act1 is not a participating school1 the school meets the requirements of clause 7i7 or1 if it does not meet the requirements of clause 7i7-- 7,i7 at the time the school notifies an eligible entity that it seeks to be a participating school1 the school is actively pursuing full accreditation by an accrediting body described in clause 7i72 7,,ii7 not later than #e years after the school notifies an eligible entity that it seeks to be a participating school1 the school meets the requirements of clause 7i71 except that an eligible entity may extend this deadline for a single #a-year period if the school provides the eligible entity with evidence from such an accrediting body that the school's application for accreditation is in process and that the school will be awarded accreditation before the end of such period2 and 7,,iii7 the school meets all of the other requirements for participating schools under this ,act4 7,b7 ,reports to eligible entity ,not later than #e years after the date of enactment of the ,,soar ,reauthorization ,act1 each participating school shall submit to the eligible entity a certification that the school has been fully or provisionally accredited in accordance with subparagraph 7,a71 or has been granted an extension by the eligible entity in accordance with subparagraph 7,a77ii77,,ii74 7,c7 ,assisting students in enrolling in other schools ,if a participating school fails to meet the requirements of subparagraph 7,a71 the eligible entity shall assist the parents of the eligible students who attend the school in identifying1 applying to1 and enrolling in another participating school under this ,act4 4 7c7 ,use of ,funds for ,administrative ,expenses and ,parental ,assistance ,section #cjjg 7sec4 #ch-ahec4jg1 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking subsections 7b7 and 7c7 and inserting the following3 7b7 ,administrative ,expenses and ,parental ,assistance ,the ,secretary shall make #b1jjj1jjj of the amount provided under the grant each year available to an eligible entity receiving a grant under section #cjjd7;a7 to cover the following expenses3 7#a7 ,the administrative expenses of carrying out its program under this ,act during the year1 including-- 7,a7 determining the eligibility of students to participate2 7,b7 selecting the eligible students to receive scholarships2 7,c7 determining the amount of the scholarships and issuing the scholarships to eligible students2 7,d7 compiling and maintaining financial and programmatic records2 and 7,e7 conducting site visits as described in section #cjje7;b77#a77l74 7#b7 ,the expenses of educating parents about the entity's program under this ,act1 and assisting parents through the application process under this ,act1 including-- 7,a7 providing information about the program and the participating schools to parents of eligible students2 7,b7 providing funds to assist parents of students in meeting expenses that might otherwise preclude the participation of eligible students in the program2 and 7,c7 streamlining the application process for parents4 2 and 7#b7 by redesignating subsection 7d7 as subsection 7c74 7d7 ,clarification of ,use of ,funds for ,student ,academic ,assistance ,section #cjjg7;c7 7sec4 #ch-ahec4jg7;c71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code71 as redesignated by subsection 7c77#b71 is amended by striking identified for improvement1 corrective action1 or restructuring under section #aaaf of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaf7 and inserting identified as one of the lowest-performing schools under the ,district of ,columbia's accountability system4 7e7 ,permitting ,use of ,funds ,remaining ,unobligated ,from ,previous ,fiscal ,years ,section #cjjg 7sec4 #ch-ahec4jg1 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code71 as amended by this section1 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7d7 ,permitting ,use of ,funds ,remaining ,unobligated from ,previous ,fiscal ,years ,to the extent that any funds appropriated for the opportunity scholarship program under this ,act for any fiscal year 7including a fiscal year occurring prior to the enactment of this subsection7 remain unobligated at the end of the fiscal year1 the ,secretary shall make such funds available during the next fiscal year and 7if still unobligated as of the end of that fiscal year7 any subsequent fiscal year for scholarships for eligible students1 except that an eligible entity may use not more than #e percent of the funds for administrative expenses1 parental assistance1 and tutoring1 in addition to the amounts appropriated for such purposes under section #cjjg7;b7 and 7c74 4 #g4 ,program ,evaluation 7a7 ,revision of ,evaluation ,procedures and ,requirements 7#a7 ,in general ,section #cjji7;a7 7sec4 #ch-ahec4ji7;a71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended to read as follows3 7a7 ,in ,general 7#a7 ,duties of the ,secretary and the ,mayor ,the ,secretary and the ,mayor of the ,district of ,columbia shall-- 7,a7 jointly enter into an agreement with the ,institute of ,education ,sciences of the ,department of ,education to evaluate annually the opportunity scholarship program under this ,act2 7,b7 jointly enter into an agreement to monitor and report on the use of funds authorized and appropriated for the ,district of ,columbia ,public ,schools and the ,district of ,columbia public charter schools under this ,act2 and 7,c7 make the evaluations described in subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 public in accordance with subsection 7c74 7#b7 ,duties of the ,secretary ,the ,secretary1 through a grant1 contract1 or cooperative agreement1 shall-- 7,a7 ensure that the evaluation under paragraph 7#a77;,a7-- 7i7 is conducted using an acceptable quasi-experimental research design for determining the effectiveness of the opportunity scholarship program under this ,act which does not use a control study group consisting of students who applied for but who did not receive opportunity scholarships2 and 7ii7 addresses the issues described in paragraph 7#d72 and 7,b7 disseminate information on the impact of the program-- 7i7 in increasing academic achievement and educational attainment of participating eligible students2 and 7ii7 on students and schools in the ,district of ,columbia4 7#c7 ,duties of the ,institute of ,education ,sciences ,the ,institute of ,education ,sciences of the ,department of ,education shall-- 7,a7 assess participating eligible students in each of the grades #c through #h1 as well as one of the grades in the high school level1 by supervising the administration of the same reading and math assessment used by the ,district of ,columbia ,public ,schools to comply with section #aaaa7;b7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa7;b772 7,b7 measure the academic achievement of all participating students in the grades described in subparagraph 7,a72 and 7,c7 work with the eligible entities to ensure that the parents of each student who receives a scholarship under this ,act agree to permit the student to participate in the evaluations and assessments carried out by the ,institute under this subsection4 7#d7 ,issues to be evaluated ,the issues to be evaluated under paragraph 7#a77;,a7 shall include the following3 7,a7 ,a comparison of the academic achievement of participating eligible students in the measurements described in paragraph 7#c7 to the academic achievement of a comparison group of students with similar backgrounds in the ,district of ,columbia ,public ,schools4 7,b7 ,the success of the program under this ,act in expanding choice options for parents of participating eligible students and increasing the satisfaction of such parents and students with their choice4 7,c7 ,the reasons parents of participating eligible students choose for their children to participate in the program1 including important characteristics for selecting schools4 7,d7 ,a comparison of the retention rates1 high school graduation rates1 college enrollment rates1 college persistence rates1 and college graduation rates of participating eligible students with the rates of students in the comparison group described in subparagraph 7,a74 7,e7 ,a report on the college enrollment rates1 college persistence rates1 and college graduation rates of students who participated in the program in #bjjd1 #bjje1 #bjaa1 #bjab1 #bjac1 #bjad1 and #bjae as the result of winning the ,opportunity ,scholarship ,program lottery as well as the rates of students who entered but did not win such lottery in those years and who1 as a result1 served as the control group for previous evaluations of the program under this ,act4 ,nothing in this subparagraph may be construed to waive section #cjjd7;a77#c77;,a77iii7 with respect to any such student4 7,f7 ,a comparison of the safety of the schools attended by participating eligible students and the schools in the ,district of ,columbia attended by students in the comparison group described in subparagraph 7,a71 based on the perceptions of the students and parents4 7,g7 ,such other issues with respect to participating eligible students as the ,secretary considers appropriate for inclusion in the evaluation1 such as the impact of the program on public elementary schools and secondary schools in the ,district of ,columbia4 7#e7 ,prohibiting disclosure of personal information 7,a7 ,in general ,any disclosure of personally identifiable information shall be in compliance with section #ddd of the ,general ,education ,provisions ,act 7commonly known as the ,family ,educational ,rights and ,privacy ,act of #aigd7 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #abcb;g74 7,b7 ,students not attending public schools ,with respect to any student who is not attending a public elementary school or secondary school1 personally identifiable information may not be disclosed outside of the group of individuals carrying out the evaluation for such student or the group of individuals providing information for carrying out the evaluation of such student1 other than to the parents of such student4 4 7#b7 ,transition from current evaluation ,the ,secretary of ,education shall terminate the current evaluations conducted under section #cjji7;a7 of the ,scholarships for ,opportunity and ,results ,act 7sec4 #ch-ahec4ji1 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code71 as in effect prior to the date of enactment of this ,act1 after obtaining data for the #bjae-bjaf school year1 and shall submit the reports required with respect to the evaluations in accordance with section #cjji7;b7 of such ,act4 ,effective with respect to the #bjaf-bjag school year1 the ,secretary shall conduct new evaluations in accordance with the provisions of section #cjji7;a7 of such ,act as amended by this ,act1 and as a component of the new evaluations1 the ,secretary shall continue to monitor and evaluate the students who were evaluated in the most recent evaluation under such section prior to the enactment of this ,act1 along with their corresponding test scores and other information4 7b7 ,duty of ,mayor ,to ,ensure ,institute ,has ,all ,information ,necessary ,to ,carry ,out ,evaluations ,section #cjaa7;a77#a7 7sec4 #ch-ahec4aa7;a77#a71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended to read as follows3 7#a7 ,information necessary to carry out evaluations ,ensure that all ,district of ,columbia public schools and ,district of ,columbia public charter schools make available to the ,institute of ,education ,sciences of the ,department of ,education all of the information the ,institute requires to carry out the assessments and perform the evaluations required under section #cjji7;a74 4 #h4 ,funding for ,district of ,columbia ,public ,schools and ,public ,charter ,schools 7a7 ,mandatory withholding of funds for failure ,to comply with conditions ,section #cjaa7;b7 7sec4 #ch-ahec4aa7;b71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended to read as follows3 7b7 ,enforcement ,if1 after reasonable notice and an opportunity for a hearing1 the ,secretary determines that the ,mayor has failed to comply with any of the requirements of subsection 7a71 the ,secretary may withhold from the ,mayor1 in whole or in part-- 7#a7 the funds otherwise authorized to be appropriated under section #cjad7;a77#b71 if the failure to comply relates to the ,district of ,columbia public schools2 7#b7 the funds otherwise authorized to be appropriated under section #cjad7;a77#c71 if the failure to comply relates to the ,district of ,columbia public charter schools2 or 7#c7 the funds otherwise authorized to be appropriated under both section #cjad7;a77#b7 and section #cjad7;a77#c71 if the failure relates to both the ,district of ,columbia public schools and the ,district of ,columbia public charter schools4 4 7b7 ,rules for ,use of ,funds ,provided for ,support of ,public ,charter ,schools ,section #cjaa 7sec4 #ch-ahec4aa1 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating subsection 7c7 as subsection 7d72 and 7#b7 by inserting after subsection 7b7 the following new subsection3 7c7 ,specific ,rules ,regarding ,funds ,provided for ,support of ,public ,charter ,schools ,the following rules shall apply with respect to the funds provided under this ,act for the support of ,district of ,columbia public charter schools3 7#a7 ,the ,secretary shall direct the funds provided for any fiscal year to the ,office of the ,state ,superintendent of ,education of the ,district of ,columbia 7,,osse74 7#b7 ,the ,,osse may transfer the funds to subgrantees who are specific ,district of ,columbia public charter schools or networks of such schools or who are ,district of ,columbia-based non-profit organizations with experience in successfully providing support or assistance to ,district of ,columbia public charter schools or networks of schools4 7#c7 ,the funds shall be available to any ,district of ,columbia public charter school in good standing with the ,district of ,columbia ,charter ,school ,board 7,board71 and the ,,osse and ,board may not restrict the availability of the funds to certain types of schools on the basis of the school's location1 governing body1 or any other characteristic4 4 #i4 ,revision of current ,memorandum of ,understanding ,the ,secretary of ,education and the ,mayor of the ,district of ,columbia shall revise the memorandum of understanding which is in effect under section #cjab7;d7 of the ,scholarships for ,opportunity and ,results ,act 7sec4 #ch-ahec4ab7;d71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 as of the day before the date of the enactment of this ,act to address the following3 7#a7 ,the amendments made by this ,act4 7#b7 ,the need to ensure that participating schools under such ,act meet fire code standards and maintain certificates of occupancy4 7#c7 ,the need to ensure that ,district of ,columbia public schools and ,district of ,columbia public charter schools meet the requirements under such ,act to comply with all reasonable requests for information necessary to carry out the evaluations required under section #cjji7;a7 of such ,act4 #aj4 ,extension of authorization of appropriations ,section #cjad7;a7 7sec4 #ch-ahec4ad7;a71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended by striking each of the #d succeeding fiscal years and inserting each of the #i succeeding fiscal years4 #aa4 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this ,act shall apply with respect to school year #bjaf-bjag and each succeeding school year4 ,passed the ,house of ,representatives ,october #ba1 #bjae4,karen ,l4 ,haas1,clerk