,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cgaj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,january #bh1  
#bjbf,mr4 ,johnson 7for himself and ,mr4
 ,scott of ,south ,carolina7 introduced 
the following bill2 which was read twice
 and referred to the ,committee on      
,homeland ,security and ,governmental   
,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the      
,,soar ,act4  #a4 ,short title ,this    
,act may be cited as the ,,soar         
,permanent ,authorization ,act4  #b4    
,grant duration and ,applications  7a7  
,extension of grant duration ,section   
#cjjd7;a77#b7 of the ,scholarships for  
,opportunity and ,results ,act 7sec4    
#ch-ahec4jd7;a77#b71 ,d4,c4 ,official   
,code7 is amended by striking #e years  
and inserting #e years1 and may renew   
such grants for an additional period of 
not more than #e years1 without a       
competitive process1 when the ,secretary
 determines appropriate and desirable to
 maintain continuity in the program4    
7b7 ,changes to application content     

7#a7  ,noninterference in regular       
admissions standards or procedures      
,section #cjje7;b77#a77;,c7 of such ,act
 7sec4 #ch-ahec4je7;b77#a77;,c71 ,d4,c4 
,official ,code7 is amended by striking 
the semicolon at the end and inserting 1
 if such a process will not interfere   
with the regular admission standards or 
procedures of the school24  7#b7 ,change
 to residency requirement of eligible   
entity board members  7,a7  ,in general 
,section #cjje7;b77#a77,m7 of such ,act 
7sec4 #ch-ahec4je7;b77#a77,m71 ,d4,c4   
,official ,code7 is amended by striking 
,district of ,columbia and inserting    
,washington metropolitan region4  7,b7  
,washington metropolitan region defined 
,section #cjac of such ,act 7sec4       
#ch-ahec4ac1 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is 
amended by adding at the end the        
following3  7#ab7  ,washington          
metropolitan region  ,the term          
,washington metropolitan region includes
 the ,district of ,columbia1 the        
counties of ,montgomery and ,prince     

,georges in ,maryland1 and the counties 
of ,arlington and ,fairfax and the      
cities of ,alexandria and ,falls ,church
 in ,virginia4  4  #c4 ,accreditation   
requirements  7a7  ,in general  ,section
 #cjjg7;a77#e77;,a7 of the ,scholarships
 for ,opportunity and ,results ,act     
7sec4 #ch-ahec4jg7;a77#e77;,a71 ,d4,c4  
,official ,code7 is amended--  7#a7 by  
amending clause 7i7 to read as follows3 
7i7 in the case of a school that is a   
participating school as of the date of  
enactment of the ,,soar ,permanent      
,authorization ,act1 is recognized by-- 
7,i7 a national or regional accrediting 
body2 or  7,,ii7 an accrediting body    
sited by the ,student and ,visitor      
,exchange ,english ,language ,program   
administered by ,u4,s4 ,immigration and 
,customs ,enforcement2 and  2 and  7#b7 
by amending clause 7ii7 to read as      
follows3  7ii7 in the case of a school  
that is not a participating school as of
 the date of enactment of the ,,soar    
,permanent ,authorization ,act1 is fully

 accredited by an accrediting body      
described under clause 7i7 not later    
than #e years after the date on which   
that school began the process of        
pursuing participation under this       
division4  4  7b7  ,removal of completed
 report  ,section #cjjg7;a77#e7 of such 
,act 7sec4 #ch-ahec4jg7;a77#e71 ,d4,c4  
,official ,code7 is further amended by  
striking subparagraph 7,b7 and          
redesignating subparagraph 7,c7 as      
subparagraph 7,b74  #d4 ,use of funds   
7a7  ,extension of funds for use in     
pre-,kindergarten  ,section             
#cjjg7;a77#c77;,b77i77,i7 of the        
,scholarships for ,opportunity and      
,results ,act 7sec4                     
#ch-ahec4jg7;a77#c77;,b77i77,i71 ,d4,c4 
,official ,code7 is amended by striking 
kindergarten and inserting              
pre-kindergarten4  7b7  ,maximum        
scholarship amount  ,section            
#cjjg7;a77#c77;,b77ii7 of such ,act     
7sec4 #ch-ahec4jg7;a77#c77;,b77ii71     
,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is amended by   

adding at the end the following3 ,in any
 year1 an eligible entity receiving a   
grant under section #cjjd7;a7 has sole  
authority to establish a maximum        
scholarship amount less than the amount 
permitted in 7#c77;,b77i744  7c7        
,extension of funds for additional      
student academic assistance  7#a7  ,in  
general  ,section #cjjg of such ,act    
7sec4 #ch-ahec4jg1 ,d4,c4 ,official     
,code7 is further amended--  7,a7 in    
subsection 7b7-- 7i7 in the heading1 by 
striking and ,parental ,assistance and  
inserting 1 ,parental ,assistance1 and  
,student ,academic ,assistance2 and     
7ii7 by adding at the end the following3
  7#c7 ,the expenses of providing       
tutoring service to participating       
eligible students who need additional   
academic assistance4 ,if there are      
insufficient funds to provide tutoring  
services to all such students in a year1
 the eligible entity shall give priority
 in such year to students who previously
 attended an elementary school or       

secondary school identified as one of   
the lowest-performing schools under the 
,district of ,columbia's accountability 
system4  2  7,b7 by striking subsection 
7c7 and redesignating subsection 7d7 as 
subsection 7c72 and  7,c7 in subsection 
7c71 as so redesignated--  7i7 in       
paragraph 7#b77;,b71 by striking        
subsections 7b7 and 7c7 and inserting   
subsection 7b72 and  7ii7 in paragraph  
7#c71 by striking subsections 7b7 and   
7c7 and inserting subsection 7b74  7#b7 
,increase in amount of funds  ,section  
#cjjg7;b7 of such ,act 7sec4            
#ch-ahec4jg7;b71 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7
 is further amended in the matter       
preceding paragraph 7#a71 by striking   
#b1jjj1jjj and inserting #b1bjj1jjj4    
7#c7  ,removal of completed study       
,section #cjjg7;b77#a7 of such ,act     
7sec4 #ch-ahec4jg7;b77#a71 ,d4,c4       
,official ,code7 is further amended--   
7,a7 in subparagraph 7,e71 by striking 2
 and and inserting a period2 and  7,b7  
by striking subparagraph 7,f74  #e4     

,standardized testing requirements      
,section #cjjh7;h7 of the ,scholarships 
for ,opportunity and ,results ,act 7sec4
 #ch-ahec4jh7;h71 ,d4,c4 ,official      
,code7 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph   
7#a71 by striking section               
#cjji7;a77#b77;,a77i7 and inserting     
section #cjji7;a72  7#b7 by amending    
paragraph 7#b7 to read as follows3  7#b7
 ,administration of tests ,the          
,institute of ,education ,sciences may  
administer assessments to students      
participating in the evaluation under   
section #cjji7;a7 for the purpose of    
conducting the evaluation under such    
section4  2 and  7#c7 in paragraph 7#c71
 by striking the nationally             
norm-referenced standardized test       
described in paragraph 7#b7 and         
inserting a nationally norm-referenced  
standardized test4  #f4 ,evaluations    
7a7 ,modification in evaluation         
frequency ,section #cjji7;a77#a77;,a7 of
 the ,scholarships for ,opportunity and 
,results ,act 7sec4                     

#ch-ahec4ji7;a77#a77;,a71 ,d4,c4        
,official ,code7 is amended to read as  
follows3  7,a7 jointly enter into an    
agreement with the ,institute of        
,education ,sciences of the ,department 
of ,education to--  7i7 conduct an      
evaluation of the opportunity           
scholarship program under this division2
 and  7ii7 not later than ,january #a1  
#bjbh1 and every #g years thereafter1   
issue a public report on the opportunity
 scholarship program under this         
division4  4  7b7 ,responsibility of    
,secretary  7#a7  ,ensuring evaluations 
are rigorous  ,section                  
#cjji7;a77#b77;,a77i7 of such ,act 7sec4
 #ch-ahec4ji7;a77#b77;,a77i71 ,d4,c4    
,official ,code7 is amended to read as  
follows3  7i7 is rigorous2 and  4  7#b7 
,ensuring proper information is made    
public ,section #cjji7;a77#b77;,b7 of   
such ,act 7sec4                         
#ch-ahec4ji7;a77#b77;,b71 ,d4,c4        
,official ,code7 is amended to read as  
follows3  7,b7 disseminate information  

on the impact of the program on academic
 progress and educational attainment4  4
  7c7 ,responsibility of ,institute of  
,education ,sciences  7#a7  ,evaluation 
of participating eligible students      
,section #cjji7;a77#c7 of such ,act     
7sec4 #ch-ahec4ji7;a77#c71 ,d4,c4       
,official ,code7 is amended--  7,a7 in  
subparagraph 7,a7-- 7i7 by inserting the
 academic progress of after assess2 and 
7ii7 by striking in each of grades #c   
and all that follows through the end of 
the subparagraph and inserting 2 and2   
and  7,b7 by striking subparagraph 7,b7 
and redesignating subparagraph 7,c7 as  
subparagraph 7,b74  7#b7  ,technical    
amendment  ,section #cjji7;a77#c7 of    
such ,act 7sec4 #ch-ahec4ji7;a77#c71    
,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is further      
amended in the heading1 by striking on  
,education and inserting of ,education4 
7d7  ,issues ,to be evaluated  ,section 
#cjji7;a77#d7 of such ,act 7sec4        
#ch-ahec4ji7;a77#d71 ,d4,c4 ,official   
,code7 is amended--  7#a7 by amending   

subparagraph 7,a7 to read as follows3   
7,a7 ,the academic progress of          
participating eligible students who use 
an opportunity scholarship compared to  
the academic progress of a comparison   
group of students with similar          
backgrounds1 which may include students 
in the ,district of ,columbia public    
schools and the ,district of ,columbia  
public charter schools4  2  7#b7 in     
subparagraph 7,b71 by striking          
increasing the satisfaction of such     
parents and students with their choice  
and inserting the satisfaction of those 
parents and students with the program2  
7#c7 by amending subparagraph 7,d7 to   
read as follows3  7,d7 ,the high school 
graduation rates1 college enrollment    
rates1 college persistence rates1 and   
college graduation rates of             
participating eligible students who use 
an opportunity scholarship compared with
 the rates of public school students    
described in subparagraph 7,a71 to the  
extent practicable4  2  7#d7 by amending

 subparagraph 7,e7 to read as follows3  
7,e7 ,the safety of the schools attended
 by participating eligible students who 
use an opportunity scholarship compared 
with the schools attended by public     
school students described in            
subparagraph 7,a71 to the extent        
practicable4  2  7#e7 by striking       
subparagraphs 7,f7 and 7,g72 and  7#f7  
by redesignating subparagraph 7,h7 as   
subparagraph 7,f74  7e7 ,effective date 
,the amendments made by this section    
shall apply with respect to evaluations 
carried out on or after the expiration  
of the #b-year period beginning on the  
date of the enactment of this ,act4  #g4
 ,report by entity receiving funds  7a7 
,change to contents of report ,section  
#cjaj of the ,scholarships for          
,opportunity and ,results ,act 7sec4    
#ch-ahec4aj1 ,d4,c4 ,official ,code7 is 
amended--  7#a7 in subsection 7b77#a7-- 
7,a7 by striking subparagraph 7,a72 and 
7,b7 by redesignating subparagraphs 7,b7
 and 7,c7 as subparagraphs 7,a7 and     

7,b71 respectively2 and  7#b7 in        
subsection 7c77#a7-- 7,a7 in            
subparagraph 7,a71 by striking aggregate
 academic achievement of other          
participating students at the student's 
school in the same grade or level1 as   
appropriate1 and the2 and  7,b7 by      
amending subparagraph 7,b7 to read as   
follows3  7,b7 any incidents of school  
violence1 student suspensions1 and      
student expulsions2 and  4  7b7         
,effective date ,the amendments made    
this section shall apply with respect to
 reports submitted for school years     
beginning on or after the date of the   
enactment of this ,act4  #h4 ,extension 
of authorization of appropriation  7a7  
,in general ,section #cjad of the       
,scholarships for ,opportunity and      
,results ,act 7sec4 #ch-ahec4ad1 ,d4,c4 
,official ,code7 is amended--  7#a7 in  
subsection 7a71 in the matter preceding 
paragraph 7#a71 by striking #fj1jjj1jjj 
for fiscal year #bjab and for each      
fiscal year through fiscal year #bjbc   

and inserting #ge1jjj1jjj for fiscal    
year #bjbg and for each succeeding      
fiscal year2 and  7#b7 in subsection    
7b71 by striking #fj1jjj1jjj and        
inserting #ge1jjj1jjj4  7b7 ,effective  
date ,the amendments made by this       
section shall apply beginning with      
respect to fiscal year #bjbg4