SOAR Reauthorization Act of 2019

To amend the SOAR Act. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the SOAR Reauthorization Act of 2019 2. Amendments to the SOAR Act (a) Amendments to SOAR The Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act (division C of Public Law 112–10 (1) in section 3007 (sec. 38–1853.07 D.C. Official Code)— (A) by striking subsection (c) and redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (c); (B) in subsection (a)(5)(A)(i)— (i) by striking subclause (I) and inserting the following: (I) is fully accredited by— (aa) an accrediting body with jurisdiction in the District of Columbia and that is recognized by the Student and Visitor Exchange English Language Program administered by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; or (bb) any international accrediting body that the Secretary may designate, after consultation with the grantee or grantees under section 3004(a); or ; and (ii) in subclause (II), by striking the date of enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 ( Public Law 114–113 the date of enactment of the SOAR Reauthorization Act of 2019 (C) in subsection (b)— (i) in the subsection heading, by striking and Parental Assistance , Parental Assistance, and Student Academic Assistance (ii) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking $2,000,000 $2,200,000 (iii) by adding at the end the following: (3) The expenses of providing tutoring service to participating eligible students that need additional academic assistance. If there are insufficient funds to provide tutoring services to all such students in a year, 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 system. ; and (D) in subsection (c), as redesignated by subparagraph (A)— (i) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking subsections (b) and (c) subsection (b) (ii) in paragraph (3), by striking subsections (b) and (c) subsection (b) (2) in section 3008(h) (sec. 38–1853.08 D.C. Official Code)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking section 3009(a)(2)(A)(i) section 3009(a) (B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following: (2) The Institute of Education Sciences may administer assessments to students participating in the evaluation under section 3009(a) for the purpose of conducting the evaluation under such section. ; and (C) in paragraph (3), by striking the nationally norm-referenced standardized test described in paragraph (2) a nationally norm-referenced standardized test (3) in section 3009(a) (sec. 38–1853.09 D.C. Official Code)— (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking annually (B) in paragraph (2)— (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking clause (i) and inserting the following: (i) is rigorous; and ; and (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking impact of the program impact of the program on academic achievement and educational attainment. (C) in paragraph (3)— (i) in the paragraph heading, by striking on Education of Education (ii) in subparagraph (A)— (I) by inserting the academic progress of assess (II) by striking in each of grades 3 ; and (iii) by striking subparagraph (B); and (iv) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (B); and (D) in paragraph (4)— (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking A comparison of the academic achievement of participating eligible students who use an opportunity scholarship on the measurements described in paragraph (3)(B) to the academic achievement The academic progress of participating eligible students who use an opportunity scholarship compared to the academic progress (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking increasing the satisfaction of such parents and students with their choice those parents' and students' satisfaction with the program (iii) by striking subparagraph (D) through (F) and inserting the following: (D) The high school graduation rates, college enrollment rates, college persistence rates, and college graduation rates of participating eligible students who use an opportunity scholarship compared with the rates of public school students described in subparagraph (A), to the extent practicable. (E) The college enrollment rates, college persistence rates, and college graduation rates of students who participated in the program as the result of winning the Opportunity Scholarship Program lottery compared to the enrollment, persistence, and graduation rates for students who entered but did not win such lottery and who, as a result, served as the control group for previous evaluations of the program under this division. Nothing in this subparagraph may be construed to waive section 3004(a)(3)(A)(iii) with respect to any such student. (F) The safety of the schools attended by participating eligible students who use an opportunity scholarship compared with the schools in the District of Columbia attended by public school students described in subparagraph (A), to the extent practicable. ; and (4) in section 3014(a) (sec. 38–1853.14, D.C. Official Code), by striking “fiscal year 2019” and inserting fiscal year 2024 (b) Effective date The amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect on September 30, 2019.

Summary: SOAR Reauthorization Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes through FY2024 and amends the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Program, which provides education funding for the District of Columbia, including for private school vouchers, public schools, and public charter schools. The bill requires participating private schools to be fully accredited by (1) an accrediting body with jurisdiction in the District that is recognized by the Student and Visitor Exchange English Language Program administered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or (2) any international accrediting body designated by the Department of Education (ED). The bill revises the manner in which tutoring services provided under the program are funded. The bill revises several requirements concerning SOAR evaluations, including concerning (1) frequency; (2) ED's and the Institute of Education Sciences' duties; and (3) the issues to be evaluated, including high school and college performance measurements.