S.Amdt. 2194

SA 2194. Mr. JOHNSON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end, add the following:

TITLE XLVIII--AMENDMENTS TO THE SOAR ACT

SEC. 4801. AMENDMENTS TO THE SOAR ACT.

The Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act (division
C of Public Law 112-10) is amended--
(1) in section 3004(a)(2) (sec. 38-1853.04(a)(2) D.C.
Official Code), by inserting ``, and may renew such grants
for an additional period of not more than 5 years, without a
competitive process, when appropriate and desirable to
maintain continuity in the program'' after ``5 years'';
(2) in section 3005(b)(1)(C) (sec. 38-1853.05(b)(1)(C) D.C.
Official Code), by inserting ``if such a process will not
interfere with the school's regular admission standards or
procedures'';
(3) in section 3007 (sec. 38-1853.07 D.C. Official Code)--
(A) in subsection (a)--
(i) in paragraph (3)(B)(i)(I), by striking ``kindergarten''
and inserting ``prekindergarten''; and
(ii) in paragraph (5)--

(I) in subparagraph (A)--

(aa) in clause (i), by striking subclause (I) and inserting
the following:

``(I) is fully accredited by an accrediting body with
jurisdiction in the District of Columbia or that is
recognized by the Student and Visitor Exchange English
Language Program administered by U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement; or''; and

(bb) in clause (i)(II)(bb), by striking ``5 years'' and
inserting ``6 years''; and
(cc) by striking clause (ii) and inserting the following:
``(ii) in the case of a school that is not a participating
school as of the date of enactment of the SOAR
Reauthorization Act, the school will be fully accredited by
such an accrediting body not later than 5 years after the
date on which that school began the process of pursuing
participation under this division.''; and

(II) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``5 years'' and
inserting ``6 years'';

(B) by striking subsection (c) and redesignating subsection
(d) as subsection (c);
(C) in subsection (b)--
(i) in the subsection heading, by striking ``and Parental
Assistance'' and inserting ``, Parental Assistance, and
Student Academic Assistance'';
(ii) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking
``$2,000,000'' and inserting ``$2,200,000''; and
(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

[[Page S3584]]

(D) in subsection (c), as redesignated by subparagraph
(B)--
(i) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``subsections (b) and
(c)'' and inserting ``subsection (b)''; and
(ii) in paragraph (3), by striking ``subsections (b) and
(c)'' and inserting ``subsection (b)'';
(4) in section 3008(h) (sec. 38-1853.08(h) D.C. Official
Code)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``section
3009(a)(2)(A)(i)'' and inserting ``section 3009(a)'';
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
``(2) Administration of tests.--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)'' and
inserting ``a nationally norm-referenced standardized test'';
(5) in section 3009(a) (sec. 38-1853.09(a) D.C. Official
Code)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``annually'' and
inserting ``regularly'';
(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'' and all that follows through the end of the
subparagraph and inserting ``impact of the program on
academic progress and educational attainment.'';
(C) in paragraph (3)--
(i) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``on education''
and inserting ``of education'';
(ii) in subparagraph (A)--

(I) by inserting ``the academic progress of'' after
``assess''; and
(II) by striking ``in each of grades 3'' and all that
follows through the end of the subparagraph and inserting ``;
and'';

(iii) by striking subparagraph (B); and
(iv) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (B);
and
(D) in paragraph (4)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)--

(I) 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'' and inserting ``The academic
progress of participating eligible students who use an
opportunity scholarship compared to the academic progress'';
and
(II) by inserting ``, which may include students'' after
``students with similar backgrounds'';

(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``increasing the
satisfaction of such parents and students with their choice''
and inserting ``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 attended by public school students described
in subparagraph (A), to the extent practicable.''; and
(iv) in subparagraph (G), by striking ``achievement'' and
inserting ``progress''; and
(6) in section 3010 (sec. 38-1853.10 D.C. Official Code)--
(A) in subsection (b)(1)--
(i) by striking subparagraph (A); and
(ii) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as
subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively; and
(B) subsection (c)(1) --
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``, and the aggregate
academic achievement of the student's peers at the student's
school in the same grade or level, as appropriate''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``, as appropriate''
after ``expulsions''.
______