Senator MASSEY proposed the following amendment (935R014.SP.ASM):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, on page 11, Section 59-8-150(C), by striking and inserting:

/ (1)Education service providers that provide full-time academic instruction shall:

(a) ensure that each scholarship student in grades three through eight takes the SC Ready or SC Ready alternative summative assessment required of students in public schools in this state;

(b) ensure that each scholarship student in grades four and six takes the SC Pass or SC Pass alternative summative assessment required of students in public schools in this state;

(c) ensure that each scholarship student in grades nine through twelve takes a nationally norm-referenced or formative assessment approved by the department. Students with disabilities for whom standardized testing is not appropriate are exempt from this requirement; and

(d) measure academic performance and annual learning gains of its scholarship students by:

(i) requiring that each scholarship student takes either an approved nationally norm-referenced assessment annually, or an approved formative assessment in the fall and spring, to measure learning gains in math and reading; and

(ii) collecting high school graduation information of scholarship students for reporting to the department as required in this section.

(2) The department shall ensure that the education service provider has access to and is trained in administering the state assessments required in subitems (1)(a) and (b). The department shall assume any costs associated with training, administering, or taking assessments with no charges to the provider or ESTF students.

(3) For the purpose of evaluating program effectiveness, education service providers that provide full-time academic instruction shall ensure that results in item (1) are:

(a) provided to the parent of a scholarship student and must be provided to the department on an annual basis, beginning with the first year of program implementation; and

(b) disaggregated by grade level, gender, family income level, race, and English learner status.

(4) The department, or the appropriate organization chosen by the department, if any, must be informed of the scholarship student's graduation from high school. /