S257 - Appropriations Act of 2017. (SL 2017-57)

Overview: Sec. 10A.6 of S.L. 2017-57 directs the State Education Assistance Authority (SEAA), in collaboration with the Department of Administration, Division of Nonpublic Education, and the Department of Public Instruction, to establish a task force to study the evaluation of students receiving scholarship grants through the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Program. The task force must have representatives from various stakeholders that include: (i) nonpublic schools accepting students who receive scholarship grants; (ii) organizations or associations representing parental school choice; (iii) organizations or associations representing nonpublic schools, including independent, religious, nonreligious, parochial, and non-parochial schools; (iv) independent research organizations specializing in K-12 academic evaluations, including a college or university; and (v) public school leaders, including local superintendents and principals.

The task force must study the most effective, valid, and reliable method of evaluating learning gains or losses of students receiving scholarship grants and comparing the learning gains or losses of those students to public school students with similar socioeconomic backgrounds, including the potential for adoption of a nationally normed common test for students participating in the evaluation. The task force must also consider the most reliable manner of establishing causal relationships to student performance outcomes while achieving minimal interference with the operation of the participating nonpublic and public schools, including limited sampling and other suitable research design methods.

By March 1, 2018, the SEAA must report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the results of the study, including any legislative recommendations from the task force on the evaluation of students receiving scholarship grants through the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Program.

This section became effective July 1, 2017.