North Carolina § 115C-562 - 7. Authority reporting requirements.

§ 115C-562. 7. Authority reporting requirements.

Repealed by Session Laws 2014-100, s. 8.25(e), effective August 7, 2014. The Authority shall report annually, no later than October 15, to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the following information from the prior school year: Total number, grade level, race, ethnicity, and sex of eligible students receiving scholarship grants. Total amount of scholarship grant funding awarded. Number of students previously enrolled in local school administrative units or charter schools in the prior semester by the previously attended local school administrative unit or charter school. Nonpublic schools in which scholarship grant recipients are enrolled, including numbers of scholarship grant students at each nonpublic school. Nonpublic schools deemed ineligible to receive scholarships. The Authority shall report annually, no later than December 1, to the Department of Public Instruction and the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the following: Learning gains or losses of students receiving scholarship grants. The report shall include learning gains of participating students on a statewide basis and shall compare, to the extent possible, the learning gains or losses of eligible students by nonpublic school to the statewide learning gains or losses of public school students with similar socioeconomic backgrounds, using aggregate standardized test performance data provided to the Authority by nonpublic schools and by the Department of Public Instruction. Competitive effects on public school performance on standardized tests as a result of the scholarship grant program. The report shall analyze the impact of the availability of scholarship grants on public school performance on standardized tests by local school administrative units to the extent possible, and shall provide comparisons of the impact by geographic region and between rural and urban local school administrative units. This report shall be conducted by an independent research organization to be selected by the Authority, which may be a public or private entity or university. The independent research organization shall report to the Authority on the results of its research. The Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee shall review reports from the Authority and shall make ongoing recommendations to the General Assembly as needed regarding improving administration and accountability for nonpublic schools accepting students receiving scholarship grants. History (2013-360, s. 8.29(a); 2014-100, s. 8.25(e), (f); 2018-5, s. 10A.1(e).) Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2013-360, s. 8.29(g), provides: "The Authority shall select an independent research organization, as required by G.S. 115C-562.7 , as enacted by this section, beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. The first learning gains report required by G.S. 115C-562.7 , as enacted by this section, shall not be due until December 1, 2018. The first financial review for a nonpublic school that accepts scholarship grant funds, as required by G.S. 115C-562.5(a)(6) , as enacted by this section, shall not be required until the 2015-2016 school year." Session Laws 2013-360, s. 8.29(h), provides: "This section applies beginning with the 2014-2015 school year. In accordance with G.S. 115C-562.2 , as enacted by this section, the Authority shall make applications available for the 2014-2015 school year no later than February 1, 2014, and shall begin awarding grants no later than March 1, 2014. Information about scholarship grants and the application process shall be made available on the Authority's Web site. In accordance with G.S. 115C-562.4 , as enacted by this section, the Division of Nonpublic Education, Department of Administration, shall make available to the Authority a list of all nonpublic schools operating in the State that meet the requirements of Part 1 or Part 2 of Article 39 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes no later than February 1, 2014." Session Laws 2013-360, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as the 'Current Operations and Capital Improvements Appropriations Act of 2013.'" Session Laws 2013-360, s. 38.2, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2013-2015 fiscal biennium, the textual provisions of this act apply only to funds appropriated for, and activities occurring during, the 2013-2015 fiscal biennium." Session Laws 2013-360, s. 38.5, is a severability clause. Session Laws 2017-57, s. 10A.6(a)-(c), provides: "(a) The State Education Assistance Authority (Authority), in collaboration with the Department of Administration, Division of Nonpublic Education, and the Department of Public Instruction, shall establish a task force to study the evaluation of students receiving scholarship grants through the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Program pursuant to G.S. 115C-562.7(c) . The task force shall include representatives from various stakeholders and interested parties, including from at least the following groups: "(1) Nonpublic schools accepting students who receive scholarship grants, including schools with a low percentage of those students in their overall student enrollment and a high percentage of those students in their overall student enrollment. "(2) Organizations or associations representing parental school choice, such as Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina. "(3) Organizations or associations representing nonpublic schools, including independent, religious, nonreligious, parochial, and nonparochial schools. "(4) Independent research organizations specializing in K-12 academic evaluations, including a college or university. "(5) Public school leaders, including local superintendents and principals. "(b) The task force shall 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. In doing so, the task force shall 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. "(c) By March 1, 2018, the Authority shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the results of the study required by this section, including any legislative recommendations from the task force on the evaluation of students receiving scholarship grants through the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Program." Session Laws 2017-57, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as the 'Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2017.'" Session Laws 2017-57, s. 39.4, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium, the textual provisions of this act apply only to funds appropriated for, and activities occurring during, the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium." Session Laws 2017-57, s. 39.6, is a severability clause. Session Laws 2018-5, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as the 'Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2018.'" Session Laws 2018-5, s. 39.7, is a severability clause. Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2014-100, s. 8.25(e) and (f), effective August 7, 2014, repealed subsection (a) which read "The Authority shall report to the Department of Public Instruction annually, no later than September 1, the number and names of students who have received scholarship grants for the current school year and who were enrolled the prior semester in a local school administrative unit by the previously attended local school administrative unit. By September 15 of each year, the State Board of Education shall determine the amount of the reduction for each local school administrative unit by multiplying the students who have received scholarship grants for the current school year and who were enrolled the prior semester in a local school administrative unit by the per pupil allocation for average daily membership from the local school administrative unit. Local school administrative units shall identify to the Department of Public Instruction the reductions to State General Fund appropriations for Opportunity Scholarships by October 1 of each year."; and substituted "April 1" for "March 1" in the introductory language of subsection (b). Session Laws 2018-5, s. 10A.1(e), effective July 1, 2018, in the introductory language of subsection (b), substituted "October 15" for "April 1" and added "information from the prior school year" at the end.