Education (Testing & Assessment)

HR 954, the SOAR Permanent Authorization Act, permanently authorizes $75 million annually for D.C.'s Opportunity Scholarship Program, replacing previous annual funding limits. It increases the annual cap for student academic assistance from $2 million to $2.2 million and adds a new tutoring provision prioritizing students from the lowest-performing schools. The bill revises evaluation requirements to focus on students' academic progress (not standardized test scores) and mandates regular program assessments. These changes apply directly to D.C. students using opportunity scholarships and the schools participating in the program.