Amend the joint resolution, as and if amended, by striking SECTION 1 and inserting:
/ SECTION 1. (A) The State Superintendent of Education shall ensure that every student entering publicly funded prekindergarten and kindergarten beginning in School Year 2014-2015 will be administered a readiness assessment by the forty-fifth day of the school year. The readiness assessment shall focus on early language and literacy development. The readiness assessment also must be administered in School Year 2015-2016.
(B) For the test to be administered in School Year 2014-2015, the Education Oversight Committee shall recommend the characteristics of the readiness assessment for children in prekindergarten and kindergarten, focused on early language and literacy development, to the State Board of Education immediately upon the effective date of this act. Prior to submitting the recommendation to the State Board of Education, the Education Oversight Committee shall seek input from the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Board of Trustees and other early childhood advocates. The State Board of Education must move expeditiously to approve or modify the criteria submitted by the committee. Once approved, with the assistance of the Education Oversight Committee, the State Board of Education shall develop a solicitation to be used in procuring the readiness assessment. The solicitation must be forwarded to the Executive Director of the Budget and Control Board who must immediately move to procure the readiness assessment in order to meet the forty-five day requirement in subsection (A). If necessary, the executive director may make emergency procurements provisions if necessary to the meet the forty-five day requirement in subsection (A). The Executive Director is authorized to make changes to the solicitation with the consent of the Chairman of the State Board of Education and the Chairman of the Education Oversight Committee. The State Department of Education must bear the costs of the procurement. /
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.