Senator FANNING proposed the following amendment (WAB\419C064.AGM.WAB20):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, Section 59-18-320(B), as contained in SECTION 5, by deleting the subsection and inserting:

/(B) After review and approval by the Education Oversight Committee, and pursuant to Section 59-18-325, the standards-based assessment of mathematics, English/language arts, social studies, and science will be administered for accountability purposes to all public school students in grades three through eight, to include those students as required by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act and by Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. To reduce the number of days of testing, to the extent possible, field test items must be embedded with the annual assessments. To ensure that school districts maintain the high standard of accountability established in the Education Accountability Act, performance level results reported on school and district report cards must meet consistently high levels in all four core content areas. For students with documented disabilities, the assessments developed by the Department of Education shall include the appropriate modifications and accommodations with necessary supplemental devices as outlined in a student's Individualized Education Program and as stated in the Administrative Guidelines and Procedures for Testing Students with Documented Disabilities. The State Department of Education shall examine how the other forty-nine states have met the current federal ESEA mandate, while reducing state-mandated, standardized assessments. The State Department of Education shall seek to amend South Carolina's ESEA waiver to decrease these assessments accordingly." /