Senator, your comments about student performance are very important: 
“My quick reply [to the question about starting a new voucher program even though ESA students’ scores on state tests are weak] would be let’s take a look at how the kids were doing before that. I think you would find out a lot of those were more than struggling in the situation they were forced to deal with. That it’s a struggle for them to catch up, you bet . . . . “
Educators have attempted to stress the importance of where students are “at the beginning” rather than only looking at where they end up (I.e. viewing the test score as the only measure of learning,” but the legislature has yet to consider this approach to monitoring improvement and progress. What accountability measures of this type str you including in the expansion of the voucher program? What level of “improvement ” will entitle students to continue to qualify for tge voucher? What expectations will the PRIVATE schools be accountable for when receiving PUBLIC tax funds? And if this monitoring of individual progress is such a good idea, why have you not considered it for the state mandated publiccefucation system?