Conference report makes the following changes to the 6th edition.

Makes organizationAL changes by adding Parts and changing sections numbers of existing provisions.

Part I.

Amends the definition of qualifying school in GS 115C-75.5, as it applies to Article 7A of GS Chapter 115C, North Carolina Innovative School District and Innovation Zones. Now defines qualifying school as a school with a school performance score in the lowest-performing 5% of all schools meeting the following: (1) receives funds under Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; (2) is governed by a local board of education subject to Article 7A; and is not an alternative school, a cooperative innovative high school, a school that was in its first or second year of operation in the previous school year, or a newcomers school (defined as a school in which at least 90% of its students are enrolled for no more than one year on the basis of their status as recently arrived English language learners). 

Amends GS 115C-75.7 by making the following changes to the process for analyzing and evaluating the performance of qualifying schools, upon which the selection of schools is based. Requires that in the first school year in which a school has been identified as a qualifying school based on data from the previous school year, the school must be placed on the ISD qualifying list (previously did not require the use of data from the previous school year). Adds that a school stays on the ISD warning list until it is either no longer a qualifying school or is transferred to the ISD. Limits instances in which the local board of education must hold a public hearing to when a qualifying school is in its first year on the warning list. Adds that when a qualifying school that was on the warning list during the previous school year, the local board of education is required to notify parents of students enrolled in the qualifying school of the school's status, potential impacts of the designation, plans for improvement of the school, and any additional information deemed necessary by the local board of education. Further amends the statute by amending the selection process to require that a school be selected as an innovative school beginning with the next school year if (1) the school was on the ISD warning list in the previous school year; (2) the school remains a qualifying school in the current school year based on data from the previous school year; and (3) the school is one of the lowest five schools that met both of the above criteria, as measured by school performance scores (was, if the school remains a qualifying school in the school year following the year it was placed on the warning list and is one of the lowest five qualifying school on the warning list, as measured by school performance scores, the school will be selected as an innovative school beginning with the next school year).

No longer requires the State Board of Education to select the lowest scoring qualifying school in the state identified based on the school performance score calculated from data for the 2018-19 school year to become an innovative school in the 2020-21 school year. 

Amends Section 8 of SL 2016-110, as amended, to remove the provision that allowed the State Board of Education to select up to five qualifying schools to transfer to the ISD beginning with the 2018-19 school year and required five qualifying schools to be selected for transfer to the ISD by the 2020-21 school year. 

Deletes the act's provisions that made changes related to residency licenses. Deletes the changes to GS 115C-270.20(a)(4a), which amended the criteria for in-state licensees to receive a limited license, by requiring the individual to have been issued an IPL or RL and having failed to fulfill the examination requirements after three years of licensure. Deletes the provision deeming individuals with a lateral entry license to have met GS 115C-270.20(a)(4a) upon meeting specified criteria. Deletes changes to Section 1.2 of SL 2019-71, which granted an extension until June 30, 2020, for elementary education or special education general curriculum teachers with an IPL, lateral entry license, or residency license that is set to expire June 30, 2019, due to failure to fulfill licensure examination requirements, effective June 30, 2019. Deletes changes to Section 1.3 of SL 2019-71, which added that GS 115C-270.15(c) applies to individuals holding an IPL on or after the date that act became law. Deletes the changes to Section 6 of SL 2019-71, which made SL 2019-71 apply beginning with the eighteenth day following the date that act became law.

Part II. 

Amends Section 8.7(c) of SL 2016-94, as amended, to no longer require the State Board to select a maximum of 10 local school administrative units that met the specified criteria to participate in the pilot program to develop advanced teaching roles and organizational models that link teacher performance and professional growth to salary increases in selected local school administrative units for classroom teachers.

Repeals Section 7.15(a) and (b) of SL 2017-57, which repealed Section 8.7(i) of SL 2016-94 and allowed local school administrative units approved by the State Board of Education to participate in the teacher compensation models and advanced teaching roles pilot program to allow a certain number of schools that were identified in their proposals to exceed individual class size requirements in kindergarten through third grade for the duration of the pilot program ending with the 2019-2020 school year, as specified. Reenacts Section 8.7(i) of SL 2016-94, which allows local school administrative units receiving grants under this program to exceed the maximum class size requirements for kindergarten through third grade.

Provides that if H 966, 2019 Appropriations Act, becomes law, then the provisions described above are repealed. 

Part III.

Makes conforming and clarifying changes to the effective date.

Amends the act's short and long titles.