(1)    In this section, “research center” means the University of Wisconsin-Madison Value-Added Research Center.

   (2)   

      (a)    Within 30 days after the release of funds under s. 115.28 (9m) (b), the department shall request from the research center a list of nationally recognized, norm-referenced alternative examinations determined by the research center to be acceptable for statistical comparison with examinations adopted or approved under s. 118.30 (1). Within 180 days of the release of funds under s. 115.28 (9m) (b), the research center shall evaluate and approve at least 3 and no more than 5 of the examinations and shall submit the list of approved examinations to the department. The research center shall submit under this paragraph only those examinations that are consistent with the following parameters:

         1.    The examination aligns sufficiently with content standards established for examinations adopted or approved under s. 118.30 (1).

         2.    The examination is comprised of a variety of testing methodologies, including multiple choice and short answer, to assess a range of student skills.

         3.    The examination includes accommodations or alternative assessments for students enrolled in a special education program under subch. V of ch. 115.

         4.    The examination provider makes available translations for limited-English proficient pupils, as defined in s. 115.955 (7).

         5.    The examination may be administered in a variety of modes, including with paper and pencil, in an online format, in a fixed form format, and in an adaptive format.

         6.    The examination has internal consistency reliability coefficients of at least 0.8.

      (b)    An examination approved under this subsection may be administered only by a school that notifies the department of its intent to administer the examination.

   (3)   

      (a)    Notwithstanding s. 118.30 (1m), beginning in the first full school year following the date on which the research center submitted the list of approved examinations to the department under sub. (2) (a), a school board is not required to administer an examination adopted or approved by the state superintendent under s. 118.30 (1) in any grade for which an examination is required to be administered under s. 118.30 if the school board administers in that grade an alternative examination approved by the research center under sub. (2). If the school board elects to administer an alternative examination under this paragraph, the school board shall notify the department of its intent to administer the examination and shall publish that fact and information about the examination on the school’s Internet site.

      (b)    Notwithstanding s. 118.30 (1r), beginning in the first full school year following the date on which the research center submitted the list of approved examinations to the department under sub. (2) (a), an operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) is not required to administer an examination adopted or approved by the state superintendent under s. 118.30 (1) in any grade for which an examination is required to be administered under s. 118.30 if the operator administers in that grade an alternative examination approved by the research center under sub. (2). If the operator of the charter school elects to administer an alternative examination under this paragraph, the operator shall notify the department of its intent to administer the examination and shall publish that fact and information about the examination on the school’s Internet site.

      (c)    Notwithstanding s. 118.30 (1s), beginning in the first full school year following the date on which the research center submitted the list of approved examinations to the department under sub. (2) (a), the governing body of each private school participating in the program under s. 119.23 that is required to administer an examination under s. 118.30 (1s) is not required to administer an examination adopted or approved by the state superintendent under s. 118.30 (1) in any grade for which an examination is required to be administered under s. 118.30 if the governing body administers in that grade an alternative examination approved by the research center under sub. (2). If the governing body of the private school elects to administer an alternative examination under this paragraph, the governing body shall notify the department of its intent to administer the examination and shall publish that fact and information about the examination on the school’s Internet site.

      (d)    Notwithstanding s. 118.30 (1t), beginning in the first full school year following the date on which the research center submitted the list of approved examinations to the department under sub. (2) (a), the governing body of a private school participating in a program under s. 118.60 that is required to administer an examination under s. 118.30 (1t) is not required to administer an examination adopted or approved by the state superintendent under s. 118.30 (1) in any grade for which an examination is required to be administered under s. 118.30 if the governing body administers in that grade an alternative examination approved by the research center under sub. (2). If the governing body of the private school elects to administer an alternative examination under this paragraph, the governing body shall notify the department of its intent to administer the examination and shall publish that fact and information about the examination on the school’s Internet site.

      (e)    If a school administers an alternative examination in any grade under this subsection, and if the cost of the alternative examination exceeds the cost of the examination adopted or approved by the state superintendent for that grade, the school board, operator, or governing body of the school is responsible for the difference between the cost of the examination adopted or approved by the state superintendent for that grade and the cost of the alternative examination for that grade.

   (4)   

      (a)    If a school board, an operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), or the governing body of a private school participating in a program under s. 118.60 or 119.23 administers an alternative examination under sub. (3), the school board, operator, or governing body shall submit the examination results to the research center.

      (b)    The research center shall review all examination results received under par. (a) and statistically equate them to the pupil examinations required under s. 118.30. The research center shall provide the examination data, as statistically equated, to the school board, operator, or governing body and to the department. The department shall use data received under this subsection to determine a school’s performance or school district’s improvement under s. 115.385.