Sec. 714. State competitive grant program for reforms to improve higher education persistence and completion
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Title VII ( 20 U.S.C. 1133 et seq. ), as amended by sections 711, 712, and 713, is further amended by adding at the end the following: The purpose of this part is to provide incentives for States to implement comprehensive reforms and innovative strategies that are designed to lead to— significant improvements in postsecondary outcomes for traditionally underrepresented students, including improvements in postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion by 2020; reductions in the need for remedial education for postsecondary students; increased alignment between elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education, and workforce systems; and innovation in postsecondary education.
In this part: The term dual enrollment program means a program of study provided by an institution of higher education through which a student who has not graduated from secondary school with a regular high school diploma is able to earn secondary school credit and transferable postsecondary credit that is accepted as credit toward a postsecondary degree or credential at no cost to the participant or the participant’s family. A dual enrollment program shall consist of not less than 2 postsecondary credit-bearing courses and support and academic services that help a student persist and complete such courses.
The term early college high school program means a formal partnership between at least 1 local educational agency and at least 1 institution of higher education that allows students to simultaneously complete, as part of an organized course of study, requirements toward earning a regular high school diploma and earning not less than 12 transferable postsecondary credits that are accepted as credit toward a postsecondary degree or credential at no cost to the participant or the participant’s family.
The term low income student means— with respect to an elementary school or secondary school student, a student who— is eligible for a free or reduced priced lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq. ); is eligible for or is a member of a family eligible for means tested benefits or public assistance at the Federal, State, or local level; or lives in a high-poverty area or attends a secondary school that serves students in a high-poverty area; or with respect to a postsecondary student, a student who— is eligible for a Federal Pell Grant under section 401; or is eligible for means-tested benefits or public assistance at the Federal, State, or local level.
The term persist means to continue enrollment in postsecondary education. The term traditionally underrepresented student means a student who— is a low-income student and— is a first generation college student, as defined in section 402A(h); has a dependent; is employed for not less than 25 hours a week; has taken 2 or more developmental education courses; or left high school without a regular high school diploma or its equivalent; is or has been a homeless child or youth, as defined in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 11434a ); is a foster care youth; is an individual with a disability, as defined in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act ( 42 U.S.C. 12102 ); is a child with a disability, as defined in section 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; or has been adjudicated in the juvenile or criminal justice system.
From amounts made available to carry out this part for a fiscal year, the Secretary may reserve not more than 2 percent to carry out activities in accordance with this part related to technical assistance, evaluation, outreach, and dissemination. From amounts made available to carry out this part and not reserved under subsection (a), the Secretary shall award planning or implementation grants under this part, in such a manner as to achieve an equitable distribution of grant funds throughout the United States, to States to enable the States to plan or implement comprehensive reforms and innovative strategies to improve postsecondary outcomes for all students, especially low-income and traditionally underrepresented students.
As described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall award grants to States for the purpose described in section 796 by— awarding planning grants, on a competitive basis, to States to enable such States to develop the comprehensive State plan described in section 796D to increase postsecondary education enrollment, persistence, and attainment by 2020; and awarding implementation grants, on a competitive basis, to States to enable such States to implement the comprehensive State plan described in section 796D.
A State may receive only 1 planning grant, and only 1 implementation grant, under this section. The Secretary may elect to limit the number and amount of planning grants awarded under this section during a grant period, if the Secretary determines it would best promote the purposes of this part. Each planning grant awarded under this part shall be for a period of not more than 24 months. Each implementation grant awarded under this part shall be for a period of not more than 5 years.
Before receiving funding for an implementation grant for the third or any subsequent year of the grant, the State receiving the grant shall demonstrate to the Secretary that the State is— making progress in implementing the State plan described under section 796D at a rate that the Secretary determines will result in full implementation of that plan during the remainder of the grant period; and making progress, as measured by the annual performance measures and targets described in section 796D(b)(2), at a rate that the Secretary determines will result in reaching those targets and achieving the objectives of the grant, during the remainder of the grant period.
Each State that desires to receive a planning grant under this part shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably require. At a minimum, each such application shall include the following: Documentation of the State's record, including demonstrating a need for the grant funds to improve the State’s record, as applicable, in the areas to be measured by the performance measures under section 796D(b)(2).
A coherent strategy for using funds under this part, and other Federal, State, and local funds, to design a State plan as described in section 796D. Evidence that there will be collaboration among the State, the State educational agency, institutions of higher education located in the State, postsecondary students, workforce partners, and other stakeholders, in developing and implementing such plan, including evidence of the State's commitment and capacity to implement such plan.
An assurance of the State’s commitment to developing the State plan. An assurance of the State’s commitment to meeting, before the end of the planning grant period, any requirements that the Secretary may establish. Each State that desires to receive an implementation grant under this part shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably require. At a minimum, each such application shall include the following:
Documentation of the State's record, including demonstrating a need for the grant funds to improve the State's record, as applicable, in the areas to be measured by the performance measures under section 796D(b)(2). A description of how the implementation grant funds will be used to implement the comprehensive State plan described in section 796D, which may be an existing (as of the date of application) State plan that meets the requirements of such section. Evidence of conditions of innovation and reform that the State has established and the State's plan for implementing additional conditions for innovation and reform, including— a description of how the State has identified and eliminated ineffective practices in the past, and a plan for doing so in the future; a description of how the State has identified and promoted effective practices in the past, and a plan for doing so in the future; and steps the State has taken and will take to eliminate statutory, regulatory, procedural, or other barriers to facilitate the full implementation of the State's proposed plan under section 796D.
The State's annual performance measures and targets, established in accordance with the requirements of section 796D(b)(2). A signed assurance from every public institution of higher education in the State that the institution will carry out any activities that the State determines may be necessary to carry out the State plan under section 796D. An assurance from the State that the State will provide equitable resources and technical assistance to all public institutions of higher education in the State to implement the reforms described in this section.
The Secretary shall award grants under this part on a competitive basis to a geographically diverse group of States, based on the quality of the applications submitted by the States. The Secretary shall publish an explanation of how the application review process will ensure an equitable, transparent, and objective evaluation of applicants. In awarding grants under this part, the Secretary shall give priority to a State if— the State has a significant percentage of low-income students or traditionally underrepresented students residing within the State; the State has a strong record of investment in postsecondary education; or the State distributes State postsecondary education aid on the basis of need.
Each State receiving a planning or implementation grant under this part shall establish or implement, respectively, a comprehensive State plan described in subsection
(b)to increase student access, persistence, and completion in postsecondary education at— public institutions of higher education throughout the State; and private nonprofit institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101) that agree to participate in and implement the State plan. The comprehensive State plan described in subsection
(a)shall contain the following: A commitment to implement statewide reforms in the following areas: Removing barriers to innovation in postsecondary education by— shortening the length of time to a postsecondary degree; promoting efficiencies on campuses that lead to lower net tuition prices for students; promoting the use of technology to increase personalized learning, advising, and support services for students; and developing innovative education delivery models, such as using technology to enhance online and classroom learning, in order to increase participation and retention of students, particularly low-income students and students who are in the first generation in their family to attend an institution of higher education. Improving the transition between elementary and secondary education and postsecondary education and the workforce by— reforming the process for identifying students for developmental education, offering developmental education examinations while students are in secondary school to identify knowledge and skills gaps, and reducing the need for developmental education by ensuring that developmental education courses are reserved for students who are substantially underprepared and placing better-prepared students in traditional courses; redesigning and standardizing developmental education requirements and assessments among institutions of higher education; reforming the content, timing, and delivery of developmental education to help academically underprepared students complete college through comprehensive approaches; using technology, academic, and student supports that engage students, align developmental education to students’ academic and career goals, and accelerate the students' progression through remediation and credit-bearing coursework; increasing access to dual enrollment and early college high schools for low-income students; and establishing clear and transparent policies regarding how completion of dual enrollment and early college high school programs will result in the transfer of credits— to public institutions of higher education in the State; and to private nonprofit institutions of higher education that choose to participate in such credit transfer policies. Increasing persistence in postsecondary education by carrying out all of the following: Developing early warning systems to identify students at risk of dropping out of postsecondary education. Providing highly effective and comprehensive academic and student support services at institutions of higher education. Requiring all public institutions of higher education in the State to establish credit transfer policies and articulation agreements, that have been developed in consultation with educators in institutions of higher education, with each other so that students can seamlessly transfer among all public institutions of higher education in the State. Such articulation agreements shall guarantee— that students who earn postsecondary credit at a public institution of higher education will be able to transfer those credits to— any public institution of higher education in the State, and that such credits will count toward meeting specific degree or credential requirements; and any private nonprofit institution of higher education that chooses to participate in an articulation agreement; that common course numbering is used to identify substantially similar courses; that credits are recognized throughout the system of higher education in the State and count as credits earned for a degree or credential program at a public institution of higher education in the State and at any private nonprofit institution of higher education that chooses to participate, consistent with clause (I)(bb); and that if a student earns an associate’s degree, that associate’s degree, awarded by the participating institution of higher education in the State, shall be fully acceptable in transfer and credited as the first 2 years of a related baccalaureate program at a public institution of higher education in such State. Including private nonprofit institutions of higher education that choose to participate in the credit transfer policies and articulation agreements described in clause (iii). Providing students residing in the State with free degree audits. Providing students with an assurance that if a student receives an associate’s degree from a public institution of higher education in the State, that associate’s degree will translate into upper level status at a receiving public institution of higher education. Increasing transparency of information to students and their families by— providing financial literacy information to students and families, including information regarding the benefits of postsecondary education, planning for postsecondary education, postsecondary education opportunities, and career planning; providing information on financing options for postsecondary education and activities that promote financial literacy and debt management among students and families, including assistance in completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or other common financial reporting form under section 483(a); reporting workforce outcomes for postsecondary graduates; developing multi-year tuition and fee schedules; improving postsecondary data systems and linking those systems to existing State data systems for elementary and secondary education and the workforce; and developing practices for the continuous assessment of student learning and for public reporting of non-personally identifiable student learning outcomes. Increasing and improving the use of funding in higher education by— awarding State financial aid to students on the basis of need, rather than merit; developing performance funding systems that measure and award funding to institutions of higher education based upon improvement in postsecondary education outcomes for students, including successful transfer from a 2-year institution of higher education to a 4-year institution of higher education and degree attainment; and rewarding institutions that distribute their institutional aid based on need. Annual performance measures and targets for the programs and activities carried out under this part, which shall include measures and targets for goals established by the Secretary under section 796G as well as measures and targets developed by the State and approved by the Secretary. The annual performance measures and targets shall, at a minimum, track the State's progress in— implementing the plan described in this section; increasing the percentage of low income and traditionally underrepresented students who enroll in, persist through, and graduate from higher education, as measured by— reducing the need for higher education remediation; increasing higher education enrollment rates; increasing persistence and completion rates in higher education; increasing the rate at which students complete a program at an institution of higher education; increasing enrollment in dual enrollment programs and early college high school programs; increasing the percentage of students who successfully complete and earn a minimum of 12 credits for rigorous postsecondary education courses while attending a secondary school; and increasing the percentage of students who earn postsecondary credit and successfully have such credit accepted by an institution of higher education toward a degree or credential; and making progress on any other performance measure identified by the Secretary. Goals for increasing postsecondary credential attainment by 2020 for traditionally underrepresented students. Each State plan developed under this section shall be reviewed and approved by the Secretary. A State receiving an implementation grant under this part shall use the funds to carry out any purpose included in the State’s comprehensive State plan described in section 796D. Federal funds made available under this part shall not be used— to promote any lender’s loans; to supplement or supplant Federal, State, or institutional financial aid; or compensate for a decrease in State appropriations for higher education. If the Secretary determines, by the end of the third year of the grant, that a State receiving an implementation grant under this part is not making substantial progress on meeting the requirements of the comprehensive State plan under section 796D and meeting the performance measures and targets described in section 796D(b)(2), the Secretary— shall cancel the grant; and may use any funds returned or made available due to a cancellation under paragraph
(1)to— increase other grant awards under this part; or award new grants to other eligible entities under this part. A State receiving a grant under this part shall provide matching funds toward the costs of the grant in the amount applicable under paragraph (2). The matching funds required under this paragraph shall be an amount equal to— in the case of a planning grant, 20 percent of the amount of the grant for each year of the grant; and in the case of an implementation grant— 20 percent of such costs for the first year of the grant; 30 percent of such costs for the second year of the grant; 40 percent of such costs for the third year of the grant; 50 percent of such costs for the fourth year the grant; and 60 percent of such for the fifth year of the grant. Matching funds provided under this subsection shall be from non-Federal sources and may be provided in cash or in-kind. Federal funding provided under this part shall be used to supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, or institutional resources that would otherwise be expended to carry out the activities described in this part. With respect to each fiscal year for which a State receives a grant under this part, the State will maintain State support for public institutions of higher education (excluding support for capital projects, for research and development, and for tuition and fees paid by students) at least at the level of such support for the previous fiscal year. A State may apply to the Secretary for a waiver of, and the Secretary may waive, the requirements of paragraph
(1)if the State is experiencing a financial hardship due to a natural disaster, unforeseen decline in the financial resources of the State, or other exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances. The Secretary shall establish performance measures for the programs and activities carried out under grants awarded under this part prior to awarding grants under this part. The Secretary shall ensure that such measures are made available to potential applicants prior to seeking applications for grants under this section. A State that receives an implementation grant under this part shall submit to the Secretary, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require, an annual report including, at a minimum— data on the State's progress in achieving the targets for the annual performance measures established under section 796G; and a description of the challenges the State has faced in carrying out the implementation grant under this part, and how the State has addressed, or plans to address, such challenges. A State that receives a planning grant under this part shall submit to the Secretary, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require, a report that includes a copy of the State plan developed under the grant. The Secretary shall— acting through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, evaluate the implementation and impact of activities supported under this part; and disseminate research on best practices. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015 and each of the following 4 fiscal years. .
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Sec. 714
State competitive grant program for reforms to improve higher education persistence and completion
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