Sec. 103. State plan; authorized activities
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A State educational agency that receives a grant under this title shall use the grant funds— to prepare and implement the needs analysis and middle grades improvement plan, as described in paragraphs
(3)and (4), of such agency; to make subgrants to eligible local educational agencies or eligible entities under section 104; and to assist eligible local educational agencies and eligible entities, when determined necessary by the State educational agency or at the request of an eligible local educational agency or eligible entity, in designing a comprehensive schoolwide improvement plan and carrying out the activities under section 104. A State educational agency that receives a grant under this title shall use not less than 80 percent of the grant funds to make subgrants to eligible local educational agencies or eligible entities under section 104. A State educational agency that receives a grant under this title shall enter into a contract, or similar formal agreement, to work with entities such as national and regional comprehensive centers (as described in section 203 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 ( 20 U.S.C. 9602 )), institutions of higher education, or nonprofit organizations with demonstrated expertise in high-quality middle grades reform, to prepare a plan that analyzes how to strengthen the programs, practices, and policies of the State in supporting students in the middle grades, including the factors, such as local implementation, that influence variation in the effectiveness of such programs, practices, and policies. In preparing the plan under subparagraph (A), the State educational agency shall examine policies and practices of the State, and of local educational agencies within the State, affecting— middle grades curriculum instruction and assessment; education accountability and data systems; teacher preparation, quality, experience, and equitable distribution; interventions that support learning in school, including personal academic plans; student engagement activities; in-school and out-of-school suspensions; family and community engagement in education; and student and academic support services, such as effective school library programs and school counseling on the transition to secondary school and planning for entry into postsecondary education and the workforce. A State educational agency that receives a grant under this title shall develop a middle grades improvement plan that— shall be a statewide plan to improve student academic achievement in the middle grades, based on the needs analysis described in paragraph (3); and describes what students are required to know and do to successfully— complete the middle grades; and develop the competencies of— the ability to acquire and use deep content knowledge to solve problems; critical thinking; effective communication; self-direction; and the ability to collaborate; and make a successful transition to academically rigorous secondary school coursework that prepares students to graduate from secondary school ready for higher education and a career. A middle grades improvement plan described in subparagraph
(A)shall also describe how the State educational agency will do each of the following: Ensure that the curricula and assessments for middle grades education are aligned with secondary school curricula and assessments and prepare students to take challenging secondary school courses and successfully engage in postsecondary education. Ensure coordination, where applicable, with the activities carried out through grants under section 6201(c)(1) of the America COMPETES Act ( 20 U.S.C. 9871 ) for alignment of P-16 education, as defined in section 6201(b) of such Act. Ensure that the transition from elementary school to the middle grades is supported through programs that promote successful social, emotional, and cognitive development. Ensure that professional development is provided to school leaders, teachers, and other school personnel in— addressing the needs of diverse learners, including students with disabilities and English language learners; using challenging and relevant research-based best practices and curricula; using data to inform instruction; and increasing student engagement and social and emotional learning competencies. Identify and disseminate information on effective schools and instructional strategies for middle grades students based on high-quality research. Include specific provisions for students most at risk of not graduating from secondary school, including English language learners, students with disabilities, and low-income students. Provide technical assistance to eligible entities to develop and implement their early warning indicator and intervention systems, as described in section 104(d)(2)(D). Define a set of comprehensive school performance indicators that shall be used, in addition to the indicators used to determine adequate yearly progress (as defined in section 1111(b)(2)(C) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(C) )), to evaluate school performance and guide the school improvement process, such as— student attendance and chronic absenteeism; earned on-time promotion rates from grade to grade; percentage of students failing a mathematics, reading or language arts, or science course, or failing 2 or more of any courses; teacher preparation, experience, effectiveness, and attendance measures; in-school and out-of-school suspension or other measurable evidence of at-risk behavior, including any disparities in rates among groups described in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) ); data collected by the Civil Rights Data Collection survey conducted by the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education; and additional indicators proposed by the State educational agency, and approved by the Secretary pursuant to the peer-review process described in section 102(g). Ensure that such plan is coordinated with State activities to turn around other schools in need of improvement, including State activities to improve secondary schools and elementary schools. Ensure that such plan includes specific provisions to improve family and community engagement in education in the middle grades. A State educational agency that receives a grant under this title may use the grant funds to— develop and encourage collaborations among researchers at institutions of higher education, State educational agencies, educational service agencies, local educational agencies, and nonprofit organizations with demonstrated expertise in high-quality middle grades interventions, to expand the use of effective practices in the middle grades and to improve middle grades education; support local educational agencies in implementing effective middle grades practices, models, and programs that— are evidence-based or, when available, scientifically valid; and lead to improved student academic achievement; support collaborative communities of middle grades teachers, administrators, school librarians, and researchers in creating and sustaining informational databases to disseminate results from rigorous research on effective practices and programs for middle grades education; and increase middle grades student and academic support services, such as effective school library programs and school counseling on the transition to secondary school, such as summer bridge programs and student mentors, and planning for entry into postsecondary education and the workforce.
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