Sec. 103. State Plan; Authorized Activities
1,195 words·~5 min read·
/bill/116/hr/3089/ih/section-103A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
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 90 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 conduct a comprehensive needs assessment that analyzes how to strengthen the programs, practices, and policies of the State to target support for students in the middle grades to improve positive student outcomes that prepare students for high school, postsecondary, and career success. A State educational agency receiving a grant under this title may 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 conduct a comprehensive needs assessment. In preparing the assessment under subparagraph (A), the State educational agency shall examine policies and practices of the State, and of local educational agencies within the State, affecting, with respect to middle grades— curriculum alignment, assessment, and instruction; the State system of annual meaningful differentiation, as described under section 1111(c)(4)(C) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(4)(C) ); teacher and school leader preparation, quality, experience, and equitable distribution; interventions both in-school and out-of-school that support student learning; student engagement activities; disproportionate use of exclusionary disciplinary practices, including in-school and out-of-school suspensions; family and community engagement in education; equitable distribution of resources; 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 assessment described in paragraph (3); and describes what students are required to know and do to successfully— complete the middle grades; 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: Align State standards and assessments for middle grades education with State standards and assessments for secondary schools and prepare students to take challenging secondary school courses and successfully engage in postsecondary education. Coordinate, where applicable, with the activities carried out through grants under section 6201(c)(1) of the America COMPETES Act ( 20 U.S.C. 9871(c)(1) ) for alignment of P–16 education, as defined in section 6201(b) of such Act. Support the transition from elementary school to the middle grades through programs that promote successful social, emotional, and cognitive development. Provide professional development to school leaders, teachers, and other school personnel in— addressing the needs of diverse learners, including students with disabilities and English 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. Identify and provide support for students most at risk of not graduating from secondary school, including English 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 school performance indicators that shall be used, in addition to the indicators used to identify schools for comprehensive support and improvement under section 1111(c)(4)(D)(i) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(4)(D)(i) ), 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 subgroups of students, as defined in section 1111(c)(2)) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(2) ); 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, based upon any peer-review evaluation of indicators conducted under section 102(b)(2). Ensure that such plan is coordinated with State activities to turn around schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement under section 1111(c)(4)(D)(i) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(4)(D)(i) ), 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 grade interventions, to expand the use of effective practices in the middle grades and to improve middle grade education; develop and facilitate collaboration among institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders involved in teacher and school leader preparation to improve the quality and delivery of preservice and in-service middle grades teacher and school leader preparation to ensure new and existing middle grade educators are prepared for the specific and unique needs of middle grades students; support local educational agencies in implementing effective middle grades practices, models, and programs that— are evidence-based; 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.
Connectionstraces to 3
Citation graph
cites case law
Cites 3Cited by 0 across 0 sources