[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 103 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 103
To provide for advanced placement programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 22, 2001
Mr. Bingaman (for himself, Mrs. Hutchison, and Ms. Collins) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for advanced placement programs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAMS.
Title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 8001 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``PART L--ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAMS
``SEC. 10995A. SHORT TITLE.
``This part may be cited as the `Access to High Standards Act'.
``SEC. 10995B. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
``(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
``(1) far too many students are not being provided
sufficient academic preparation in secondary school, which
results in limited employment opportunities, college dropout
rates of over 25 percent for the first year of college, and
remediation for almost one-third of incoming college freshmen;
``(2) there is a growing consensus that raising academic
standards, establishing high academic expectations, and showing
concrete results are at the core of improving public education;
``(3) modeling academic standards on the well-known program
of advanced placement courses is an approach that many
education leaders and almost half of all States have endorsed;
``(4) advanced placement programs already are providing 30
different college-level courses, serving almost 60 percent of
all secondary schools, reaching over 1,000,000 students (of
whom 80 percent attend public schools, 55 percent are females,
and 30 percent are minorities), and providing test scores that
are accepted for college credit at over 3,000 colleges and
universities, every university in Germany, France, and Austria,
and most institutions in Canada and the United Kingdom;
``(5) 24 States are now funding programs to increase
participation in advanced placement programs, including 19
States that provide funds for advanced placement teacher
professional development, 3 States that require that all public
secondary schools offer advanced placement courses, 10 States
that pay the fees for advanced placement tests for some or all
students, and 4 States that require that their public
universities grant uniform academic credit for scores of 3 or
better on advanced placement tests; and
``(6) the State programs described in paragraph (5) have
shown the responsiveness of schools and students to such
programs, raised the academic standards for both students
participating in such programs and other children taught by
teachers who are involved in advanced placement courses, and
shown tremendous success in increasing enrollment, achievement,
and minority participation in advanced placement programs.
``(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this part are--
``(1) to encourage more of the 600,000 students who take
advanced placement courses but do not take advanced placement
exams each year to demonstrate their achievements through
taking the exams;
``(2) to build on the many benefits of advanced placement
programs for students, which benefits may include the
acquisition of skills that are important to many employers,
Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) scores that are 100 points
above the national averages, and the achievement of better
grades in secondary school and in college than the grades of
students who have not participated in the programs;
``(3) to support State and local efforts to raise academic
standards through advanced placement programs, and thus further
increase the number of students who participate and succeed in
advanced placement programs;
``(4) to increase the availability and broaden the range of
schools that have advanced placement programs, which programs
are still often distributed unevenly among regions, States, and
even secondary schools within the same school district, while
also increasing and diversifying student participation in the
programs;
``(5) to build on the State programs described in
subsection (a)(5) and demonstrate that larger and more diverse
groups of students can participate and succeed in advanced
placement programs;
``(6) to provide greater access to advanced placement
courses for low-income and other disadvantaged students;
``(7) to provide access to advanced placement courses for
secondary school juniors at schools that do not offer advanced
placement programs, increase the rate of secondary school
juniors and seniors who participate in advanced placement
courses to 25 percent of the secondary school student
population, and increase the numbers of students who receive
advanced placement test scores for which college academic
credit is awarded; and
``(8) to increase the participation of low-income
individuals in taking advanced placement tests through the
payment or partial payment of the costs of the advanced
placement test fees.
``SEC. 10995C. FUNDING DISTRIBUTION RULE.
``From amounts appropriated under section 10995H for a fiscal year,
the Secretary shall give first priority to funding activities under
section 10995F, and shall distribute any remaining funds not so applied
according to the following ratio:
``(1) Seventy percent of the remaining funds shall be
available to carry out section 10995D.
``(2) Thirty percent of the remaining funds shall be
available to carry out section 10995E.
``SEC. 10995D. ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM GRANTS.
``(a) Grants Authorized.--
``(1) In general.--From amounts appropriated under section
10995H and made available under section 10995C(1) for a fiscal
year, the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis,
to eligible entities to enable the eligible entities to carry
out the authorized activities described in subsection (c).
``(2) Duration and payments.--
``(A) Duration.--The Secretary shall award a grant
under this section for a period of 3 years.
``(B) Payments.--The Secretary shall make grant
payments under this section on an annual basis.
``(3) Definition of eligible entity.--In this section, the
term `eligible entity' means a State educational agency, or a
local educational agency, in the State.
``(b) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section the
Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities submitting
applications under subsection (d) that demonstrate--
``(1) a pervasive need for access to advanced placement
incentive programs;
``(2) the involvement of business and community
organizations in the activities to be assisted;
``(3) the availability of matching funds from State or
local sources to pay for the cost of activities to be assisted;
``(4) a focus on developing or expanding advanced placement
programs and participation in the core academic areas of
English, mathematics, and science; and
``(5)(A) in the case of an eligible entity that is a State
educational agency, the State educational agency carries out
programs in the State that target--
``(i) local educational agencies serving schools
with a high concentration of low-income students; or
``(ii) schools with a high concentration of low-
income students; or
``(B) in the case of an eligible entity that is a local
educational agency, the local educational agency serves schools
with a high concentration of low-income students.
``(c) Authorized Activities.--An eligible entity may use grant
funds under this section to expand access for low-income individuals to
advanced placement incentive programs that involve--
``(1) teacher training;
``(2) preadvanced placement course development;
``(3) curriculum coordination and articulation between
grade levels that prepare students for advanced placement
courses;
``(4) curriculum development;
``(5) books and supplies; and
``(6) any other activity directly related to expanding
access to and participation in advanced placement incentive
programs particularly for low-income individuals.
``(d) Application.--Each eligible entity desiring a grant under
this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time,
in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary
may require.
``(e) Data Collection and Reporting.--
``(1) Data collection.--Each eligible entity receiving a
grant under this section shall annually report to the
Secretary--
``(A) the number of students taking advanced
placement courses who are served by the eligible
entity;
``(B) the number of advanced placement tests taken
by students served by the eligible entity;
``(C) the scores on the advanced placement tests;
and
``(D) demographic information regarding individuals
taking the advanced placement courses and tests
disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, English
proficiency status, and socioeconomic status.
``(2) Report.--The Secretary shall annually compile the
information received from each eligible entity under paragraph
(1) and report to Congress regarding the information.
``SEC. 10995E. ONLINE ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES.
``(a) Grants Authorized.--From amounts appropriated under section
10995H and made available under section 10995C(2) for a fiscal year,
the Secretary shall award grants to State educational agencies to
enable such agencies to award grants to local educational agencies to
provide students with online advanced placement courses.
``(b) State Educational Agency Applications.--
``(1) Application required.--Each State educational agency
desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied
by such information as the Secretary may require.
``(2) Award basis.--The Secretary shall award grants under
this section on a competitive basis.
``(c) Grants to Local Educational Agencies.--Each State educational
agency receiving a grant award under subsection (b) shall award grants
to local educational agencies within the State to carry out activities
described in subsection (e). In awarding grants under this subsection,
the State educational agency shall give priority to local educational
agencies that--
``(1) serve high concentrations of low-income students;
``(2) serve rural areas; and
``(3) the State educational agency determines will not have
access to online advanced placement courses without assistance
provided under this section.
``(d) Contracts.--A local educational agency that receives a grant
under this section may enter into a contract with a nonprofit or for-
profit organization to provide the online advanced placement courses,
including contracting for necessary support services.
``(e) Uses.--Grant funds provided under this section may be used to
purchase the online curriculum, to train teachers with respect to the
use of online curriculum, or to purchase course materials.
``SEC. 10995F. ADVANCED PLACEMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM.
``(a) Grants Authorized.--From amounts appropriated under section
10995H and made available under section 10995C for a fiscal year, the
Secretary shall award grants to State educational agencies having
applications approved under subsection (c) to enable the State
educational agencies to reimburse low-income individuals to cover part
or all of the costs of advanced placement test fees, if the low-income
individuals--
``(1) are enrolled in an advanced placement class; and
``(2) plan to take an advanced placement test.
``(b) Award Basis.--In determining the amount of the grant awarded
to each State educational agency under this section for a fiscal year,
the Secretary shall consider the number of children eligible to be
counted under section 1124(c) in the State in relation to the number of
such children so counted in all the States.
``(c) Information Dissemination.--A State educational agency shall
disseminate information regarding the availability of advanced
placement test fee payments under this section to eligible individuals
through secondary school teachers and guidance counselors.
``(d) Applications.--Each State educational agency desiring a grant
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such
time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the
Secretary may require. At a minimum, each State educational agency
application shall--
``(1) describe the advanced placement test fees the State
educational agency will pay on behalf of low-income individuals
in the State from grant funds made available under this
section;
``(2) provide an assurance that any grant funds received
under this section, other than funds used in accordance with
subsection (e), shall be used only to pay for advanced
placement test fees; and
``(3) contain such information as the Secretary may require
to demonstrate that the State will ensure that a student is
eligible for payments under this section, including
documentation required under chapter 1 of subpart 2 of part A
of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
``(e) Additional Uses of Funds.--If each eligible low-income
individual in a State pays not more than a nominal fee to take an
advanced placement test in a core subject, then a State educational
agency may use grant funds made available under this section that
remain after advanced placement test fees have been paid on behalf of
all eligible low-income individuals in the State, for activities
directly related to increasing--
``(1) the enrollment of low-income individuals in advanced
placement courses;
``(2) the participation of low-income individuals in
advanced placement courses; and
``(3) the availability of advanced placement courses in
schools serving high-poverty areas.
``(f) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Grant funds provided under this
section shall supplement, and not supplant, other non-federal funds
that are available to assist low-income individuals in paying for the
cost of advanced placement test fees.
``(g) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations
as are necessary to carry out this section.
``(h) Report.--Each State educational agency annually shall report
to the Secretary information regarding--
``(1) the number of low-income individuals in the State who
received assistance under this section; and
``(2) any activities carried out pursuant to subsection
(e).
``(i) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Advanced placement test.--The term `advanced
placement test' includes only an advanced placement test
approved by the Secretary for the purposes of this section.
``(2) Low-income individual.--The term `low-income
individual' has the meaning given the term in section
402A(g)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
``SEC. 10995G. DEFINITIONS.
``In this part:
``(1) Advanced placement incentive program.--The term
`advanced placement incentive program' means a program that
provides advanced placement activities and services to low-
income individuals.
``(2) Advanced placement test.--The term `advanced
placement test' means an advanced placement test administered
by the College Board or approved by the Secretary.
``(3) High concentration of low-income students.--The term
`high concentration of low-income students', used with respect
to a State educational agency, local educational agency or
school, means an agency or school, as the case may be, that
serves a student population 40 percent or more of whom are from
families with incomes below the poverty level, as determined in
the same manner as the determination is made under section
1124(c)(2).
``(4) Low-income individual.--The term `low-income
individual' means, other than for purposes of section 10995F, a
low-income individual (as defined in section 402A(g)(2) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 who is academically prepared to
take successfully an advanced placement test as determined by a
school teacher or advanced placement coordinator taking into
consideration factors such as enrollment and performance in an
advanced placement course or superior academic ability.
``(5) Institution of higher education.--The term
`institution of higher education' has the meaning given the
term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
``(6) State.--The term `State' means each of the several
States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United
States Virgin Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands,
the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.
``SEC. 10995H. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``For the purpose of carrying out this part, there are authorized
to be appropriated $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and such sums as
may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.''.
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