[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2211 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2211

      To reauthorize title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2003

 Mr. Gingrey (for himself, Mr. Boehner, Mr. McKeon, and Mr. Wilson of 
 South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
              the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To reauthorize title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ready to Teach Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. TEACHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT GRANTS.

    Part A of title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1021 et seq.) is amended to read as follows:

      ``PART A--TEACHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT GRANTS FOR STATES AND 
                              PARTNERSHIPS

``SEC. 201. PURPOSES; DEFINITIONS.

    ``(a) Purposes.--The purposes of this part are to--
            ``(1) improve student academic achievement;
            ``(2) improve the quality of the current and future 
        teaching force by improving the preparation of prospective 
        teachers and enhancing professional development activities;
            ``(3) hold institutions of higher education accountable for 
        preparing highly qualified teachers; and
            ``(4) recruit qualified individuals, including minorities 
        and individuals from other occupations, into the teaching 
        force.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this part:
            ``(1) Arts and sciences.--The term `arts and sciences' 
        means--
                    ``(A) when referring to an organizational unit of 
                an institution of higher education, any academic unit 
                that offers 1 or more academic majors in disciplines or 
                content areas corresponding to the academic subject 
                matter areas in which teachers provide instruction; and
                    ``(B) when referring to a specific academic subject 
                matter area, the disciplines or content areas in which 
                academic majors are offered by the arts and science 
                organizational unit.
            ``(2) Exemplary teacher.--The term `exemplary teacher' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            ``(3) Highly qualified.--The term `highly qualified' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            ``(4) High-need local educational agency.--The term `high-
        need local educational agency' means a local educational 
        agency--
                    ``(A)(i) that serves not fewer than 10,000 children 
                from families with incomes below the poverty line; or
                    ``(ii) for which not less than 20 percent of the 
                children served by the agency are from families with 
                incomes below the poverty line; and
                    ``(B)(i) for which there is a high percentage of 
                teachers not teaching in the academic subjects or grade 
                levels that the teachers were trained to teach; or
                    ``(ii) for which there is a high percentage of 
                teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary 
                certification or licensing.
            ``(5) Poverty line.--The term `poverty line' means the 
        poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and 
        Budget, and revised annually in accordance with section 673(2) 
        of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) 
        applicable to a family of the size involved.
            ``(6) Professional development.--The term `professional 
        development' has the meaning given such term in section 9101 of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            ``(7) Scientifically based reading research.--The term 
        `scientifically based reading research' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 1208 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6368).
            ``(8) Scientifically based research.--The term 
        `scientifically based research' has the meaning given such term 
        in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
        of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

``SEC. 202. STATE GRANTS.

    ``(a) In General.--From amounts made available under section 210(1) 
for a fiscal year, the Secretary is authorized to award grants under 
this section, on a competitive basis, to eligible States to enable the 
eligible States to carry out the activities described in subsection 
(d).
    ``(b) Eligible State.--
            ``(1) Definition.--In this part, the term `eligible State' 
        means--
                    ``(A) the Governor of a State; or
                    ``(B) in the case of a State for which the 
                constitution or law of such State designates another 
                individual, entity, or agency in the State to be 
                responsible for teacher certification and preparation 
                activity, such individual, entity, or agency.
            ``(2) Consultation.--The Governor and the individual, 
        entity, or agency designated under paragraph (1) shall consult 
        with the Governor, State board of education, State educational 
        agency, or State agency for higher education, as 
appropriate, with respect to the activities assisted under this 
section.
            ``(3) Construction.--Nothing in this subsection shall be 
        construed to negate or supersede the legal authority under 
        State law of any State agency, State entity, or State public 
        official over programs that are under the jurisdiction of the 
        agency, entity, or official.
    ``(c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an eligible State shall, at the time of the initial grant 
application, submit an application to the Secretary that--
            ``(1) meets the requirement of this section;
            ``(2) includes a description of how the eligible State 
        intends to use funds provided under this section; and
            ``(3) includes measurable objectives for the use of the 
        funds provided under the grant.
    ``(d) Uses of Funds.--An eligible State that receives a grant under 
this section shall use the grant funds to reform teacher preparation 
requirements, to coordinate with State activities under section 2113(c) 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
6613(c)), and to ensure that current and future teachers are highly 
qualified, by carrying out one or more of the following activities:
            ``(1) Reforms.--Ensuring that institutions of higher 
        education with teacher preparation programs are preparing 
        teachers who are highly qualified, and are able to use advanced 
        technology effectively in the classroom, by assisting such 
        institutions--
                    ``(A) to retrain faculty; and
                    ``(B) to design (or redesign) teacher preparation 
                programs so they are based on rigorous academic 
                content, scientifically based research (including 
                scientifically based reading research), and challenging 
                State student academic content standards.
            ``(2) Certification or licensure requirements.--Reforming 
        teacher certification (including recertification) or licensing 
        requirements to ensure that--
                    ``(A) teachers have the subject matter knowledge 
                and teaching skills in the academic subjects that the 
                teachers teach necessary to help students meet 
                challenging State student academic achievement 
                standards; and
                    ``(B) such requirements are aligned with 
                challenging State academic content standards.
            ``(3) Alternatives to traditional teacher preparation and 
        state certification.--Providing prospective teachers with 
        alternatives to traditional preparation and State certification 
        through--
                    ``(A) innovative approaches that reduce unnecessary 
                barriers to State certification while producing highly 
                qualified teachers;
                    ``(B) programs that provide support to teachers 
                during their initial years in the profession; and
                    ``(C) alternative routes to State certification of 
                teachers for qualified individuals, including mid-
                career professionals from other occupations, former 
                military personnel, and recent college graduates with 
                records of academic distinction.
            ``(4) Innovative programs.--Planning and implementing 
        innovative and experimental programs to enhance the ability of 
        institutions of higher education to prepare highly qualified 
        teachers, such as charter colleges of education, that--
                    ``(A) permit flexibility in meeting State 
                requirements as long as graduates, during their initial 
                years in the profession, increase student academic 
                achievement;
                    ``(B) provide long-term data gathered from 
                teachers' performance over multiple years in the 
                classroom on the ability to increase student academic 
                achievement;
                    ``(C) ensure high-quality preparation of teachers 
                from underrepresented groups; and
                    ``(D) create performance measures that can be used 
                to document the effectiveness of innovative methods for 
                preparing highly qualified teachers.
            ``(5) Merit pay.--Developing, or assisting local 
        educational agencies in developing, merit-based performance 
        systems that include strategies that provide differential and 
        bonus pay for--
                    ``(A) principals;
                    ``(B) teachers in high-need academic subjects, such 
                as reading, mathematics, and science;
                    ``(C) special education teachers; and
                    ``(D) teachers in high-poverty or rural schools or 
                districts.
            ``(6) Teacher advancement.--Developing, or assisting local 
        educational agencies in developing, teacher advancement and 
        retention initiatives that promote professional growth and 
        emphasize multiple career paths (such as paths to becoming a 
        career teacher, mentor teacher, or exemplary teacher) and pay 
        differentiation.
            ``(7) Teacher removal.--Developing and implementing 
        effective mechanisms to ensure that local educational agencies 
        and schools are able to remove expeditiously incompetent or 
        unqualified teachers consistent with procedures to ensure due 
        process for the teachers.
            ``(8) Technical assistance.--Providing technical assistance 
        to low-performing teacher preparation programs within 
        institutions of higher education identified under section 
        208(a).
            ``(9) Teacher effectiveness.--Developing--
                    ``(A) systems to measure the effectiveness of 
                teacher preparation programs and professional 
                development programs; and
                    ``(B) strategies to document gains in student 
                academic achievement or increases in teacher mastery of 
                the academic subjects the teachers teach as a result of 
                such programs.
            ``(10) Teacher recruitment.--Undertaking teacher 
        recruitment activities that--
                    ``(A) develop and implement effective mechanisms to 
                ensure that local educational agencies and schools are 
able effectively to recruit highly qualified teachers; or
                    ``(B) are described in section 204(d).

``SEC. 203. PARTNERSHIP GRANTS.

    ``(a) Grants.--From amounts made available under section 210(2) for 
a fiscal year, the Secretary is authorized to award grants under this 
section, on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to enable the 
eligible partnerships to carry out the activities described in 
subsections (d) and (e).
    ``(b) Definitions.--
            ``(1) Eligible partnerships.--In this part, the term 
        `eligible partnership' means an entity that--
                    ``(A) shall include--
                            ``(i) a partner institution;
                            ``(ii) a school of arts and sciences;
                            ``(iii) a high-need local educational 
                        agency; and
                            ``(iv) a public or private educational 
                        organization; and
                    ``(B) may include a Governor, State educational 
                agency, the State board of education, the State agency 
                for higher education, an institution of higher 
                education not described in subparagraph (A), a public 
                charter school, a public or private elementary school 
                or secondary school, a public or private educational 
                organization, a business, a faith-based or community 
                organization, or a prekindergarten program.
            ``(2) Partner institution.--In this section, the term 
        `partner institution' means an institution of higher education, 
        the teacher training program of which demonstrates that--
                    ``(A) graduates from the teacher training program 
                exhibit strong performance on State-determined 
                qualifying assessments for new teachers through--
                            ``(i) demonstrating that the graduates of 
                        the program who intend to enter the field of 
                        teaching have passed all of the applicable 
                        State qualification assessments for new 
                        teachers, which shall include an assessment of 
                        each prospective teacher's subject matter 
                        knowledge in the content area or areas in which 
                        the teacher intends to teach; or
                            ``(ii) being ranked among the highest-
                        performing teacher preparation programs in the 
                        State as determined by the State--
                                    ``(I) using criteria consistent 
                                with the requirements for the State 
                                report card under section 207(a); and
                                    ``(II) using the State report card 
                                on teacher preparation required under 
                                section 207(a), after the first 
                                publication of such report card and for 
                                every year thereafter; or
                    ``(B) the teacher training program requires all the 
                students of the program to participate in intensive 
                clinical experience, to meet high academic standards, 
                and--
                            ``(i) in the case of secondary school 
                        candidates, to successfully complete an 
                        academic major in the subject area in which the 
                        candidate intends to teach or to demonstrate 
                        competence through a high level of performance 
                        in relevant content areas; and
                            ``(ii) in the case of elementary school 
                        candidates, to successfully complete an 
                        academic major in the arts and sciences or to 
                        demonstrate competence through a high level of 
                        performance in core academic subject areas.
    ``(c) Application.--Each eligible partnership 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. Each such application shall--
            ``(1) contain a needs assessment of all the partners with 
        respect to teaching and learning and a description of how the 
        partnership will coordinate with other teacher training or 
        professional development programs, and how the activities of 
        the partnership will be consistent with State, local, and other 
        education reform activities that promote student academic 
        achievement;
            ``(2) contain a resource assessment that describes the 
        resources available to the partnership, the intended use of the 
        grant funds, including a description of how the grant funds 
        will be fairly distributed in accordance with subsection (f), 
        and the commitment of the resources of the partnership to the 
        activities assisted under this part, including financial 
        support, faculty participation, time commitments, and 
        continuation of the activities when the grant ends; and
            ``(3) contain a description of--
                    ``(A) how the partnership will meet the purposes of 
                this part;
                    ``(B) how the partnership will carry out the 
                activities required under subsection (d) and any 
                permissible activities under subsection (e);
                    ``(C) the partnership's evaluation plan pursuant to 
                section 206(b); and
                    ``(D) how faculty of the teacher preparation 
                program at the partner institution will serve, over the 
                term of the grant, with highly qualified teachers in 
                the classrooms of the high-need local educational 
                agency included in the partnership.
    ``(d) Required Uses of Funds.--An eligible partnership that 
receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to reform 
teacher preparation requirements, to coordinate with State activities 
under section 2113(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6613(c)), and to ensure that current and future 
teachers are highly qualified, by carrying out one or more of the 
following activities:
            ``(1) Reforms.--Implementing reforms within teacher 
        preparation programs to ensure that such programs are preparing 
        teachers who are highly qualified, and are able to use advanced 
technology effectively in the classroom, by--
                    ``(A) retraining faculty; and
                    ``(B) designing (or redesigning) teacher 
                preparation programs so they are based on rigorous 
                academic content, scientifically based research 
                (including scientifically based reading research), and 
                challenging State student academic content standards.
            ``(2) Clinical experience and interaction.--Providing 
        sustained and high-quality preservice clinical experience, 
        including the mentoring of prospective teachers by exemplary 
        teachers, and substantially increasing interaction between 
        faculty at institutions of higher education and new and 
        experienced teachers, principals, and other administrators at 
        elementary schools or secondary schools, and providing support, 
        including preparation time, for such interaction.
            ``(3) Professional development.--Creating opportunities for 
        enhanced and ongoing professional development that improves the 
        academic content knowledge of teachers in the subject areas in 
        which the teachers are certified to teach or in which the 
        teachers are working toward certification to teach, and that 
        promotes strong teaching skills.
            ``(4) Teacher preparation.--Developing, or assisting local 
        educational agencies in developing, professional development 
        activities that--
                    ``(A) provide training in how to teach and address 
                the needs of students with different learning styles, 
                particularly students with disabilities and students 
                with special learning needs; and
                    ``(B) provide training in methods of--
                            ``(i) improving student behavior in the 
                        classroom; and
                            ``(ii) identifying early and appropriate 
                        interventions to help students described in 
                        subparagraph (A) learn.
    ``(e) Allowable Uses of Funds.--An eligible partnership that 
receives a grant under this section may use such funds to carry out the 
following activities:
            ``(1) Alternatives to traditional teacher preparation and 
        state certification.--Providing prospective teachers with 
        alternatives to traditional preparation and State certification 
        through--
                    ``(A) innovative approaches that reduce unnecessary 
                barriers to teacher preparation while producing highly 
                qualified teachers;
                    ``(B) programs that provide support during a 
                teacher's initial years in the profession; and
                    ``(C) alternative routes to State certification of 
                teachers for qualified individuals, including mid-
                career professionals from other occupations, former 
                military personnel, and recent college graduates with 
                records of academic distinction.
            ``(2) Dissemination and coordination.--Broadly 
        disseminating information on effective practices used by the 
        partnership, and coordinating with the activities of the 
        Governor, State board of education, State higher education 
        agency, and State educational agency, as appropriate.
            ``(3) Managerial and leadership skills.--Developing and 
        implementing professional development programs for principals 
        that enable the principals to be effective school leaders and 
        prepare all students to meet challenging State academic content 
        and student academic achievement standards.
            ``(4) Teacher recruitment.--Activities described in section 
        204(d).
    ``(f) Special Rule.--No individual member of an eligible 
partnership shall retain more than 50 percent of the funds made 
available to the partnership under this section.
    ``(g) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to 
prohibit an eligible partnership from using grant funds to coordinate 
with the activities of more than one Governor, State board of 
education, State educational agency, local educational agency, or State 
agency for higher education.

``SEC. 204. TEACHER RECRUITMENT GRANTS.

    ``(a) Program Authorized.--From amounts made available under 
section 210(3) for a fiscal year, the Secretary is authorized to award 
grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible applicants to enable the 
eligible applicants to carry out activities described in subsection 
(d).
    ``(b) Eligible Applicant Defined.--In this part, the term `eligible 
applicant' means--
            ``(1) an eligible State described in section 202(b); or
            ``(2) an eligible partnership described in section 203(b).
    ``(c) Application.--Any eligible applicant desiring to receive a 
grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary 
at such time, in such form, and containing such information as the 
Secretary may require, including--
            ``(1) a description of the assessment that the eligible 
        applicant, and the other entities with whom the eligible 
        applicant will carry out the grant activities, have undertaken 
        to determine the most critical needs of the participating high-
        need local educational agencies;
            ``(2) a description of the activities the eligible 
        applicant will carry out with the grant, including the extent 
        to which the applicant will use funds to recruit minority 
        students to become highly qualified teachers; and
            ``(3) a description of the eligible applicant's plan for 
        continuing the activities carried out with the grant, once 
        Federal funding ceases.
    ``(d) Uses of Funds.--Each eligible applicant receiving a grant 
under this section shall use the grant funds--
            ``(1)(A) to award scholarships to help students pay the 
        costs of tuition, room, board, and other expenses of completing 
        a teacher preparation program;
            ``(B) to provide support services, if needed to enable 
        scholarship recipients to complete postsecondary education 
        programs; and
            ``(C) for follow up services provided to former scholarship 
        recipients during the recipients first 3 years of teaching; or
            ``(2) to develop and implement effective mechanisms to 
        ensure that high-need local educational agencies and schools 
        are able effectively to recruit highly qualified teachers.
    ``(e) Service Requirements.--The Secretary shall establish such 
requirements as the Secretary finds necessary to ensure that recipients 
of scholarships under this section who complete teacher education 
programs subsequently teach in a high-need local educational agency, 
for a period of time equivalent to the period for which the recipients 
receive scholarship assistance, or repay the amount of the scholarship. 
The Secretary shall use any such repayments to carry out additional 
activities under this section.
    ``(f) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority under this 
section to eligible applicants who provide an assurance that they will 
recruit a high percentage of minority students to become highly 
qualified teachers.

``SEC. 205. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

    ``(a) Duration; One-Time Awards; Payments.--
            ``(1) Duration.--
                    ``(A) Eligible states and eligible applicants.--
                Grants awarded to eligible States and eligible 
                applicants under this part shall be awarded for a 
                period not to exceed 3 years.
                    ``(B) Eligible partnerships.--Grants awarded to 
                eligible partnerships under this part shall be awarded 
                for a period of 5 years.
            ``(2) One-time award.--An eligible partnership may receive 
        a grant under each of sections 203 and 204 only once.
            ``(3) Payments.--The Secretary shall make annual payments 
        of grant funds awarded under this part.
    ``(b) Peer Review.--
            ``(1) Panel.--The Secretary shall provide the applications 
        submitted under this part to a peer review panel for 
        evaluation. With respect to each application, the peer review 
        panel shall initially recommend the application for funding or 
        for disapproval.
            ``(2) Priority.--In recommending applications to the 
        Secretary for funding under this part, the panel shall--
                    ``(A) with respect to grants under section 202, 
                give priority to eligible States serving States that--
                            ``(i) have initiatives to reform State 
                        teacher certification requirements that are 
                        based on rigorous academic content, 
                        scientifically based research, including 
                        scientifically based reading research, and 
                        challenging State student academic content 
                        standards;
                            ``(ii) include innovative reforms to hold 
                        institutions of higher education with teacher 
                        preparation programs accountable for preparing 
                        teachers who are highly qualified and have 
                        strong teaching skills; or
                            ``(iii) involve the development of 
                        innovative efforts aimed at reducing the 
                        shortage of highly qualified teachers in high 
                        poverty urban and rural areas;
                    ``(B) with respect to grants under section 203--
                            ``(i) give priority to applications from 
                        broad-based eligible partnerships that involve 
                        businesses and community organizations; and
                            ``(ii) take into consideration--
                                    ``(I) providing an equitable 
                                geographic distribution of the grants 
                                throughout the United States; and
                                    ``(II) the potential of the 
                                proposed activities for creating 
                                improvement and positive change.
            ``(3) Secretarial selection.--The Secretary shall 
        determine, based on the peer review process, which application 
        shall receive funding and the amounts of the grants. In 
        determining grant amounts, the Secretary shall take into 
        account the total amount of funds available for all grants 
        under this part and the types of activities proposed to be 
        carried out.
    ``(c) Matching Requirements.--
            ``(1) State grants.--Each eligible State receiving a grant 
        under section 202 or 204 shall provide, from non-Federal 
        sources, an amount equal to 50 percent of the amount of the 
        grant (in cash or in kind) to carry out the activities 
        supported by the grant.
            ``(2) Partnership grants.--Each eligible partnership 
        receiving a grant under section 203 or 204 shall provide, from 
        non-Federal sources (in cash or in kind), an amount equal to 25 
        percent of the grant for the first year of the grant, 35 
        percent of the grant for the second year of the grant, and 50 
        percent of the grant for each succeeding year of the grant.
    ``(d) Limitation on Administrative Expenses.--An eligible State or 
eligible partnership that receives a grant under this part may not use 
more than 2 percent of the grant funds for purposes of administering 
the grant.

``SEC. 206. ACCOUNTABILITY AND EVALUATION.

    ``(a) State Grant Accountability Report.--An eligible State that 
receives a grant under section 202 shall submit an annual 
accountability report to the Secretary, the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives. Such 
report shall include a description of the degree to which the eligible 
State, in using funds provided under such section, has made substantial 
progress in meeting the following goals:
            ``(1) Percentage of highly qualified teachers.--Increasing 
        the percentage of highly qualified teachers in the State as 
required by section 1119 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6319).
            ``(2) Student academic achievement.--Increasing student 
        academic achievement for all students as defined by the 
        eligible State.
            ``(3) Raising standards.--Raising the State academic 
        standards required to enter the teaching profession as a highly 
        qualified teacher.
            ``(4) Initial certification or licensure.--Increasing 
        success in the pass rate for initial State teacher 
        certification or licensure, or increasing the numbers of 
        qualified individuals being certified or licensed as teachers 
        through alternative programs.
            ``(5) Decreasing teacher shortages.--Decreasing shortages 
        of highly qualified teachers in poor urban and rural areas.
            ``(6) Increasing opportunities for professional 
        development.--Increasing opportunities for enhanced and ongoing 
        professional development that--
                    ``(A) improves the academic content knowledge of 
                teachers in the subject areas in which the teachers are 
                certified or licensed to teach or in which the teachers 
                are working toward certification or licensure to teach; 
                and
                    ``(B) promotes strong teaching skills.
            ``(7) Technology integration.--Increasing the number of 
        teachers prepared effectively to integrate technology into 
        curricula and instruction and who use technology to collect, 
        manage, and analyze student academic achievement data to 
        improve teaching and decisionmaking.
    ``(b) Eligible Partnership Evaluation.--Each eligible partnership 
receiving a grant under section 203 shall establish, and include in the 
application submitted under section 203(c), an evaluation plan that 
includes strong performance objectives. The plan shall include 
objectives and measures for--
            ``(1) increased student achievement for all students as 
        measured by the partnership;
            ``(2) increased teacher retention in the first 3 years of a 
        teacher's career;
            ``(3) increased success in the pass rate for initial State 
        certification or licensure of teachers;
            ``(4) increased percentage of highly qualified teachers; 
        and
            ``(5) increasing the number of teachers trained effectively 
        to integrate technology into curricula and instruction and who 
        use technology to collect, manage, and analyze student academic 
        achievement data to improve teaching and decisionmaking.
    ``(c) Revocation of Grant.--
            ``(1) Report.--Each eligible State or eligible partnership 
        receiving a grant under this part shall report annually on the 
        progress of the eligible State or eligible partnership toward 
        meeting the purposes of this part and the goals, objectives, 
        and measures described in subsections (a) and (b).
            ``(2) Revocation.--
                    ``(A) Eligible states and eligible applicants.--If 
                the Secretary determines that an eligible State or 
                eligible applicant is not making substantial progress 
                in meeting the purposes, goals, objectives, and 
                measures, as appropriate, by the end of the second year 
                of a grant under this part, then the grant payment 
                shall not be made for the third year of the grant.
                    ``(B) Eligible partnerships.--If the Secretary 
                determines that an eligible partnership is not making 
                substantial progress in meeting the purposes, goals, 
                objectives, and measures, as appropriate, by the end of 
                the third year of a grant under this part, then the 
                grant payments shall not be made for any succeeding 
                year of the grant.
    ``(d) Evaluation and Dissemination.--The Secretary shall evaluate 
the activities funded under this part and report annually the 
Secretary's findings regarding the activities to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives. The 
Secretary shall broadly disseminate successful practices developed by 
eligible States and eligible partnerships under this part, and shall 
broadly disseminate information regarding such practices that were 
found to be ineffective.

``SEC. 207. ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PROGRAMS THAT PREPARE TEACHERS.

    ``(a) State Report Card on the Quality of Teacher Preparation.--
Each State that receives funds under this Act shall provide to the 
Secretary annually, in a uniform and comprehensible manner that 
conforms with the definitions and methods established by the 
Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a State 
report card on the quality of teacher preparation in the State, which 
shall include at least the following:
            ``(1) A description of the teacher certification and 
        licensure assessments, and any other certification and 
        licensure requirements, used by the State.
            ``(2) The standards and criteria that prospective teachers 
        must meet in order to attain initial teacher certification or 
        licensure and to be certified or licensed to teach particular 
        subjects or in particular grades within the State.
            ``(3) A description of the extent to which the assessments 
        and requirements described in paragraph (1) are aligned with 
        the State's standards and assessments for students.
            ``(4) The percentage of students at an institution who 
        participated in a teacher preparation program of such 
        institution for at least 2 semesters who passed each of the 
        assessments used by the State for teacher certification and 
        licensure, and the passing score on each assessment that 
        determines whether a candidate has passed that assessment.
            ``(5) The percentage of students at an institution who 
        participated in a teacher preparation program of such 
        institution for at least 2 semesters who passed each of the 
        assessments used by the State for teacher certification and 
        licensure, disaggregated and ranked, by the teacher preparation 
        program in that State from which the teacher candidate 
received the candidate's most recent degree, which shall be made 
available widely and publicly.
            ``(6) Information on the extent to which teachers in the 
        State are given waivers of State certification or licensure 
        requirements, including the proportion of such teachers 
        distributed across high- and low-poverty school districts and 
        across subject areas.
            ``(7) A description of each State's alternative routes to 
        teacher certification, if any, and the percentage of teachers 
        certified through alternative certification routes who pass 
        State teacher certification or licensure assessments.
            ``(8) For each State, a description of proposed criteria 
        for assessing the performance of teacher preparation programs 
        within institutions of higher education in the State, including 
        indicators of teacher candidate skills and academic content 
        knowledge and evidence of gains in student academic 
        achievement.
    ``(b) Report of the Secretary on the Quality of Teacher 
Preparation.--
            ``(1) Report card.--The Secretary shall provide to 
        Congress, and publish and make widely available, a report card 
        on teacher qualifications and preparation in the United States, 
        including all the information reported in paragraphs (1) 
        through (8) of subsection (a). Such report shall identify 
        States for which eligible States and eligible partnerships 
        received a grant under this part. Such report shall be so 
        provided, published and made available annually.
            ``(2) Report to congress.--The Secretary shall report to 
        Congress--
                    ``(A) a comparison of States' efforts to improve 
                teaching quality; and
                    ``(B) regarding the national mean and median scores 
                on any standardized test that is used in more than 1 
                State for teacher certification or licensure.
            ``(3) Special rule.--In the case of institutions with fewer 
        than 10 students who participated in a teacher preparation 
        program of such institution for at least 2 semesters taking any 
        single initial teacher certification or licensure assessment 
        during an academic year, the Secretary shall collect and 
        publish information with respect to an average pass rate on 
        State certification or licensure assessments taken over a 3-
        year period.
    ``(c) Coordination.--The Secretary, to the extent practicable, 
shall coordinate the information collected and published under this 
part among States for individuals who took State teacher certification 
or licensure assessments in a State other than the State in which the 
individual received the individual's most recent degree.
    ``(d) Institutional Report Cards on the Quality of Teacher 
Preparation.--
            ``(1) Report card.--Each institution of higher education 
        that conducts a teacher preparation program that enrolls 
        students receiving Federal assistance under this Act shall 
        report annually to the State and the general public, in a 
        uniform and comprehensible manner that conforms with the 
        definitions and methods established by the Commissioner of the 
        National Center for Education Statistics, the following 
        information:
                    ``(A) Pass rate.--(i) For the most recent year for 
                which the information is available, the pass rate of 
                each student at the institution who participated in the 
                teacher preparation program for at least 2 semesters on 
                the teacher certification or licensure assessments of 
                the State in which the institution is located, but only 
                for those students who took those assessments within 3 
                years of receiving a degree from the institution.
                    ``(ii) A comparison of the institution's pass rate 
                for students who participated in the teacher 
                preparation program for at least 2 semesters with the 
                average pass rate for institutions in the State.
                    ``(iii) A comparison of the institution's average 
                score for students who participated in the teacher 
                preparation program for at least 2 semesters with the 
                average scores for institutions in the State.
                    ``(iv) In the case of institutions with fewer than 
                10 students who participated in a teacher preparation 
                program of such institution for at least 2 semesters 
                taking any single initial teacher certification or 
                licensure assessment during an academic year, the 
                institution shall collect and publish information with 
                respect to an average pass rate on State certification 
                or licensure assessments taken over a 3-year period.
                    ``(B) Program information.--The number of students 
                in the program, the average number of hours of 
                supervised practice teaching required for those in the 
                program, and the faculty-student ratio in supervised 
                practice teaching.
                    ``(C) Statement.--In States that approve or 
                accredit teacher education programs, a statement of 
                whether the institution's program is so approved or 
                accredited.
                    ``(D) Designation as low-performing.--Whether the 
                program has been designated as low-performing by the 
                State under section 208(a).
            ``(2) Requirement.--The information described in paragraph 
        (1) shall be reported through publications such as school 
        catalogs and promotional materials sent to potential 
        applicants, secondary school guidance counselors, and 
        prospective employers of the institution's program graduates, 
        including materials sent by electronic means.
            ``(3) Fines.--In addition to the actions authorized in 
        section 487(c), the Secretary may impose a fine not to exceed 
        $25,000 on an institution of higher education for failure to 
        provide the information described in this subsection in a 
        timely or accurate manner.

``SEC. 208. STATE FUNCTIONS.

    ``(a) State Assessment.--In order to receive funds under this Act, 
a State shall have in place a procedure to identify and assist, through 
the provision of technical assistance, low-performing programs of 
teacher preparation within institutions of higher education. Such State 
shall provide the Secretary an annual list of such low-performing 
institutions that includes an identification of those institutions at 
risk of being placed on such list. Such levels of performance shall be 
determined solely by the State and may include criteria based upon 
information collected pursuant to this part. Such assessment shall be 
described in the report under section 207(a).
    ``(b) Termination of Eligibility.--Any institution of higher 
education that offers a program of teacher preparation in which the 
State has withdrawn the State's approval or terminated the State's 
financial support due to the low performance of the institution's 
teacher preparation program based upon the State assessment described 
in subsection (a)--
            ``(1) shall be ineligible for any funding for professional 
        development activities awarded by the Department of Education; 
        and
            ``(2) shall not be permitted to accept or enroll any 
        student who receives aid under title IV of this Act in the 
        institution's teacher preparation program.

``SEC. 209. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

    ``(a) Methods.--In complying with sections 207 and 208, the 
Secretary shall ensure that States and institutions of higher education 
use fair and equitable methods in reporting and that the reporting 
methods do not allow identification of individuals.
    ``(b) Special Rule.--For each State in which there are no State 
certification or licensure assessments, or for States that do not set 
minimum performance levels on those assessments--
            ``(1) the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, 
        collect data comparable to the data required under this part 
        from States, local educational agencies, institutions of higher 
        education, or other entities that administer such assessments 
        to teachers or prospective teachers; and
            ``(2) notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the 
        Secretary shall use such data to carry out requirements of this 
        part related to assessments or pass rates.
    ``(c) Limitations.--
            ``(1) Federal control prohibited.--Nothing in this part 
        shall be construed to permit, allow, encourage, or authorize 
        any Federal control over any aspect of any private, religious, 
        or home school, whether or not a home school is treated as a 
        private school or home school under State law. This section 
        shall not be construed to prohibit private, religious, or home 
        schools from participation in programs or services under this 
        part.
            ``(2) No change in state control encouraged or required.--
        Nothing in this part shall be construed to encourage or require 
        any change in a State's treatment of any private, religious, or 
        home school, whether or not a home school is treated as a 
        private school or home school under State law.
            ``(3) National system of teacher certification 
        prohibited.--Nothing in this part shall be construed to permit, 
        allow, encourage, or authorize the Secretary to establish or 
        support any national system of teacher certification.

``SEC. 210. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part 
such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2004 and each of the 4 
succeeding fiscal years, of which--
            ``(1) 45 percent shall be available for each fiscal year to 
        award grants under section 202;
            ``(2) 45 percent shall be available for each fiscal year to 
        award grants under section 203; and
            ``(3) 10 percent shall be available for each fiscal year to 
        award grants under section 204.''.

SEC. 3. PREPARING TOMORROW'S TEACHERS TO USE TECHNOLOGY.

    (a) Permissible Uses of Funds.--Section 223(b)(1)(E) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1043(b)(1)(E)) is amended by inserting 
``student academic achievement'' after ``analyze''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 224 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1044) is amended by striking ``each of 
fiscal years 2002 and 2003.'' and inserting ``fiscal year 2004 and each 
of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.''.
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