1.This Act may be cited as
the Summer Term Education Programs for
Upward Performance Act of 2005
or the STEP UP Act
of 2005
.
2.Congress finds the following:
(1)All students
experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities
during the summer.
(2)Students on
average lose more than 1 month's worth of reading skills, and 2 months or more
in mathematics facts and skills, during the summer.
(3)The impact of
summer learning loss is greatest for children living in poverty, for children
with learning disabilities, and for children who do not speak English at
home.
(4)While
middle-class children’s test scores plateau or even rise during the summer
months, scores plummet for children living in poverty. Disparities grow, so
that reading scores of disadvantaged students can fall more than 3 months
behind the scores of their middle-class peers.
(5)Summer learning
losses by children living in poverty accumulate over the elementary school
years, so that their achievement scores fall further and further behind the
scores of their more advantaged peers as the children progress through
school.
(6)This summer slide
is costly for American education. Analysis by Professor Harris Cooper and his
colleagues finds that 2 months of the school year are lost: 1 month spent in
reteaching and 1 month spent not providing new instruction.
(7)Analysis of
summer learning programs has demonstrated their effectiveness. In the BELL
programs in Boston, New York, and Washington, DC, students gained several
months' worth of reading and mathematics skills in 6 weeks, with a majority of
those students moving to a higher performance category, as assessed by
standardized mathematics and reading tests. In the Center for Summer Learning's
Teach Baltimore Summer Academy, randomized studies show that students who
regularly attended the program for not less than 2 summers gained advantages of
70 to 80 percent of 1 full grade level in reading over control-group peers who
did not attend summer school.
(8)Summer learning
programs are proven to remedy, reinforce, and accelerate learning, and can
serve to close the achievement gap in education.
3.The purpose of this Act is to create
opportunities for summer learning by providing summer learning grants to
eligible students, in order to—
(1)provide the
students with access to summer learning;
(2)facilitate the
enrollment of students in elementary schools or youth development organizations
during the summer;
(3)promote
collaboration between teachers and youth development professionals in order to
bridge gaps between schools and youth programs; and
(4)encourage
teachers to try new techniques, acquire new skills, and mentor new
colleagues.
4.In this Act:
(1)Educational
service agencyThe term educational service agency
has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(2)The term eligible entity means an entity
that—
(A)desires to
participate in a summer learning grant program under this Act by providing
summer learning opportunities described in section 6(d)(1)(B) to eligible
students; and
(B)is—
(i)a
local educational agency;
(ii)a for-profit
educational provider, nonprofit organization, or summer enrichment camp, that
has been approved by the State educational agency to provide the summer
learning opportunity described in section 6(d)(1)(B), including an entity that
is in good standing that has been previously approved by a State educational
agency to provide supplemental educational services; or
(iii)a
consortium consisting of a local educational agency and 1 or more of the
following entities:
(I)Another local
educational agency.
(II)A
community–based youth development organization with a demonstrated record of
effectiveness in helping students learn.
(III)An institution
of higher education.
(IV)An educational
service agency.
(V)A for-profit
educational provider described in clause (ii).
(VI)A nonprofit
organization described in clause (ii).
(VII)A summer
enrichment camp described in clause (ii)
(3)The term eligible student means a student
who—
(A)is eligible for a
free lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C.
1751 et seq.);
(B)is served by a
local educational agency identified by the State educational agency in the
application described in section 5(b); or
(C)(i)in the case of a summer
learning grant program authorized under this Act for fiscal year 2006, 2007, or
2008, is eligible to enroll in any of the grades kindergarten through grade 3
for the school year following participation in the program; or
(ii)in the case of a summer learning
grant program authorized under this Act for fiscal year 2009 or 2010, is
eligible to enroll in any of the grades kindergarten through grade 5 for the
school year following participation in the program.
(4)Institution of
higher educationThe term institution of higher
education has the meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(5)The term local educational agency
has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(6)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.
(7)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 Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of
Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.
(8)The term State educational agency
has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
5.Demonstration
grant program
(a)
(1)From the funds
appropriated under section 8 for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall carry out a
demonstration grant program in which the Secretary awards grants, on a
competitive basis, to State educational agencies to enable the State
educational agencies to pay the Federal share of summer learning grants for
eligible students.
(2)For each fiscal year, the Secretary shall award not more
than 5 grants under this section.
(b)A State educational agency that desires to
receive 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. Such application shall identify the areas in the State
where the summer learning grant program will be offered and the local
educational agencies that serve such areas.
(c)In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall
take into consideration an equitable geographic distribution of the
grants.
6.
(a)Use of grants
for summer learning grants
(1)Each State educational agency that receives a grant under
section 5 for a fiscal year shall use the grant funds to provide summer
learning grants for the fiscal year to eligible students in the State who
desire to attend a summer learning opportunity offered by an eligible entity
that enters into an agreement with the State educational agency under
subsection (d)(1).
(2)Amount; federal
and non-federal shares
(A)The
amount of a summer learning grant provided under this Act shall be—
(i)for
each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2009, $1,600; and
(ii)for fiscal year
2010, $1,800.
(B)The Federal share of each summer learning grant shall be
not more than 50 percent of the amount of the summer learning grant determined
under subparagraph (A).
(C)The non-Federal share of each summer learning grant shall
be not less than 50 percent of the amount of the summer learning grant
determined under subparagraph (A), and shall be provided from non-Federal
sources, such as State or local sources.
(b)Designation of
summer scholarsEligible students who receive summer learning
grants under this Act shall be known as summer scholars
.
(c)Selection of
summer learning opportunity
(1)Dissemination
of informationA State educational agency that receives a grant
under section 5 shall disseminate information about summer learning
opportunities and summer learning grants to the families of eligible students
in the State.
(2)The
parents of an eligible student who are interested in having their child
participate in a summer learning opportunity and receive a summer learning
grant shall submit an application to the State educational agency that includes
a ranked list of preferred summer learning opportunities.
(3)A
State educational agency that receives an application under paragraph (2)
shall—
(A)process such
application;
(B)determine whether
the eligible student shall receive a summer learning grant;
(C)coordinate the
assignment of eligible students receiving summer learning grants with summer
learning opportunities; and
(D)if demand for a
summer learning opportunity exceeds capacity—
(i)in
a case where information on the school readiness (based on school records and
assessments of student achievement) of the eligible students is available, give
priority for the summer learning opportunity to eligible students with low
levels of school readiness; or
(ii)in
a case where such information on school readiness is not available, rely on
randomization to assign the eligible students.
(4)A
State educational agency may assign a summer scholar to a summer learning
opportunity program that is offered in an area served by a local educational
agency that is not the local educational agency serving the area where such
scholar resides.
(5)Requirement of
acceptanceAn eligible entity shall accept, enroll, and provide
the summer learning opportunity of such entity to, any summer scholar assigned
to such summer learning opportunity by a State educational agency pursuant to
this subsection.
(d)Agreement with
eligible entity
(1)A State educational agency shall enter into an agreement
with the eligible entity offering a summer learning opportunity, under
which—
(A)the State
educational agency shall agree to make payments to the eligible entity, in
accordance with paragraph (2), for a summer scholar; and
(B)the eligible entity shall agree to provide
the summer scholar with a summer learning opportunity that—
(i)provides a total
of not less than the equivalent of 30 full days of instruction (or not less
than the equivalent of 25 full days of instruction, if the equivalent of an
additional 5 days is devoted to field trips or other enrichment opportunities)
to the summer scholar;
(ii)employs
small-group, research-based educational programs, materials, curricula, and
practices;
(iii)provides a
curriculum that—
(I)emphasizes
reading and mathematics;
(II)is primarily
designed to increase the literacy and numeracy of the summer scholar;
and
(III)is aligned with
the standards and goals of the school year curriculum of the local educational
agency serving the summer scholar;
(iv)applies
assessments to measure the skills taught in the summer learning opportunity and
disaggregates the results of the assessments for summer scholars by race and
ethnicity, economic status, limited English proficiency status, and disability
category, in order to determine the opportunity's impact on each subgroup of
summer scholars;
(v)collects daily
attendance data on each summer scholar; and
(vi)meets all
applicable Federal, State, and local civil rights laws.
(2)
(A)Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a State
educational agency shall make a payment to an eligible entity for a summer
scholar in the amount determined under subsection (a)(2)(A).
(B)In
the case in which a summer scholar does not attend the full summer learning
opportunity, the State educational agency shall reduce the amount provided to
the eligible entity pursuant to subparagraph (A) by a percentage that is equal
to the percentage of the summer learning opportunity not attended by such
scholar.
(e)State educational agencies are encouraged to require
local educational agencies in the State to allow eligible entities, in offering
summer learning opportunities, to make use of school facilities in schools
served by such local educational agencies at reasonable or no cost.
(f)An eligible entity offering a summer learning opportunity
under this Act is eligible to receive, upon request, the school records and any
previous supplemental educational services assessment records of a summer
scholar served by such entity.
(g)A State educational agency or eligible entity receiving
funding under this Act may use not more than 5 percent of such funding for
administrative costs associated with carrying out this Act.
7.Evaluations;
report; website
(a)Evaluation and
assessmentFor each year that an eligible entity enters into an
agreement under section 6(d), the eligible entity shall prepare and submit to
the Secretary a report on the activities and outcomes of each summer learning
opportunity that enrolled a summer scholar, including—
(1)information on
the design of the summer learning opportunity;
(2)the alignment of
the summer learning opportunity with State standards; and
(3)data from
assessments of student mathematics and reading skills for the summer scholars
and on the attendance of the scholars, disaggregated by the subgroups described
in section 6(d)(1)(B)(iv).
(b)For
each year funds are appropriated under section 8 for this Act, the Secretary
shall prepare and submit a report to Congress on the summer learning grant
programs, including the effectiveness of the summer learning opportunities in
improving student achievement.
(c)Summer learning
grants websiteThe Secretary shall make accessible, on the
Department of Education website, information for parents and school personnel
on successful programs and curricula, and best practices, for summer learning
opportunities.
8.Authorization of
appropriationsThere are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $100,000,000 for fiscal
year 2006 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2007
through 2010.