[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 958 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 958

              To establish an adolescent literacy program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 22, 2007

  Mr. Sessions (for himself, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Kerry, Mr. 
 Lott, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Burr, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Bingaman, and 
 Mrs. Lincoln) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
              To establish an adolescent literacy program.

    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 ``Striving Readers Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Only 68 percent of high school students graduate on 
        time with a diploma, meaning that every year 1,300,000 students 
        fail to graduate from high school.
            (2) In 2004 alone, these 1,300,000 nongraduates cost the 
        Nation more than $325,000,000,000 in lost wages, taxes, and 
        productivity over their lifetimes.
            (3) High school graduation rates for low-income students 
        and students of color hover around 50 percent, as do graduation 
        rates for students in urban school districts. Graduation rates 
        for English language learners are particularly low.
            (4) Only 34 percent of high school students graduate with 
        the skills the students need to succeed in college or the 
        workplace.
            (5) Community colleges alone pay $1,400,000,000 a year to 
        provide remedial education to students under 25 who should have 
        learned these basic skills in secondary school.
            (6) Seventy-one percent of 8th graders read below the 
        proficient level on the 2005 National Assessment of Educational 
        Progress, indicating that students in middle schools and high 
        schools struggle to graduate because their literacy achievement 
        is alarmingly low.
            (7) Between 1971 and 2004, the reading levels of America's 
        17-year-olds showed no improvement at all.
            (8) In a typical high-poverty urban school, approximately 
        half of incoming 9th grade students read at a 6th or 7th grade 
        level, and among low-income 8th graders, just 15 percent read 
        at a proficient level.
            (9) On average, African-American and Hispanic 12th grade 
        students read at the same level as White 8th grade students.
            (10) Secondary school students' ability to read complex 
        texts is strongly predictive of the students' performance in 
        college mathematics and science courses.
            (11) The 25 fastest-growing professions have far greater 
        than average literacy demands, while the fastest-declining 
        professions have lower than average literacy demands.
            (12) About 40 percent of secondary school graduates lack 
        the literacy skills employers seek.
            (13) Students need literacy instruction at all grade levels 
        and in every subject in order to improve their achievement and 
        school completion.
            (14) Researchers are in strong consensus as to a number of 
        specific steps that can be taken to improve literacy 
        instruction in grades 4 through 12.
            (15) Lessons from the Alabama Reading Initiative, the 
        Washington State Reading Initiative, and other successful 
        adolescent literacy reforms can form the basis for the 
        expansion of adolescent literacy efforts, and, in so doing, 
        generate additional information on effective practices that can 
        be widely disseminated and applied.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to improve student achievement in grades 4 through 12 
        by establishing adolescent literacy initiatives with measurable 
        goals and explicit action steps to achieve those goals;
            (2) to improve secondary school graduation and college 
        readiness rates by improving adolescent literacy achievement;
            (3) to provide support for selecting, administering, and 
        interpreting diagnostic assessments, formative assessments, and 
        summative assessments for adolescent literacy achievement;
            (4) to develop curricular materials, instructional tools, 
        and teaching strategies that boost adolescent literacy 
        achievement;
            (5) to provide intensive high-quality professional 
        development for teachers of core academic subjects to integrate 
        adolescent literacy instructional strategies and assessments 
        that support the learning of content;
            (6) to provide training for literacy coaches to guide and 
        support all teachers regarding schoolwide literacy 
        implementation;
            (7) to provide high-quality professional development for 
        school leaders in developing and administering adolescent 
        literacy initiatives at the school level; and
            (8) to improve the coordination of standards, curricula, 
        interventions, and assessments for adolescent literacy skills 
        within and among schools, local educational agencies, and 
        States.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) ESEA Definitions.--In this Act, the terms ``core academic 
subjects'', ``limited English proficient'', ``local educational 
agency'', ``poverty line'', ``secondary school'', and ``State 
educational agency'' have the meanings given the terms in section 9101 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
    (b) Other Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Adolescent literacy.--The term ``adolescent literacy'' 
        means the possession of the grade level appropriate reading and 
        writing skills required for students in grades 4 through 12 to 
        construct and communicate meaning from text and to become 
        actively engaged in the learning process.
            (2) Adolescent literacy initiative.--The term ``adolescent 
        literacy initiative'' means a comprehensive approach to 
        improving adolescent literacy achievement in grades 4 through 
        12.
            (3) Child with a disability.--The term ``child with a 
        disability'' has the meaning given the term in section 602 of 
        the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
        1401).
            (4) Diagnostic assessment.--The term ``diagnostic 
        assessment'' means an assessment that is--
                    (A) valid, reliable, and based on literacy 
                research; and
                    (B) used for the purposes of--
                            (i) identifying a student's specific areas 
                        of strengths and weaknesses in literacy;
                            (ii) determining any difficulties that the 
                        student may have in literacy and the potential 
                        cause of such difficulties; and
                            (iii) helping to determine possible 
                        literacy intervention strategies for, and the 
                        related special needs of, the student.
            (5) Formative assessment.--The term ``formative 
        assessment'' means an assessment that--
                    (A) evaluates a student's learning based on 
                systematic observations by teachers of the student 
                performing academic tasks that are part of the 
                student's daily classroom experience;
                    (B) is used to improve instruction in literacy, 
                including classroom instruction; and
                    (C) causes the student to reflect on the student's 
                strengths and needs, and helps the student to 
                internalize strategies for improving the student's 
                literacy skills.
            (6) High-quality professional development.--The term 
        ``high-quality professional development'' means job-embedded, 
        ongoing professional development that--
                    (A) provides teachers, administrators, and school 
                leaders with the research-based elements of an 
                effective adolescent literacy initiative; and
                    (B) supports adolescent literacy instruction in 
                core academic subjects.
            (7) 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 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001(a)).
            (8) Literacy coach.--The term ``literacy coach'' means a 
        professional--
                    (A) who--
                            (i) has previous teaching experience and a 
                        master's degree with a concentration in reading 
                        and writing education; or
                            (ii) has obtained such experience and 
                        training not later than 3 years after assuming 
                        the role of literacy coach;
                    (B) whose primary role with teachers and school 
                personnel is to--
                            (i) provide high-quality professional 
                        development opportunities for teachers and 
                        school personnel;
                            (ii) collaborate with paraprofessionals, 
                        teachers, administrators, and the community 
                        served by the school in the areas of reading 
                        and writing; and
                            (iii) work cooperatively and 
                        collaboratively with other professionals in 
                        planning programs to meet the needs of diverse 
                        population learners, including children with 
                        disabilities and students who are limited 
                        English proficient; and
                    (C) who may provide students with--
                            (i) reflective, inquiry-based reading or 
                        writing diagnosis, instruction, and assessment; 
                        and
                            (ii) reading and writing assessment, in 
                        cooperation with other professionals (such as 
                        special education teachers, speech and language 
                        teachers, and school psychologists).
            (9) Literacy leadership team.--The term ``literacy 
        leadership team'' means a team of not less than 2 individuals 
        in a school that assumes the responsibility to guide the 
        development and implementation of an adolescent literacy 
        initiative, which individuals--
                    (A) shall include not less than 1 individual who 
                has literacy training; and
                    (B) may include a school leader, a literacy 
                specialist serving the school (including a literacy 
                coach or media specialist), a counselor, a teacher of a 
                core academic subject, a special education teacher, or 
                a teacher with expertise in teaching the English 
                language to children who are limited English 
                proficient.
            (10) Research-based elements of an effective adolescent 
        literacy initiative.--The term ``research-based elements of an 
        effective adolescent literacy initiative'' means elements of a 
        comprehensive approach to adolescent literacy that entails--
                    (A) explicit and systematic instruction in 
                adolescent literacy strategies, including--
                            (i) direct and explicit comprehension 
                        instruction;
                            (ii) motivation and self-directed learning;
                            (iii) text-based collaborative learning;
                            (iv) strategic tutoring;
                            (v) use of diverse texts;
                            (vi) intensive writing;
                            (vii) use of technology; and
                            (viii) use of formative assessments; and
                    (B) school-level structural efforts to improve 
                adolescent literacy instruction, including--
                            (i) extended time for adolescent literacy 
                        instruction;
                            (ii) high-quality professional development 
                        for teachers;
                            (iii) the use of summative assessments;
                            (iv) creating teacher teams to analyze 
                        student work and to plan instruction;
                            (v) involving school leaders; and
                            (vi) creating interdisciplinary and 
                        interdepartmental literacy teams to coordinate 
                        literacy instruction in a school.
            (11) School leader.--The term ``school leader'' means an 
        individual who--
                    (A) is an employee or officer of a school; and
                    (B) is responsible for--
                            (i) the school's performance; and
                            (ii) the daily instructional and managerial 
                        operations of the school.
            (12) Scientifically valid.--The term ``scientifically 
        valid'', when used with respect to research--
                    (A) means research that applies rigorous, 
                systematic, and objective procedures to obtain valid 
                knowledge relevant to literacy development, reading and 
                writing instruction, and reading and writing 
                difficulties; and
                    (B) includes research that--
                            (i) employs experimental, quasi-
                        experimental, or qualitative research methods 
                        involving rigorous data analyses that are 
                        adequate to test the stated hypotheses and 
                        justify the general conclusions drawn; and
                            (ii) has been accepted by a peer-reviewed 
                        journal, or approved by a panel of independent 
                        experts through a comparably rigorous, 
                        objective, and scientific review.
            (13) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (14) Special education.--The term ``special education'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 602 of the Individuals 
        with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401).
            (15) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
        States of the United States, the District of Columbia, and the 
        Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
            (16) Summative assessment.--The term ``summative 
        assessment'' means an assessment that evaluates a student's 
        learning based on a standardized examination designed to 
        measure literacy achievement.

SEC. 5. STRIVING READERS PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    (a) Grants to Local Educational Agencies.--
            (1) In general.--For any fiscal year for which the funds 
        appropriated under section 11 are less than $200,000,000, the 
        Secretary shall--
                    (A) reserve not more than a total of 1 percent of 
                such funds--
                            (i) to award a contract under section 9 for 
                        a national evaluation of the grant programs 
                        assisted under this subsection; and
                            (ii) for the dissemination of information, 
                        resulting from the grant programs assisted 
                        under this subsection, in accordance with 
                        section 10; and
                    (B) use the funds not reserved under subparagraph 
                (A) to award grants, on a competitive basis and in 
                accordance with section 7(c), to local educational 
                agencies (or consortia of local educational agencies) 
                described in paragraph (2) that apply under section 
                7(b), for the purpose of enabling the local educational 
                agencies or consortia to carry out the authorized 
                activities described in section 7(d).
            (2) Eligibility.--A local educational agency or consortium 
        of local educational agencies shall only be eligible for a 
        grant under this subsection if--
                    (A) in the case of a single local educational 
                agency, the local educational agency is eligible for 
                assistance under part A of title I of the Elementary 
                and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et 
                seq.); and
                    (B) in the case of a consortium of local 
                educational agencies, each local educational agency 
                participating in the consortium is eligible for 
                assistance under such part.
    (b) Grants to State Educational Agencies.--
            (1) In general.--For any fiscal year for which the funds 
        appropriated under section 11 equal or exceed $200,000,000, the 
        Secretary shall--
                    (A) reserve not more than a total of 1 percent of 
                such funds or $3,000,000, whichever amount is less--
                            (i) to award a contract under section 9 for 
                        a national evaluation of the State grant and 
                        subgrant programs assisted under this Act; and
                            (ii) for the dissemination of information, 
                        resulting from the State grant and subgrant 
                        programs assisted under this Act, in accordance 
                        with section 10;
                    (B) reserve \1/2\ of 1 percent for allotments for 
                the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 
                and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
                to be distributed among such outlying areas on the 
                basis of their relative need, as determined by the 
                Secretary in accordance with the purposes of this Act;
                    (C) reserve \1/2\ of 1 percent for the Secretary of 
                the Interior for programs under this Act in schools 
                operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and
                    (D) use the funds not reserved under subparagraphs 
                (A), (B), and (C) to award grants to State educational 
                agencies, through allotments under paragraph (2), to 
                enable the State educational agencies to award 
                subgrants to local educational agencies or consortia of 
                local educational agencies for the implementation of 
                adolescent literacy initiatives in accordance with 
                section 7.
            (2) Allotment formula.--From the funds made available under 
        paragraph (1)(D) for a fiscal year and subject to paragraph 
        (3), the Secretary shall allot to each State educational agency 
        for the fiscal year an amount that bears the same ratio to such 
        funds as the product of--
                    (A) the number of children, aged 5 to 17, who 
                reside within the State and are from families below the 
                poverty level, based on the most recent satisfactory 
                data provided to the Secretary by the Bureau of the 
                Census for determining eligibility under section 
                1124(c)(1)(A) of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
                Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6333(c)(1)(A)); multiplied by
                    (B) the percentage of students in grade 8 in the 
                State who received a score below the basic level of 
                achievement on the most recent grade 8 reading 
                assessment conducted as part of the National Assessment 
                of Educational Progress under section 303 of the 
                National Assessment of Educational Progress 
                Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9622) for which data are 
                available,
        bears to the sum of all such products for all States.
            (3) Special rules.--
                    (A) Minimum allotment.--No State receiving an 
                allotment under paragraph (2) may receive less than \1/
                4\ of 1 percent of the total amount allotted under such 
                paragraph.
                    (B)  Special rules for puerto rico.--In determining 
                the allotment under paragraph (2) for Puerto Rico, the 
                Secretary shall comply with the following:
                            (i) Use of national percentage.--If Puerto 
                        Rico did not participate in the most recent 
                        grade 8 reading assessment of the National 
                        Assessment of Educational Progress for which 
                        data are available, the Secretary shall use the 
                        national percentage of students who received a 
                        score below the basic level of achievement on 
                        such assessment to calculate Puerto Rico's 
                        allotment.
                            (ii) Limitation of allotment percentage.--
                        Notwithstanding clause (i) or paragraph (2), in 
                        no case shall the Secretary allot to Puerto 
                        Rico under paragraph (2) for a fiscal year a 
                        percentage of the total amount available for 
                        all allotments under paragraph (1)(D) that 
                        exceeds the percentage allotted to Puerto Rico 
                        of the total funds allotted to all States under 
                        part A of title I of the Elementary and 
                        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 
                        et seq.) for the preceding fiscal year.
    (c) Duration of Grant or Subgrant.--Each grant or subgrant awarded 
under subsection (b) shall be for a period of not more than 5 years.
    (d) Peer Review.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Director of the National Institute for Literacy, shall convene 
        a peer review panel to evaluate applications for each grant 
        awarded to a State educational agency under subsection 
        (b)(1)(D), or to a local educational agency under subsection 
        (a)(1)(B), using the evaluation criteria described in paragraph 
        (2).
            (2) Development of evaluation criteria.--The Secretary 
        shall promulgate regulations, subject to notice and comment, 
        establishing the criteria that the peer review panel shall use 
        to evaluate the grant applications under this section.
            (3) Membership.--
                    (A) Composition.--The peer review panel convened 
                under paragraph (1) shall be composed of not less than 
                12 members, of whom--
                            (i) 3 shall be appointed by the Secretary;
                            (ii) 3 shall be appointed by the Secretary 
                        from among persons recommended by the Director 
                        of the National Institute for Literacy;
                            (iii) 3 shall be appointed by the Secretary 
                        from among persons recommended by the Chairman 
                        of the National Research Council of the 
                        National Academy of Sciences; and
                            (iv) 3 shall be appointed by the Secretary 
                        from among persons recommended by the Director 
                        of the National Institute of Child Health and 
                        Human Development.
                    (B) Competency and expertise.--
                            (i) Competency.--The Secretary shall ensure 
                        that each member of the peer review panel 
                        appointed under subparagraph (A) is competent, 
                        by virtue of the training, expertise, or 
                        experience of the member, to evaluate grant 
                        applications under this section.
                            (ii) Expertise.--The Secretary shall ensure 
                        that the peer review panel appointed under 
                        subparagraph (A) includes, at a minimum--
                                    (I) classroom teachers or literacy 
                                coaches with expertise in literacy, 
                                including special education teachers 
                                and teachers of students who are 
                                limited English proficient;
                                    (II) experts who provide high-
                                quality professional development to 
                                individuals who teach literacy to 
                                children and adults;
                                    (III) experts who provide high-
                                quality professional development to 
                                other instructional staff; and
                                    (IV) experts in screening, 
                                diagnostic, and classroom-based 
                                instructional reading assessments.
            (4) Recommendations.--The panel shall recommend grant 
        applications under this section to the Secretary for funding or 
        for disapproval.
            (5) Distribution of recommendations.--Not later than 120 
        days after the panel submits the panel's recommendation 
        regarding an application by a State educational agency or a 
        local educational agency for a grant under this section to the 
        Secretary, the Secretary shall notify the State educational 
        agency or local educational agency that the application has 
        been approved or disapproved and shall provide to such State 
        educational agency or local educational agency a copy of the 
        panel's recommendation.
    (e) Supplement Not Supplant.--Grant funds awarded under this 
section shall supplement, and not supplant, non-Federal funds that 
would, in the absence of such grant funds, be made available for the 
literacy instruction of pupils participating in programs assisted under 
this Act.
    (f) Maintenance of Effort.--Each State educational agency that 
receives a grant under this section, and each local educational agency 
that receives a grant or subgrant under this section, shall maintain 
the expenditures of the State educational agency or local educational 
agency, respectively, for literacy instruction in grades 4 through 12 
at a level not less than the level of such expenditures maintained by 
the State educational agency or local educational agency, respectively, 
for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the grant or 
subgrant is received.

SEC. 6. STATE GRANTS.

    (a) State Applications.--A State educational agency desiring to 
receive an allotment under section 5(b)(1)(D) shall submit an 
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may require. Each such 
application shall include--
            (1) an assurance from the State educational agency that the 
        State educational agency will form an adolescent literacy team 
        that--
                    (A) builds public support for a statewide focus on 
                adolescent literacy;
                    (B) strengthens and aligns State literacy standards 
                with curricula, assessments, and high-quality 
                professional development requirements;
                    (C) guides local educational agencies and schools 
                in the creation of adolescent literacy initiatives;
                    (D) builds educators' capacity to provide 
                adolescent literacy instruction;
                    (E) measures and assesses progress in adolescent 
                literacy at the school, local educational agency, and 
                State levels, using existing data if such data are 
                valid, appropriate, and approved by the Secretary; and
                    (F) disseminates information on promising practices 
                and progress in student literacy achievement;
            (2) an assurance that the State educational agency, and any 
        local educational agency receiving a subgrant from the State 
        educational agency under section 7, will, if requested, 
        participate in the national evaluation under section 9; and
            (3) an implementation plan that includes--
                    (A) a description of how the State educational 
                agency will assist local educational agencies with 
                developing and using the formative assessments, 
                summative assessments, teaching strategies, curricular 
                materials, instructional tools, high-quality 
                professional development, and research-based elements 
                of an effective adolescent literacy initiative;
                    (B) evidence that local educational agencies in the 
                State are committed to instructional changes and can 
                implement adolescent literacy initiatives effectively;
                    (C) a description of how the State educational 
                agency will coordinate and align the State grant 
                program assisted under this Act with--
                            (i) other State and local programs that 
                        promote adolescent literacy instruction; and
                            (ii) overall literacy instruction in the 
                        State in kindergarten through grade 12;
                    (D) a description of how the State educational 
                agency will, to the extent practicable, award grants 
                to--
                            (i) local educational agencies that serve 
                        rural areas; and
                            (ii) local educational agencies that serve 
                        urban areas; and
                    (E) a description of how local educational agencies 
                in the State will address the literacy needs of 
                children with disabilities, and students who are 
                limited English proficient, in grades 4 through 12 and 
                how local educational agencies in the State will 
                provide professional development in adolescent literacy 
                instruction to special education teachers or teachers 
                of students who are limited English proficient.
    (b) State Distribution of Funds.--Of the amount allotted to a State 
educational agency under section 5(b)(1)(D), the State educational 
agency shall use--
            (1) not less than 80 percent of such amount to award 
        subgrants under section 7;
            (2) not more than 15 percent of such amount to administer 
        the subgrant program; and
            (3) not more than 5 percent of such amount to carry out the 
        activities described in subsection (c).
    (c) State Activities.--
            (1) Mandatory activities.--A State educational agency that 
        receives an allotment under section 5(b)(1)(D) shall use the 
        funds made available under subsection (b)(3) to carry out all 
        of the following activities:
                    (A) Professional development or technical 
                assistance.--The State educational agency shall provide 
                high-quality professional development, or technical 
                assistance, to a local educational agency, or a 
                provider of high-quality professional development 
                associated with a local educational agency, to help the 
                local educational agency or provider administer high-
                quality professional development in order to train 
                teachers and school leaders in adolescent literacy 
                instruction.
                    (B) Preservice coursework review.--The State 
                educational agency shall strengthen and enhance 
                preservice courses for students preparing, at all 
                public institutions of higher education in the State, 
                to teach any of grades 4 through 12 by--
                            (i) reviewing such courses to determine 
                        whether the courses' content is consistent with 
                        the findings of the most current scientifically 
                        based literacy research, including findings on 
                        the research-based elements of an effective 
                        adolescent literacy initiative;
                            (ii) following up such reviews with 
                        recommendations to ensure that such 
                        institutions offer courses that meet the 
                        highest standards; and
                            (iii) preparing a report on the results of 
                        such reviews and submitting the report to the 
                        reading and literacy partnership for the State 
                        established under section 1203(d) of the 
                        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
                        (20 U.S.C. 6363(d)) and all public institutions 
                        of higher education in the State, and making 
                        the report available for public review by means 
                        of the Internet.
                    (C) State licensure and certification 
                recommendations.--The State educational agency shall 
                make recommendations on how the State licensure and 
                certification standards in the area of reading 
                instruction in grades 4 through 12 might be improved.
                    (D) Progress reports for state educational agency 
                grant recipients.--
                            (i) Submission.--Not later than 60 days 
                        after the termination of the third year and the 
                        fifth year of the grant period, the State 
                        educational agency shall submit a progress 
                        report to the Secretary that shall include--
                                    (I) information on the progress the 
                                State educational agency and local 
                                educational agencies within the State 
                                are making in reducing the number of 
                                students served under this Act in 
                                grades 4 through 12 who are reading or 
                                writing below grade level (as 
                                demonstrated by such information as 
                                teacher reports and school evaluations 
                                of mastery of the research-based 
                                elements of an effective adolescent 
                                literacy initiative);
                                    (II) evidence from the State 
                                educational agency and local 
                                educational agencies within the State 
                                that the State educational agency and 
                                the local educational agencies have--
                                            (aa) significantly 
                                        increased the number of 
                                        students reading and writing at 
                                        or above grade level;
                                            (bb) significantly 
                                        increased the percentages of 
                                        students 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)) 
                                        who are reading at or above 
                                        grade level; and
                                            (cc) successfully 
                                        implemented the State 
                                        educational agency's duties 
                                        under this Act; and
                                    (III) information regarding the 
                                number and percentage of students 
                                served by the local educational 
                                agencies within the State who are 
                                graduating from secondary school with a 
                                regular secondary school diploma in the 
                                standard number of years.
                            (ii) Peer review.--The progress report 
                        described in this paragraph shall be reviewed 
                        by the peer review panel convened under section 
                        5(d).
            (2) Permissive activities.--A State educational agency that 
        receives an allotment under section 5(b)(1)(D) may use the 
        funds made available under subsection (b)(3) to carry out any 
        of the following activities:
                    (A) Identifying providers of high-quality 
                professional development for local educational 
                agencies.
                    (B) Training the personnel of local educational 
                agencies to use data systems that track student 
                literacy achievement.

SEC. 7. GRANTS AND SUBGRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.

    (a) Subgrants Authorized.--A State receiving an allotment under 
section 5(b)(1)(D) shall use funds made available under section 6(b)(1) 
to award subgrants, on a competitive basis, to local educational 
agencies and consortia of local educational agencies to enable the 
local educational agencies and consortia to carry out the authorized 
activities described in subsection (d).
    (b) Applications.--A local educational agency or consortium 
desiring to receive a grant or subgrant under this Act shall submit an 
application to the Secretary or the State educational agency (as 
appropriate) at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary or the State educational agency, 
respectively, may require. Such application shall include the following 
information:
            (1) For each school that the local educational agency or 
        consortium identifies as participating in a grant or subgrant 
        program under this Act--
                    (A) how the school, local educational agency, or a 
                provider of high-quality professional development will 
                provide ongoing high-quality professional development 
                in adolescent literacy instruction to teachers of core 
                academic subjects and school leaders served by the 
                school, local educational agency, or provider, 
                respectively;
                    (B) how the school will perform a capacity survey 
                to identify the strengths and weaknesses of such school 
                related to adolescent literacy;
                    (C) how the results of the survey described in 
                subparagraph (B) will be used to inform instruction at 
                the school;
                    (D)(i) how the school will form a literacy 
                leadership team;
                    (ii) the composition of the literacy leadership 
                team; and
                    (iii) how the literacy leadership team will--
                            (I) create an adolescent literacy 
                        initiative;
                            (II) assess the success of the adolescent 
                        literacy initiative; and
                            (III) determine what refinements and 
                        changes are needed to the adolescent literacy 
                        initiative;
                    (E) a budget for the school that projects the costs 
                of developing and implementing an adolescent literacy 
                initiative; and
                    (F) an explanation of how the school will integrate 
                adolescent literacy instruction into core academic 
                subjects.
            (2) A description of--
                    (A) the assessment system that will be used to 
                track literacy progress in schools that the local 
                educational agency or consortium identifies as 
                participating in a grant program or subgrant program, 
                as appropriate, under this Act;
                    (B) the types of formative assessments and 
                summative assessments that will be used in the 
                assessment system; and
                    (C) the types of assessment results that will 
                determine the success of the adolescent literacy 
                initiative under this Act.
            (3) How parents will be involved in supporting adolescent 
        literacy instruction.
            (4) In the case of a local educational agency desiring a 
        grant under section 5(a)(1)(B), an assurance that the local 
        educational agency will, if requested, participate in the 
        national evaluation under section 9.
    (c) Award Basis.--
            (1) Priority.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary or the State 
                educational agency, as appropriate, shall give priority 
                to awarding a grant or subgrant under this Act to a 
                local educational agency or consortium, on the basis of 
                the factors described in subparagraph (B).
                    (B) Factors.--The factors referred to in 
                subparagraph (A) are--
                            (i) the number of children aged 5 to 17 
                        served by the local educational agency or 
                        consortium who are from families below the 
                        poverty level, based on the most recent 
                        satisfactory data provided to the Secretary by 
                        the Bureau of the Census for determining 
                        eligibility under section 1124(c)(1)(A) of the 
                        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
                        (20 U.S.C. 6333(c)(1)(A));
                            (ii) the number or percentage of students 
                        in grades 4 through 12 served by the local 
                        educational agency or consortium who are 
                        reading or writing below grade level; and
                            (iii) the total number or percentage of 
                        schools served by the local educational agency 
                        or consortium that--
                                    (I) enroll students in any of the 
                                grades 4 through 12; and
                                    (II) were identified for school 
                                improvement, corrective action, or 
                                restructuring under paragraph (1), (7), 
                                or (8) of section 1116(b) of the 
                                Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
                                of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6316(b)) for the 
                                preceding academic year.
            (2) Amount of the grant.--In determining the amounts of the 
        grant or subgrant awards under this Act, the Secretary or the 
        State educational agency, as applicable, shall--
                    (A) provide funds in sufficient size and scope to 
                enable the local educational agency or consortium 
                receiving a grant or subgrant to improve adolescent 
                literacy instruction; and
                    (B) provide funds in an amount related to the 
                number or percentage of students in grades 4 through 12 
                served by the local educational agency or consortium 
                who are reading below grade level.
    (d) Local Authorized Activities.--
            (1) Mandatory activities.--A local educational agency or 
        consortium that receives a grant or subgrant under this Act 
        shall use the grant or subgrant funds to carry out all of the 
        following activities for students in grades 4 through 12:
                    (A) Selecting and administering screenings, 
                diagnostic assessments, formative assessments, and 
                summative assessments to determine the students' 
                literacy difficulties, reading and writing levels, and 
                literacy growth.
                    (B) Developing and implementing adolescent literacy 
                plans that serve the needs of students (including 
                children with disabilities and students who are limited 
                English proficient) who are reading or writing 
                significantly below grade level, which plans shall--
                            (i) provide intensive, accelerated, 
                        explicit instruction in reading to students who 
                        have significant deficits in reading skills;
                            (ii) include the research-based elements of 
                        an effective adolescent literacy initiative;
                            (iii) provide literacy materials and 
                        instructional strategies to improve reading or 
                        writing achievement;
                            (iv) provide, to teachers in core academic 
                        subjects, high-quality professional development 
                        that includes instruction on utilizing the 
                        research-based elements of an effective 
                        adolescent literacy initiative, including 
                        utilizing age-appropriate reading materials and 
                        instructional strategies to improve the 
                        literacy skills of the students within the 
                        content area;
                            (v) provide, in addition to regular 
                        classroom instruction, extended learning 
                        opportunities for the students during school 
                        hours or at school facilities; and
                            (vi) allow teachers to meet together to 
                        plan instruction, review the work of the 
                        students, and analyze literacy data.
                    (C) Training school leaders to support, develop, 
                and administer adolescent literacy initiatives that--
                            (i) utilize data--
                                    (I) to inform instructional 
                                decisions; and
                                    (II) to assess professional 
                                development needs;
                            (ii) assess the quality of adolescent 
                        literacy instruction in core academic subjects; 
                        and
                            (iii) provide time for teachers to meet to 
                        plan adolescent literacy instruction in core 
                        academic subjects.
                    (D) Collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on 
                the literacy achievement growth of the students who are 
                served by the local educational agency or consortium 
                and who read or write significantly below grade level 
                (as determined by the Secretary or the State 
                educational agency, as appropriate), which may include 
                contracting with an external evaluator to measure the 
                impact of adolescent literacy interventions on the 
                students.
                    (E) In the case of a local educational agency or 
                consortium receiving a subgrant under subsection (a)--
                            (i) collecting and summarizing data--
                                    (I) to document the effectiveness 
                                of activities carried out under this 
                                Act in individual schools and in the 
                                local educational agency as a whole; 
                                and
                                    (II) to stimulate and accelerate 
                                improvement by identifying the schools 
                                that produce significant gains in 
                                academic achievement; and
                            (ii) reporting data to the State 
                        educational agency for all students and 
                        categories of students 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)).
                    (F) In the case of a local educational agency or 
                consortium receiving a grant under section 5(a)(1)(B), 
                submitting to the Secretary, not later than 60 days 
                after the termination of the third year and the fifth 
                year of the grant period, a progress report that 
                contains the information described in section 
                6(c)(1)(D)(i) with respect to the local educational 
                agency, which report shall be reviewed by the peer 
                review panel convened under section 5(d).
            (2) Permissive activities.--A local educational agency or 
        consortium that receives a grant or subgrant under this Act may 
        use the grant or subgrant funds to carry out any of the 
        following activities for students in grades 4 through 12:
                    (A) Recruiting, placing, and training adolescent 
                literacy coaches.
                    (B) Providing high-quality professional development 
                for teachers or identifying providers of high-quality 
                professional development for teachers.
                    (C) Connecting out-of-school learning opportunities 
                to in-school learning in order to improve the literacy 
                achievement of the students.
                    (D) Training parents and family members to support 
                the improvement of adolescent literacy, as appropriate.
                    (E) Acquiring academically rich literacy materials 
                that support multiple reading levels and engage the 
                interests of the students.
                    (F) Utilizing technology and purchasing software to 
                improve literacy achievement.
                    (G) Purchasing, implementing, or adapting 
                supplementary literacy interventions for students who 
                are reading or writing below grade level.
            (3) Limitation to certain schools.--A local educational 
        agency receiving a subgrant under subsection (a) shall, in 
        distributing subgrant funds under this subsection, provide 
        funds only to schools that both--
                    (A) are among the schools served by the local 
                educational agency with the highest percentages or 
                numbers of students in grades 4 through 12 reading 
                below grade level, based on the most currently 
                available data; and
                    (B)(i) are identified for school improvement, 
                corrective action, or restructuring under paragraph 
                (1), (7), or (8) of section 1116(b) of the Elementary 
                and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                6316(b)); or
                    (ii) have the highest percentages or numbers of 
                children counted under section 1124(c) of such Act (20 
                U.S.C. 6333(c)).

SEC. 8. CONSEQUENCES OF INSUFFICIENT PROGRESS.

    (a) Consequences for Grant Recipients.--If the Secretary determines 
that a State educational agency receiving a grant under section 
5(b)(1)(D) or a local educational agency or consortium receiving a 
grant under section 5(a)(1)(B) is not making significant progress in 
meeting the purposes of this Act after the submission of a progress 
report described in section 6(c)(1)(D) or section 7(d)(1)(F), 
respectively, then the Secretary may withhold, in whole or in part, 
further payments under this Act in accordance with section 455 of the 
General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1234d) or take such other 
action authorized by law as the Secretary determines necessary, 
including providing technical assistance upon request of the State 
educational agency, local educational agency, or consortium, 
respectively.
    (b) Consequences for Subgrant Recipients.--A State educational 
agency receiving a grant under section 5(b)(1)(D) may refuse to award 
subgrant funds to a local educational agency or consortium under 
section 7(a) if the State educational agency finds that the local 
educational agency or consortium is not making significant progress in 
meeting the purposes of this Act, after--
            (1) providing technical assistance to the local educational 
        agency or consortium; and
            (2) affording the local educational agency or consortium 
        notice and an opportunity for a hearing.

SEC. 9. NATIONAL EVALUATION.

    (a) In General.--From amounts reserved under subsection (a)(1) or 
(b)(1) (as the case may be) of section 5, the Secretary shall enter 
into a contract with an independent organization to perform a 
scientifically valid, quantitative, and qualitative 5-year evaluation 
of the grant and subgrant programs assisted under this Act.
    (b) Contents of Evaluation.--The evaluation described in subsection 
(a) shall include an analysis of each of the following:
            (1) The impact of the research-based elements of an 
        effective adolescent literacy initiative on student 
        achievement, and how various elements combine to promote 
        student learning.
            (2) How State standards, local educational agency and 
        school curricula, and school interventions combine to impact 
        student achievement.
            (3) The impact of diagnostic assessments and formative 
        assessments on student achievement.
            (4) High-quality professional development and the 
        improvement of teacher practice and student achievement 
        resulting from such professional development.
            (5) The impact of adolescent literacy initiatives on 
        student motivation, engagement, and participation in literacy 
        activities and academics.
            (6) The relationship between students' literacy achievement 
        and secondary school graduation rates.

SEC. 10. INFORMATION DISSEMINATION.

    From amounts reserved under subsection (a)(1) or (b)(1) (as the 
case may be) of section 5, the Director of the National Institute for 
Literacy, in collaboration with the Secretary, the regional educational 
laboratories established under part D of the Education Sciences Reform 
Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9561 et seq.), and the Director of the National 
Institute of Child Health and Human Development, shall distribute 
information on adolescent literacy instruction, including--
            (1) information on adolescent literacy instruction and the 
        impact of the instruction on--
                    (A) student achievement, motivation, and engagement 
                for literacy; and
                    (B) student graduation with a secondary school 
                diploma;
            (2) information on elements of high-quality professional 
        development that improve literacy achievement in students in 
        grades 4 through 12; and
            (3) information on schools, local educational agencies, and 
        States that have successfully improved literacy achievement in 
        grades 4 through 12.

SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
            (1) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
            (2) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            (3) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
            (4) $800,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
            (5) $1,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.
                                 <all>