1.This Act may be cited as the
Fast Track to College Act of
2011
.
2.The purpose of this Act is to increase
secondary school graduation rates and the percentage of students who complete a
recognized postsecondary credential by the age of 26, including among
low-income students and students from other populations underrepresented in
higher education.
3.In this Act:
(1)The term dual enrollment program means an
academic program through which a secondary school student is able
simultaneously to earn credit toward a secondary school diploma and a
postsecondary degree or credential.
(2)Early college
high schoolThe term early college high school means
a public secondary school, as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801), that provides a course of
study that enables a student to earn a secondary school diploma and either an
associate’s degree or 1 to 2 years of postsecondary credit toward a
postsecondary degree or credential.
(3)The term eligible entity means a local
educational agency in a collaborative partnership with an institution of higher
education. Such partnership also may include other entities, such as a
nonprofit organization with experience in youth development.
(4)Institution of
higher educationThe term institution of higher
education has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
(5)The term local educational agency
has the meaning given such 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
low-income student means a student who meets a measure of poverty
described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)).
4.Authorization of
appropriations; reservations
(a)To carry out this Act, there are authorized to be
appropriated $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2012 and such sums as may be
necessary for each of fiscal years 2013–2017.
(b)Early College
High SchoolsThe Secretary shall reserve not less than 45 percent
of the funds appropriated under subsection (a) to support early college high
schools under section 5.
(c)Other Dual
Enrollment ProgramsThe Secretary shall reserve not less than 45
percent of such funds to support other dual enrollment programs (not including
early college high schools) under section 5.
(d)The Secretary shall reserve 10 percent of such funds, or
$10,000,000, whichever is less, for grants to States under section 9.
5.
(a)The Secretary is authorized to award, on a competitive
basis, 6-year grants to eligible entities seeking to establish a new, or
support an existing, early college high school or other dual enrollment
program.
(b)The Secretary shall
ensure that each grant under this section is of sufficient size to enable
grantees to carry out all required activities and otherwise meet the purposes
of this Act, except that a grant under this section may not exceed
$2,000,000.
(c)
(1)An eligible entity shall contribute matching funds toward
the costs of the early college high school or other dual enrollment program to
be supported under this section, of which not less than half shall be from
non-Federal sources, which funds shall represent not less than the
following:
(A)20 percent of the
grant amount received in each of the first and second years of the
grant.
(B)30 percent in each
of the third and fourth years.
(C)40 percent in the
fifth year.
(D)50 percent in the
sixth year.
(2)Determination of
amount contributedThe Secretary shall allow an eligible entity
to satisfy the requirements of this subsection through in-kind
contributions.
(d)An eligible entity shall use a grant received under this
section only to supplement funds that would, in the absence of such grant, be
made available from non-Federal funds for support of the activities described
in the eligible entity’s application under section 7, and not to supplant such
funds.
(e)In
awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to
applicants—
(1)that propose to
establish or support an early college high school or other dual enrollment
program that will serve a student population of which 40 percent or more are
students counted under section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)); and
(2)from States that
provide assistance to early college high schools or other dual enrollment
programs, such as assistance to defray the costs of higher education, such as
tuition, fees, and textbooks.
(f)The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent
practicable, ensure that recipients of grants under this section are from a
representative cross-section of urban, suburban, and rural areas.
6.
(a)An eligible entity shall use grant funds received
under section 5 to support the activities described in its application under
section 7, including the following:
(1)In the case of a new early college high school or other dual
enrollment program, during the first year of the grant—
(A)hiring a principal
and staff, as appropriate;
(B)designing the
curriculum and sequence of courses in collaboration with, at a minimum,
teachers from the local educational agency and faculty from the partner
institution of higher education;
(C)informing parents
and the community about the school or program and opportunities to become
actively involved in the school or program;
(D)establishing a
course articulation process for defining and approving courses for secondary
school credit and credit toward a postsecondary degree or credential;
(E)outreach programs
to ensure that secondary school students and their families are aware of the
school or program;
(F)liaison activities
among partners in the eligible entity; and
(G)coordinating
secondary and postsecondary support services, academic calendars, and
transportation.
(2)During the remainder of the grant period—
(A)academic and
social support services, including counseling;
(B)liaison activities
among partners in the eligible entity;
(C)data collection
and use of such data for student and instructional improvement and program
evaluation;
(D)outreach programs
to ensure that secondary school students and their families are aware of the
early college high school or other dual enrollment program;
(E)professional
development, including joint professional development for secondary school
personnel and faculty from the institution of higher education; and
(F)school or program
design and planning team activities, including curriculum development.
(b)An eligible entity may use grant funds received under
section 5 to support the activities described in its application under section
7, including—
(1)purchasing
textbooks and equipment that support the curriculum of the early college high
school or other dual enrollment program;
(2)developing
learning opportunities for students that complement classroom experiences, such
as internships, career-based capstone projects, and opportunities to
participate in the activities provided under chapters 1 and 2 of subpart 2 of
part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–11 et
seq., 1070a–21 et seq.);
(3)transportation;
and
(4)planning time for
secondary school educators and educators from an institution of higher
education to collaborate.
7.
(a)To receive a grant under section 5, an eligible entity
shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and
including such information as the Secretary may require.
(b)At a minimum, the application described in subsection
(a) shall include a description of—
(1)the budget of the
early college high school or other dual enrollment program;
(2)each partner in
the eligible entity and the partner's experience with early college high
schools or other dual enrollment programs, key personnel from each partner and
such personnel's responsibilities for the school or program, and how the
eligible entity will work with secondary and postsecondary teachers, other
public and private entities, community-based organizations, businesses, labor
organizations, and parents to ensure that students will be prepared to succeed
in postsecondary education and employment, which may include the development of
an advisory board;
(3)how the eligible
entity will target and recruit at-risk youth, including those at risk of
dropping out of school, students who are among the first generation in their
family to attend an institution of higher education, and students from
populations 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));
(4)a
system of student supports, including small group activities, tutoring,
literacy and numeracy skill development in all academic disciplines, parental
and community outreach and engagement, extended learning time, and activities
to improve readiness for postsecondary education, such as academic seminars and
counseling;
(5)in the case of an
early college high school, how a graduation and career plan will be developed,
consistent with State graduation requirements, for each student and reviewed
each semester;
(6)how parents or
guardians of students participating in the early college high school or other
dual enrollment program will be informed of the students' academic performance
and progress and, if required under paragraph (5), involved in the development
of the students' career and graduation plans;
(7)coordination
between the institution of higher education and the local educational agency,
including regarding academic calendars, provision of student services,
curriculum development, and professional development;
(8)how the eligible
entity will ensure that teachers in the early college high school or other dual
enrollment program—
(A)receive
appropriate professional development and other supports, including professional
development and supports to enable the teachers to utilize effective parent and
community engagement strategies; and
(B)help
English-language learners, students with disabilities, and students from
diverse cultural backgrounds to succeed;
(9)learning
opportunities for students that complement classroom experiences, such as
internships, career-based capstone projects, and opportunities to participate
in the activities provided under chapters 1 and 2 of subpart 2 of part A of
title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–11 et seq.,
1070a–21 et seq.);
(10)how policies,
agreements, and the courses in the program will ensure that postsecondary
credits earned will be transferable to, at a minimum, public institutions of
higher education within the State, consistent with existing statewide
articulation agreements (as of the time of the application);
(11)student
assessments and other measurements of student achievement, including benchmarks
for student achievement;
(12)outreach programs
to provide elementary and secondary school students, especially those in middle
grades, and their parents, teachers, school counselors, and principals with
information about, and academic preparation for, the early college high school
or other dual enrollment program;
(13)how the local
educational agency and institution of higher education will work together, as
appropriate, to collect and use data for student and instructional improvement
and program evaluation;
(14)how the eligible
entity will help students meet eligibility criteria for postsecondary courses
and ensure that students understand how their credits will transfer; and
(15)how the eligible
entity will access and leverage additional resources necessary to sustain the
early college high school or other dual enrollment program after the grant
expires, including by engaging businesses and non-profit organizations.
(c)An
eligible entity’s application under subsection (a) shall include assurances
that—
(1)in the case of an
early college high school, the majority of courses offered, including of
postsecondary courses, will be offered at facilities of the partnering
institution of higher education;
(2)students will not
be required to pay tuition or fees for postsecondary courses offered as part of
the early college high school or other dual enrollment program;
(3)upon completion of
the requisite coursework, each student shall receive an official record of
postsecondary credits that have been earned;
(4)faculty teaching
such postsecondary courses meet the normal standards for faculty established by
the institution of higher education.
(d)The
Secretary may waive the requirement of subsection (c)(1) upon a showing that it
is impractical to apply due to geographic considerations.
8.
(a)Peer Review of
ApplicationsThe Secretary shall establish peer review panels to
review applications submitted pursuant to section 7 and to advise the Secretary
regarding such applications.
(b)Composition of
Peer Review PanelsThe Secretary shall ensure that each peer
review panel is not comprised wholly of full-time officers or employees of the
Federal Government and includes, at a minimum—
(1)experts in the
establishment and administration of early college high schools or other dual
enrollment programs from the secondary and postsecondary perspective;
(2)faculty at
institutions of higher education and secondary school teachers with expertise
in dual enrollment; and
(3)experts in the
education of students who may be at risk of not completing their secondary
school education.
9.
(a)The Secretary is authorized to award, on a competitive
basis, 5-year grants to State agencies responsible for secondary or
postsecondary education for efforts to support or establish early college high
schools or other dual enrollment programs.
(b)The Secretary shall ensure that each grant awarded under
this section is of sufficient size to enable the grantee to carry out all
required activities.
(c)A State receiving a grant under this section shall
contribute matching funds from non-Federal sources toward the costs of carrying
out activities under this section, which funds shall represent not less than 50
percent of the grant amount received in each year of the grant.
(d)In
awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to States
that, as of the time of the application for the grant, provide assistance to
early college high schools or other dual enrollment programs, such as
assistance to defray the costs of higher education, such as tuition, fees, and
textbooks.
(e)
(1)To receive a grant under this section, a State agency
shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and
including such information as the Secretary may require.
(2)At a minimum, the application described in paragraph
(1) shall include a description of—
(A)how the State will
carry out all of the required State activities described in subsection
(f);
(B)how the State will
identify and eliminate barriers to implementing effective early college high
schools and other dual enrollment programs after the grant expires, including
by engaging businesses and non-profit organizations; and
(C)how the State will
access and leverage additional resources necessary to sustain early college
high schools or other dual enrollment programs.
(f)A State receiving a grant under this section shall use
such funds for—
(1)creating outreach
programs to ensure that secondary school students, their families, and
community members are aware of early college high schools and other dual
enrollment programs in the State;
(2)planning and
implementing a statewide strategy for expanding access to early college high
schools and other dual enrollment programs for students who are
underrepresented in higher education to raise statewide rates of secondary
school graduation, readiness for postsecondary education, and completion of
postsecondary degrees and credentials, with a focus on at-risk students,
including identifying any obstacles to such a strategy under State law or
policy;
(3)providing
technical assistance to early college high schools and other dual enrollment
programs, such as brokering relationships and agreements that forge a strong
partnership between elementary and secondary and postsecondary partners;
(4)identifying
policies that will improve the effectiveness and ensure the quality of early
college high schools and other dual enrollment programs, such as access,
funding, data and quality assurance, governance, accountability, and alignment
policies;
(5)planning and
delivering statewide training and peer learning opportunities for school
leaders and teachers from early college high schools and other dual enrollment
programs, which may include providing instructional coaches who offer on-site
guidance;
(6)disseminating best
practices in early college high schools and other dual enrollment programs from
across the State and from other States; and
(7)facilitating
statewide data collection, research and evaluation, and reporting to
policymakers and other stakeholders.
10.
(a)
(1)The Secretary shall establish uniform guidelines for all
grantees under this Act concerning the information that each grantee shall
report annually to the Secretary in order to demonstrate progress toward
achieving the purpose of this Act.
(2)At a minimum, a report submitted under this subsection by
an eligible entity receiving funds under section 5 for an early college high
school or other dual enrollment program shall include the following information
about the students participating in the school or program, for each category of
students described in section 1111(h)(1)(C)(i) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)(1)(C)(i)):
(A)The number of
students.
(B)The percentage of
students scoring advanced, proficient, basic, and below basic on the
assessments described in section 1111(b)(3) of such Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
6311(b)(3)).
(C)The performance of
students on other assessments or measurements of achievement.
(D)The number of
secondary school credits earned.
(E)The number of
postsecondary credits earned.
(F)Attendance rate,
as appropriate.
(G)Graduation
rate.
(H)Placement in
postsecondary education or advanced training, in military service, and in
employment.
(I)A description of
the school or program’s student, parent, and community outreach and
engagement.
(b)The Secretary annually shall—
(1)prepare a report
that compiles and analyzes the information described in subsection (a) and
identifies the best practices for achieving the purpose of this Act; and
(2)submit the report
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.
(c)The Secretary’s designee shall visit each grantee under
this Act at least once for the purpose of helping the grantee achieve the goals
of this Act and to monitor the grantee’s progress toward achieving such
goals.
(d)
(1)Not later than 6 months after the date on which funds are
appropriated to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall enter into a contract
with an independent organization to perform an evaluation of the grants awarded
under this Act.
(2)The evaluation described in paragraph (1) shall apply
rigorous procedures to—
(A)obtain valid and
reliable data concerning participant outcomes, disaggregated by relevant
categories, which the Secretary shall determine; and
(B)monitor the
progress of students from secondary school to and through postsecondary
education.
(e)The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to
eligible entities concerning best practices in early college high schools and
other dual enrollment programs and shall disseminate such best practices among
eligible entities, State educational agencies, and local educational
agencies.
11.
(a)Nothing
in this Act shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights,
remedies, and procedures afforded to the employees of local educational
agencies (including schools) or institutions of higher education under Federal,
State, or local laws (including applicable regulations or court orders) or
under the terms of collective bargaining agreements, memoranda of
understanding, or other agreements between such employees and their
employers.
(b)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a student who
graduates from an early college high school supported under this Act in the
standard number of years for graduation described in the eligible entity’s
application shall be considered to have graduated on time for purposes of
section 1111(b)(2)(C)(vi) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(C)(vi)).