1.This Act may be cited as
the Effective STEM Teaching and
Learning Act of 2011
.
2.Effective STEM
teaching and learning
(a)Part B of title II of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6661 et seq.) is
amended to read as follows:
BEffective STEM
teaching and learning
2201.
(a)The Secretary shall use funds made available to
carry out this part for a fiscal year to award grants, on a competitive basis,
to State educational agencies or to State educational agencies in partnership
with appropriate outside entities (such as nonprofit organizations and
institutions of higher education) in States that have adopted and are
implementing high-quality mathematics standards (and additional standards, such
as science standards, at the discretion of the Secretary) that build toward
college and career readiness, to carry out activities in order to improve the
teaching and learning in—
(1)mathematics or
science, or both, in preschool through grade 12; and
(2)at the discretion
of the State educational agency, technology or engineering or both in preschool
through grade 12.
(b)
(1)Grants awarded under subsection (a) shall be for not more
than 3 years.
(2)The
Secretary may extend a grant awarded under subsection (a) for an additional 2
years if the grantee—
(A)is achieving the
intended outcomes of the grant; and
(B)shows improvement
against baseline measures on performance indicators established by the
Secretary.
(c)State
capacity-Building grants
(1)The Secretary may reserve not more than 5 percent of the
amount appropriated to carry out this part for any fiscal year to make
capacity-building grants, on a competitive basis, to State educational agencies
that do not otherwise receive a grant under this part.
(2)A
State educational agency that receives a capacity-building grant under
paragraph (1) may use the grant funds to carry out 1 or more of the activities
described in subsections (b) and (c) of section 2203, which may include
cooperating with industry, museums, institutions of higher education,
philanthropic organizations, community-based organizations, or other community
partners with STEM expertise, to become more competitive for a grant under
subsection (a) in future years.
(d)In
this part, the term STEM means the subject or subjects in which
the grantee chooses to carry out activities consistent with subsection
(a).
2202.
(a)Each State
educational agency that desires to receive a grant under section 2201(a), shall
submit an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may reasonably require. At a minimum, each
application shall include or describe—
(1)for an applicant
that proposes to carry out mathematics activities, an assurance that the State
has adopted high-quality mathematics standards that build toward college and
career readiness, and a description of the State’s plan for implementing those
standards;
(2)for an applicant
that proposes to carry out science activities, an assurance that the State has
adopted high-quality science standards that build toward college and career
readiness, and a description of the State’s plan for implementing those
standards;
(3)how the State’s
plan to implement standards in mathematics or science, or both, will help
ensure comparability of content and access to high-quality instruction in the
content area of those standards among all local educational agencies and public
schools in the State, particularly in high-poverty local educational agencies
and schools;
(4)the State
educational agency’s goals for improving student outcomes in STEM throughout
the State for all students, including students with disabilities and English
language learners, and including a description of a clear and credible path
that the State educational agency will take to achieve these goals with the
support of the local educational agencies in the State;
(5)the data that the
State has considered or will consider in developing or updating the
comprehensive preschool through grade 12 STEM plan that the State shall develop
or update with the State's grant under this section, which shall include data
from a needs assessment that the State has conducted prior to applying for
funds under this part and that the State uses—
(A)to determine its
current approach to STEM instruction;
(B)to support its
plan, consistent with section 2201(a), to carry out activities to improve
teaching and learning; and
(C)to support
struggling schools;
(6)how the State
educational agency will carry out the required State-level activities described
in section 2203(b), which may include cooperating with industry, museums,
institutions of higher education, philanthropic organizations, community-based
organizations, or other community partners with STEM expertise, and how the
State will align those activities with the comprehensive preschool through
grade 12 STEM plan that the State will develop (or update) and implement with
the State's grant;
(7)how the State
educational agency will use evidence to inform and continuously improve the
design and implementation of its activities and why the State educational
agency expects those activities to improve student achievement, including the
achievement of groups of students who are low-performing or underrepresented in
STEM fields;
(8)how the State
will run a rigorous, high-quality subgrant competition, including how it
will—
(A)review and
judge—
(i)the evidence
supporting the curricula and materials that local educational agencies propose
to use;
(ii)the record of
local educational agencies in implementing and improving student achievement
through other STEM initiatives; and
(iii)the local
educational agencies’ capacity to implement successfully their proposals;
and
(B)give priority to
local educational agencies whose applications are supported by the strongest
available evidence;
(9)how the State
educational agency will ensure that subgrants that it awards under this part
will adequately address the needs of students with disabilities and English
language learners;
(10)how the State
educational agency will use the grant to leverage other Federal and State funds
in order to maximize the impact of the grant, and how it will support local
educational agencies in integrating these funds with other Federal, State, and
local funds to support high-quality STEM instruction, including how it will
implement a coherent strategy to coordinate activities with rigorous and
challenging instruction for STEM career and technical education through funds
the applicant receives under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education
Act of 2006;
(11)how the State
educational agency will leverage the use of technology to engage students in
STEM, strengthen teaching and learning of STEM, and improve the learning
opportunities in underserved areas;
(12)how the State
educational agency will evaluate the State’s progress in improving achievement
in the relevant STEM subject or subjects, for students, schools, or local
educational agencies, particularly those that are underperforming, such as
STEM-specific strategies for turning around persistently low-performing
schools;
(13)how the State
educational agency will disseminate information on project outcomes in formats
that are easily understood by, and accessible to, the public, and how the State
educational agency will make the information useful to parents, educators,
researchers, and other experts;
(14)the role of any
entities with which the State educational agency proposes to partner in
carrying out its proposed activities;
(15)if the State
educational agency plans to make subgrants consistent with section 2203(d), the
rationale for doing so, including a description of—
(A)how the State
educational agency will ensure the alignment of the activities undertaken by
subgrantees with State standards and, as appropriate, with the components of
high-quality STEM instruction; and
(B)the State
educational agency’s plan for conducting the subgrant competition, including a
description of how the State educational agency will ensure either that the
activities conducted by the subgrantee are evidence-based, or that the
subgrantee has a plan to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of those
activities; and
(16)if the State has
received a Race to the Top grant (under the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009) and, in competing for that grant, received a competitive
preference priority for STEM education, how the State educational agency will
coordinate the activities it will carry out under this part with the STEM
activities carried out under its Race to the Top grant.
(b)
(1)In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary
shall give a competitive priority to any State educational agency that
demonstrates, in its application, that the State has adopted and is
implementing a set of high-quality mathematics standards (and additional
standards, such as science standards, at the discretion of the Secretary) for
kindergarten through grade 12 that build toward college and career readiness,
and are common to a significant number of States.
(2)The Secretary may give a competitive priority to any
State educational agency that has a robust, statewide partnership or network
that brings together industry, museums, institutions of higher education,
philanthropic organizations, community-based organizations, or other community
partners with STEM expertise, to increase student learning, engagement, and
achievement in STEM.
(c)In reviewing an application under this part, the
Secretary shall take into consideration—
(1)the quality of
the application, including the State educational agency’s plan for making
publicly available findings, results (including interim results), and outcomes
of the project in a timely manner and in formats that are easily understood and
accessible;
(2)the extent to
which the State educational agency has demonstrated a process for giving
priority to applicants that have plans that are evidence-based or that have a
plan in place to evaluate rigorously the effectiveness of their
projects;
(3)the quality of
the applicant’s plan to cooperate with industry experts, museums, institutions
of higher education, research centers, or other community partners with STEM
expertise, in—
(A)preparing and
assisting teachers in effectively integrating STEM content across grades and
disciplines;
(B)providing
effective and relevant instruction; and
(C)offering applied
learning opportunities for all students; and
(4)the quality of
the applicant’s plan for preparing more students for advanced study and careers
in STEM, including by addressing the needs of, and barriers faced by, student
groups that are underrepresented in STEM, including women and girls,
underrepresented minorities, students with disabilities, and English language
learners.
2203.
(a)A State educational agency that receives a grant under
section 2201(a) shall reserve not more than 20 percent of the funds it receives
under this part for State level activities as described in subsections (b) and
(c).
(b)A State educational agency that receives a grant under
section 2201(a) shall—
(1)develop or
update, implement, and continuously improve a comprehensive State STEM plan
(which may be a component or modification of the consolidated plan submitted by
the State under section 9302) for preschool through grade 12 that—
(A)aligns policies,
resources, and practices;
(B)contains clear
instructional goals; and
(C)sets high
expectations for all students and student subgroups;
(2)align the use of
Federal and State funds and programs within the State educational agency and in
local educational agencies in the State, including funds under title I, part A
of title II, title III, and title VII, and, as appropriate, under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Carl D. Perkins Career and
Technical Education Act of 2006, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Act, to support a coherent approach to funding and implementing high-quality
STEM instruction in high-need local educational agencies and high-need
schools;
(3)develop or update
a process, or use an existing process, to review and judge the evidence base
for the curricula and materials that local educational agencies propose to use
in implementing their subgrants and in determining whether the curricula and
materials are aligned with State standards, and make the process and results of
any such review publicly available;
(4)administer a
rigorous competition for subgrants that is informed by the review process
described in paragraph (3), and using the results of that process to inform the
competition;
(5)collect and
report, in formats that are easily understood and accessible to the public,
data on the implementation and outcomes of the program, including student
course enrollment and student achievement outcomes disaggregated in accordance
with section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v) for use by parents, teachers, schools, local
educational agencies, researchers, and State leaders for program improvement
and to evaluate program effectiveness;
(6)promote and
support the implementation of effective subgrant activities in local
educational agencies and schools that do not receive, or are not served by,
subgrants;
(7)provide technical
assistance and support, such as through the development or sharing of
information, models, technology-based tools, or training to subgrantees (and,
at the State educational agency’s discretion, to other local educational
agencies) to enable the subgrantees and other agencies to implement a
high-quality STEM program, as described in section 2204(e), and improve student
achievement in core academic subjects; and
(8)coordinate, as
needed, with other relevant State agencies (including the State agency for
higher education and the State entity responsible for professional standards
and licensure of teachers and principals) to—
(A)carry out
activities to improve the State’s teacher licensure and certification
requirements and preservice teacher preparation, by focusing on subject matter
competency and reducing unnecessary barriers to entering the teaching
profession while ensuring that teachers have the knowledge and skills
appropriate for the grade levels the teachers teach; and
(B)improve the
State’s principal licensure and certification requirements and preservice
principal preparation by developing principals who are prepared to lead schools
and ensure effective instruction across subject areas for a well-rounded
education, including in mathematics and science.
(c)A State educational agency may, either on its own or
in a consortium with other State educational agencies, use any funds reserved
under subsection (a) but not used for activities under subsection (b),
to—
(1)recruit and
prepare individuals with STEM expertise to teach in high-need schools,
including through the use of—
(A)alternative
pathways to licensure or certification programs;
(B)recruiting STEM
majors within an institution of higher education;
(C)funding
undergraduate or graduate STEM internships in preschool through grade 12
classrooms; and
(D)funding online
STEM courses and learning opportunities that provide STEM expertise across
multiple locations, including areas of STEM teacher shortages;
(2)develop
instructional systems that provide—
(A)a systematic and
coherent combination of instructional materials;
(B)embedded
formative and interim assessments;
(C)professional
development;
(D)information on
student learning; and
(E)academic
interventions that are based on cognitive science and content area knowledge
and that are aligned with college- and career-ready standards;
(3)develop and
implement innovative uses of technology that show promise for improving
outcomes in classroom instruction, teacher and leader effectiveness, and
student achievement; and
(4)carry out
activities related to any of the other subjects in section 2201(a) that the
State, consistent with section 2202(a)(6), is not already carrying out under
this section.
(d)
(1)The Secretary may permit a State that receives a grant
under section 2201(a), at the State's request, to use not more than 20 percent
of the grant funds amount not reserved under subsection (a) to make subgrants
to eligible entities (as defined under section 2204(a)(2)) under this
subsection.
(2)Not subject to
section 2204Subgrants awarded under this subsection shall not be
subject to the requirements of section 2204, with the exception of the
requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 2204(b).
(3)In
order to receive a subgrant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall
submit an application to the State educational agency at such time, in such
form, and including such information as the State educational agency may
prescribe. At a minimum, the application shall include—
(A)a description of
the applicant’s district-wide plan for developing and implementing a
high-quality plan or strategy to improve STEM education and for using subgrant
funds to support the implementation of that plan or strategy;
(B)a description of
the activities the entity proposes to carry out, including an explanation of
how those activities align with the State’s STEM standards and of how they
would incorporate the components of high-quality STEM instruction;
(C)the rationale
underlying the proposed model practice, strategy, or program in improving
teaching practice as well as student achievement, especially with high-need
student populations, which shall include either—
(i)a
description of how the proposed practice, strategy, or program is
evidence-based; or
(ii)a rationale
based on research findings that the proposed practice, strategy, or program
will improve student achievement; and
(D)the plan for
evaluating the impact of the model practice, strategy, or program and
disseminating information from that evaluation.
(4)Subgrants
awarded under this subsection may carry out activities that are not required of
the State under subsection (b), but that—
(A)align with the
State’s STEM standards;
(B)incorporate 1 or
more of the components of high-quality STEM instruction; and
(C)are
evidence-based or for which the subgrantee has a plan in place to rigorously
evaluate their effectiveness.
2204.
(a)
(1)A State educational agency that receives a grant under
section 2201(a) shall, from funds the State receives under this part that are
not reserved under section 2203(a) or used pursuant to section 2203(d), make
STEM education subgrants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities.
(2)In this section, the term eligible entity
means—
(A)a high-need local
educational agency;
(B)a consortium of
high-need local educational agencies;
(C)a partnership of
1 or more high-need local educational agencies with 1 or more institutions of
higher education or 1 or more nonprofit organizations, or both; or
(D)an educational
service agency proposing to serve high-need local educational agencies.
(b)Subgrants
under this section shall be—
(1)used to carry out
projects in high-need schools;
(2)of sufficient
size to support projects that can influence classroom instruction in a
significant number or percentage of classrooms in the high-need schools that
the subgrantee would serve; and
(3)used to carry out
the activities listed under subsection (e), unless the Secretary has permitted
the State to do otherwise.
(c)In order to receive a subgrant under this section,
an eligible entity shall submit an application to the State educational agency
at such time, in such form, and including such information as the State
educational agency may prescribe. At a minimum, the application shall
include—
(1)a description of
the applicant’s district-wide plan for developing and implementing a
comprehensive high-quality STEM program for all schools and students in the
participating local educational agencies and for using subgrant funds to
support the implementation of that plan;
(2)a description of
how the applicant’s district-wide plan aligns with the State’s STEM plan for
preschool through grade 12 and the State’s goals for improving student
outcomes;
(3)a description of
the applicant’s record in implementing and improving student achievement for
all subgroups of students served through other STEM initiatives;
(4)a description of
how the proposed activities are informed by a needs assessment described in the
application and designed to support effective teaching and to improve student
achievement for the lowest-performing subgroups;
(5)a description of
the evidence base for the proposed activities;
(6)a description of
how the activities will include and be accessible to all students, including
students with disabilities and English language learners; and
(7)a description of
how the applicant’s selection of schools and the grade spans it plans to serve
with funds under this part would support successful achievement of the
objectives described in the application and the STEM plan required under
paragraph (1).
(d)In
awarding subgrants under this section, a State educational agency shall give
priority to—
(1)entities that
propose a coherent strategy to improve STEM instruction that aligns activities
under the subgrant with literacy instruction supported with other Federal funds
under title I, part A of title II, title III, and title VII, and, as
appropriate, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Carl D.
Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 and State and local
funds;
(2)entities that
propose to develop 1 or more robust partnerships with at least 1 entity, such
as a locally situated business, college or university, or nonprofit
organization, that has expertise, or a workforce with knowledge, in STEM fields
or in education in STEM subjects;
(3)entities that
propose to implement activities in schools with the highest levels of need and
capacity for improvement;
(4)entities that
have a plan for sustaining the strategy described in paragraph (1) after the
end of the subgrant; and
(5)entities whose
proposals are supported by the strongest available evidence.
(e)
(1)Each recipient of a subgrant under this section shall
implement a high-quality, evidence-based, comprehensive, and coherent STEM
program that includes each of the following aligned components:
(A)Effective
professional development (as defined in section 9101) in STEM for teachers and
school leaders, which may include professional development focused on subject
matter competency and on ensuring that teachers have the knowledge and skills
appropriate for the grade levels that they teach.
(B)High-quality
curriculum and instructional materials that are aligned with State standards
and that incorporate the components of high-quality STEM instruction, and
incorporate technology, as appropriate, and principles of universal design for
learning to support students with diverse learning needs, including students
with disabilities and English language learners.
(C)Coherent,
high-quality assessment systems that are aligned with State standards and
assessments and that include—
(i)valid and
reliable diagnostic and progress-monitoring measures, to the extent
available;
(ii)the systematic
use of the assessment data to inform and modify instruction, interventions, and
continuous program improvement;
(iii)appropriate
accommodations necessary to ensure that all students, including students with
disabilities and English language learners, are reliably and accurately
assessed; and
(iv)interventions to
ensure that all students, including both struggling students and students who
master the material ahead of their peers, are served appropriately.
(D)Monitoring of
program implementation and outcomes, including the effectiveness of
professional development, and activities that track implementation and outcomes
at the local educational agency, school, classroom, and student levels, so as
to inform continuous improvement.
(2)Additional
authorized activitiesA recipient of a subgrant under this
section may carry out additional activities, consistent with its plan under
subsection (c)(1), including—
(A)providing
technical assistance and support to high-need schools to enable the schools to
implement a high-quality, comprehensive STEM program;
(B)developing
partnerships with organizations with STEM expertise to assist the local
educational agency in increasing student learning, engagement, and achievement
in STEM;
(C)creating
mechanisms to promote the adoption of effective practices and ensure that those
practices are sustained;
(D)integrating
evidence-based, effective STEM programs and comprehensive STEM initiatives into
the teaching of other core academic subjects;
(E)activities to
support family engagement in STEM education; and
(F)developing and
implementing innovative uses of technology that show promise for improving
outcomes in classroom instruction, teacher and leader effectiveness, and
student achievement.
(f)
(1)Subgrants awarded under this section shall be for not
more than 3 years.
(2)The
State educational agency may extend a subgrant under this section for an
additional 2 years if the subgrantee—
(A)is achieving the
intended outcomes of the subgrant; and
(B)shows improvement
against baseline measures on performance indicators established by the
Secretary.
.
(b)The table of contents in section 2 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by striking the items relating to
part B of title II and inserting the following:
PART B—Effective STEM teaching and learning
Sec. 2201. Program authorized.
Sec. 2202. Application.
Sec. 2203. State use of funds.
Sec. 2204. STEM education
subgrants.
.