[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 557 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 557

To promote Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 25, 2015

  Mr. Franken introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To promote Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.

    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 ``Accelerated Learning Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    It is the purpose of this Act--
            (1) to raise student academic achievement through 
        accelerated learning programs, including Advanced Placement and 
        International Baccalaureate programs, by increasing the number 
        of teachers serving high-need schools who are qualified to 
        teach Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate 
        courses;
            (2) to increase the number of students attending high-need 
        schools who enroll and succeed in Advanced Placement or 
        International Baccalaureate courses and Advanced Placement or 
        International Baccalaureate examinations;
            (3) to support efforts by States and local educational 
        agencies to increase the availability of, and enrollment in, 
        Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses and 
        pre-Advanced Placement or pre-International Baccalaureate 
        courses in high-need schools; and
            (4) to provide high-quality professional development for 
        teachers of Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate 
        courses and pre-Advanced Placement or pre-International 
        Baccalaureate courses in high-need schools.

SEC. 3. FUNDING DISTRIBUTION RULE.

    From amounts appropriated under section 8 for a fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall give priority to funding activities under section 4 and 
shall distribute any remaining funds under section 5.

SEC. 4. ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMINATION FEE PROGRAM.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--From amounts made available under section 3 
for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants to State 
educational agencies having applications approved under this section to 
enable the State educational agencies to reimburse low-income students 
to cover part or all of the costs of Advanced Placement or 
International Baccalaureate examination fees, if the low-income 
students--
            (1) are enrolled in an Advanced Placement or International 
        Baccalaureate course; and
            (2) plan to take an Advanced Placement or International 
        Baccalaureate examination.
    (b) Award Basis.--In determining the amount of the grant awarded to 
a State educational agency under this section for a fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall consider the number of children eligible to be counted 
under section 1124(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6333(c)) in the State in relation to the number of such 
children so counted in all States.
    (c) Information Dissemination.--A State educational agency that is 
awarded a grant under this section shall make publicly available 
information regarding the availability of Advanced Placement or 
International Baccalaureate examination fee payments under this 
section, and shall disseminate such information to eligible secondary 
school students and parents, including through secondary school 
teachers and counselors.
    (d) Applications.--Each State educational agency desiring to 
receive a grant under this section shall submit an application to the 
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such 
information as the Secretary may require. At a minimum, each State 
educational agency application shall--
            (1) describe the Advanced Placement or International 
        Baccalaureate examination fees the State educational agency 
        will pay on behalf of low-income students in the State from 
        grant funds awarded under this section;
            (2) provide an assurance that any grant funds awarded under 
        this section shall be used only to pay for Advanced Placement 
        or International Baccalaureate examination fees; and
            (3) contain such information as the Secretary may require 
        to demonstrate that the State educational agency will ensure 
        that a student is eligible for payments authorized under this 
        section, including ensuring that the student is a low-income 
        student.
    (e) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as 
are necessary to carry out this section.
    (f) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Each State educational agency awarded a 
        grant under this section shall, with respect to each Advanced 
        Placement or International Baccalaureate course subject, 
        annually report to the Secretary the following data for the 
        preceding year:
                    (A) The number of students in the State who are 
                taking an Advanced Placement or International 
                Baccalaureate course in such subject.
                    (B) The number of Advanced Placement or 
                International Baccalaureate examinations taken by 
                students in the State who have taken an Advanced 
                Placement or International Baccalaureate course in such 
                subject.
                    (C) The number of students in the State scoring at 
                each level on Advanced Placement or International 
                Baccalaureate examinations in that subject, 
                disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, English 
                proficiency status, and socioeconomic status.
                    (D) Demographic information regarding students in 
                the State taking Advanced Placement or International 
                Baccalaureate courses and Advanced Placement or 
                International Baccalaureate examinations in that 
                subject, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, English 
                proficiency status, and socioeconomic status.
            (2) Report to congress.--The Secretary shall annually 
        compile the information received from each State educational 
        agency under paragraph (1) and report to the authorizing 
        committees of Congress regarding the information.
    (g) BIA as SEA.--For purposes of this section, the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs shall be treated as a State educational agency.

SEC. 5. ADVANCED PLACEMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM GRANTS.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--From amounts made available under section 
        3 for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants, on a 
        competitive basis, to eligible entities to enable such entities 
        to carry out the authorized activities described in subsection 
        (e).
            (2) Duration, renewal, and payments.--
                    (A) Duration.--The Secretary shall award a grant 
                under this section for a period of not more than 3 
                years.
                    (B) Renewal.--The Secretary may renew a grant 
                awarded under this section for an additional period of 
                not more than 2 years, if an eligible entity--
                            (i) is achieving the objectives of the 
                        grant; and
                            (ii) has shown improvement against baseline 
                        data on the performance measures described in 
                        subparagraphs (A) through (E) of subsection 
                        (g)(1).
                    (C) Payments.--The Secretary shall make grant 
                payments under this section on an annual basis.
    (b) Definition of Eligible Entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' 
means--
            (1) a State educational agency;
            (2) a local educational agency; or
            (3) a partnership consisting of--
                    (A) a national, regional, or statewide nonprofit 
                organization, with expertise and experience in 
                providing Advanced Placement or International 
                Baccalaureate course services; and
                    (B) a State educational agency or local educational 
                agency.
    (c) Application.--
            (1) In general.--Each eligible entity desiring a grant 
        under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary 
        at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such 
        information as the Secretary may require.
            (2) Contents.--The application shall, at a minimum, include 
        a description of--
                    (A) the goals and objectives for the project 
                supported by the grant under this section, including--
                            (i) increasing the number of teachers 
                        serving high-need schools who are qualified to 
                        teach Advanced Placement or International 
                        Baccalaureate courses;
                            (ii) increasing the number of Advanced 
                        Placement or International Baccalaureate 
                        courses that are offered at high-need schools; 
                        and
                            (iii) increasing the number of students 
                        attending a high-need school, particularly low-
                        income students, who enroll and succeed in--
                                    (I) Advanced Placement or 
                                International Baccalaureate courses; 
                                and
                                    (II) if offered by the school, pre-
                                Advanced Placement or pre-International 
                                Baccalaureate courses;
                    (B) how the eligible entity will ensure that 
                students have access to courses, including pre-Advanced 
                Placement or pre-International Baccalaureate courses, 
                that will prepare students to enroll and succeed in 
                Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate 
                courses;
                    (C) how the eligible entity will provide 
                professional development for teachers that will further 
                the goals and objectives of the grant project;
                    (D) how the eligible entity will ensure that 
                teachers serving high-need schools are qualified to 
                teach Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate 
                courses;
                    (E) how the eligible entity will provide for the 
                involvement of business and community organizations and 
                other entities, including institutions of higher 
                education, in carrying out the activities described in 
                subsection (e);
                    (F) how the eligible entity will use funds received 
                under this section; and
                    (G) how the eligible entity will evaluate the 
                success of the grant project.
    (d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to applications from eligible entities that--
            (1) are part of a statewide or districtwide strategy, as 
        applicable, for increasing the availability of Advanced 
        Placement or International Baccalaureate courses, and pre-
        Advanced Placement or pre-International Baccalaureate courses, 
        in high-need schools;
            (2) demonstrate a focus on increasing the availability of 
        Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses in 
        the core academic subjects; and
            (3) propose to carry out activities that target high-need 
        schools.
    (e) Authorized Activities.--
            (1) In general.--Each eligible entity that receives a grant 
        under this section shall use the grant funds to carry out 
        activities designed to increase--
                    (A) the number of qualified teachers serving high-
                need schools who are teaching Advanced Placement or 
                International Baccalaureate courses; and
                    (B) the number of students attending high-need 
                schools who enroll in, and succeed in the examinations 
                for, such courses, including through reimbursing low-
                income students attending high-need schools for part or 
                all of the cost of Advanced Placement or International 
                Baccalaureate examination fees.
            (2) Allowable activities.--In addition to the activities 
        described in paragraph (1), an eligible entity that receives a 
        grant under this section may use grant funds for--
                    (A) high-quality teacher professional development, 
                in order to expand the pool of teachers in the 
                participating State, local educational agency, or high-
                need school who are qualified to teach Advanced 
                Placement or International Baccalaureate courses, 
                including through innovative models such as online 
                academies and training institutes;
                    (B) pre-Advanced Placement or pre-International 
                Baccalaureate teacher and counselor high-quality 
                professional development in secondary school to prepare 
                students for success in Advanced Placement or 
                International Baccalaureate courses, and in 
                institutions of higher education;
                    (C) coordination and articulation between grade 
                levels to prepare students to enroll and succeed in 
                Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate 
                courses;
                    (D) the purchase of instructional materials for 
                Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate 
                courses;
                    (E) activities to increase the availability of, and 
                participation in, online Advanced Placement or 
                International Baccalaureate courses;
                    (F) carrying out the requirements of subsection 
                (g); and
                    (G) in the case of an eligible entity described in 
                subsection (b)(1), awarding subgrants to local 
                educational agencies to enable the local educational 
                agencies to carry out authorized activities described 
                in subparagraphs (A) through (F).
    (f) Contracts.--An eligible entity that is awarded a grant to 
provide online Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate 
courses under this section may enter into a contract with an 
organization to provide the online Advanced Placement or International 
Baccalaureate courses, including contracting for necessary support 
services.
    (g) Collecting and Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) Report.--Each eligible entity receiving a grant under 
        this section shall collect and report to the Secretary annually 
        such data regarding the results of the grant as the Secretary 
        may reasonably require, including--
                    (A) the number of students served by the eligible 
                entity enrolling in Advanced Placement or International 
                Baccalaureate courses and pre-Advanced Placement or 
                pre-International Baccalaureate courses, disaggregated 
                by grade level of the student, and the grades received 
                by such students in the courses;
                    (B) the number of students taking an Advanced 
                Placement or International Baccalaureate examination 
                and the distribution of scores on those examinations, 
                disaggregated by the grade level of the student at the 
                time of examination;
                    (C) the number of teachers who are currently, as of 
                the date of the report, receiving training to teach 
                Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate 
                courses and will teach such courses in the next school 
                year;
                    (D) the number of teachers becoming qualified to 
                teach Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate 
                courses; and
                    (E) the number of qualified teachers who are 
                teaching Advanced Placement or International 
                Baccalaureate courses in high-need schools served by 
                the eligible entity.
            (2) Reporting of data.--Each eligible entity receiving a 
        grant under this section shall report the data required under 
        paragraph (1)--
                    (A) disaggregated by subject area;
                    (B) in the case of student data, disaggregated in 
                the same manner as information is disaggregated under 
                section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v) of the Elementary and 
                Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                6311(b)(2)(C)(v)); and
                    (C) in a manner that allows for an assessment of 
                the effectiveness of the grant program.
    (h) Evaluation.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the 
Institute of Education Sciences, shall, in consultation with the 
relevant program office at the Department, evaluate the implementation 
and impact of the activities supported under this section, including 
progress as measured by the performance measures established under 
subparagraphs (A) through (E) of subsection (g)(1).
    (i) Matching Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding paragraph (3), each 
        eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall 
        provide toward the cost of the activities assisted under the 
        grant, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 100 percent 
        of the amount of the grant, except that an eligible entity that 
        is a high-need local educational agency, as determined by the 
        Secretary, shall provide an amount equal to not more than 50 
        percent of the amount of the grant.
            (2) Matching funds.--The eligible entity may provide the 
        matching funds described in paragraph (1) in cash or in-kind, 
        fairly evaluated, but may not provide more than 50 percent of 
        the matching funds in-kind. The eligible entity may provide the 
        matching funds from State, local, or private sources.
            (3) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive all or part of the 
        matching requirement described in paragraph (1) for any fiscal 
        year for an eligible entity if the Secretary determines that 
        applying the matching requirement to such eligible entity would 
        result in serious hardship or an inability to carry out the 
        authorized activities described in subsection (e).

SEC. 6. SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.

    Grant funds provided under this Act shall supplement, and not 
supplant, other non-Federal funds that are available to assist low-
income students to pay for the cost of Advanced Placement or 
International Baccalaureate examination fees or to expand access to 
Advanced Placement and pre-Advanced Placement courses or International 
Baccalaureate and pre-International Baccalaureate courses.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) In general.--Except as otherwise provided, the terms 
        used in this Act have the meanings given the terms in section 
        9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801).
            (2) Advanced placement or international baccalaureate 
        course.--The term ``Advanced Placement or International 
        Baccalaureate course'' means--
                    (A) a course of postsecondary-level instruction 
                provided to middle or secondary school students, 
                terminating in an Advanced Placement or International 
                Baccalaureate examination; or
                    (B) another highly rigorous, evidence-based, 
                postsecondary preparatory program terminating in--
                            (i) an examination or sequence of courses 
                        that are widely accepted for credit at 
                        institutions of higher education; or
                            (ii) another examination or sequence of 
                        courses approved by the Secretary.
            (3) Advanced placement or international baccalaureate 
        examination.--The term ``Advanced Placement or International 
        Baccalaureate examination'' means an Advanced Placement 
        examination administered by the College Board, an International 
        Baccalaureate examination administered by the International 
        Baccalaureate, or another such examination approved by the 
        Secretary.
            (4) High-need school.--The term ``high-need school'' means 
        a secondary school--
                    (A) with a demonstrated need for Advanced Placement 
                or International Baccalaureate courses; and
                    (B) that--
                            (i) has a high concentration of low-income 
                        students; or
                            (ii) is designated with a school locale 
                        code of 41, 42, or 43, as determined by the 
                        Secretary.
            (5) Low-income student.--The term ``low-income student'' 
        means a student who is eligible for a free or reduced-price 
        lunch under the school lunch program established under the 
        Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et 
        seq.).

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such 
sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016 and each of the 4 
succeeding fiscal years.
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