[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7704 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7704

 To require the Secretary of Education to conduct a study and submit a 
report on the effect of education policies during the COVID-19 pandemic 
on the academic achievement and functional performance of students with 
      an individualized education program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 15, 2024

Mr. Molinaro (for himself and Ms. Perez) introduced the following bill; 
   which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of Education to conduct a study and submit a 
report on the effect of education policies during the COVID-19 pandemic 
on the academic achievement and functional performance of students with 
      an individualized education program, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Think DIFFERENTLY About Ending 
Learning Loss Act''.

SEC. 2. STUDY AND REPORT ON THE EFFECT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC POLICIES ON 
              STUDENTS WITH AN IEP.

    (a) Study.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this section, the Secretary shall conduct a study on the effect of 
Federal and State education policies during the COVID-19 pandemic on 
the academic achievement and functional performance of students with an 
IEP, including policies related to remote learning and the suspension 
or reduction of special education and related services.
            (1) Scope.--Such study shall be conducted with respect to 
        the 2018-2019 school year through the 2023-2024 school year, 
        and shall compare--
                    (A) the academic achievement and functional 
                performance of students with an IEP before, during, and 
                after the COVID-19 pandemic; and
                    (B) the access of such students to special 
                education and related services before, during, and 
                after the COVID-19 pandemic.
            (2) Metrics.--For the purposes of such study, the Secretary 
        shall measure academic achievement and functional performance, 
        and access to special education and related services, of 
        students with an IEP using metrics that include--
                    (A) results of any standardized testing and 
                assessments available for the school years described in 
                paragraph (1);
                    (B) hours of special education and related services 
                provided to such students in accordance with their 
                individualized education programs during the school 
                years described in paragraph (1);
                    (C) reports on the progress of such students toward 
                meeting the annual goals and, if appropriate, 
                benchmarks or short-term objectives, of an 
                individualized education program pursuant to subclauses 
                (I) and (II) of section 614(d)(1)(A)(i) of the 
                Individuals with Disabilities Act (20 U.S.C. 
                1414(d)(1)(A)(i)(I) and (II)) during the school years 
                described in paragraph (1) of this subsection; and
                    (D) consultation with stakeholders, including 
                educators, family members, service providers, and 
                students.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the completion of the 
study conducted under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit a 
summary of the findings of such study to the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Individualized education program; iep.--The term 
        ``individualized education program'' or ``IEP'' means an 
        individualized education program defined in section 614(d) of 
        the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
        1414(d)).
            (2) Other idea terms.--The terms ``special education'' and 
        ``related services'' have the meanings given such terms, 
        respectively, in section 602 of the Individuals with 
        Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (4) Students with an iep.--The term ``students with an 
        IEP'' means students enrolled in a public school in 
        kindergarten through grade 12 who have an individualized 
        education program.
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