[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 109 (Thursday, September 7, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S9131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. CLINTON:
  S. 3869. A bill to improve the quality of, and access to, 
supplemental educational services in effort to increase student 
achievement; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation to 
help ensure students attending low-performing schools have access to 
high quality tutoring programs. If enacted, The Improving Quality of 
and Access to Supplemental Educational Services, the IQ Act, would 
ensure that supplemental educational services, free tutoring offered 
through the No Child Left Behind Act, NCLB, are effective in and 
accountable for increasing student academic achievement.
  One of the many ways that NCLB aims to close the achievement gap is 
through the provision that allows low-income children attending poorly 
performing school to enroll in supplemental educational services, SES. 
These programs hold the promise of helping schools to increase student 
achievement by offering additional academic support for students in 
underperforming schools. Unfortunately, the scope of the impact of SES 
remains to be seen due to low student participation rates and lack of 
evaluation of supplemental educational services.
  Improving the quality of and access to these programs should be a 
shared responsibility between the Department of Education, State and 
local educational agencies, as well as the SES providers themselves. By 
working together we can create tutoring programs that truly supplement 
the instruction that students receive during regular school hours and 
allow for more time to master the educational standards set by the 
state.
  Unfortunately, few States have assessed SES providers on the basis of 
improving student achievement. A recent study by the GAO found that not 
a single State has produced a report that provides a conclusive 
assessment of providers' effect on student achievement. Without these 
State evaluations, students, parents and policymakers are blind as to 
which programs are effective in raising academic achievement and are 
therefore unable to replicate their success.
  I strongly believe that if NCLB holds our teachers and schools 
accountable for increasing student achievement, then we must also hold 
SES providers to similar accountability standards. That is why The IQ 
Act requires States to use their current standardized test to evaluate 
provider performance. This legislation also provides States with 
additional funding to improve their data systems to manage these 
evaluations with no additional cost to the taxpayer.
  Maximizing the full potential of SES will not only require consistent 
evaluation of provider performance to ensure quality, but also 
increasing the number of students participating in these services. 
Unfortunately, only 19 percent of eligible students participated in SES 
in the 2004-2005, an abysmally low turnout for programs that offer free 
after school tutoring. Many districts find challenges in providing 
services for students in rural schools and students with limited 
English proficiency or disabilities.
  Although there are many other factors that determine why parents and 
students are not participating in these services, The IQ Act will 
provide additional opportunities for more students to participate in 
these tutoring programs that fit the needs of all children. This 
legislation requires districts to supply a choice of providers for 
students with limited English proficiency, students with disabilities, 
and students in rural districts. If enacted, this bill would help 
States and school districts build capacity to effectively implement 
supplemental educational services.
  The Improving the Quality of and Access to Supplemental Educational 
Services Act is a positive step forward in providing more opportunities 
for students to participate in quality after school tutoring programs. 
I am hopeful that my Senate colleagues from both sides of the aisle 
will join me today to move this legislation to the floor without delay.
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