[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 50 (Thursday, April 7, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2273-S2276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself, Mr. Brown of Massachusetts, and 
        Ms. Landrieu):
  S. 763. A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 to require the establishment of teacher evaluation programs; to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Securing 
Teacher Effectiveness, Leaders, Learning, And Results Act of 2011--the 
STELLAR Student Act, and I am honored to be joined in this bipartisan 
effort by my colleagues Senator Scott Brown and Senator Mary Landrieu. 
The STELLAR Student Act will ensure that all students are taught by 
effective teachers and that all teachers are supported by effective 
principals.
  Teacher and principal effectiveness are critical factors in improving 
student learning and achievement. Research shows that increasing 
teacher quality is one of the most effective and promising strategies 
for improving education in the United States. Some studies show that 
the differences in achievement gains for students who had the most 
effective teachers versus those who had the least effective teachers 
were greater than any single influence of class-size, race, socio-
economic status, or parent education. Estimates suggest that the 
difference between having a highly effective teacher versus a highly 
ineffective teacher can be as much as a full year's learning growth.
  Imagine the dire situation for a student who has a highly ineffective 
teacher for multiple years in a row. It is a situation that many 
students experience and potentially never recover from. There are far 
too many ineffective teachers, especially in less affluent urban 
districts. In many cases, due to antiquated hiring and firing protocols 
and policies, those ineffective teachers are keeping innovative young 
teachers from teaching where they are needed most. It is essential that 
we begin to differentiate between those highly effective and highly 
ineffective teachers and principals, especially when it comes to making 
personnel decisions in these challenging economic times.
  The STELLAR Student Act of 2011 aims to encourage States to do just 
that by directing States to develop evaluation systems that consider 
student achievement and classroom observation, and to use those 
evaluations for key personnel decisions including pay, tenure, lay-
offs, and retention.
  To further these goals, the STELLAR Student Act of 2011 would 
specifically direct States to implement a teacher assessment system 
that bases teacher effectiveness predominantly on student academic 
growth and other measures including classroom observations; direct 
States to implement a principal assessment system that bases 
effectiveness predominantly on student academic growth as well as 
improvement in graduation rates, leadership, and successful hiring, 
development, evaluation, and retention of teachers; tie Title 1 funding 
to teacher and principal evaluations that incorporate multiple 
measures, relying predominantly on measures of student academic growth 
and achievement, as well as classroom performance; require that 
evaluations be used to inform key personnel decisions including tenure, 
compensation, and layoffs in the event of any reduction in force; 
encourage input from teachers and principals in the development and 
improvement of evaluations; and encourage improved targeting of 
professional development based on these evaluations.
  The STELLAR Student Act addresses the fact that current teacher and 
principal evaluation systems are inadequate. Evaluation measures for 
teachers are not strongly linked to their ability to teach. In fact, 
seniority, not effectiveness, is often the single indicator used for 
making teacher personnel decisions. Some studies show that less than 1 
percent of teachers are identified as unsatisfactory even though we 
know many more than 1 percent falls into this category. This also means 
that our most effective teachers are lumped together with less 
effective teachers and are not recognized for their exceptional work.
  It is time to rethink conventional measures of teacher qualifications 
such as advanced degrees, traditional

[[Page S2274]]

credentialing, and years of experience as measures of teacher quality, 
and focus instead on actual measures of teacher effectiveness, such as 
student academic growth. Indeed, many States are looking for ways to 
tie teacher performance to student achievement and then use this 
information to inform personnel decisions. The STELLAR Student Act will 
help States do just that.
  Although we believe it is important to hold teachers and principals 
accountable for student achievement, teachers and principals are 
certainly not the problem--they are an essential part of the solution. 
This bill asks for input from teachers and principals in designing and 
improving assessment systems, recognizes the importance of observation 
and other ongoing formative assessments, highlights the need for 
meaningful professional development, and asks States to duly recognize 
those effective teachers and leaders. The STELLAR Student Act also 
encourages school districts to assist low performing teachers by 
setting up targeted remediation and improvement plans.
  Many teachers and parents also recognize and support the need for 
effective teacher evaluation linked to student performance. In a recent 
survey, 69 percent of teachers and 92 percent of parents support 
measuring teacher effectiveness based on student growth. In addition, 
most teachers--approximately 80 percent--and parents--approximately 96 
percent--also believe that giving schools more ability to remove 
teachers who are not serving students well should be another priority. 
From the same survey, teachers in schools with high proportions of low-
income students, high proportions of minority students, and those in 
urban or rural schools are more likely than other teachers to say that 
using measurements of teacher effectiveness that are based in 
significant part on student growth is something that must be done. 
Those same teachers are also more likely to say that giving schools 
greater ability to remove teachers who are not serving students well is 
something that must be done.
  The Administration and many States are already moving in the 
direction of increased accountability and effective teacher and 
principal assessments. As the President said in the State of the Union 
``we do want to reward good teachers and stop making excuses for the 
bad ones.'' A number of States, many of which are leaders in education 
reform, are exploring ways to hold teachers and principals more 
accountable along with rethinking ideas around tenure and the long 
standing last-in-first-out policies.
  Whether your concern is that our students rank behind 30 other 
countries in math, that 1.2 million students drop out of school each 
year, or that an unacceptable achievement gap still persists for our 
low income and minority students, all of us must act on the urgent need 
to put forth a strong bipartisan effort to fix our education system. 
The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, long 
overdue, affords us the opportunity. We must work across the aisle to 
fix what is broken in the current education law. We hope the STELLAR 
Student Act will be considered in the context of the ESEA rewrite, to 
ensure effective teachers and principals for every child and every 
school. Our colleagues in the House have introduced a similar bill, and 
I urge my colleagues in the Senate to support the STELLAR Student Act 
of 2011.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 763

       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 ``Securing Teacher 
     Effectiveness, Leaders, Learning, And Results Act'' or the 
     ``STELLAR Student Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Effective teachers and principals are the backbone of 
     our schools and the key to successful students.
       (2) Teachers and principals deserve our full support as 
     they take on one of the most important and most challenging 
     responsibilities--educating our children.
       (3) Research shows that high-quality and effective teaching 
     is the single most important school-based factor impacting 
     student learning.
       (4) High-quality evaluations that provide meaningful 
     feedback are a crucial element in giving educators the 
     support they need to help students achieve at high levels.
       (5) Teachers and principals also deserve access to high-
     quality professional development opportunities.
       (6) Constructive feedback specifying areas for improvement 
     could be useful to both teachers and principals.
       (7) Although research also suggests that quality teacher 
     evaluations are an important tool in improving teacher 
     performance, for many teachers, the current evaluation 
     systems do not provide useful feedback that would help the 
     teachers improve and grow as instructors.
       (8) In formal studies, including research highlighted in 
     ``The Widget Effect'', nearly 75 percent of teachers reported 
     that they have not received specific suggestions on how to 
     improve classroom practices in annual evaluations.
       (9) Across all local educational agencies, only 43 percent 
     of teachers, including novice teachers who may benefit the 
     most from suggestions, report that current evaluations 
     systems help them.
       (10) Research also shows that school leadership quality is 
     second only to teacher quality among school-related factors 
     that impact student learning.
       (11) Strong school leadership is a key determinant of 
     whether schools can attract and retain effective teachers. 
     Principals set the direction and the vision for a school.
       (12) Effective teachers and principals also deserve to be 
     recognized for excellence and receive commendations in areas 
     of strong performance and significant improvement.
       (13) High-quality teacher and principal evaluations have 
     the potential to be a powerful tool and should play a 
     significant role in improving the public education system.
       (14) Teachers and principals should provide input and 
     contribute directly to designing, implementing, and improving 
     evaluation systems in their school districts.
       (15) Students and parents deserve effective teachers and 
     inspirational principals who are performing to the best of 
     their ability and who are helping to close achievement gaps 
     and raise student achievement.

     SEC. 3. ROBUST TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL EVALUATIONS.

       (a) Teacher and Principal Evaluations.--Section 1111(a) of 
     the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     6311(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) Report on teacher and principal evaluations.--For any 
     State desiring to receive a grant under this part, the State 
     educational agency shall submit to the Secretary not later 
     than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Securing 
     Teacher Effectiveness, Leaders, Learning, And Results Act, a 
     report on--
       ``(A) the system in the State of evaluating teachers' and 
     principals' performance; and
       ``(B) how such evaluation factors into decisions on tenure, 
     compensation, promotion, and dismissals of teachers and 
     principals.''.
       (b) Teacher and Principal Evaluations.--Section 1111(b) of 
     the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     6311(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(11) Robust teacher and principal evaluations.--
       ``(A) In general.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
     enactment of the Securing Teacher Effectiveness, Leaders, 
     Learning, And Results Act, each State shall carry out the 
     following:
       ``(i) Establish, after taking input from teachers and 
     principals, a statewide definition of teacher and principal 
     effectiveness that includes not less than 4 levels of 
     performance ratings for teachers and for principals, 
     including an effective rating and a highly effective rating, 
     based on such definitions.
       ``(ii) Demonstrate that the State has developed, after 
     taking input from teachers and principals, a model teacher 
     and principal evaluation program under which--

       ``(I) individuals in charge of administering teacher and 
     principal evaluations within each local educational agency in 
     the State are provided rigorous training on how to conduct 
     the teacher and principal evaluations, including--

       ``(aa) how to provide specific feedback about improving 
     teaching and principal practice based on evaluation results; 
     and
       ``(bb) how to evaluate teachers and principals using the 
     performance ratings described in clause (i) and established 
     under subparagraphs (B)(iii) and (C)(viii);

       ``(II) a teacher or principal who is evaluated is provided, 
     based on the evaluation results, professional development 
     opportunities that meet the specific needs identified for the 
     teacher or principal;
       ``(III) measures are taken to ensure that any personally 
     identifiable information of teachers and principals is not 
     publicly disclosed, except as required to comply with the 
     reporting requirements of paragraph (1)(C)(ix), and clauses 
     (i)(III) and (ii)(III) of paragraph (2)(B), of section 
     1111(h);
       ``(IV) regular monitoring and assessment of the quality, 
     reliability, validity, fairness, consistency, and objectivity 
     of the evaluation program and the evaluators' judgments takes 
     place within and across local educational agencies in the 
     State;

[[Page S2275]]

       ``(V) each teacher's performance is evaluated in accordance 
     with subparagraph (B);
       ``(VI) each principal's performance is evaluated in 
     accordance with subparagraph (C);
       ``(VII) on the basis of the evaluation, each teacher or 
     principal receives--

       ``(aa) a performance rating, as described in clause (i), 
     that is based on multiple measures;
       ``(bb) in the case of a teacher--
       ``(AA) in a grade level and subject area with a statewide 
     assessment, a measure of student learning gains that is 
     comparable across the State for all teachers in grade levels 
     and subject areas with a statewide assessment; or
       ``(BB) in a grade level and subject area without a 
     statewide assessment, a measure of student learning gains 
     that is comparable across the local educational agency for 
     all teachers in grade levels and subject areas without a 
     statewide assessment;
       ``(cc) ongoing formative feedback and specific 
     recommendations on areas for professional improvement, which 
     includes an identification of areas in which the teacher or 
     principal can strengthen practices to improve student 
     learning;
       ``(dd) a measure of student academic growth with respect to 
     the State's academic standards of the school's students, 
     including students in each of the subgroups described in 
     paragraph (2)(C)(v)(II);
       ``(ee) commendations for excellence in areas of strong 
     performance and in areas of significant improvement; and
       ``(ff) in the case of a teacher or principal who is 
     identified as being in 1 of the lowest 2 performance ratings 
     described in clause (i), a 1-year comprehensive remediation 
     plan;

       ``(VIII) evaluation results are used as the principal 
     factor in informing all key personnel and staffing decisions, 
     including retention, dismissal, promotion, compensation, and 
     tenure;
       ``(IX) evaluation results are the primary factor used in 
     determining layoffs during any reduction in force;
       ``(X) any teacher or principal who receives 1 of the lowest 
     2 performance ratings and does not successfully improve 
     performance on an evaluation after completing the 
     comprehensive remediation plan as required under subclause 
     (VII)(ff) is prohibited from working in any elementary school 
     or secondary school served under this part;
       ``(XI) any teacher or principal who receives the lowest 
     performance rating for 3 consecutive years is subject to 
     dismissal;
       ``(XII) evaluation results are used to ensure that low-
     income students and students of color are not assigned at 
     higher rates than other students to classes in core academic 
     subjects taught by teachers who have received 1 of the 2 
     lowest evaluation rates in their most recent evaluation; and
       ``(XIII) a system is implemented under which each teacher 
     and principal is evaluated at least annually.

       ``(iii) Demonstrate that each local educational agency in 
     the State has adopted a local educational agency-wide teacher 
     and principal evaluation program that--

       ``(I) was developed after seeking input from teachers and 
     principals;
       ``(II) meets the standards for validity and reliability 
     developed by the State; and
       ``(III) meets the minimum requirements set forth in clause 
     (ii).

       ``(iv) Demonstrate that each local educational agency in 
     the State is seeking input from teachers and principals to 
     make improvements to the evaluation program on an annual 
     basis.
       ``(v) Submit, on a regular basis, to the Secretary a review 
     of the teacher and principal evaluation systems used by the 
     local educational agencies in the State, including--

       ``(I) comparing the teacher and principal evaluation 
     results, for each local educational agency and each such 
     agency's schools, against the student academic achievement 
     and student academic growth in all local educational agencies 
     in the State and all schools served by such local educational 
     agencies;
       ``(II) assessing the extent to which each local educational 
     agency's existing system demonstrates meaningful 
     differentiation among teacher performance levels and among 
     principal performance levels; and
       ``(III) comparing implementation and results across local 
     educational agencies' evaluation systems to ensure--

       ``(aa) comparability across the State in implementation of 
     such systems; and
       ``(bb) that such systems meet the State's criteria or 
     definitions for each of the terms described in clause (i).
       ``(vi) Provide technical assistance to improve an agency's 
     teacher and principal evaluation system so that the system 
     provides meaningful differentiation and is aligned with 
     student academic achievement and student growth results in 
     the agency and in each of the agency's schools.
       ``(vii) Establish a timeline for implementation that--

       ``(I) ensures that measures of student academic growth, as 
     described in subparagraphs (B)(i) and (C)(i), are developed 
     not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the 
     Securing Teacher Effectiveness, Leaders, Learning, And 
     Results Act;
       ``(II) ensures evaluation systems that meet the 
     requirements of subparagraphs (B) and (C) are implemented 
     statewide by not later than 3 years after the date of 
     enactment of such Act, except that such systems shall not 
     have to meet the requirements under subclauses (VIII) through 
     (XII) of clause (ii); and
       ``(III) ensures evaluation systems that meet all the 
     requirements of this paragraph are fully implemented 
     statewide by not later than 4 years after the date of 
     enactment of such Act.

       ``(viii) Submit to the Secretary an annual report on 
     implementation of the State plan under this section and on 
     meeting the timelines required under this section.
       ``(ix) Publish a report each year showing the average 
     estimate of teacher impact on student growth for each of the 
     performance ratings described in clause (i).
       ``(B) Requirements for teacher evaluations.--The evaluation 
     of a teacher's performance shall comply with the following 
     minimum requirements:
       ``(i) Student academic growth.--The predominant factor of 
     the evaluation is student academic growth with respect to the 
     State's academic standards, as measured by--

       ``(I) student learning gains on the State's academic 
     assessments established under paragraph (3) or, for grades 
     and subjects not covered by the State's academic assessments, 
     another valid and reliable assessment of student academic 
     achievement, as long as the assessment is used consistently 
     by the local educational agency in which the teacher is 
     employed for the grade or class for which the assessment is 
     administered; and
       ``(II) if available, value-added measures that track 
     individual student academic growth while under the 
     instruction of the teacher.

       ``(ii) Observations of teacher performance.--A portion of 
     the evaluation is based on observations of the teacher's 
     performance in the classroom by not less than 1 trained and 
     objective observer--

       ``(I) that take place on not less than 2 occasions during 
     the school year the teacher is being evaluated; and
       ``(II) under which--

       ``(aa) a teacher is evaluated against a rigorous rubric 
     that defines multiple performance categories in alignment 
     with the State's professional standards for teachers; and
       ``(bb) observation ratings meaningfully differentiate among 
     teachers' performance and bear a relationship to evidence of 
     student academic growth with respect to the State's academic 
     standards.
       ``(iii) Meaningful differentiation.--The evaluation 
     provides performance ratings that meaningfully differentiate 
     among teacher performance using the performance ratings and 
     levels described in subparagraph (A)(i).
       ``(iv) Comparability of student gains.--The evaluation 
     provides a measure of student learning gains that is 
     comparable across the State for all teachers in grade levels 
     and subject areas with a statewide assessment.
       ``(v) Comparability of results.--The evaluation provides 
     results that are comparable, at a minimum, across all 
     teachers within a grade level or subject area in the local 
     educational agency in which the teacher is employed.
       ``(C) Requirements for principal evaluations.--The 
     evaluation of the performance of a principal of a school 
     shall comply with the following minimum requirements:
       ``(i) Student academic growth.--The predominant factor of 
     the evaluation is student academic growth with respect to the 
     State's academic standards of the school's students, 
     including students in each of the subgroups described in 
     paragraph (2)(C)(v)(II).
       ``(ii) Graduating rates.--For a principal of a secondary 
     school, a portion of the evaluation is based on improvements 
     in the school's graduation rates.
       ``(iii) Support of effective teachers.--A portion of the 
     evaluation is based on the recruitment, development, 
     evaluation, and retention of effective teachers.
       ``(iv) Leadership abilities.--A portion of the evaluation 
     is based on the leadership abilities of the principal, as 
     measured by observations of the principal and other relevant 
     data evaluated against a rigorous rubric that defines 
     multiple performance categories in alignment with the State's 
     professional standards for principals.
       ``(v) Student attendance rates.--A portion of the 
     evaluation is based on student attendance rates, as 
     calculated by the State or local educational agency.
       ``(vi) Content of observation ratings.--The observations 
     described in clause (iv) provide observation ratings that--

       ``(I) meaningfully differentiate among principals' 
     performance; and
       ``(II) bear a strong relationship to evidence of student 
     academic growth with respect to the State's academic 
     standards.

       ``(vii) Description of leadership abilities.--The 
     leadership abilities referred to in clause (iv) include the 
     ability of the principal to--

       ``(I) create a shared and coherent schoolwide direction and 
     policy for achieving high levels of student academic growth 
     and closing achievement gaps among students;
       ``(II) identify and implement the activities and rigorous 
     curriculum necessary for achieving high levels of student 
     academic growth;
       ``(III) create opportunities for the community and families 
     of students to engage positively with school administrators 
     and staff;
       ``(IV) support positive learning environments for students;
       ``(V) cultivate a positive and collaborative work 
     environment for school faculty and staff;
       ``(VI) collect, analyze, and utilize data and other 
     tangible evidence of student learning

[[Page S2276]]

     and evidence of classroom practice to guide decisions and 
     actions for continuous improvement and to ensure performance 
     accountability;
       ``(VII) effectively oversee and manage a teacher evaluation 
     program that provides individualized feedback; and
       ``(VIII) have strong organizational management of a school, 
     including sound budget and personnel practices.

       ``(viii) Meaningful differentiation.--The evaluation 
     provides performance ratings that meaningfully differentiate 
     among principal performance using the performance ratings and 
     levels described in subparagraph (A)(i).
       ``(ix) Comparability of results.--The evaluation provides 
     results that are comparable across all principals within the 
     local educational agency in which the principal is 
     employed.''.
       (c) Additional State Plan Requirements.--Section 
     1111(b)(8)(C) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
     of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(8)(C)) is amended by inserting 
     ``or teachers who received a performance rating under the 
     evaluation system described in paragraph (11) that is below 
     the effective level'' after ``teachers''.
       (d) Evaluation Clearinghouse.--Section 1111(j) of the 
     Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     6311(j)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``Assistance.--The'' and inserting the 
     following: Assistance; Clearinghouse on Evaluation Systems--
       ``(1) Technical Assistance.-- The''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(2) Clearinghouse.--The Secretary shall establish a 
     clearinghouse in the Department to share the best practices 
     relating to teacher and principal evaluation, including best 
     practices and other information based on the reports 
     described in subsection (a)(3), the evaluation reviews 
     described in subsection (a)(11)(A)(v), and any other reports 
     addressing teacher and principal evaluation that are required 
     under this Act, with other educators.''.

     SEC. 4. PUBLIC REPORTING.

       Section 1111(h) of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
     Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1)(C)--
       (A) in clause (vii), by striking ``and'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (B) in clause (viii), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(ix) for each performance rating described in subsection 
     (a)(11)(A)(i), the number and percentage of teachers, and the 
     number and percentage of principals, who received such 
     performance rating, for--

       ``(I) the State overall;
       ``(II) the highest poverty and lowest poverty local 
     educational agencies; and
       ``(III) the highest minority and lowest minority local 
     educational agencies.'';

       (2) in paragraph (2)(B)--
       (A) in clause (i)--
       (i) in subclause (I), by striking ``and'' after the 
     semicolon; and
       (ii) by adding at the end the following:

       ``(III) for each performance rating described in subsection 
     (a)(11)(A)(i), the number and percentage of teachers, and the 
     number and percentage of principals, who received such 
     performance rating, for--

       ``(aa) the local educational agency overall;
       ``(bb) the highest poverty and lowest poverty schools; and
       ``(cc) the highest minority and lowest minority schools; 
     and''; and
       (B) in clause (ii)--
       (i) in subclause (I), by striking ``and'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (ii) in subclause (II), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (iii) by adding at the end the following:

       ``(III) for each performance rating described in subsection 
     (a)(11)(A)(i), the number and percentage of teachers at the 
     school that received such performance rating.'';

       (3) in paragraph (4)--
       (A) in subparagraph (F), by striking ``and'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (B) in subparagraph (G), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(H) the information required to be reported under 
     paragraphs (1)(C)(ix) and (2)(B)(i)(III).''; and
       (4) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(7) Definitions.--For purposes of this subsection:
       ``(A) Highest minority.--The term `highest minority' when 
     used in relation to a school or local educational agency 
     means a school or local educational agency that is in the 
     highest quartile of schools or local educational agencies 
     statewide in terms of the percentage of pupils who are 
     members of ethnic or racial minority groups.
       ``(B) Highest poverty.--The term `highest poverty' when 
     used in relation to a school or local educational agency 
     means a school or local educational agency that is in the 
     highest quartile of schools or local educational agencies 
     statewide in terms of the percentage of students who are 
     certified as eligible for free or reduced price lunch under 
     the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
     1751 et seq.).
       ``(C) Lowest minority.--The term `lowest minority' when 
     used in relation to a school or local educational agency 
     means a school or local educational agency that is in the 
     lowest quartile of schools or local educational agencies 
     statewide in terms of the percentage of pupils who are 
     members of ethnic or racial minority groups.
       ``(D) Lowest poverty.--The term `lowest poverty' when used 
     in relation to a school or local educational agency means a 
     school or local educational agency that is in the lowest 
     quartile of schools or local educational agencies statewide 
     in terms of the percentage of students who are certified as 
     eligible for free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. 
     Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.).
       ``(E) Student academic growth.--The term `student academic 
     growth' means the change in a student's achievement between 2 
     or more points in time, as measured through an approach that 
     is statistically rigorous and appropriate for the knowledge 
     and skills being measured.''.

     SEC. 5. RECOGNITION OF LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.

       The Secretary of Education shall, based on the information 
     received from each local educational agency report card under 
     section 1111(h)(2)(B)(i)(III) of the Elementary and Secondary 
     Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)(2)(B)(i)(III)), 
     recognize and provide commendations to each local educational 
     agency that implements or has implemented innovative, high-
     quality, and effective teacher or principal evaluation 
     programs that lead to professional development and improved 
     student performance.

     SEC. 6. REPORT.

       Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Secretary of Education shall prepare and submit a 
     report to Congress that--
       (1) identifies any unnecessary or duplicative education-
     related reporting requirements and regulations facing States 
     and local educational agencies as a result of the amendments 
     made by this Act to section 1111 of the Elementary and 
     Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311); and
       (2) includes the Secretary's recommendations regarding 
     streamlining or eliminating the requirements regarding highly 
     qualified teachers under sections 1119 and 9101(23) of the 
     Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     6319, 7801(23)) after the teacher evaluation system required 
     under section 1111 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 6311), as amended 
     by this Act, is fully implemented.
                                 ______