Congressional Record, Volume 160 Issue 116 (Wednesday, July 23, 2014)

[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 23, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H6686-H6695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

ADVANCING COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION DEMONSTRATION PROJECT ACT OF 2013

General Leave

Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to include extraneous material on H.R. 3136.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Holding). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Minnesota?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 677 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 3136.
The Chair appoints the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Amodei) to preside
over the Committee of the Whole.

{time} 1447

In the Committee of the Whole

Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 3136) to establish a demonstration program for competency-based
education, with Mr. Amodei in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the
first time.
The gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline) and the gentleman from
Colorado (Mr. Polis) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in strong support of the Advancing Competency-Based
Education Demonstration Project Act of 2013.
Mr. Chairman, this week, Congress is moving forward with a bipartisan
effort to strengthen our Nation's higher education system.
Across the country, millions of college students are getting ready to
start the school year. They will soon say good-bye to family and
friends and pursue their dream of a postsecondary education.
Unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, many Americans are struggling to turn that
dream into reality.
The higher education system we know today is too costly, too
bureaucratic, and outdated. Some are having a hard time fitting the
traditional college experience into a busy lifestyle that already
includes work, family, or both. Others are graduating with a pile of
debt and no job prospects.
A college degree can open the door to a bright and prosperous future,
yet too often, obstacles stand in the way. Ultimately, States and
institutions must provide the answers students and families need, but
Congress has a role to play as well.
First and foremost, we need to continue promoting policies that will
get this economy moving again, so every college graduate who wants a
job can find a job. We can also adopt commonsense reforms that will
improve our higher education system.
Today, the House will begin to do just that. We have an opportunity
right now--right now, Mr. Chairman--to advance reforms that will
support innovation and empower students to make informed decisions
about their college careers. H.R. 3136 is the first step in that
effort.
The bipartisan Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration
Project Act will allow institutions to expand an innovative approach to
higher education, known as competency-based education.
This model of education defines a set of skills for a field of work
and then measures student progress in acquiring those skills. Once a
student demonstrates a level of skill or competency, he or she can move
to the next step in the academic program.
Instead of awarding a student credit hours for time spent in class,
competency-based education allows a student to learn at a pace tailored
to his or her specific needs.
If you are a single mom, you may need more time to complete your
degree while juggling the demands of work and kids, or if you are a dad
out of a job with a family to support, 4 years sitting in a classroom
is time you do not have.
Competency-based education holds tremendous promise. It allows
students to earn a degree in less time and even at a lower cost than in
a traditional education setting, yet it is difficult for institutions
to expand this innovative model under a system that values time over
learning.
H.R. 3136 will help us move in a different direction. The legislation
directs the Secretary of Education to authorize a number of
demonstration projects to test and strengthen competency-based
education.
Among other provisions, the legislation requires the Secretary to
focus on programs that are designed to reduce costs in the time it
takes to earn a degree. The bill requires a thorough evaluation of each
demonstration project, so policymakers learn which programs demonstrate
success and what specific roadblocks are standing in the way.
Mr. Chairman, this is a good bill that will help make a difference in
the lives of students and families. I want to thank the bipartisan
authors of the legislation: Mr. Matt Salmon, Mr. Jared Polis, and Mrs.
Susan Brooks.
I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today to join my colleague in support of the Advancing
Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act of 2013, a bill
that I had the honor to coauthor with Representative Salmon. I greatly
appreciate his work, as well as the work of many others on this bill.
This bill will help unleash innovation that promises to improve the
quality of a college education and, just as importantly, if not more,
reduce the cost. It will allow innovative colleges and universities to
shorten the time it takes to earn a degree, reduce college costs
through self-paced programs based on learning rather than time spent in
the seat--and let's be honest, some of that time is often sleeping.
This innovation, which is called competency-based education, has a
lot of promise. There is a lot to learn along the way, pitfalls to
avoid. The benefits that we will learn over time promise to help allow
students to work at their own pace and progress by mastering the
knowledge of a course, which is essentially what the purpose of the
course should be.
By demonstrating mastery of the course, regardless of how long it
takes, we can, a, ensure employers that there is quality with regard to
the outcomes of that course; and, b, reduce costs by allowing a
student, if they are capable, to proceed faster.
This growing trend of innovation is very important because it
provides a way to increase innovation and decrease costs. Since the
last reauthorization in 2007, higher education has become more and more
expensive.
Mr. Chairman, the cost of attending a university has risen by almost
five times per student since 1983. At the same time that that cost has
risen and a higher education has become harder and harder for
American families to afford, the returns of a higher education have
also increased.

College graduates who are working full time earn almost $17,000 more
a year annually than their peers who only have a high school diploma.
While a 4-year university degree isn't always the best option for
everyone, some form of postsecondary education, whether it is a
community college or whether it is a certification program, has become
increasingly imperative to landing a good-paying job in the 21st
century workforce.
Competency-based education can increase access to higher education
for both nontraditional students, as well as college-age students--
oftentimes who have a job--a family, and other commitments.
The National Center for Education Statistics reports that of the
17\1/2\ million people enrolled in college, only 15 percent were
attending a 4-year college and living on campus.
So when we think about higher education and who is attending college,
only 15 percent of those are having the experience I had or perhaps
many of our colleagues had, where you go and you live in a dorm and you
attend college for 4 years. That is only 15 percent.
The other 85 percent are doing something else. It might mean taking
classes at night, it might mean online education, or it might mean
taking

[[Page H6687]]

courses over a longer period of time. That has been the innovative
center around cost reduction and improvements in quality.
H.R. 3136 will help align our higher education system with workforce
needs. By providing a framework for measuring and assessing
competencies, students are more likely to matriculate with the
knowledge they actually need to master to be able to hold a good job.
Likewise, businesses will know what to expect upon hiring these
students. That is why I am proud to say this legislation has garnered
the support of the Chamber of Commerce, which has applauded competency-
based education as an opportunity for employers to work with colleges
to help identify skills and competencies for specific courses and
programs.
This legislation, just as importantly, if not more, will help combat
the rising cost of college. In higher education today, there are very
few incentives for institutions to decrease costs.
To fully address this, we would need to do a reauthorization of the
Higher Education Act--that is not what we have before us today--but we
do have a constructive bill that will allow colleges and universities
to adopt new technology, remove some of those barriers to innovation
that exist today, and allow universities to look beyond delivering
traditional classroom instruction, as they did in the 18th, 19th, and
20th centuries, and look at what a classroom of the 21st century might
look like beyond the walls of the physical classroom.
Competency-based education is one of the first innovations in higher
education that is specifically designed to help decrease costs and make
college more affordable, while also improving quality in terms of what
the student has learned.
At its core, what we are talking about here today, competency-based
education, flips the traditional campus model on its head, so that
learning is the constant, and time and location are the variable and
are self-paced.
The result is actually a more uniform and measurable education,
ensuring that students actually learn what they are set out to learn
versus sitting in a seat for a period of time.
Because competencies are demonstrable skills, schools can potentially
form articulation agreements with one another even easier under this
bill and under the innovation pilot programs allowed under this bill,
saving students and taxpayers money and giving students and families
more options, geographically and within a city.
I am thrilled that the Department of Education has done what they
could to allow some programs to explore this model through their
Experimental Sites Initiative, but there are several advantages to
legislation.
First and foremost, we are able to expand the Experimental Sites
Initiative from four programs to 20 under this bill, and secondly, we
are giving congressional bipartisan approval to this concept, which is
far more enduring than the whim of a particular Secretary or a
particular administration.
I am proud to say that institutions in my home district, like
Colorado State University's Global Campus, are demonstrating that
online public universities with competency-based programs can lead the
way in attracting, educating, and graduating adult learners and other
contemporary students and, at the same time, benefit the physical
campus of the public university.
Colorado State University-Global Campus was created by the Colorado
State University System Board of Governors in 2007 as the very first
100 percent online State university in the United States.
A longtime leader in academic innovation, CSU-Global already offers
alternative credit options, including competency-based exams, which
meet or exceed the rigorous academic standards required of a State
university. These options help students to manage out-of-pocket
expenses and reduce the overall cost of their education, while also
rewarding them for their demonstration of knowledge.
However, CSU-Global and programs like it still need to adhere to the
overly rigid higher education structure, which inhibits innovation by
limiting schedules on which students can enroll and when students can
receive financial aid.

{time} 1500

In order to continue to be successful and innovate, programs like
CSU-Global need the flexibility that this bill enhances to meet their
students' needs.
As Congress considers the reauthorization of the Higher Education
Act, this project is more crucial than ever. That is why I was proud to
work with Representative Salmon on this legislation, which would permit
institutions chosen by the Secretary to waive certain regulations that
stand in the way of adopting competency-based models that reward both
students and universities based on what students learn rather than how
much time they sat in a seat, regardless of whether they are awake or
asleep.
I want to thank Ranking Member Miller and Chairman Kline for working
with my colleagues and I to craft this bipartisan bill that promises to
increase innovation, increase equality, and decrease costs in higher
education, and I strongly encourage my colleagues on both sides of the
aisle to join me in voting ``yes'' on H.R. 3136 to support competency-
based education and allow for laboratories of innovation across our
great country as we all seek to reduce the costs and improve the
quality of an increasingly important advanced education degree to help
middle class families achieve their dreams in our country.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Salmon), a key member of the committee and one of the
principal authors of this important legislation.
Mr. SALMON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 3136, the
Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project of 2014.
I want to thank Chairman Kline and Chairwoman Foxx for their support
and work on this legislation. I also want to thank Congressman Polis
and Congresswoman Brooks for working with me on this legislation.
College costs have risen dramatically over the last several years. To
be exact, they have risen 500 percent since 1985. The average national
tuition for this past school year was just over $30,000, which
represents 62 percent of the median annual income for my home State of
Arizona. Even so, a college degree is still viewed as essential for
success to many students and employers.
Throwing taxpayer dollars at the problem in the form of expanding
loan forgiveness does not get at the heart of the problem or the
solution of making college more affordable and is not a viable, long-
term solution. Federal regulations continue to greatly impede efforts
to reduce the cost of a degree. We need to implement policies that
allow institutions to be innovative and try developing new models of
education instead of continuing with the status quo.
H.R. 3136 will set up a pilot project to allow institutions to more
easily develop innovative models of delivering education to students. I
have been told before that all teachers don't teach the same and all
students don't learn the same. We need to recognize this. This
legislation is a step in allowing students to earn a college degree and
enter the job market sooner--far sooner, in many cases--based on their
knowledge and skill set rather than the amount of time that they spend
in the classroom.
All students can benefit from such a program. However, this may be
particularly beneficial to our Nation's veterans and nontraditional
students. Our veterans return from duty with particular skills, and we
should reward them for that by allowing them the ability to earn
credits based on those skills and the learning that they have already
received.
Similarly, nontraditional students often go back to school to finish
their degree to get a better job, and they should be allowed to use the
knowledge that they gain from their job to be able to advance their
education and their degree.
Additionally, my legislation will incentivize students to work hard
to accelerate their degree attainment, potentially cutting their
overall education costs and allowing them to begin their careers
sooner.
This bipartisan legislation, which passed out of committee by voice
vote, allows schools to explore more innovative ways to deliver
education, measure quality, and disburse financial aid

[[Page H6688]]

based on actual learning rather than seat time.
My bill will direct the Secretary of Education to implement a
demonstration project and to waive certain regulatory requirements that
impede such innovations that would decrease costs. The program would
allow colleges to provide academic credit to students who can prove
competencies through their prior work and life experiences and hard
work, rather than a specified amount of time in the classroom.
This is a good first step to try to find ways to make a college
education more affordable and more attainable for our Nation's
students. I strongly encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting
the Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project of 2014.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, it is my honor to yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), the
ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman
for yielding, and I thank him for all of his work on this legislation
and joining Mr. Salmon in an effort to bring this to the floor. I thank
both of them for reaching agreement on this. I also thank the chair of
the committee, Mrs. Brooks, and Mr. Tierney on our side, for this
opportunity to vote on this legislation.
We have made a promise to America's students. We have said that we
will make the cost of a college education affordable and accessible.
With that comes another promise--the promise that when a student
graduates with a college degree in hand, they will have the skills to
succeed in the workplace and in the economy.
But the traditional college degree has not changed since the 1800s,
as my colleagues have pointed out, despite dramatic changes for
businesses and the workforce. We all know that a good middle class job
requires some college education and training. And today, as most
workers move from job to job more frequently, they need to tap new
skills to keep up with the demands of emerging industries.
Despite the changing workforce needs, college credit is earned based
upon the hours spent sitting in the classroom, not on the knowledge or
the skills earned. Today, the Congress has an opportunity to vote for a
new competency-based education model so we can flip the old model on
its head.
This model is an opportunity for American students to access a high-
quality education in a new way. And through technology and the
Internet, this model becomes more user friendly and affordable for
families.
I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Tierney, for his dedication on this
issue. Mr. Tierney and I spent many hours with the leaders of this
movement to understand how the Federal Government can support these
innovative programs--and, in some cases, where we can just get out of
the way and let schools innovate.
In particular, I would like to thank the Lumina Foundation, New
America, Southern New Hampshire University, Capella University, Cal
State University, Open Learning Initiative, and San Jose State for
their expertise on these programs.

This demonstration program makes sense because we need to test these
innovations before we can make significant commitments of new Federal
investments.
Specifically, this bill gives colleges a chance to create competency-
based programs to help students succeed by measuring what they know and
not solely the number of hours that they spent in the classroom.
Under this legislation, students will still learn the basic academic
work, but this model allows them to become proficient at their own
pace, potentially shortening the time it takes to earn a degree.
For the returning veteran, this could mean her Army medic skills are
more easily transferred to an RN degree or some other medical degree.
For a self-taught computer programmer, this could mean a computer
science degree in a shorter timeframe and at less cost.
Combined with new technology, competency-based education is one of
the most promising new innovations to help make college more affordable
and more accessible. This is a very good step forward, and I urge the
support of this legislation.
I also urge Members to support H.R. 4984, Empowering Students Through
Enhanced Financial Counseling Act, a bill that would improve counseling
on financial aid and student loans so that students can make more
informed choices on how to finance their education.
While I support these bills, they are not enough for students already
facing a mountain of college debt. I am disappointed that we are not
voting today to help student loan borrowers save thousands of dollars
and better manage their debt burden through lower interest rates.
My colleague, Congressman Tierney, offered an amendment at the Rules
Committee to allow students to refinance student loans and to lock in
lower interest rates, just like millions of Americans have been able to
do with their mortgages or their car loans.
Unfortunately, the Republican leadership refused to make the Tierney
amendment in order, thus blocking a straight up-or-down vote on whether
or not to help millions of students and their families reduce their
debt.
In closing, I want to thank Chairman Kline and my Republican
colleagues for their cooperation and inclusiveness on all of the higher
education bills that we are considering this week. I urge my colleagues
to support this bill.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I will be the last speaker on our side, and
will close. I think the other side has completed their speakers as
well, so I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I would like to inquire how much time
remains on both sides.
The CHAIR. The gentleman from Colorado has 18 minutes remaining. The
gentleman from Minnesota has 23\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I am very excited that, at a time when there are great
divisions in this body on so many substantive issues that the American
people want us to address, be it immigration reform or addressing our
budget deficit, or be it within the realm of education, replacing No
Child Left Behind or ESEA with an education law that makes sense for
our country, or the Higher Education Act, at least we are able to come
together around innovation and removing barriers that currently exist
to innovations in higher education that promise to improve the quality
and help certify the quality of what students learn, and at the same
time reduce costs and allow students more options and choices with
regard to how they can pursue an advanced degree or particular content
knowledge that can help them achieve the job of their dreams.
While I am pleased that Secretary Duncan and the administration have
allowed some programs to explore this model through the Experimental
Sites Initiative, this bill is even more important today because we
will not only expand to 20 sites the number of sites that will be
allowed to experiment with regard to competency-based education, but
just as importantly, we will provide a more enduring, bipartisan
imprint on this important innovative policy.
We live in a very exciting time, Mr. Chairman, and technology
promises to help us reinvent both kindergarten through 12th-grade
education, as well as higher education, in ways that benefit American
families. But we must adopt our legal framework to ensure that that
happens.
Rather than continue to exclusively reward time that sits in seats
with a professor up front lecturing, we need to make sure we are
inclusive enough and allow innovation that allows students to proceed
at their own pace, in their homes, so long as they can demonstrate they
can master the knowledge that is the goal of the course.
Employers benefit, which is why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports
this bill, by knowing that students have achieved content area
knowledge of the course. Universities like Colorado State University in
Fort Collins benefit because through the auxiliary institution they are
able to offer even more varieties of courses to both their on-campus
students as well as the surrounding community.
Most importantly, students and families benefit by having more
choices and being able to afford a college education

[[Page H6689]]

at a time when it is increasingly important in the global economy.
Competency-based education can increase quality and decrease costs,
when done right. In allowing innovation and experimentation, we will
learn what doesn't work and we will learn what does work. There are
good ways to do it, and there are ways that fall short. But to be able
to get to that answer that to employers and universities and families
and our country offers so much promise, we need to allow this
innovation to occur and change the restrictive laws that currently lock
the bulk of funding into the seat time requirements of the Carnegie
units.
I want to thank Ranking Member Miller, Chairman Kline, Representative
Salmon, and others for working to craft this bipartisan bill that will
increase both access and innovation in higher education.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3136 to support
competency-based education and provide contemporary students with the
ability to attain a degree that is based on their knowledge and skills
instead of how long they are sitting in a seat.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Again, I want to thank the authors of this bill, with particular
emphasis on Mr. Salmon, Mr. Polis, and Mrs. Brooks. A lot of people
worked on this, though. My colleague, the ranking member of the full
committee, Mr. Miller, and I have talked about the advantages of moving
forward with innovation and new ideas, because that is what is
happening, Mr. Chairman.
Colleges and universities are changing--or trying to change--the
model, the model which, as Mr. Polis pointed out, is based on how much
time you sit in a seat, not what you have learned and not what
competency you have.

{time} 1515

It has been pointed out by a couple of speakers today that we are now
dealing with a different student body than we have in the past. These
are contemporary students. I guess that is our way of saying they are
not the traditional students of the high school seniors who graduate
and go off to 4 or 5 or 6 years of college. These are people, many
times, who have come back, looking for a second career, a second
chance, a new opportunity, and--yes, Mr. Chairman--looking for lower
costs. This bill addresses all of that in order to give more students,
more people, more families a chance--an opportunity--and a way to do it
at a lower cost.
I know my friend and colleague Mr. Polis has a couple of times
mentioned his concerns about sleep for students. That may have
something to do with a new baby in the family, but he makes a good
point that these are families and that they have children and that they
have jobs, and they need to be able to demonstrate that they have the
skills and the knowledge to go forward and get that degree or
certificate.
I am very, very pleased with this bill. I will emphasize that it is
not the complete reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. We need
to continue to move to get that done, but it is an important first
step, and I am pleased that this bill was the first step. It has strong
bipartisan support and strong recognition in the administration, in
Congress, and in colleges and universities that this is the direction
we need to go.
As the ranking member pointed out, the demonstration projects part of
this is important because, while we are thrilled with enthusiasm about
the potential here, we need these projects to demonstrate what works
well and what, perhaps, doesn't work as well as we had hoped.
So I am excited about this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to
support it. I would like to see a very big bipartisan vote for this
because I know that is where the thought is, and I am enthusiastic
about it.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 3136,
the ``Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act.''
I thank Chairman Sessions and Ranking Member Slaughter of the House
Rules Committee for their management of the debate on the rule for H.R.
3136.
I thank Congressmen Polis and Salmon for their bipartisan work to
draft this bill that the House is considering.
Chairman Kline and Congressman Polis, thank you for managing the
debate the debate on H.R. 3136.
I appreciate and thank the bipartisan effort led by Chairman Kline,
Ranking Member Miller, Ranking Member Foxx, and the sponsors of H.R.
3136.
My appreciation to the Education Committee staff who worked with my
staff on the Jackson Lee Amendment and for the Education Committee's
support of the Jackson Lee Amendment to H.R. 3136.
As founder and co-chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus I am
committed to seeing that every child and young person has the
opportunity to grow up in a stable and safe home.
The first step for a safe and healthy childhood is the stability of
the lives of adults in the lives of children.
I will speak more on the Jackson Lee Amendment when it is considered
by the full House later today. The Jackson Lee Amendment would direct
the Secretary of Education to conduct outreach to a number of
underrepresented institutions regarding the federal education pilot
grant program prior to the deadline for applications to be submitted
for consideration for grant funds under the pilot program.
This bill does not do everything that I would hope that a higher
education bill would do, but it is a step in the right direction. It
would create more opportunities for Americans to have access to more
high quality education; flexible higher education opportunities that
can meet their education needs--which can open up a world of
opportunities for older college students or those who struggle to
receive degrees while raising children and working full time jobs.
H.R. 3136, the Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration
Project Act will support federally funded pilot programs at secondary
schools for Competency-Based Education programs that work to create
certainty when a student progresses through a program that they are
ready for the next step in their education.
We know that not everyone learns in the same way or at the same pace,
but it is important that learning occurs. Adults have added pressures
when they want to pursue education to compete for better paying jobs.
These programs may offer options that are not based on the
traditional semester approach to classroom work, but on the steps that
must be completed to move from one level of a training or education
program to another.
Competence in any subject should be the foundation of education of
students. If a student is returning to the classroom after years of
work experience, this approach would best prepare them for being job
ready upon graduation.
Competence-Based Education plans will aid students to master the
lessons learned and enhance the student's educational experience, which
will result in the maximum benefit to the student.
The challenge for the United States in the coming years is the STEM
challenge--we have far more jobs in the fields of science, technology,
engineering and mathematics available than people who are trained or
educated to fill them.
The future of the economy is in Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math careers.
The growth in STEM jobs is 3 times faster than job growth in non-STEM
jobs.
Minority college students who major in STEM higher education make 25%
more than minority graduates with non-STEM educations.
Minority students who take STEM jobs make 50% more than minority non-
STEM graduates.
Women pursuing STEM higher education drop out of programs with higher
grades than males who remain and graduate.
More than two-thirds of all STEM positions are filled by someone with
a STEM degree.
Because of the current shortage of STEM workers for STEM positions
and the projected need for STEM trained employees, the Federal
government is in a race to attract and retain STEM employees.
According to Booze Hamilton's The Biggest Bang Theory, nearly a 25%
of federal government employees are people who work STEM positions.
Stem workers earn 26% more than non-STEM graduates.
By 2018 we will need: 710,000 Computing workers, 160,000 Engineers,
70,000 Physical Scientists, 40,000 Life Science workers, and 20,000
Mathematics workers.
Mr. Chair, I ask that my colleagues vote in support of H.R. 3136.
The CHAIR. All time for general debate has expired.
Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment
under the 5-minute rule.
In lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by

[[Page H6690]]

the Committee on Education and the Workforce, printed in the bill, it
shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of
amendment under the 5-minute rule an amendment in the nature of a
substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 113-52. That
amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read.
The text of the amendment in the nature of a substitute is as
follows:

H.R. 3136

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 ``Advancing Competency-Based
Education Demonstration Project Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.

(a) Projects.--Part G of title IV of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1088 et seq.) is amended by inserting
after section 486A the following:

``SEC. 486B. COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION DEMONSTRATION
PROJECTS.

``(a) Demonstration Projects Authorized.--The Secretary
shall select, in accordance with subsection (c), eligible
entities to voluntarily carry out competency-based education
demonstration projects and receive waivers described in
subsection (d) to carry out such projects.
``(b) Application.--
``(1) In general.--Each eligible entity desiring to carry
out a demonstration project under this section shall submit
an application to the Secretary, at such time and in such
manner as the Secretary may require.
``(2) Amendments.--An eligible entity may submit to the
Secretary amendments to the eligible entity's application
under paragraph (1), at such time and in such manner as the
Secretary may require, which the Secretary shall approve or
deny within 15 days of receipt.
``(3) Contents.--Each application shall include--
``(A) a description of the competency-based education to be
offered by the eligible entity under the demonstration
project;
``(B) a description of the proposed academic delivery,
business, and financial models for the demonstration project,
including explanations of how competency-based education
offered under the demonstration project would--
``(i) result in the achievement of competencies;
``(ii) differ from standard credit hour approaches, in
whole or in part; and
``(iii) result in lower costs or shortened time to degree,
certificate, or credential completion;
``(C) a description of how the competency-based education
offered under the demonstration project will progress a
student toward completion of a degree, certificate, or
credential;
``(D) a description of how the eligible entity will
articulate the transcript from the competency-based education
demonstration project to another program within an
institution of higher education that is part of the eligible
entity or to another institution of higher education;
``(E) a description of the statutory and regulatory
requirements described in subsection (d) for which the
eligible entity is seeking a waiver, and why such waiver is
necessary to carry out the demonstration project;
``(F) a description of how the eligible entity will develop
and evaluate the competencies and assessments of student
knowledge (which may include prior-learning assessments)
administered as part of the demonstration project, including
how such competencies and assessments are aligned with
workforce needs;
``(G) a description of the proposal for determining a
student's Federal student aid eligibility under this title
for participating in the demonstration project, the award and
distribution of such aid, and safeguards to ensure that
students are making satisfactory progress that warrants
disbursement of such aid;
``(H) a description of the students to whom competency-
based education will be offered, including an assurance that
the demonstration project will enroll a minimum of 50 and a
maximum of 3,000 students;
``(I) an assurance that students participating in the
demonstration project will not be eligible for more Federal
assistance under this title than such students would have
been eligible for under a traditional program; and
``(J) an assurance the eligible entity will identify and
disseminate best practices with respect to the demonstration
project to other eligible entities carrying out a
demonstration project under this section.
``(c) Selection.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 6 months after the date
of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall select not
more than 20 eligible entities to carry out a competency-
based education demonstration project under this section.
``(2) Considerations.--In selecting eligible entities under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall--
``(A) prioritize projects which show promise in reducing
the time or cost required to complete a degree, certificate,
or credential;
``(B) consider the number and quality of applications
received;
``(C) consider an eligible entity's--
``(i) ability to successfully execute the demonstration
project as described in the eligible entity's application
under subsection (b);
``(ii) commitment and ability to effectively finance the
demonstration project;
``(iii) ability to provide administrative capability and
the expertise to evaluate student progress based on measures
other than credit hours or clock hours; and
``(iv) commitment to work with the Secretary to evaluate
the demonstration project and the impact of the demonstration
project;
``(D) ensure the selection of a diverse group of eligible
entities with respect to size, mission, and geographic
distribution of the eligible entities;
``(E) not limit the types of programs of study or courses
of study approved for participation in a demonstration
project; and
``(F) not select an eligible entity that has had, for 1 of
the preceding 2 fiscal years--
``(i) a cohort default rate (defined in section 435(m))
that is 30 percent or greater; and
``(ii) a borrowing rate of loans under this title of more
than 50 percent of the students enrolled at institutions of
higher education of the eligible entity.
``(d) Waivers.--The Secretary may waive for any eligible
entity selected to carry out a demonstration project under
this section any requirements of the following provisions of
law (including any regulations promulgated under such
provisions) or regulations and for which the eligible entity
has provided a reason for waiving under subsection (b)(3)(E):
``(1) Subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 102(a)(3).
``(2) Subsections (a) and (b) of section 481, as such
subsections relate to requirements for a minimum number of
weeks of instruction.
``(3) Section 484(l)(1).
``(4) Section 668.32(a)(1)(iii) of title 34, Code of
Federal Regulations.
``(5) Any of the requirements under provisions in title I,
part F of this title, or this part, that inhibit the
operation of competency-based education, including
requirements with respect to--
``(A) documenting attendance;
``(B) weekly academic activity;
``(C) minimum weeks of instructional time;
``(D) requirements for credit hour or clock hour
equivalencies;
``(E) requirements for substantive interaction with
faculty; and
``(F) definitions of the terms `academic year', `full-time
student', `term' (including `standard term', `non-term', and
`non-standard term'), `satisfactory academic progress',
`educational activity', `project of study', and `payment
period'.
``(e) Notification.--Not later than 6 months after the date
of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall make
available to the authorizing committees and the public a list
of eligible entities selected to carry out a demonstration
project under this section, which shall include for each such
eligible entity--
``(1) the specific statutory and regulatory requirements
being waived under subsection (d); and
``(2) a description of the competency-based education
programs of study or courses of study to be offered under the
project.
``(f) Information and Evaluation.--
``(1) Information.--
``(A) In general.--Each eligible entity that carries out a
demonstration project under this section shall provide to the
Director of the Institution of Education Sciences with
respect to the students participating in the competency-based
education project carried out by the eligible entity the
following information:
``(i) The average number of credit hours the students
earned prior to enrollment in the demonstration project, if
applicable.
``(ii) The number and percentage of students participating
in the demonstration project that are also enrolled in
programs of study or courses of study offered in credit hours
or clock hours, disaggregated by student status as a first-
year, second-year, third-year, fourth-year, or other student.
``(iii) The average period of time between the enrollment
of a student in the demonstration project and the first
assessment of student knowledge of such student.
``(iv) The average time to 25 percent, 50 percent, 75
percent, and 100 percent of the completion of a degree,
certificate, or credential by a student who participated in
the demonstration project.
``(v) The percentage of assessments of student knowledge
that students passed on the first attempt, during the period
of the participation in the demonstration project by the
students.
``(vi) The percentage of assessments of student knowledge
that students passed on the second attempt and the average
period of time between the first and second attempts by
students, during the period of the participation in the
demonstration project by the students.
``(vii) The average number of competencies a student
acquired while participating in the demonstration project and
the period of time during which the student acquired such
competencies.
``(viii) Such other information as the Director may
reasonably require.
``(B) Disaggregation.--Each eligible entity shall provide
the information required under subparagraph (A) disaggregated
by age, race, gender, disability status, and status as a
recipient of a Federal Pell Grant, provided that the
disaggregation of the information does not identify any
individual student participating in the demonstration
project.
``(2) Evaluation.--The Director of the Institute of
Education Sciences, in consultation with the Secretary, shall
annually evaluate each demonstration project under this
section. Each evaluation shall include--
``(A) the extent to which the eligible entity has met the
goals set forth in its application to the Secretary;
``(B) the number and types of students participating in the
competency-based education offered under the project,
including the progress of participating students toward
completion of a degree, certificate, or credential, and the
extent to which participation and retention in such project
increased;
``(C) whether the project led to reduced cost or time to
completion of a degree, certificate, or

[[Page H6691]]

credential, and the amount of cost or time reduced for such
completion;
``(D) obstacles related to student financial assistance for
competency-based education;
``(E) the extent to which statutory or regulatory
requirements not waived under subsection (d) present
difficulties for students or institutions of higher
education;
``(F) degree, certificate, or credential completion rates;
``(G) retention rates;
``(H) total cost and net cost to the student of the
competency-based education offered under the project;
``(I) a description of the assessments of student knowledge
and the corresponding competencies; and
``(J) outcomes of the assessments of student knowledge.
``(3) Annual report.--The Director of the Institute of
Education Sciences shall annually provide to the authorizing
committees a report on--
``(A) the evaluations of the demonstration projects
required under paragraph (2);
``(B) the number and types of students receiving assistance
under this title for competency-based education under such
projects;
``(C) the retention and completion rates of students
participating in such projects;
``(D) any proposed statutory or regulatory changes designed
to support and enhance the expansion of competency-based
education, which may be independent of or combined with
traditional credit hour or clock hour projects;
``(E) the most effective means of delivering competency-
based education through demonstration projects; and
``(F) the appropriate level and distribution methodology of
Federal assistance under this title for students enrolled in
competency-based education.
``(g) Oversight.--In carrying out this section, the
Secretary shall, on a continuing basis--
``(1) assure compliance of eligible entities with the
requirements of this title (other than the provisions of law
and regulations that are waived under subsection (d));
``(2) provide technical assistance;
``(3) monitor fluctuations in the student population
enrolled in the eligible entities carrying out the
demonstration projects under this section; and
``(4) consult with appropriate accrediting agencies or
associations and appropriate State regulatory authorities for
additional ways of improving the delivery of competency-based
education.
``(h) Definitions.--For the purpose of this section:
``(1) Competency-based education.--The term `competency-
based education' means an educational process or program that
measures knowledge, skills, and experience through
assessments of such knowledge, skills, or experience in place
of or in addition to the use of credit hours or clock hours.
``(2) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
``(A) an institution of higher education;
``(B) a system of institutions of higher education; or
``(C) a consortium of institutions of higher education.
``(3) Institution of higher education.--The term
`institution of higher education' has the meaning given the
term in section 102, except that such term does not include
institutions described in section 102(a)(1)(C).''.
(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act or the
amendments made by this Act shall be construed to alter the
authority of the Secretary of Education to establish
experimental sites under any other provision of law.
(c) Funding.--
(1) Use of existing funds.--Of the amount authorized to be
appropriated for salaries and expenses of the Department of
Education, $1,000,000 shall be available to carry out this
Act and the amendments made by this Act.
(2) No additional funds authorized.--No funds are
authorized to be appropriated by this Act to carry out this
Act or the amendments made by this Act.

The CHAIR. No amendment to the amendment in the nature of a
substitute shall be in order except those printed in part A of House
Report 113-546. Each such amendment shall be considered only in the
order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated
in the report, shall be considered read, shall be debatable for the
time specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the
proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall
not be subject to a demand for division of the question.

Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Kline

The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 1 printed in
part A of House Report 113-546.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Page 2, line 6, insert ``that has been selected to carry
out a demonstration project under this section'' after
``eligible entity''.
Page 2, line 8, insert ``approved'' before ``application''.
Page 8, line 15, strike ``Institution'' and insert
``Institute''.
Page 13, line 12, strike ``and'' at the end.
Page 13, line 16, strike the period at the end and insert
``; and''.
Page 13, after line 16, insert the following:
``(5) collect and disseminate to eligible entities carrying
out a demonstration project under this section, best
practices with respect to demonstration projects under this
section.''.

The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 677, the gentleman from
Minnesota (Mr. Kline) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I offer this amendment in close cooperation with my colleague, the
ranking member, Mr. Miller.
This manager's amendment clarifies that eligible entities that have
been selected to carry out demonstration projects may submit amendments
to their approved applications. It requires the Secretary of Education
to collect and disseminate demonstration project best practices to
eligible entities carrying out such projects, and it makes technical
corrections.
Mr. Chairman, this is a very straightforward amendment, and we offer
it together to improve this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the
amendment, but I do not oppose the amendment.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Colorado is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, this manager's amendment would bolster the
Department of Education's ability to help identify and share best
practices from experimentation at demonstration project sites.
Really, through this careful review and analysis, lawmakers can be
sure that competency-based education is working and can identify any
future policy issues that would need to come back to us or others at
the State level.
I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment so we can
move one step closer to making colleges more affordable and accessible.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. I thank my colleague for his comments.
Mr. Chairman, I urge support of this amendment, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Minnesota (Mr. Kline).
The amendment was agreed to.
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 2 printed in
part A of House Report 113-546.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to consider the
Walberg amendment next, out of order, and then to return to the
original order as a courtesy to a Member.
The CHAIR. A change in the order of the amendments would have to be
accomplished in the House and not in the Committee of the Whole. The
gentleman's request cannot be entertained.

Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Polis

The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 2 printed in
part A of House Report 113-546.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of the gentlewoman from
Texas, I have an amendment at the desk, the Jackson Lee amendment.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Page 2, after line 5, insert the following:
``(2) Outreach.--The Secretary shall, prior to any deadline
to submit applications under paragraph (1), conduct outreach
to historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-
serving institutions, Native American-serving, nontribal
institutions, institutions serving students with special
needs, and institutions located in rural areas to provide
those institutions with information on the opportunity to
apply to carry out a demonstration project under this
section.
Page 2, line 6, strike ``(2)'' and insert ``(3)''.
Page 2, line 12, strike ``(3)'' and insert ``(4)''.

The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 677, the gentleman from
Colorado (Mr. Polis) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I am proud to support this amendment that
Ms. Jackson Lee thoughtfully put together.
This amendment would ensure that the Department of Education is
reaching out to colleges and systems that

[[Page H6692]]

educate minority, low-income, or students with special needs.
Some of those who stand to benefit the most under this innovation are
first-generation college goers for whom cost is a major barrier to
success. Minority-serving institutions are a critical thread in the
fabric of America, and they should be included when experimenting with
promising new education models.
Competency-based education programs are self-paced, helping ensure
that students can work while they are in school, helping students who
need a little more time to catch up or to learn concepts succeed and
achieve at the highest levels.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I
don't intend to oppose it.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Minnesota is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. KLINE. I see that the author has arrived.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. POLIS. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this
amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentlewoman
from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Texas will control
the balance of the time of the gentleman from Colorado.
There was no objection.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, may I determine what time is left,
please.
The CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Texas has 4\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. First of all, let me thank the managers of this
legislation, who have really brought together an important concept, and
I just want to call the name of the bill: the Advancing Competency-
Based Education Demonstration Project.
Mr. Chairman, first of all, I am a big supporter of pilots because
pilots provide information, and information generates a concrete
program.
Mr. Polis, thank you so very much for bringing up my amendment, and
thank you both, the chairman and the ranking member, for supporting
this amendment.
Let me be very keen on what it is both to Chairman Kline and to Mr.
Polis. This is to take what you have and to add to it or, I might say,
to make it better. The reason is that information is a gift. If you
have information, you can do a lot of things.
Mr. Chairman, I work with a lot of Historically Black Colleges, so
the Jackson Lee amendment would direct the Secretary of Education,
prior to any deadlines for colleges or universities to submit
applications for the consideration in the pilot program, to conduct
outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-
serving institutions, Native American-serving, nontribal institutions,
institutions serving students with special needs, and institutions
located in rural areas to provide information to them on the
opportunity to apply to carry out a pilot demonstration project under
this bill.
It is a whole gamut of individuals and colleges that this bill is
directed to engage. Yes, there is general information, but I will tell
you, when information is targeted, there are great successes that
occur.
In my State alone, Texas ranks 43 out of 50 in State rankings with a
61.3 percent high school graduation rate. This statistic alone shows
the need for dramatic improvements in our own system. However, there
are great institutions that serve Native Americans, Hispanic-serving
and African American, such as Texas Southern University and A&M. This
outreach to them would provide these educators with working class
residents the opportunity to get the right kind of information in order
to develop competency-based education.
Texas Southern University has a technology program that trains young
people for the new industries of today. They have a School of Public
Affairs named after Barbara Jordan and Mickey Leland, our colleagues
here in the United States Congress. They have a transportation
department, which is very much geared toward the new opportunities for
transportation. Then, of course, they are into science, as I indicated,
as well as technology and math.
We have sent out these brilliant graduates, and this pilot program in
helping their faculty and helping the university would be a great
start. My amendment is to give them the knowledge to be part of the
solution.
Mr. Chairman, my amendment is information to be part of the solving
of the problems. I want more students to graduate from high school, and
I want them to have opportunities broad based.
Let me close on this note.
Many people ask about the value of Historically Black Colleges,
Hispanic-serving, Native American institutions. Do you know what, Mr.
Chairman? There are enough students who are not in college today who
will fill all of the universities. All of these universities have a
rightful place, and the history of Historically Black Colleges in their
traveling through the years of postslavery is a great opportunity to
continue to serve. Now, with Native American-serving institutions and
Hispanic-serving institutions, I am delighted that this amendment is
put before this body.
I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment, which will
create more opportunity and more outreach.
With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Chair, I am pleased to offer the Jackson Lee Amendment that adds
critical language to this bill.
I would like to thank Chairman Kline and Congressman Polis for their
work in managing the debate on the rule for H.R. 3136.
I thank my colleague Congressman Polis for his authorship of the bill
and his leadership in working in a bipartisan way with the Education
Committee to provide on this legislation that would address the
education needs of non-tradition College and university students.
I appreciate and thank the bipartisan work the Education Committee
staff who worked with my staff on the Jackson Lee Amendment, and for
the Education Committee's support of the Jackson Lee Amendment.
The Jackson Lee amendment is simple, and would further the goals of
the bill.
The Jackson Lee Amendment would direct the Secretary of Education
prior to any deadlines for colleges or universities to submit
applications for consideration in the pilot program to conduct outreach
to historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving
institutions, Native American-serving, non-tribal institutions,
institutions serving students with special needs, and institutions
located in rural areas to provide information to them on the
opportunity to apply to carry out a pilot demonstration project under
this bill.
Texas ranks 43rd out of the 50 in state rankings with a 61.3 percent
high school graduation rate. This statistic alone shows the need for
dramatic improvements to Texas' education system.
There will be adults who will benefit from the programs supported by
this bill by creating education options that consider that some adults
who may want to pursue a degree may need to first receive a GED.
The Texas Southern University located in my Congressional District
will benefit from the outreach in making timely information available
to the institution regarding the competency-based education
demonstration projects Pilot program created by the bill.
TSU is uniquely situated in the heart of a community that it has
served the education needs of for decades.
Institutions like TSU provide great educations to working class
residents of Houston that is affordable, which means they often do not
have Washington, DC based offices and may not receive notice of this
opportunity unless efforts are made to conduct outreach to them.
Because of TSU's size it is within their scope and experience to
develop a competency-based education pilot program that breaks the
learning process down into stages that will attract students who may be
unemployed, underemployed or considering a career change from the
surrounding residential community where the TSU is located.
The institutions that may benefit from the inclusion of the Jackson
Lee Amendment could reach students who are late in life--but still
dream of earning a degree, but think that it is far out of reach.
Education programs that support training in a trade would be
strengthened through this bill by ensuring that students are job ready
upon completion of a certification or education program.
Mr. Chair, I ask that my colleagues support the Jackson Lee Amendment
the H.R. 3136, the Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration
Project Act.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

[[Page H6693]]

The gentlewoman's amendment will help advance this goal by ensuring
that a number of diverse institutions are aware of the opportunity to
carry out an innovative, competency-based demonstration project.
I thank the gentlewoman for offering the amendment, and I urge my
colleagues to support it and the underlying bill.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Colorado (Mr. Polis).
The amendment was agreed to.

{time} 1530

Amendment No. 3 Offered by Mr. Walberg

The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 3 printed in
part A of House Report 113-546.
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Page 2, line 6, strike ``An eligible'' and insert the
following:
``(A) In general.--An eligible''.
Page 2, after line 11, insert the following:
``(B) Expanding enrollment.--Notwithstanding the assurance
required with respect to maximum enrollment under paragraph
(3)(H)--
``(i) an eligible entity whose demonstration project has
been evaluated under subsection (f)(2) not less than twice
may submit to the Secretary an amendment to the eligible
entity's application under paragraph (1) to increase
enrollment in the project to more than 3,000 students, but
not more than 5,000 students, and which shall specify--

``(I) the proposed maximum enrollment or annual enrollment
growth for the project;
``(II) how the eligible entity will successfully carry out
the project with such maximum enrollment or enrollment
growth; and
``(III) any other amendments to the eligible entity's
application under paragraph (1) that are related to such
maximum enrollment or enrollment growth; and

``(ii) the Secretary shall determine whether to approve or
deny an amendment submitted under clause (i) for a
demonstration project based on the project's evaluations
under subsection (f)(2).''.

The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 677, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Walberg) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Chairman, with the dramatic rise in the cost of
obtaining a college degree which we have witnessed over the last
decade, it has become even more important to focus on ways to remove
Federal roadblocks which prevent efforts to make higher education less
costly.
H.R. 3136, the Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration
Project Act, represents one of the innovative steps promoted by the
House Education and the Workforce Committee to ensure we actually
measure what students are learning, not just the time they have spent
sitting in a class.
My amendment builds on this approach and will allow participating
entities in the demonstration projects to expand an approved project to
a maximum of 5,000 students.
To ensure accountability and program quality, any entity wishing to
expand a project must provide the Secretary a new proposed maximum
number of students, a description of how the project will successfully
carry out the expanded enrollment, and a description of any other
amendments to the initial application related to the new enrollment
number.
The small-scale expansion allowed by my amendment will help
institutions develop techniques for increasing their competency-based
education projects so more students can realize the benefits of a self-
paced, lower-cost degree.
This approach will also help inform policymakers and the public of
what projects are doing the best job at advancing this innovative
education delivery model.
I want to thank Representative Salmon and Chairman Kline for their
leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support my
amendment and the underlying bill.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to the amendment,
but I don't oppose the amendment.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Colorado is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, the Walberg amendment would allow
institutions that have shown success with their demonstration projects
to increase the number of students that can participate in their
programs, helping to scale and allow more students to benefit.
By increasing the number of students in successful programs, we can
better get a sense of how successful programs can be brought to scale.
Institutions should be rewarded with the ability to run a more robust
demonstration project if their programs are reducing costs, improving
quality, shortening time to degree. We should make sure that they are
allowed to expand and remove any barriers to that.
Therefore, I am proud to join my colleague in support of the Walberg
amendment. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' so that
institutions will be able to run more robust and scalable demonstration
projects.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).
The amendment was agreed to.

Amendment No. 4 Offered by Mr. Polis

The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 4 printed in
part A of House Report 113-546.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of Mr. McNerney, I have an
amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Page 4, line 17, strike ``and''.
Page 4, line 22, strike the period and insert ``; and''.
Page 4, after line 22, insert the following
``(K) A description of the population of students served by
the eligible entity that are veterans or members of the Armed
Forces and how such eligible entity will, when appropriate,
incorporate the specific needs of such population when
carrying out the demonstration project.

The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 677, the gentleman from
Colorado (Mr. Polis) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the McNerney
amendment. This amendment will require participating institutions to
show how they are addressing the needs of veterans and members of the
Armed Forces in their demonstration project.
Americans with military experience, both present or in their past,
stand to benefit tremendously from competency-based education because
they leave the military with a wide range of practicable, demonstrable,
and marketable skills.
I have talked to so many veterans in my district who felt that they
received excellent education within the military around a particular
task, but get no credit for that with regard to the demonstrable skills
that they have achieved. This amendment will help that occur.
Ensuring that institutions report more on how veterans and members of
the Armed Forces are performing in demonstration projects will help
highlight those who have served our country to the Department of
Education so we can better identify best practices and expand best
practices to those who have served.
I strongly urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment, and
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to the amendment,
though I do not intend to oppose the amendment.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Minnesota is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I am excited about this amendment. There has
been much discussion about things that we can do to help our American
heroes, to help those veterans who have served and/or are serving. Many
of these veterans and servicemembers are seeking higher educational
opportunities, and many of them, while they have limited time due to
work and family, they have skills. They have education. They have
competency. So this competency-based education is almost tailor-made
for them.
I want to urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the
underlying bill to help not only these American heroes, but students
across the country.

[[Page H6694]]

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to my
colleague from California (Mr. McNerney).
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Kline and
Ranking Member Miller, as well as the bill's author, Representative
Salmon, for their joint efforts and leadership on this bipartisan piece
of legislation, H.R. 3136.
Millions of American families share a common goal of sending their
children to college. However, the cost of a college education continues
to escalate, making it prohibitive for too many middle class families.
Promoting innovative ideas that provide institutions the flexibility
will be essential in an evolving education system and learning
environment. H.R. 3136 is a step in the right direction.
The bill seeks to change the ways that institutions have historically
used credit hours to measure student progress and the awarding of
financial aid, among other things.
The bill incorporates new innovative practices in higher education by
allowing students to advance academically by demonstrating competence
in a subject rather than by spending a set amount of time in a
classroom.
While H.R. 3136 specifies a range of criteria that applications must
fulfill to run a competency-based project, it is important that
military and veteran populations are also taken into consideration.
That is why I am offering an amendment that requires an applicant,
under this program, to provide information on the number of veterans
and military students it has, and to include how it incorporates those
particular student needs into its demonstration project.
Servicemembers and veterans often require flexibility in the pursuit
of their education goals. We owe it to these brave young men and women,
upon their returning from service, to help them pursue higher education
as seamlessly as possible.
I believe that my amendment will help keep track of these progresses
that a veteran and the military student populations are making in any
new competency-based program, and to hold these programs accountable
for the progress of veterans.
Mr. Chairman, I urge the adoption of this amendment.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, we have no additional speakers on this side.
I reserve the right to close.

Parliamentary Inquiry

Mr. KLINE. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Chairman.
The CHAIR. The gentleman will state his parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I am a little confused about who has the
right to close.
The CHAIR. Where there is no qualifying opponent, the gentleman from
Colorado has the right to close on his amendment.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I urge support of this amendment, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I join my colleague, the chair of the
committee, and others in encouraging my colleagues to support the
McNerney and Polis amendment, so that veterans and members of the Armed
Forces today can be better served by these demonstration projects and
stand to benefit from the education they receive within the military
itself.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Colorado (Mr. Polis).
The amendment was agreed to.

Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Byrne

The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 5 printed in
part A of House Report 113-546.
Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Page 5, line 1, strike ``20'' and insert ``30''.

The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 677, the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Byrne) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama.
Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Chairman, this is a simple, technical amendment that
seeks to increase the maximum number of eligible entities authorized to
participate in the competency-based demonstration project established
by H.R. 3136 from 20 to 30.
As a former member of the Alabama State Board of Education and
chancellor of Alabama's 2-year college system, I commend my colleague
and fellow member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, Mr.
Salmon of Arizona, for introducing this innovative legislation.
In today's world, we cannot continue to regard higher education as a
one-size-fits-all process. As our economy continues to recover, higher
education institutions continue to see a large influx of students who
are seeking to further their education after years in the workforce.
At the same time, our K-12 school systems are becoming more
innovative, incorporating cutting-edge technologies and allowing for
dual-enrollment and workforce training opportunities prior to
graduation.
For these reasons, many students are arriving at higher education
institutions with a variety of different skills in place but must still
complete a prerequisite amount of courses before earning a degree,
regardless of their competency in certain areas of study.
Unfortunately, the cost of higher education continues to rise, as
does student loan debt. The competency-based demonstration project
authorized by H.R. 3136 will allow students to gear their financial aid
towards actual learning opportunities, versus simply checking off
courses that may not be applicable to their needs, and logging seat
time.
My basic amendment would simply allow for a more full-bodied and
diverse sample of participating institutions to ensure that this
demonstration project creates a truly representative sample of higher
education opportunities.
This increase should improve the ability to analyze how such an
approach could affect flexibility for institutions, while providing a
more personalized, cost-effective education for a variety of different
students.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense
amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I claim time in opposition to the amendment,
but I do not oppose this amendment.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Colorado is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Byrne's amendment would increase the
number of institutions or consortiums allowed to participate in the
demonstration project. Including more high-quality institutions in the
demonstration project will yield more information and more innovation
on the benefits and risks of competency-based education.
Including more institutions will accelerate the amount of
experimentation and, therefore, the amount of learning that we as
policymakers have, and also help increase the likelihood of identifying
successful best practices to reduce college costs more quickly.
I strongly urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment so
that more institutions can experiment with innovative, new, cost-
effective education models.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman's comments. At
this time, with America, we have so many opportunities before us, but
we have to make sure that the people in our society, and the people
that are coming through some difficult circumstances, have
opportunities that didn't exist before.
These sorts of innovations provide opportunities for them and for
institutions of higher education to figure out where we need to go in
the future so that we deliver the product of higher education in the
way it needs to be delivered and received by those that can benefit the
most.

{time} 1545

So I appreciate the gentleman's comments. I urge my colleagues to
vote for this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Alabama (Mr. Byrne).

[[Page H6695]]

The amendment was agreed to.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.
The motion was agreed to.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr.
Thompson of Pennsylvania) having assumed the chair, Mr. Amodei, Chair
of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported
that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R.
3136) to establish a demonstration program for competency-based
education, had come to no resolution thereon.

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