S 853 IS

To assist local educational agencies to help all students achieve State achievement standards, to end the practice of social promotion, and for other purposes.

April 21, 1999

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

To assist local educational agencies to help all students achieve State achievement standards, to end the practice of social promotion, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Student Achievement Act of 1999'.

SEC. 2. REMEDIAL EDUCATION.

(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED- The Secretary is authorized to award grants to high need, low-performing local educational agencies to enable the local educational agencies to carry out remedial education programs that enable kindergarten through grade 12 students who are failing or are at risk of failing to meet State achievement standards in the core academic curriculum.

(b) USE OF FUNDS- Grant funds awarded under this section may be used to provide prevention and intervention services and academic instruction, that enable the students described in subsection (a) to meet State achievement standards in the core academic curriculum, such as--

(1) implementing early intervention strategies that identify and support those students who need additional help or alternative instructional strategies;

(2) strengthening instruction and learning by hiring certified teachers to reduce class sizes, providing high quality professional development, and using proven instructional practices and curriculum aligned to State achievement standards;

(3) providing extended learning time, such as before school, after school, and summer school; and

(4) developing intensive instructional intervention strategies for students who fail to meet the State achievement standards.

(c) APPLICATIONS- Each local educational agency desiring to receive a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary. Each application shall contain--

(1) an assurance that the grant funds will be used in accordance with subsection (b); and

(2) a detailed description of how the local educational agency will use the grant funds to help students meet State achievement standards in the core academic curriculum by providing prevention and intervention services and academic instruction to students who are most at risk of failing to meet the State achievement standards.

(d) CONDITIONS FOR RECEIVING FUNDS- A local educational agency shall be eligible to receive a grant under this section if the local educational agency or the State educational agency--

(1) adopts a policy prohibiting the practice of social promotion;

(2) adopts a policy requiring that all kindergarten through grade 12 students be subject to State achievement standards in the core academic curriculum at key transition points (to be determined by the State), such as 4th, 8th, and 12th grades, before promotion to the next grade level;

(3) uses tests and other indicators, such as grades and teacher evaluations, to assess student performance in meeting the State achievement standards at key transition points (to be determined by the State), which tests shall be valid for the purpose of such assessment;

(4) provides remedial education to all students not meeting the State achievement standards; and

(5) has substantial numbers of students who are low-performing students.

(e) DEFINITIONS- In this section:

(1) CORE ACADEMIC CURRICULUM- The term `core academic curriculum' means curriculum in subjects such as reading and writing, language arts, mathematics, social sciences (including history), and science.

(2) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY- The term `local educational agency' has the meaning given the term in section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).

(3) PRACTICE OF SOCIAL PROMOTION- The term `practice of social promotion' means a formal or informal practice of promoting a student from the grade for which the determination is made to the next grade when the student fails to meet the State achievement standards in the core academic curriculum, unless the practice is consistent with the student's individualized education program under section 614(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(d).

(4) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Education.

(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $500,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2000 through 2004.

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