Latest Action: 09/17/2008 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8952)

Bill Text
A bill to authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to support early college high schools and other dual enrollment programs. 9/17/2008--Introduced. Fast Track to College Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award matching six-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that partner with institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish or support dual enrollment programs, such as early college high schools, that allow high school students to simultaneously earn credit toward a high school diploma and a postsecondary degree or certificate. Gives grant priority to applicants: (1) that propose to establish or support a dual enrollment program for a student body at least 40% of which is impoverished; and (2) from states that provide assistance to dual enrollment programs, such as assistance defraying the costs of higher education. Requires applicants to make assurances that students will not be required to pay tuition or fees [...]

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Latest Action: 09/17/2008 - Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Bill Text
To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to support early college high schools and other dual enrollment programs. 9/17/2008--Introduced. Fast Track to College Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award matching six-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that partner with institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish or support dual enrollment programs, such as early college high schools, that allow high school students to simultaneously earn credit toward a high school diploma and a postsecondary degree or certificate. Gives grant priority to applicants: (1) that propose to establish or support a dual enrollment program for a student body at least 40% of which is impoverished; and (2) from states that provide assistance to dual enrollment programs, such as assistance defraying the costs of higher education. Requires applicants to make assurances that students will not be required to pay tuition or fees for postsecondary [...]

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Latest Action: 07/29/2008 - Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the c

Bill Text
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reform various programs and activities carried out under that Act. 7/29/2008--Introduced. Improving No Child Left Behind for All Students Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (the Act) to revise programs created or amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Allows states to revise their academic content and achievement standards so they are vertically aligned from grade to grade and with what students should know to be successful in postsecondary education and the workplace. Permits states to: (1) incorporate student academic growth into calculations of adequate yearly progress (AYP); (2) determine AYP for limited English proficient (LEP) students by excluding new arrivals and including former LEP students; and (3) use alternate academic achievement standards for disabled students. Requires local educational agencies' (LEAs) student achievement improvement plans [...]

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Latest Action: 05/22/2008 - Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Bill Text
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand teacher loan forgiveness. 5/22/2008--Introduced. Teacher Education Assistance Creating Hope for Our Future Act of 2008 or the TEACH for Our Future Act of 2008 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand the loan forgiveness available to public elementary and secondary school teachers under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan (DL) programs. Makes inapplicable to public school teachers the requirements limiting loan forgiveness to: (1) new borrowers on or after October 1, 1998; and (2) highly qualified teachers in certain schools that serve a high proportion of disadvantaged students. Maintains the requirement that such teachers teach full-time for five consecutive complete school years before becoming eligible for loan forgiveness. Raises to $25,000 the amount of the FFEL or DL outstanding that may be forgiven after a public school teacher's fifth complete school year of teaching.[...]

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Latest Action: 12/18/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S15914-15915)

Bill Text
A bill to amend title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to enhance teaching standards and provide for license portability.

12/18/2007--Introduced.

Enhancing Teaching Standards and License Portability Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award a competitive grant to a partnership between an organization representing state educational agency administrators and one or more independent professional organizations that have teacher preparation, licensure, and assessment expertise to: (1) enhance kindergarten through grade 12 teaching standards; (2) develop performance-based teaching assessments that are linked to such standards and can be used for licensing; and (3) provide technical assistance and matching subgrants to states to adopt such teaching standards and assessments, align their licensing systems to such standards, and facilitate teacher license portability across the states.

Latest Action: 10/24/2007 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Bill Text
A bill to provide grants to States to ensure that all students in the middle grades are taught an academically rigorous curriculum with effective supports so that students complete the middle grades prepared for success in high school and postsecondary endeavors, to improve State and district policies and programs relating to the academic achievement of students in the middle grades, to develop and implement effective middle school models for struggling students, and for other purposes. 10/24/2007--Introduced. Success in the Middle Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make matching grants to states, based on their proportion of poor children aged 5 to 17, to: (1) implement state middle school needs analyses and, on the basis of such analyses, improvement plans that describe what students must master to successfully complete the middle grades and succeed in academically rigorous high school coursework; and (2) award competitive matching subgrants to local educational [...]

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Latest Action: 10/04/2007 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Bill Text
A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish pilot programs in expanded school attendance. 10/4/2007--Introduced. Expanded Education Act - Amends title I of the the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a new part I (Expanded Education) program awarding grants to states for the conduct of separate expanded day, week, or year pilot programs. Requires that for each of the expanded day and week programs at least: (1) 20 schools in each small state and 50 schools in each large state participate; (2) 50% of each participating school's student population consist of low-income students; (3) one entire grade in each participating school be involved in the program. Requires each expanded day and week program to: (1) increase student proficiency in reading and language arts, and mathematics; (2) provide education in new areas or directions, so that it is not wholly remedial; and (3) include sufficient recreational,[...]

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Latest Action: 10/04/2007 - Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Bill Text
To amend and extend the Higher Education Act of 1965. 10/4/2007--Introduced. College Access and Opportunity Act of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise and reauthorize appropriations for HEA programs. Establishes a single definition of institutions of higher education (IHEs) for purposes of their participation in all HEA programs, including title IV student aid programs. Allows IHEs to enroll students who are also enrolled in secondary school. Revises higher education consumer information and public accountability requirements. Imposes educational loan disclosure requirements on lenders and IHEs. Replaces the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants for States and Partnerships program under title II with a new Teacher Quality Partnership grant program for partnerships of high-need local educational agencies (LEAs), high-need schools, IHEs, and public or private educational organizations. Repeals part B (Preparing Tomorrow's [...]

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Latest Action: 10/01/2007 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Bill Text
A bill to amend title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reduce class size through the use of highly qualified teachers, and for other purposes. 10/1/2007--Introduced. Facilitating Outstanding Classrooms Using Size reduction Act (FOCUS Act) - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to require the Secretary of Education to award formula grants to states for allocation to their local educational agencies (LEAs) to: (1) reduce class size, particularly in the early elementary grades, by using highly qualified teachers; and (2) create a continuum of small classes from kindergarten through third grade for all their students. Permits LEAs to use such funds to recruit highly qualified teachers, test new teachers, and provide professional development that enables teachers to teach effectively in their content areas. Requires 80% of an LEA's allocation to be based on its proportion of the state's low-income students, with the remainder [...]

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Latest Action: 10/17/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

Bill Text
To allow teachers in rural areas who are highly qualified in one subject to have 3 years from their hiring date to become highly qualified in each additional subject they teach.

9/24/2007--Introduced.

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to amend the definition of highly qualified teacher to specifiy rural teachers who are highly qualified in at least one core academic subject they teach, and who will become highly qualified in each additional subject they teach within three years after their hiring date, if their local educational agencies provide them with high-quality professional development and a program of intensive supervision that will ensure that they become highly qualified in such additional subjects.

Latest Action: 09/19/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

Bill Text
To modify certain amendments made by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. 8/3/2007--Introduced. Flexibility for Individual Excellence in Education Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to alter the requirement that teachers be highly qualified by: (1) applying it only to teachers of core subjects; (2) allowing new middle or secondary school teachers to teach subjects for which they earned a college minor; (3) allowing greater consideration to be given to the time experienced teachers have spent teaching a subject; and (4) extending the deadline for rural teachers to meet such requirements. Provides additional funding for rural teacher recruitment, retention, and professional development activities. Allows state determinations of students' adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards to: (1) assess disabled students at the instructional level most closely corresponding to their individualized education [...]

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Latest Action: 09/19/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

Bill Text
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize competitive grants to train school principals in instructional leadership skills and to promote the incorporation of standards of instructional leadership into State-level principal certification or licensure. 8/3/2007--Introduced. Instructional Leadership Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states, local educational agencies, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, or partnerships or consortia which include at least one of those entities to develop innovative programs and sites (such as leadership development schools) to train school principals in instructional leadership skills. Requires the Secretary to award additional competitive grants to states or partnerships or consortia which include states for pilot programs that evaluate and promote the incorporation of instructional leadership standards [...]

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Latest Action: 08/03/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10908-10909, S10928-10929)

Bill Text
A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and for other purposes. 8/3/2007--Introduced. All Students Can Achieve Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise and augment programs created or amended under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Requires states to implement: (1) data systems capable of tracking individual student performance over time and linking such performance to teachers, programs, and services; and (2) highly effective teacher and principal rating systems based primarily on objective measures of student achievement. Allows states that meet these requirements to use a growth model in calculating students' adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward academic performance standards. Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to: (1) provide professional development and support to teachers and principals not rated as highly effective; and (2) remove them if they fail to attain such rating over specified periods.[...]

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Latest Action: 08/03/2007 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Bill Text
A bill to provide for statewide longitudinal data systems to improve elementary and secondary education, and for other purposes. 8/3/2007--Introduced. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive five-year matching grants to states to build or upgrade statewide pre- through high-school longitudinal data systems that include: (1) unique and consistent statewide student identifiers; (2) the ability to track student participation and performance over time; (3) unique and consistent statewide teacher identifiers that match student records to the appropriate teacher; and (4) the ability to link their data to data from higher education, workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, and military services information systems. Increases the state match required as a grant matures. Authorizes the Secretary to award matching grants to states to build the capacity of educators and policymakers, at the local educational agency [...]

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Latest Action: 08/02/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10813-10814)

Bill Text
A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide for school improvement, comprehensive, high-quality multi-year induction and mentoring for new teachers, and professional development for experienced teachers, and for other purposes. 8/2/2007--Introduced. Amends title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to states for subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to assist low-achieving, high-need schools that serve a high proportion of low-income students in implementing: (1) comprehensive, coherent, high-quality induction and mentoring programs for teachers during at least their first two years of full-time teaching; and (2) ongoing, high-impact professional development programs for teachers, principals, and administrators. Requires the induction and professional development programs to be: (1) integrated and aligned; (2) aligned with the state's school improvement [...]

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Latest Action: 09/19/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

Bill Text
To authorize the Secretary of Education to establish a competitive demonstration grant program to provide funds for local educational agencies in order to increase the effectiveness of substitute teaching, and for other purposes. 8/2/2007--Introduced. Substitute Teaching Improvement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive demonstration grants to high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships between such LEAs and institutions of higher education or nonprofit education organizations for the establishment of comprehensive training programs to increase the effectiveness of substitute teaching. Requires LEAs to use such grants to: (1) train substitute teachers; (2) train principals and permanent teachers in effectively integrating substitute teachers into school operations; (3) develop a resource kit for substitute teachers; and (4) collect data on substitute teachers and practices for managing substitute teachers in participating districts.[...]

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Latest Action: 09/19/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

Bill Text
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to clarify Federal requirements under that Act. 8/1/2007--Introduced. Education Assessment Technical Corrections Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 to except teachers in hard to staff areas from the requirement that all teachers teaching in core academic subjects within a state be highly qualified not later than the end of the 2005-2006 school year. Requires teachers in hard to staff areas, instead, to satisfy at least 80% of the requirements to be highly qualified by the end of the 2007-2008 school year, and satisfy all of them by the end of the following school year. Requires states and local educational agencies (LEAs) whose teachers do not meet such requirements to use all of their funds under Title II of the Act to achieve compliance. Revises requirements for assessments of student groups in measuring the adequate yearly progress (AYP) of the state, and of all public schools and LEAs [...]

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Latest Action: 09/11/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

Bill Text
To amend the accountability provisions of part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and for other purposes. 6/28/2007--Introduced. State and Local Education Flexibility Act of 2007 - Amends part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise requirements for determining whether states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards. Provides for state and local flexibility, under specified conditions, to: (1) exclude from AYP and academic assessments the performance of certain limited English proficient students; (2) include in favorable AYP graduation rates certain students who require extra time to graduate due to exceptional circumstances or disability; (3) modify academic content and achievement standards in the individual education plans of students with disabilities; (4) develop assessments locally and use multiple [...]

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Latest Action: 06/26/2007 - Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8416-8417)

Bill Text
A bill to amend the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding school library media specialists, and for other purposes. 6/26/2007--Introduced. Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries Act or the SKILLs Act - Amends title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for FY2008 for the Improving Literacy through School Libraries grant program. Requires states and local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive school improvement funds to ensure that by the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year there is at least one highly qualified school library media specialist in every school that receives such funds. Requires Improving Literacy through School Libraries funds to be: (1) proportionally distributed to serve students in elementary, middle, and high schools; (2) used for media resources appropriate for all grades; and (3) used for professional development in information literacy [...]

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Latest Action: 09/11/2007 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

Bill Text
To amend the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding school library media specialists, and for other purposes. 6/26/2007--Introduced. Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries Act or the SKILLs Act - Amends title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for FY2008 for the Improving Literacy through School Libraries grant program. Requires states and local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive school improvement funds to ensure that by the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year there is at least one highly qualified school library media specialist in every school that receives such funds. Requires Improving Literacy through School Libraries funds to be: (1) proportionally distributed to serve students in elementary, middle, and high schools; (2) used for media resources appropriate for all grades; and (3) used for professional development in information literacy instruction [...]

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