Title II — Improving educator preparation

“II Improving Educator Preparation

“200. Definitions

“In this title:

“(1) Applied learning—The term applied learning means a strategy that—

“(A) engages students in opportunities to apply rigorous academic content aligned with postsecondary-level expectations to real world experience, through such means as work experience, work-based learning, problem-based learning, project-based learning or service-learning; and

“(B) develops students’ cognitive competencies and pertinent employability skills.

“(2) Clinical training—The term clinical training means sustained and high-quality preservice experiences based on scientifically valid research to further develop the teaching skills or leadership skills of prospective teachers or school leaders, including (as applicable) early childhood educators. Such experiences shall include each of the following:

“(A) Experiential clinical training in an elementary school or secondary school that, to the extent practicable, is aligned with the grade level and subject area where the teacher or school leader will be placed upon program completion, and that includes—

“(i) opportunities for teacher or school leader candidates to develop and demonstrate teaching skills or leadership skills as supervised classroom teachers or school leaders to better prepare such teachers or school leaders to meet the needs of serving in high-need local educational agencies, high-need schools, or schools in rural areas, or being a teacher in a high-need subject or field;

“(ii) opportunities to work with diverse learners;

“(iii) ongoing assessment and regular opportunities for feedback for teacher candidates or school leader candidates from faculty and current teachers or school leaders;

“(iv) aligning school-based clinical experiences with coursework in educational theory and content through supervised clinical practice and regular feedback on the development of teaching skills or leadership skills and performance that include integrating social and emotional development, building a positive classroom or school culture and climate, and developing effective classroom management or school leadership techniques;

“(v) for teachers, developing the ability to—

“(I) link teaching practice to student learning;

“(II) create effective teaching units and lesson plans that provide all students with the ability to apply content knowledge, think critically, solve complex problems, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively with their peers;

“(III) develop and implement formative and interim assessments to diagnose student learning and modify instruction as a result of the data derived from such assessments;

“(IV) implement evidence-based differentiated instruction strategies; and

“(V) teach diverse learners, including students with special needs and English learners;

“(vi) for school leaders, developing the ability to—

“(I) lead effective teams of teachers;

“(II) identify and model effective classroom practices;

“(III) learn how to recruit and support effective teachers; and

“(IV) engage community members and parents.

“(B) Align the coursework offered at the educator preparation entity with the needs of the local educational agencies, including the academic needs of students, served by the educator preparation entity and the clinical experiences offered under subparagraph (A).

“(C) Provide high-quality mentoring.

“(D) Be offered over the course of an educator preparation program.

“(E) Be designed through collaboration between faculty or staff at the educator preparation entity and employees, including teachers and school leaders, of the local educational agencies served by the educator preparation entity.

“(F) Provide support and training for faculty or staff at educator preparation entities and for individuals who serve as mentors for new and prospective teachers or school leaders.

“(3) Core academic subjects—The term core academic subjects has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

“(4) Early childhood educator—The term early childhood educator means an individual with primary responsibility for the education of children in an early childhood education program.

“(5) Educational service agency—The term educational service agency has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

“(6) Educator preparation entity—The term educator preparation entity means a teacher preparation entity or a school leader preparation entity.

“(7) Educator preparation program—The term educator preparation program means a teacher preparation program or a school leader preparation program offered by an educator preparation entity, including an early childhood education teacher or school leader program.

“(8) Educator residency program—The term educator residency program means a teacher residency program or a school leader residency program within a teacher preparation program or school leader preparation program.

“(9) Effective literacy instruction—The term effective literacy instruction means literacy instruction that—

“(A) includes age-appropriate, explicit, systematic, and intentional instruction in phonological awareness, phonic decoding, vocabulary, language structure, reading fluency, and reading comprehension;

“(B) includes age-appropriate, explicit instruction in writing, including opportunities for children to write with clear purposes, with critical reasoning appropriate to the topic and purpose, and with specific instruction and feedback from instructional staff;

“(C) uses differentiated instructional approaches, including individual and small group instruction and discussion;

“(D) uses age-appropriate, valid, and reliable screening assessments, diagnostic assessments, formative assessment processes, and summative assessments to identify a child's learning needs, to inform instruction, and to monitor the child's progress and the effects of instruction;

“(E) uses strategies to enhance children's motivation to read and write and children's engagement in self-directed learning;

“(F) incorporates the principles of universal design for learning;

“(G) depends on teachers' collaboration in planning, instruction, and assessing a child's progress and on continuous professional learning; and

“(H) links literacy instruction to the challenging academic content standards under section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, including the ability to navigate, understand, and write about, complex print and digital subject matter.

“(10) Eligible partnership—Except as otherwise provided in section 216, the term eligible partnership means an entity that—

“(A) shall include—

“(i) a high-need local educational agency;

“(ii)

“(I) a high-need school or a consortium of high-need schools served by the high-need local educational agency; or

“(II) as applicable, a high-need early childhood education program;

“(iii) a partner institution; and

“(iv) a school, department, or educator preparation program within such partner institution; and

“(B) may include any of the following:

“(i) The Governor of the State.

“(ii) The State educational agency.

“(iii) The State board of education.

“(iv) The State agency for higher education.

“(v) A school or department of arts and sciences within such partner institution.

“(vi) A business.

“(vii) A public or private nonprofit educational organization.

“(viii) An educational service agency.

“(ix) A teacher organization.

“(x) A high-performing local educational agency, or a consortium of such local educational agencies, that can serve as a resource to the partnership.

“(xi) A charter school (as defined in section 5210 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965).

“(xii) A school or department within the partner institution that focuses on psychology and human development.

“(xiii) A school or department within the partner institution with comparable expertise in the disciplines of teaching, learning, and child and adolescent development.

“(xiv) An entity operating a program that provides alternative routes to State certification of teachers or school leaders.

“(11) English learner—The term English learner means an individual—

“(A) who is aged 3 through 21;

“(B) who is enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary school or secondary school;

“(C)

“(i) who was not born in the United States;

“(ii) whose native language is a language other than English;

“(iii)

“(I) who is a Native American or Alaska Native, or a native resident of the outlying areas; and

“(II) who comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on the individual’s level of English language proficiency; or

“(iv) who is migratory, whose native language is a language other than English, and who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant; and

“(D) whose difficulties in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language may be sufficient to deny the individual—

“(i) the ability to meet or exceed the State challenging student academic achievement standards under section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 in a subject for the individual’s grade level, as determined based on the State academic assessments described in section 1111(b)(3) of such Act;

“(ii) the ability to successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English; or

“(iii) the opportunity to participate fully in society.

“(12) High-need early childhood education program—The term high-need early childhood education program means an early childhood education program serving children from low-income families that is located within the geographic area served by a high-need local educational agency, particularly focused on a prekindergarten through third grade continuum.

“(13) High-need local educational agency—The term high-need local educational agency means a local educational agency—

“(A)

“(i) for which not less than 20 percent of the children served by the agency are children from low-income families;

“(ii) that serves not fewer than 10,000 children from low-income families;

“(iii) that meets the eligibility requirements for funding under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program under section 6211(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; or

“(iv) that meets the eligibility requirements for funding under the Rural and Low-Income School Program under section 6221(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; and

“(B)

“(i) for which 1 or more schools served by the agency is identified by the State as a low-performing school under section 1116 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 or identified as eligible to receive funds under section 1003(g) of such Act; or

“(ii) for which there is—

“(I) a shortage of teachers in high-need subjects or fields; or

“(II) a high teacher turnover rate.

“(14) High-need school—The term high-need school means—

“(A) an elementary school or middle school in which not less than 50 percent of the enrolled students are children from low-income families; or

“(B) a high school in which not less than 40 percent of the enrolled students are children from low-income families, which may be calculated using comparable data from feeder schools.

“(15) High-quality professional development—The term high-quality professional development means activities based on scientifically valid research that are coordinated and aligned to increase the effectiveness of teachers or school leaders and are regularly assessed to determine the activities' effectiveness, and that—

“(A) are designed and implemented to improve student achievement and classroom practice;

“(B) are aligned with—

“(i) State challenging academic content standards and State challenging student academic achievement standards adopted under section 1111(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965;

“(ii) related academic and school improvement goals of the school, local educational agency, and, as appropriate, statewide and local curricula;

“(iii) for teachers, rigorous teaching standards; and

“(iv) for school leaders, rigorous standards for leadership skills;

“(C) increase teachers' or school leaders'—

“(i) knowledge and understanding about how students learn;

“(ii) academic content knowledge;

“(iii) knowledge and understanding about the link between social and emotional development and student outcomes;

“(iv) ability to analyze student work and achievement data from multiple sources, including teacher developed assessments and how to adjust instructional strategies, assessments, and materials based on such analysis;

“(v) ability to instruct students with disabilities and English learners so that such students with disabilities and English learners are able to meet the State challenging academic content standards and State challenging student academic achievement standards;

“(vi) ability to effectively manage a classroom, including the ability to—

“(I) implement multi-tiered systems of support;

“(II) create a positive learning environment that conveys high expectations for all students; and

“(III) equitably implement school discipline policies;

“(vii) ability to lead teams of effective teachers, in the case of school leaders;

“(viii) ability to implement opportunities for applied learning;

“(ix) knowledge and understanding of culturally relevant practices; and

“(x) teaching skills and school leadership skills;

“(D) are informed by, and aligned with, such teachers' and school leaders' evaluations;

“(E) are collaborative, data-driven, and classroom- or school-focused;

“(F) provide the teacher or school leader with high-quality feedback with actionable steps to improve their practice;

“(G) are sustained, intensive, and job-embedded, and not limited in scope to a 1-day or short-term workshop or conference;

“(H) are, as appropriate, designed to—

“(i) provide teachers or school leaders with the knowledge and skills to work more effectively with parents and families; and

“(ii) where applicable, address the transition from prekindergarten to elementary school, including issues related to school readiness across all major domains of early learning, as well as transitions from elementary school to middle school and middle school to high school; and

“(I) for school leaders, provide comprehensive opportunities to practice effective strategies and help school leaders develop the abilities to lead effective teams of teachers and maintain active engagement with families and community organizations.

“(16) Highly competent—The term highly competent, when used with respect to an early childhood educator, means an educator—

“(A) with specialized education and training in development and education of young children from birth until entry into kindergarten, including children with disabilities and English learners;

“(B) with—

“(i) a baccalaureate degree in an academic major in the arts and sciences; or

“(ii) an associate’s degree in a related educational area; and

“(C) who has demonstrated a high level of knowledge and use of content and pedagogy in the relevant areas associated with quality early childhood education.

“(17) Induction program—The term induction program means a formalized program for new teachers or school leaders during not less than the first 2 years of teaching or leading a school that is designed to provide support for, improve the professional performance of, and advance the retention of beginning teachers or school leaders. Such program shall promote effective teaching or leadership skills and shall include the following components:

“(A) High-quality mentoring.

“(B) Periodic, structured time for collaboration and observation opportunities with teachers or school leaders, as well as interdisciplinary collaboration among highly effective teachers, school leaders, faculty, researchers, other educators, and other staff who prepare new teachers or school leaders.

“(C) The application of empirically based practice and scientifically valid research on instructional and behavioral interventions.

“(D) Opportunities for new teachers or school leaders to draw directly on the expertise of mentors, faculty, local educational agency personnel, and researchers to support the integration of empirically based practice and scientifically valid research with practice.

“(E) The development of content expertise.

“(F) Faculty who—

“(i) model the integration of research and practice in the classroom and innovative practices that support the acquisition and transferability of college- and career-ready skills, including critical thinking, complex problem solving, effective communication and collaboration, such as through project-based and applied learning;

“(ii) assist new teachers and school leaders with the effective use and integration of technology in instruction;

“(iii) for teachers, assist in the creation and use of teacher-developed assessments for the purpose of informing and targeting instructional practice;

“(iv) demonstrate the content knowledge and skills necessary to be effective in advancing student achievement; and

“(v) are able to substantially participate in the early childhood program or elementary school or secondary school classroom setting, as applicable, which may include receiving release time or workload credit for such participation.

“(G) Assistance with the understanding of data, particularly student assessment achievement data, including data from interim, formative, and summative assessments and the application of such data in classroom instruction or school leadership.

“(H) Regular, structured observation and evaluation of new teachers or school leaders, including post-observation feedback and dialogue, by multiple-trained evaluators, using valid and reliable measures of teaching and leadership skills.

“(18) Low-income family—The term low-income family means a family who—

“(A) has a student who is eligible for a free or reduced priced lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act;

“(B) is eligible for means tested benefits or public assistance at the local, State, or Federal level; or

“(C) lives in a high-poverty area or has a student who attends an elementary school or high school with an attendance area in a high-poverty area.

“(19) Mentor—The term mentor means an experienced educator who shall—

“(A) provide opportunities for prospective or new teachers or school leaders to develop and demonstrate teaching skills or school leadership skills to better prepare such prospective or new teachers or school leaders to meet the unique needs of serving in high-need local educational agencies, high-need schools, or schools in rural areas, or being a teacher in a high-need subject or field;

“(B) provide ongoing assessment of and regular feedback to mentees;

“(C) possess—

“(i) a demonstrated record of strong teaching skills or leadership skills and improving student achievement;

“(ii) strong verbal and written communication skills; and

“(iii) knowledge, skills, and attitudes to—

“(I) establish and maintain a professional learning community that uses data, feedback, and coaching to improve mentee performance; and

“(II) create and maintain a learning culture for mentees that provides a climate conducive to the professional development of the mentees; and

“(D) have a demonstrated record of improving student achievement.

“(20) Mentoring—The term mentoring means the advising of prospective or new educators through a program that includes the following:

“(A) Clear criteria for the selection of mentors that takes into account the mentor’s effectiveness.

“(B) Provides high-quality training for such mentors in how to support teachers or school leaders effectively, including—

“(i) for teachers, instructional strategies for literacy instruction; and

“(ii) for teachers or school leaders, instruction in classroom management or school management techniques, including approaches that improve the schoolwide climate for learning, such as social and emotional development strategies and multi-tiered systems of support.

“(C) Provides regularly scheduled time for collaboration, examination of student work and achievement data, joint professional development opportunities, and ongoing opportunities for mentors and mentees to observe each other’s teaching or leading, and identify and address areas for improvement.

“(D) Matches mentees with mentors in the same field, grade, grade span, or subject area.

“(E) Provides paid release time for mentors, as applicable.

“(21) Partner institution—The term partner institution means a nonprofit institution of higher education, which may include a 2-year nonprofit institution of higher education offering a dual program with a 4-year nonprofit institution of higher education, participating in an eligible partnership that has a teacher preparation program—

“(A) whose graduates exhibit strong performance on State-determined qualifying assessments for new teachers through—

“(i) demonstrating that 80 percent or more of the graduates of the program who intend to enter the field of teaching have passed all of the applicable State qualification assessments for new teachers, which shall include an assessment of each prospective teacher’s subject matter knowledge in the content area in which the teacher intends to teach; or

“(ii) being ranked among the highest-performing teacher preparation programs in the State as determined by the State using criteria consistent with the requirements for the State report card under section 210; and

“(B) that requires each teacher or school leader candidate in the program—

“(i) to meet high academic standards or demonstrate a record of success, as determined by the institution (including prior to entering and being accepted into a program), and participate in intensive clinical training;

“(ii) to become highly effective; and

“(iii) preparing to become an early childhood educator, to meet degree requirements, as established by the State, and become highly competent.

“(22) Principles of scientific research—The term principles of scientific research means principles of research that—

“(A) apply rigorous, systematic, and objective methodology to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs;

“(B) present findings and make claims that are appropriate to, and supported by, the methods that have been employed; and

“(C) include, appropriate to the research being conducted—

“(i) use of systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment;

“(ii) use of data analyses that are adequate to support the general findings;

“(iii) reliance on measurements or observational methods that provide reliable and generalizable findings;

“(iv) strong claims of causal relationships, only with research designs that eliminate plausible competing explanations for observed results, such as random-assignment experiments;

“(v) presentation of studies and methods in sufficient detail and clarity to allow for replication or, at a minimum, to offer the opportunity to build systematically on the findings of the research;

“(vi) acceptance by a peer-reviewed journal or critique by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective, and scientific review; and

“(vii) consistency of findings across multiple studies or sites to support the generality of results and conclusions.

“(23) Recent program graduate—The term recent program graduate means—

“(A) an individual who has graduated from a teacher preparation program or school leader preparation program not earlier than 3 years preceding the date of the determination; or

“(B) an alternative route participant who, within the 3 years preceding the date of the determination, received a level of certification or licensure that allows the participant to serve as the teacher or school leader of record in the State in which the participant is employed.

“(24) Satisfaction survey—The term satisfaction survey means a survey instrument designed to collect qualitative and quantitative data on perceptions of whether new teachers or school leaders possess the skills needed to succeed in the classroom, including effective teaching or school leadership skills.

“(25) Scientifically valid research—The term scientifically valid research includes applied research, basic research, and field-initiated research in which the rationale, design, and interpretation are soundly developed in accordance with principles of scientific research.

“(26) School leader—The term school leader means a principal, assistant principal, or individual who—

“(A) is an employee or officer of a school who is responsible for—

“(i) the daily instructional leadership and managerial operations of the school; and

“(ii) creating the optimum conditions for student learning; or

“(B) is an early childhood program leader or director.

“(27) School leader preparation entity—The term school leader preparation entity means an institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization, including those institutions or organizations that provide alternative routes to certification, that is approved by the State to prepare school leaders to be effective.

“(28) School leader preparation program—The term school leader preparation program means a program offered by a school leader preparation entity, whether traditional or alternative route, that is approved by the State to prepare school leaders to be effective and that leads to a specific State certification to be a school leader.

“(29) School leader residency program—The term school leader residency program means a school-based school leader preparation program in which a prospective school leader—

“(A) for 1 academic year, acts as a school leader or assistant school leader alongside a mentor school leader;

“(B) receives concurrent instruction during the year described in subparagraph (A) from an educator preparation entity, which courses may be taught by local educational agency personnel or residency program faculty;

“(C) acquires and demonstrates effective school leadership skills;

“(D) prior to completion of the program, attains full State certification of licensure; and

“(E) in the case of a postbaccalaureate or master’s residency program, acquires a master’s degree not later than 24 months after beginning the program.

“(30) School leadership skills—The term school leadership skills means skills that enable a school leader to—

“(A) recruit, train, supervise, support, retain, and evaluate teachers and other staff;

“(B) develop teams of effective school staff, and distributing among members of such teams responsibilities for leading and improving their schools;

“(C) establish a positive school culture and learning community where school leaders and teachers—

“(i) share a commitment to improving student outcomes and performances for all students, including students with disabilities and English learners; and

“(ii) set a continuous cycle of collective inquiry and improvement in which teachers and school leaders work together on a regular basis to analyze and improve the alignment and effectiveness of curriculum, instruction, learning, and assessment;

“(D) understand how students learn and develop, and use this knowledge to set high expectations for student achievement and support student success;

“(E) address the unique needs of specific student populations served, such as students with disabilities, students who are English learners, and students who are homeless or in foster care;

“(F) manage resources and school time to support high-quality instruction and improvements in student achievement; and

“(G) actively engage and work effectively with students' parents and other members of the community.

“(31) Student growth—The term student growth means a change in student achievement for an individual student between 2 or more points in time. For the purpose of determining student growth, measures of student achievement include—

“(A) for grades and subjects in which assessments are required under section 1111(b)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the student’s score on such assessments, and, as appropriate, other multiple measures of student learning, such as those designated under paragraph (B); and

“(B) for grades and subjects for which such assessments are not required, alternative statewide measures of student learning and performance, such as student results on pre-tests and end-of-course tests, and objective performance-based assessments, and student performance on English language proficiency assessments.

“(32) Teacher in a high-need subject or field—The term teacher in a high-need subject or field means a teacher of—

“(A) students with disabilities;

“(B) English learners; or

“(C) science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.

“(33) Teacher performance assessment—The term teacher performance assessment means an assessment used to measure teacher performance that is approved by the State and is—

“(A) based on professional teaching standards;

“(B) used to measure the effectiveness of a teacher's—

“(i) curriculum planning;

“(ii) instruction of students, including appropriate plans and modifications for students who are English learners and students who are children with disabilities;

“(iii) assessment of students, including analysis of evidence of student learning; and

“(iv) ability to advance student learning;

“(C) validated based on professional assessment standards;

“(D) reliably scored by trained evaluators, with appropriate oversight of the process to ensure consistency; and

“(E) used to support continuous improvement of educator practice.

“(34) Teacher preparation entity—The term teacher preparation entity means an institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization, including those that provide alternative routes to certification, that is approved by the State to prepare teachers to be effective.

“(35) Teacher preparation program—The term teacher preparation program means a program, whether traditional or alternative route, that is approved by the State to prepare teachers to be effective and that leads to a specific State certification to be a teacher.

“(36) Teacher residency program—The term teacher residency program means a school-based teacher preparation program in which a prospective teacher—

“(A) for 1 academic year, teaches alongside a mentor teacher, who is the teacher of record;

“(B) receives concurrent instruction during the year described in subparagraph (A) from an educator preparation entity, which courses may be taught by local educational agency personnel or residency program faculty, in the teaching of the content area in which the teacher will become certified or licensed;

“(C) acquires teaching skills;

“(D) prior to completion of the program, attains full State certification of licensure and is prepared to be effective; and

“(E) in the case of a postbaccalaureate or master’s residency program, acquires a master’s degree not later than 24 months after beginning the program.

“(37) Teaching skills—The term teaching skills means skills that enable a teacher to—

“(A) increase student learning, achievement, and the ability to apply knowledge;

“(B) effectively convey and explain academic subject matter;

“(C) effectively teach higher-order analytical, critical thinking, evaluation, problem-solving, and communication skills;

“(D) employ strategies grounded in the disciplines of teaching and learning that—

“(i) are based on empirically-based practice and scientifically valid research, where applicable, related to teaching and learning;

“(ii) are specific to academic subject matter;

“(iii) are culturally responsive;

“(iv) integrate social and emotional development and academic achievement; and

“(v) focus on the identification of students’ specific learning needs and develop the skills needed to promote successful learning, particularly among students with disabilities, English learners, students who are gifted and talented, and students with low literacy levels, and the tailoring of academic instruction to such needs;

“(E) conduct and utilize the results of an ongoing assessment of student learning, which may include the use of formative assessments, interim assessments, performance-based assessments, project-based assessments, or portfolio assessments, that measures the full range of academic standards and higher-order thinking skills (including application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation);

“(F) effectively manage a classroom, including the ability to implement multi-tiered systems of support, create a positive learning environment that conveys high expectations for all students, and equitably implement school discipline policies;

“(G) communicate and work with parents, and involve parents in their children’s education;

“(H) use, in the case of an early childhood educator, age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate strategies and practices for children in early childhood education programs; and

“(I) teach, in the case of a career and technical education teacher, technical skills to industry standards in a classroom setting and possess strategies for incorporating content from non-career and technical education courses and standards for college and career into career and technical education courses.

“A Educator quality partnership grants

“201. Purposes

“The purposes of this part are to—

“(1) improve student achievement in high-need schools;

“(2) improve the quality of prospective and new teachers or school leaders by improving the preparation of prospective teachers or school leaders and enhancing professional development activities for new teachers or school leaders;

“(3) hold educator preparation entities at institutions of higher education accountable for preparing highly effective teachers or school leaders;

“(4) recruit well qualified individuals, including members of groups underrepresented in teaching and individuals from other occupations, as teachers and school leaders; and

“(5) meet the staffing needs of high-need local educational agencies and high-need schools through collaborative partnerships with educator preparation programs within institutions of higher education.

“202. Grants to improve educator preparation and support educator residencies

“(a) Program authorized—From amounts made available under subsection (g), the Secretary is authorized to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships, to carry out the activities described in this section.

“(b) Application—An eligible partnership that desires to receive a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may require, including at a minimum—

“(1) a needs assessment of the partners in the eligible partnership with respect to the preparation, ongoing training, professional development, and retention of general education and special education teachers, teachers of English as a second language, school leaders, and, as applicable, early childhood educators and career and technical education teachers, including—

“(A) an assessment of the hiring needs of the high-need schools served by the high-need local educational agency in the eligible partnership; and

“(B) a projection of vacancies for teachers in a high-need subject or field, and the number of teachers needed in each such high-need subject or field or school leaders in high-need schools;

“(2) an assurance that the eligible partnership will target grant funds provided under this section to recruit, prepare, and support highly effective educators to serve in high-need local educational agencies and high-need schools, consistent with the needs assessment conducted under paragraph (1);

“(3) an assurance that the eligible partnership will include meaningful collaboration, as described in subsection (c)(2)(A), between an educator preparation program and a high-need local educational agency, in order to ensure educator preparation programs are preparing educators with the teaching skills or leadership skills necessary to meet the needs of the high-need local educational agency;

“(4) an assurance that the educator preparation program will administer satisfaction surveys to employers and recent program graduates on an annual basis, in order to ascertain employer satisfaction with recent program graduates’ performance;

“(5) a coherent strategy for using grant funds provided under this section with other Federal, State, and local funds to—

“(A) increase student achievement in high-need schools by improving the quality of preparation for new and prospective educators, and by enhancing professional development activities for new educators; and

“(B) meet the needs of high-need local educational agencies and high-need schools by establishing meaningful partnerships with educator residency programs;

“(6) a description of how the eligible partnership will sustain the activities proposed in the application after the grant period ends;

“(7) a description of how the eligible partnership will prepare all educators to—

“(A) understand and use scientifically valid research, as well as data on their students’ educational progress to modify and improve the implementation or supervision of classroom instruction;

“(B) meet the needs of students with disabilities, including training related to participation as a member of individualized education program teams, as defined in section 614(d)(1)(B) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to ensure individualized education plans created promote student success; and

“(C) meet the needs of English learners;

“(8) a description of—

“(A) how the eligible partnership will coordinate strategies and activities assisted under the grant with other educator preparation programs or professional development programs, including programs funded under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and through the National Science Foundation; and

“(B) how the activities of the eligible partnership will be consistent with State, local, and other education reform activities that promote teacher and school leader effectiveness and student academic achievement;

“(9) a description of how the eligible partnership will align the educator residency program carried out with grant funds with the—

“(A) State early learning standards for early childhood education programs, as appropriate, and with the relevant domains of early childhood development, such as social and emotional development;

“(B) challenging academic content standards and challenging student academic achievement standards under section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, established by the State in which the partnership is located; and

“(C) hiring objectives of the high-need local educational agency in the partnership;

“(10) a description of how faculty at the partner institution will work, during the term of the grant, with highly effective educators in high-need schools served by the high-need local educational agency in the eligible partnership to—

“(A) provide high-quality professional development activities, including in-service professional development, to strengthen the content knowledge and teaching skills or leadership skills of elementary school and secondary school teachers or school leaders;

“(B) for teachers, train classroom teachers to implement literacy programs that incorporate the essential components of literacy instruction; and

“(C) as appropriate, provide training for educators to teach technical skills to industry standards in a classroom setting;

“(11) a description of the partnership’s evaluation plan under section 204(a), including how the partnership will collect, analyze, use, and report data annually on the retention and performance of recent program graduates as well as how the eligible partnership will conduct and publicly report the evaluation required under section 204(a); and

“(12) a description of how the eligible partnership will design and implement an induction program to support all new educators who are prepared by the educator preparation program in the partnership and who serve in the high-need local educational agency in the partnership, and, to the extent practicable, all new educators who serve in such high-need local educational agency, and how such an induction program will comply with the requirements under section 200(16) and be integrated with other ongoing efforts to support new educators by the high-need local educational agency.

“(c) Educator residency programs

“(1) In general—An eligible partnership that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to design and implement an effective educator residency program that is grounded in scientifically valid research to prepare educators for success in the high-need schools served by the high-need local educational agency.

“(2) Content of program—An educator residency program implemented under paragraph (1) shall include the following:

“(A) Meaningful collaboration—Establish meaningful collaboration between the partner institution and the high-need local educational agency to ensure the partner institution is preparing teachers with the teaching skills or school leaders with the leadership skills necessary to meet the specific needs of the high-need local educational agency by requiring the partner institution to—

“(i) engage in regular consultation with the high-need local educational agency throughout the development and implementation of programs and activities carried out under this section and provide evidence that such programs and activities are aligned with the needs of the high-need schools served by such high-need local educational agency;

“(ii) incorporate ongoing feedback and regular communication from the high-need local educational agency and the high-need schools served by such high-need local educational agency, in—

“(I) the development of recruitment and admissions goals and priorities;

“(II) the design of the educator residency program’s curriculum, coursework content, clinical training, induction programs, and other professional development activities, including opportunities to collaborate with specialized instructional support personnel;

“(III) continuing efforts to modify and improve the activities and programs carried out by the partner institution; and

“(IV) meeting the needs of the high-need schools in which recent program graduates are employed and by monitoring the performance of such graduates; and

“(iii) administer satisfaction surveys and utilize the feedback from such surveys to drive program improvement.

“(B) Induction programs for new educators—Implement an induction program, as described in section 200(16) for new educators or, in the case of an early childhood education program, providing mentoring or coaching for new early childhood educators. Such induction program shall be integrated with other ongoing efforts to support new educators by the high-need local educational agency.

“(C) Educator recruitment—Develop and implement effective mechanisms (which may include alternative routes to State certification of teachers or school leaders) to ensure that the eligible partnership is able to recruit well qualified individuals with a record of academic, volunteer, or leadership distinction to become effective educators, which shall include—

“(i) the development of recruitment and admissions goals and priorities aligned with the hiring objectives identified under subsection (a)(1); and

“(ii) an emphasis on recruiting—

“(I) individuals from under represented populations;

“(II) individuals to—

“(aa) become teachers in high-need subject or fields and to teach in schools in rural areas; or

“(bb) become school leaders in schools in rural areas or high-need local educational agencies;

“(III) mid-career professionals from other occupations, former military personnel, and recent college graduates; and

“(IV) for school leaders, individuals with teaching experience and demonstrated leadership competencies.

“(D) Support and training for participants in early childhood education programs—In the case of an eligible partnership focusing on early childhood educator preparation, implement initiatives that increase compensation for early childhood educators who attain associate or baccalaureate degrees in early childhood education.

“(E) Recent program graduate performance—Increase capacity and collect and analyze data on the performance of recent program graduates of educator residency programs, including data on—

“(i) results from statewide teacher or school leader evaluation systems;

“(ii) recent program graduate retention rates in full-time positions;

“(iii) satisfaction survey outcomes; and

“(iv) to the extent practicable, surveys of parents on how well the teacher or school leader engages parents in student learning activities.

“(F) Comprehensive literacy instruction—Strengthen comprehensive literacy instruction, that—

“(i) incorporates effective literacy instruction; and

“(ii) is designed to support—

“(I) developmentally appropriate, contextually explicit, systematic instruction, and frequent practice, in reading across content areas; and

“(II) developmentally appropriate and contextually explicit instruction, and frequent practice, in writing across content areas.

“(3) Teacher residency programs—In addition to the requirements under paragraph (2), an eligible partnership receiving a grant under this section to design and implement an effective teacher residency program, shall include the following requirements:

“(A) Reforms—Implementing reforms, including—

“(i) curriculum changes that are aligned with the needs of the high-need local educational agency in the eligible partnership, in order to improve, evaluate, and assess how well all prospective and new teachers develop teaching skills;

“(ii) using empirically-based practice and scientifically valid research, where applicable, about teaching and learning so that all prospective teachers and, as applicable, early childhood educators—

“(I) are prepared to be highly effective teachers and, as applicable, highly competent early childhood educators;

“(II) understand and can implement research-based teaching practices in classroom instruction;

“(III) possess strong teaching skills and an understanding of effective instructional strategies across all applicable content areas that enable all teachers to—

“(aa) meet the specific learning needs of all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, students who are gifted and talented, students with low literacy levels and, as applicable, children in early childhood education programs;

“(bb) differentiate instruction for such students;

“(cc) have knowledge of student learning styles;

“(dd) analyze the results of student learning and other data to improve instruction;

“(ee) effectively participate as a member of the individualized education program team, as defined in section 614(d)(1)(B) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in order to ensure individualized education plans promote student success;

“(ff) if applicable, successfully employ effective strategies for comprehensive literacy instruction; and

“(gg) employ techniques to improve children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development;

“(IV) if applicable, receive training on effective teaching in rural or diverse communities and on teaching students with disabilities and English learners; and

“(V) can effectively teach students with disabilities; and

“(iii) administering satisfaction surveys to employers of recent program graduates and to recent program graduates.

“(B) Clinical training—Implementing at least 1 academic year of preservice high-quality clinical training in high-need schools that includes the following criteria:

“(i) Integration of pedagogy, robust classroom practice, and mentoring to promote effective teaching skills.

“(ii) Engagement of teacher residents in rigorous coursework, which shall be aligned to the needs of the high-need local educational agency in the eligible partnership.

“(iii) Establishment of clear criteria for the selection and assignment of mentor teachers.

“(iv) Placement of teacher residents in cohorts that facilitate professional collaboration, both among teacher residents and between such teacher residents and mentors in the receiving school.

“(v) Support for teacher residents, once the teacher residents are hired as teachers of record, through an induction program, high-quality professional development, and regular opportunities to support the residents in their development of teaching skills during not less than the residents’ first 2 years of teaching.

“(C) Selection of individuals as teacher residents

“(i) Eligible individual—In order to be eligible to be a teacher resident in a teacher residency program under this paragraph, an individual shall—

“(I) be—

“(aa) a graduate of a 4-year institution of higher education; or

“(bb) in the third or fourth year of undergraduate baccalaureate education being pursued by the teacher candidate; and

“(II) submit an application to the teacher residency program.

“(ii) Selection criteria—An eligible partnership carrying out a teacher residency program under this subsection shall establish criteria for the selection of eligible individuals to participate in the teacher residency program, aligned to the hiring needs and objectives of the high-need local educational agency in the eligible partnership, and based on, at a minimum, the following applicant characteristics:

“(I) Strong content knowledge or record of accomplishment in the field or subject area to be taught.

“(II) Strong verbal and written communication skills.

“(III) Other attributes linked to effective teaching, which may be determined by interviews or performance assessments, as specified by the eligible partnership.

“(IV) Demonstrated commitment, which could be evidenced by past work experience, to serving in high-need local educational agencies.

“(V) Demonstrated leadership in past education or work experiences.

“(4) School leader residency programs—In addition to the requirements under paragraph (2), an eligible partnership receiving a grant under this section to design and implement an effective school leader residency program, shall include the following requirements:

“(A) Reforms—Implementing reforms, including the following:

“(i) Preparing prospective school leaders for careers as principals, assistant principals, early childhood education program directors, or other school leaders (including individuals preparing to work in high-need local educational agencies located in rural areas who may perform multiple duties in addition to the role of a school leader).

“(ii) Promoting strong leadership skills and, as applicable, techniques for school leaders to effectively—

“(I) develop a shared vision for high achievement and college- and career-readiness for all students;

“(II) support teachers in implementing rigorous curricula and assessments tied to State challenging academic content standards and challenging student academic achievement standards adopted pursuant to section 1111(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965;

“(III) create and maintain a data-driven, professional learning community within the school leader’s school and understand the teaching skills needed to support successful classroom instruction and to use data to evaluate teacher instruction and drive teacher and student learning;

“(IV) recruit, hire, assign, and retain effective teachers and complete high-quality evaluations of instructional staff for continuous improvement;

“(V) provide a climate conducive to the professional development of teachers, with a focus on improving student academic achievement and the development of effective instructional leadership skills;

“(VI) manage resources and school time to improve student academic achievement, and to ensure the school environment is safe;

“(VII) engage and involve families, community members, the local educational agency, businesses, and other community leaders, to respond to the diverse interests and needs and leverage additional resources to improve student academic achievement;

“(VIII) understand how students learn and develop in order to increase academic achievement for all students, including students with disabilities and English learners; and

“(IX) understand the varied roles and responsibilities of general and special educators and teachers of English as a second language to support meaningful observation, feedback, and evaluations.

“(B) Clinical training—Implementing at least 1 academic year of high-quality clinical training in high-need schools that includes the following criteria:

“(i) Integration of coursework, robust school-based practice, and mentoring, to promote effective leadership skills.

“(ii) Engagement of school leader residents in rigorous coursework, which shall be aligned to the needs of the high-need local educational agency in the eligible partnership.

“(iii) Establishment of clear criteria for the selection and assignment of mentor school leaders.

“(iv) Placement of school leader residents in cohorts that facilitate professional collaboration, both among school leader residents and between such school leader residents and mentors in the receiving school.

“(v) Support for school leader residents once such school leader residents are hired as school leaders, through an induction program, high-quality professional development, and regular opportunities, to support residents in their development of leadership skills during not less than the residents’ first 2 years of serving as a school leader.

“(C) Selection of individuals as school leader residents

“(i) Eligible individual—In order to be eligible to be a school leader resident in a school leader residency program under this paragraph, an individual shall—

“(I) be a graduate of a 4-year institution of higher education;

“(II) have prior prekindergarten through grade 12 teaching experience;

“(III) have experience as an effective leader, manager, and communicator; and

“(IV) submit an application to the residency program.

“(ii) Selection criteria—An eligible partnership carrying out a school leader residency program under this subsection shall establish criteria for the selection of eligible individuals to participate in the school leader residency program, aligned to the hiring needs and objectives of the high-need local educational agency in the eligible partnership, and based on, at a minimum, the following applicant characteristics:

“(I) Demonstrated leadership skills in an elementary school or secondary school setting.

“(II) Strong record of accomplishment in prior prekindergarten through grade 12 teaching experience.

“(III) Strong verbal and written communication skills.

“(IV) Other attributes linked to effective leadership.

“(V) Demonstrated commitment, which may be evidenced by past work experience, to serving in high-need local educational agencies.

“(5) Stipends or salaries; applications; agreements; repayments

“(A) Stipends or salaries—A teacher residency program or school leader residency program funded under this subsection shall provide a 1-year living stipend or salary to each teacher or school leader resident during the residency program.

“(B) Applications for stipends or salaries—Each teacher or school leader residency candidate desiring a stipend or salary during the period of residency shall submit an application to the eligible partnership at such time, and containing such information and assurances, as the eligible partnership may require.

“(C) Agreements to serve—Each application submitted under subparagraph (B) shall contain or be accompanied by an agreement that the applicant will—

“(i) serve as a full-time teacher or school leader for a total of not less than 3 academic years immediately after successfully completing the teacher residency program or school leader residency program;

“(ii) fulfill the requirement under subclause (i)—

“(I) by serving as a teacher in a high-need subject or field in a high-need school served by the high-need local educational agency in the eligible partnership or serving as a school leader in such a school; or

“(II) if there is no appropriate position available in a high-need school served by the high-need local educational agency in the eligible partnership, by serving as a teacher in a high-need subject or field in a high-need school in another high-need local educational agency or serving as a school leader in such a school;

“(iii) provide to the eligible partnership a certificate, from the chief administrative officer of the local educational agency in which the resident is employed, of the employment required in clauses (i) and (ii) at the beginning of, and upon completion of, each year or partial year of service;

“(iv) for teachers, meet the requirements to be a highly qualified teacher, as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, or section 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, when the applicant begins to fulfill the service obligation under this subparagraph; and

“(v) comply with the requirements set by the eligible partnership under subparagraph (D) if the applicant is unable or unwilling to complete the service obligation required under this subparagraph.

“(D) Repayments

“(i) In general—An eligible partnership receiving a grant under this section to design and implement an effective educator residency program shall require a recipient of a stipend or salary under subparagraph (A) who does not complete, or who notifies the eligible partnership that the recipient intends not to complete, the service obligation required under subparagraph (C) to repay such stipend or salary to the eligible partnership, together with interest, at a rate specified by the eligible partnership in the agreement, and in accordance with such other terms and conditions specified by the eligible partnership, as necessary.

“(ii) Other terms and conditions—Any other terms and conditions specified by the eligible partnership may include reasonable provisions for pro-rata repayment of the stipend or salary described in subparagraph (A) or for deferral of a teacher or school leader resident’s service obligation required by subparagraph (C) on grounds of health, incapacitation, inability to secure employment in a school served by the eligible partnership, being called to active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, or other extraordinary circumstances.

“(iii) Use of repayments—An eligible partnership shall use any repayment received under this subparagraph to carry out additional activities that are consistent with the purposes of this subsection.

“(d) Consultation

“(1) In general—In addition to the requirements identified in subsection (b)(2)(A), members of an eligible partnership that receives a grant under this section shall engage in regular consultation throughout the development and implementation of programs and activities carried out under this section.

“(2) Regular communication—To ensure timely and meaningful consultation as described in paragraph (1), regular communication shall occur among all members of the eligible partnership, including the high-need local educational agency. Such communication shall continue throughout the implementation of the grant and the assessment of programs and activities under this section.

“(3) Written consent—The Secretary may approve changes in grant activities of a grant under this section only if the eligible partnership submits to the Secretary a written consent to such changes signed by all members of the eligible partnership.

“(e) Construction—Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit an eligible partnership from using grant funds to coordinate with the activities of eligible partnerships in other States or on a regional basis through Governors, State boards of education, State educational agencies, State agencies responsible for early childhood education, local educational agencies, or State agencies for higher education.

“(f) Supplement, not supplant—Funds made available under this section shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, and local funds that would otherwise be expended to carry out activities under this section.

“(g) Authorization of Appropriations—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.

“203. Administrative provisions of educator residency grants

“(a) Duration; number of awards; payments

“(1) Duration

“(A) In general—A grant awarded under this part shall be not more than 5 years in duration.

“(B) Requirements for additional funding—Before receiving funding for the third or any subsequent year of a grant under this part, the eligible partnership receiving the grant shall demonstrate to the Secretary that the eligible partnership is—

“(i) making progress in implementing the requirements under section 202(c) at a rate that the Secretary determines will result in full implementation of the program during the remainder of the grant period; and

“(ii) making progress, as measured by the performance objectives established by the eligible partnership under section 204(a), at a rate that the Secretary determines will result in reaching the targets and achieving the objectives of the grant, during the remainder of the grant period.

“(2) Number of awards—An eligible partnership may not receive more than 1 grant during a 5-year period. Nothing in this part shall be construed to prohibit an individual member, that can demonstrate need, of an eligible partnership that receives a grant under this part from entering into another eligible partnership consisting of new members and receiving a grant with such other eligible partnership before the 5-year period applicable to the eligible partnership with which the individual member has first partnered has expired.

“(b) Peer review

“(1) Panel—The Secretary shall provide the applications submitted under this part to a peer review panel for evaluation. With respect to each application, the peer review panel shall initially recommend the application for funding or for disapproval.

“(2) Priority—The Secretary, in funding applications under this part, shall give priority—

“(A) to eligible partnerships that include a high-need local educational agency that serves a student population that consists of 40 percent or more students from low-income families;

“(B) to eligible partnerships that include an institution of higher education whose educator preparation program has a rigorous selection process to ensure the highest quality of students entering such program;

“(C) to applications from broad-based eligible partnerships that involve businesses and nonprofit community organizations; or

“(D) to eligible partnerships so that the awards promote an equitable geographic distribution of grants among rural and urban areas.

“(3) Secretarial selection—The Secretary shall determine, based on the peer review process, which applications shall receive funding and the amounts of the grants under this part. In determining grant amounts, the Secretary shall take into account the total amount of funds available for all grants under this part and the types of activities proposed to be carried out by the eligible partnership.

“(c) Matching requirements

“(1) In general—Each eligible partnership receiving a grant under this part shall provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 100 percent of the amount of the grant, which may be provided in cash or in-kind, to carry out the activities supported by the grant.

“(2) Waiver—The Secretary may waive all or part of the matching requirement described in paragraph (1) for any fiscal year for an eligible partnership if the Secretary determines that applying the matching requirement to the eligible partnership would result in serious hardship or an inability to carry out the authorized activities described in this part.

“(d) Limitation on administrative expenses—An eligible partnership that receives a grant under this part may use not more than 4 percent of the funds provided to administer the grant.

“204. Performance measures and evaluation of educator residency grants

“(a) Eligible partnership evaluation—Each eligible partnership submitting an application for a grant under this part shall establish, and include in such application, a plan for evaluating the grant project using scientifically valid research that includes strong and measurable performance objectives. The plan shall include, at a minimum, objectives and measures for determining the eligible partnership’s success in increasing—

“(1) each teacher candidate or school leader candidate’s performance during their clinical training under paragraphs (3)(B) and (4)(B) of section 202(c);

“(2) educator retention in high-need schools—

“(A) 3 years after initial placement as a teacher or school leader; and

“(B) 5 years after initial placement as a teacher or school leader;

“(3) the pass rates and scaled scores for first time test takers on the State certification or licensing examination;

“(4) educator effectiveness, as measured by—

“(A) performance on teacher or school leader evaluations, including impact on student growth; and

“(B) satisfaction survey outcomes; and

“(5) the percentage of—

“(A) recent program graduates hired by the high-need local educational agency who are rated effective under a State or district evaluation system 2 years after program completion;

“(B) recent program graduates hired by the high-need local educational agency who are rated effective under a State or district evaluation system 2 years after program completion and are members of underrepresented groups;

“(C) recent program graduates hired by the high-need local educational agency who are rated effective under a State or district evaluation system 2 years after program completion and who teach in high-need subject areas or fields;

“(D) recent program graduates hired by the high-need local educational agency who are rated effective under a State or district evaluation system 2 years after program completion and who serve in high-need schools or schools in rural areas, disaggregated by the elementary school and secondary school levels; and

“(E) early childhood education program classes in the geographic area served by the eligible partnership taught by early childhood educators who are highly competent, as applicable.

“(b) Annual report—Each eligible partnership that receives a grant under this part shall submit to the Secretary and make publicly available, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require, an annual report including at a minimum—

“(1) data on the eligible partnership’s progress on the measures described in subsection (a); and

“(2) a description of the challenges the eligible partnership has faced in implementing its grant and how the eligible partnership has addressed or plans to address such challenges.

“(c) Information—An eligible partnership receiving a grant under this part shall ensure that candidates for admission to educator preparation programs, teachers, school leaders, school superintendents, faculty, and leadership at institutions of higher education located in the geographic areas served by the eligible partnership are provided information, including through electronic means, about the activities carried out with funds under this part.

“(d) Revised application—If the Secretary determines that an eligible partnership receiving a grant under this part is not making substantial progress in meeting the purposes, goals, objectives, and measures of the grant, as appropriate, by the end of the third year of a grant under this part, then the Secretary—

“(1) shall cancel the grant; and

“(2) may use any funds returned or available because of such cancellation under paragraph (1) to—

“(A) increase other grant awards under this part; or

“(B) award new grants to other eligible partnerships under this part.

“(e) Technical assistance, evaluation, and dissemination—The Secretary shall reserve not more than 2 percent of the funds appropriated under section 202(g) for a fiscal year—

“(1) to provide, directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, technical assistance by qualified experts on using practices grounded in scientifically valid research to improve the outcomes of projects funded under this part;

“(2) acting through the Director of the Institute for Education Sciences, to—

“(A) develop performance measures, including the measures described in subsection (a) and evaluate the activities funded under section 202 by these performance measures by applying the same measures to each project funded under section 202;

“(B) report the findings of the evaluation to the authorizing committees and make publicly available on the website of the Department; and

“(C) identify best practices and disseminate research on best practices that scientifically valid research indicates are the most successful in improving the quality of educator preparation programs, including through regional educational laboratories and comprehensive centers (as authorized under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002).

“(f) Evaluation To be made publicly available—Each eligible partnership receiving a grant under this part shall complete and make publicly available, not later than 90 days after the grant period for such eligible partnership ends, an evaluation based on the evaluation plan described under subsection (a).

“(g) Development of performance measures—The Secretary shall develop performance measures described in subsection (e) prior to awarding grants under this part. The Secretary shall ensure that such measures are made available to potential applicants prior to seeking applications for grants under this part.

“B State innovation in educator preparation

“206. Educator preparation program reform grants

“(a) Definitions—In this section:

“(1) Educator Preparation Program Accountability and Improvement System—The term Educator Preparation Program Accountability and Improvement System means a system that assesses all educator preparation programs within a State, establishes performance levels for educator preparation programs, and informs the interventions for low-performing educator preparation programs. The minimum requirements for such a system shall include—

“(A) defining at least 4 performance levels that differentiate the performance of educator preparation programs based on data required in subparagraph (D);

“(B) administering satisfaction surveys to employers of recent program graduates;

“(C) administering satisfaction surveys to recent program graduates;

“(D) assessing all such educator preparation programs on multiple measures that, at a minimum, shall include—

“(i) for teacher preparation programs—

“(I) a statewide measure of teacher impact on student learning for recent program graduates who are employed as full-time teachers as demonstrated through either—

“(aa) the percentage of recent program graduates in each evaluation rating category for States that have statewide teacher evaluation systems if such evaluation systems contain the impact on student achievement, multiple measures, and more than 2 rating categories; or

“(bb) for States that do not have a statewide teacher evaluation system meeting the requirements in item (aa), the percentage of recent program graduates who demonstrate evidence of improved student growth that is limited to evidence-based or externally-validated measures;

“(II) the number and percentage of recent program graduates employed as full time teachers who are identified as well-prepared by their employers in the surveys described in subparagraph (B);

“(III) the number and percentage of recent graduates employed as full-time teachers who identify themselves as being well-prepared in surveys described in subparagraph (C);

“(IV) the number and percentage of teachers who graduated from teacher preparation programs and who are still teaching in full-time positions 3 years and 5 years after initial placement as a teacher; and

“(V) the number and percentage of teachers who graduated from the educator preparation program in the most recent academic year who are teaching in full-time positions;

“(ii) for school leader preparation programs—

“(I) a statewide measure of school leader impact on student learning for recent program graduates who are employed as full-time school leaders as demonstrated through either—

“(aa) the percentage of recent program graduates in each evaluation rating category for States that have statewide school leader evaluation systems that include the impact on student achievement, multiple measures, and more than 2 rating categories; or

“(bb) for States that do not have school leader evaluation systems that meet the requirements of item (aa), the percentage of recent program graduates who demonstrate evidence of improved student achievement and growth that is limited to evidence-based or externally-validated measures;

“(II) evidence of training school leaders to provide strong instructional leadership and support to teachers and other staff;

“(III) the number and percentage of recent program graduates employed as full time school leaders who are identified as well-prepared in the surveys described in subparagraph (B);

“(IV) the number and percentage of recent program graduates employed as school leaders who, based on surveys described in subparagraph (C), described themselves as prepared to be effective school leaders;

“(V) the number and percentage of school leaders who graduated from the educator preparation program in the most recent academic year who are employed as school leaders; and

“(VI) the number and percentage of school leaders who graduated from programs and are still serving in a school leadership role 3 years and 5 years after initial placement as a school leader;

“(iii) for all educator preparation programs—

“(I) evidence of meaningful collaboration with high-need local educational agencies to ensure the educator preparation programs are preparing educators to meet the workforce needs of high-need local educational agencies and to ensure that high-need local educational agencies have a role in the design of the teacher or school leader candidate education offered at educator preparation programs; and

“(II) the number and percentage of graduates who are working as full-time teachers or school leaders in high-need schools after 3 years;

“(E) using the same metrics and weights to determine the performance level of all educator preparation programs in the State;

“(F) public reporting of performance levels on a program by program basis based on the measures described in subparagraph (D);

“(G) distribution of educator preparation program performance information to all local educational agencies and school boards in the State;

“(H) interventions for programs identified as low performing pursuant to subparagraph (A), including—

“(i) for programs identified as low performing for 1 year, requiring such programs to conduct a needs assessment and develop and implement an improvement plan based on that needs assessment;

“(ii) for programs identified as low performing for 3 consecutive years, requiring such programs to lose eligibility for TEACH grants under subpart 9 of part A of title IV and continue to implement an improvement plan; and

“(iii) for programs identified as low performing for 4 consecutive years, requiring the State to terminate the ability of such program to operate; and

“(I) for programs identified in the lowest performing level for 1 or more years under subparagraph (A), an automatic designation as a low performing program under section 212.

“(2) Eligible entity—The term eligible entity means—

“(A) a State; or

“(B) a consortium of States.

“(b) Program authorized

“(1) Educator preparation program reform grants—The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to reform and improve educator preparation programs.

“(2) Duration

“(A) In general—A grant awarded under this section shall be not more than 5 years in duration.

“(B) Number of grants—A State shall not receive, directly or as part of a consortium, more than 1 grant under this section for any grant period.

“(C) Requirements for additional funding—Before receiving funding for the third or any subsequent year of the grant, the eligible entity receiving the grant shall demonstrate to the Secretary that the eligible entity is—

“(i) making progress in implementing the plan under subsection (c)(1)(A) at a rate that the Secretary determines will result in full implementation of the plan during the remainder of the grant period; and

“(ii) making progress, as measured by the performance measures established by the Secretary under subsection (h), at a rate that the Secretary determines will result in reaching the measures and achieving the objectives of the grant, during the remainder of the grant period.

“(D) Substantial progress

“(i) In general—If the Secretary determines that an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section is not making substantial progress in meeting the objectives of the grant, as appropriate, by the end of the third year of the grant under this section, then the Secretary may, after notice and an opportunity for a hearing in accordance with chapter 5 of title 5, United States Code—

“(I) withhold funds provided under the grant under this section for failure to comply substantially with the requirements of this section; or

“(II) take actions to recover funds provided under the grant if the entity uses grant funds for an unallowable expense, or otherwise fails to discharge its responsibility to properly account for grant funds.

“(ii) Use of recovered or unused funds—Any funds recovered or withheld under clause (i) shall—

“(I) be credited to the appropriations account from which amounts are available to make grants under this section; and

“(II) remain available until expended for any purpose of such account authorized by law that relates to the program under this section.

“(E) Reservation of funds—From amounts made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year, the Secretary may reserve not more than 5 percent to carry out activities related to technical assistance, outreach and dissemination, and evaluation.

“(c) Application and selection criteria

“(1) Application—An eligible entity that desires to receive a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may require. At a minimum, each such application shall include—

“(A) a plan to implement the required activities in subsection (e)(1) statewide, including a description of its plan to support educator preparation programs to make the necessary reforms and improvements required under this section;

“(B) an assurance that the eligible entity will use the Educator Preparation Program Accountability and Improvement System to reward high-performing educator preparation programs and identify and improve low-performing educator preparation programs and the specific criteria the eligible entity will use to identify low-performing and high-performing educator preparation programs;

“(C) evidence of the steps the State has taken and will take to eliminate statutory, regulatory, procedural, or other barriers to facilitate the full implementation of the State plans under subparagraph (A);

“(D) a comprehensive and coherent plan for using funds under this section, and other Federal, State, and local funds to develop statewide reforms and improvements to educator preparation programs;

“(E) evidence of collaboration between the eligible entity, State standards boards for teacher or school leader certification, local educational agencies, educator preparation programs, teachers, school leaders, and other key stakeholders within the State in developing the plan under subparagraph (A), including the design of the Education Preparation Program Accountability and Improvement System;

“(F) a commitment to participate in the reporting provisions under subsection (f) and the evaluation of the activities carried out under this section, as described in subsection (h); and

“(G) a description of the eligible entity's plan to regularly review the success of activities undertaken as part of the grant and continuously improve such activities.

“(2) Selection criteria—In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall consider—

“(A) the extent to which the eligible entity has the capacity to implement the activities described in subsection (e);

“(B) the extent to which the eligible entity has a demonstrated record of effectiveness or an evidence-based plan for reforming educator preparation programs; and

“(C) the likelihood of the eligible entity sustaining the reforms and improvements required under the grant, once the grant has ended and the eligible entity’s plan for sustaining the reforms and improvements after the grant has ended.

“(d) Awarding grants—In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity with—

“(1) data systems in place to link the results of teacher or school leader evaluation systems for recent program graduates back to the educator preparation programs from which they graduated;

“(2) statewide teacher or school leader evaluation systems based on multiple measures, that include student growth; and

“(3) strong partnerships between educator preparation programs and high-need local educational agencies.

“(e) Activities

“(1) Required uses of funds for all grantees—Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to do the following:

“(A) Incorporate into the State’s educator preparation program approval process a requirement that educator preparation entities—

“(i) successfully recruit top talent and hold a high bar for admission to educator preparation programs;

“(ii) present evidence demonstrating selective admission;

“(iii) provide participants with clinical training, including prioritizing clinical training in high-need schools;

“(iv) for entities that prepare teachers, prepare all teachers to effectively teach students with disabilities and English learners, and for entities that prepare school leaders, prepare all school leaders to lead schools that effectively address the academic needs of students with disabilities and English learners;

“(v) for entities that prepare teachers, ensure that all teacher candidates demonstrate subject matter mastery and mastery of effective classroom management, and for entities that prepare school leaders, ensure that all school leader candidates demonstrate mastery of school management techniques, including strategies for creating a positive learning environment that conveys high expectations for all students and equitably implementing school discipline policies;

“(vi) ensure that all teachers and school leaders develop teaching skills and school leadership skills, respectively; and

“(vii) are aligned with research-based professional teaching or leadership standards.

“(B) Design and implement an Educator Preparation Program Accountability and Improvement System and require all educator preparation programs to be included in such system.

“(C) Require all educator preparation programs to regularly communicate with the in-State local educational agencies they predominantly serve to ascertain the agencies' educator workforce needs and whether the educator preparation programs are meeting the workforce needs and whether recent program graduates have the skills needed to be effective.

“(D) Require all educator preparation programs to utilize satisfaction surveys of recent program graduates that are conducted by the States to improve educator preparation programs.

“(E) Require all educator preparation programs to utilize satisfaction surveys of employers that are conducted by the States to ascertain employer satisfaction with recent program graduates of educator preparation programs.

“(F) Ensure statewide data systems, including the Educator Preparation Program Accountability and Improvement System, do not publicly report personally identifiable information of educators or elementary school or secondary school students, comply with section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act ((20 U.S.C. 1232g), commonly known as the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974”), and share with educator preparation programs the aggregate data on—

“(i) the aggregate impact their recent program graduates have on student achievement as demonstrated through teacher or school leader evaluation results of their program graduates;

“(ii) retention of their program graduates, including at—

“(I) 3 years after initial placement as a teacher or school leader; and

“(II) 5 years after initial placement as a teacher or school leader; and

“(iii) the number and percentage of recent program graduates hired into full-time positions as teachers or school leaders within 1 year of certification or licensure.

“(G) Report publicly on the aggregate performance of each educator preparation program operating in the State, including aggregate data on the measures described in subparagraph (F), and ensure that key stakeholders such as applicants to teacher preparation programs or school leader preparation programs, school administrators, and school board members, receive these performance results.

“(H) Redesign certification and licensing exams to ensure that such exams are aligned with the State’s challenging academic content standards and challenging student academic achievement standards required under section 1111(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, educator performance assessments, and educator evaluation systems.

“(I) Utilize data collected, as described in subsection (a)(1), in program approval, program re-approval, program improvement, and program closures processes.

“(J) Require all educator preparation programs within the State to offer a high-quality clinical training to educator candidates.

“(2) Required uses of funds for consortia grantees—Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this section and is a consortium of States shall use the grant funds to carry out the uses of funds under paragraph (1) and each of the following:

“(A) Develop consistent program quality and accountability indicators across State lines.

“(B) Develop consistent measures for identifying educator preparation programs as low performing.

“(C) Develop systems for the sharing of the data required under the Educator Preparation Program Accountability and Improvement System across State lines that complies with all relevant Federal and State privacy laws, including section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act ((20 U.S.C. 1232g), commonly known as the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974”).

“(3) Permissive uses of funds—Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this section may use the grant funds (after meeting all the required uses of funds under paragraph (1) and, as applicable, paragraph (2)) to do the following:

“(A) Incentivize educator preparation programs to pursue programmatic accreditation.

“(B) Improve diversity of teacher or school leader candidates in educator preparation programs.

“(C) Develop partnerships between high-need local educational agencies and educator preparation entities to provide high-quality induction programs and mentoring programs for new educators.

“(D) Provide subgrants for educator development. In this subparagraph, the term educator means specialized instructional support personnel, or other staff member who provides or directly supports instruction, such as a school librarian, counselor, or paraprofessional.

“(E) Include, in the subgrants provided under subparagraph (D), the following activities:

“(i) Implementing curriculum changes that improve, evaluate, and assess how well educators develop instructional skills.

“(ii) Preparing educators to use empirically based practice and scientifically valid research, where applicable.

“(iii) Providing pre-service clinical training.

“(iv) Creating induction programs for new educators.

“(v) Aligning recruitment and admissions goals and priorities with the hiring objectives with local educational agencies in the State, including high-need local educational agencies.

“(f) Reporting—An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary and make publicly available, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require, an annual report, including, at a minimum—

“(1) data on the eligible entity’s progress on the performance measures established by the Secretary under subsection (h);

“(2) a description of the challenges the eligible entity has faced in implementing its plan under this section, and how the eligible entity has addressed or plans to address such challenges; and

“(3) data on educator preparation programs in the State recruiting and selecting candidates who are members of groups underrepresented in the teaching profession.

“(g) Supplement, not supplant—Grant funds provided under this section shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, any other Federal, State, or local funds otherwise available to carry out the activities described in this section.

“(h) Research, evaluation, and dissemination—The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, shall—

“(1) develop performance measures to evaluate the effectiveness of the activities carried out under this grant program; and

“(2) identify best practices and disseminate research on best practices.

“(i) Development of performance measures—The Secretary shall establish performance measures described under subsection (h) prior to awarding grants under this section. The Secretary shall ensure that such measure are made available to potential applicants prior to seeking applications for grants under this section.

“(j) Teacher or school leader privacy—No State or local educational agency shall be required to publicly report information in compliance with this section in a case in which the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual teacher or school leader.

“(k) Construction—Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights, remedies, and procedures afforded school or school district employees under Federal, State or local laws (including applicable regulators or court orders) or under the terms of collective bargaining agreements, memoranda of understanding, or other agreements between such employees and their employers.

“(l) Report to Congress—Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of the Higher Education Affordability Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives on lessons learned through programs funded with grants awarded under this section and shall make such report publicly available.

“(m) Authorization of appropriations—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.

“C Educator preparation program reporting and improvement

“210. Information on educator preparation programs

“(a) Institutional and program report cards on the quality of educator preparation

“(1) Report card—Each institution of higher education that conducts a traditional educator preparation program or alternative routes to State certification or licensure program and that enrolls students receiving Federal assistance under this Act and each educator preparation entity that is not based at an institution of higher education and that receives Federal assistance shall report annually to the State and the general public, in a uniform and comprehensible manner that conforms with the definitions and methods established by the Secretary, the following, in the aggregate for each institution and entity and disaggregated by program within each institution and entity:

“(A) Goals and assurances—For the most recent year for which the information is available for the institution or entity—

“(i) whether the goals set under section 211 have been met; and

“(ii) if the goals under section 211 have not been met, a description of the steps the program is taking to improve its performance in meeting such goals.

“(B) Pass rates and scaled scores—For the most recent year for which the information is available for those program participants who took the assessments used for teacher or school leader certification or licensure by the State in which the program is located and are enrolled in the traditional educator preparation program or alternative routes to State certification or licensure program, for each of such assessments—

“(i) the percentage of all program participants who have taken the assessment who have passed such assessment compared to the average passage rate percentage in the State on such assessment;

“(ii) the percentage of all program participants who have taken the assessment who passed such assessment on the first time taking the assessment compared to the first-time average passage rate in the State on such assessment;

“(iii) the percentage of program participants who have taken such assessment and enrolled in the traditional teacher or school leader preparation program or alternative routes to State certification or licensure program, as applicable;

“(iv) the average scaled score for all program participants who have taken such assessment, as compared to the passing score required by the State on such assessment;

“(v) the average scaled score for all program participants who have taken such assessment for the first time compared to the average scaled score for programs in the State; and

“(vi) if applicable, the percentage of all program participants who have taken and passed a teacher performance assessment compared to the average passage rate for all programs in the State on such assessment.

“(C) Candidate information—For the most recent academic year for which data is available—

“(i) the median cumulative grade point average of admitted program participants compared to the institution or entity as a whole;

“(ii) the median score on standardized entrance examinations of admitted program participants compared to the institution or entity as a whole, as applicable;

“(iii) in the aggregate and disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, and Pell Grant recipient status, the number of program participants who—

“(I) enrolled in the program; and

“(II) completed or graduated from the program in 100 percent of normal time and 150 percent of normal time; and

“(iv) the total number of program participants who have been certified or licensed as teachers or school leaders, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, Pell Grant recipient status, subject and area of certification or licensure.

“(D) Program information—For the most recent academic year for which data is available—

“(i) the percentage of enrolled program participants who participated in a clinical training;

“(ii) the number of hours of clinical training required for program participants; and

“(iii) the percentage of program participants graduating from or completing the program who obtained at minimum 50 percent of clinical training in high-need schools.

“(E) Accreditation and approval—Whether the program is accredited by a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary for accreditation of professional educator preparation programs and whether the program is approved by the State.

“(F) Designation as low-performing—Whether the program has been designated as low performing by the State under section 212.

“(G) Educator training—A list of the activities that prepare—

“(i) general education and special education teachers and other educators to effectively teach students with disabilities effectively, including training related to participation as a member of individualized education program teams, as defined in section 614(d)(1)(B) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and to effectively teach students who are English learners; and

“(ii) school leaders to effectively develop a shared vision for high achievement and college and career readiness for all students, including creating structures and staffing to meet the needs of all students, in particular students with disabilities and English learners.

“(2) Fines—The Secretary may impose a fine not to exceed $27,500 on an institution of higher education or educator preparation entity that is not based at an institution of higher education for failure to provide the information described in this subsection in a timely or accurate manner.

“(3) Rule of construction—Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a State from collecting and reporting additional data indicators regarding teacher preparation programs.

“(4) Special rule—In the case of an institution of higher education, or educator preparation entity that is not based at an institution of higher education, that conducts a traditional educator preparation program or alternative routes to State certification or licensure program and has fewer than 10 program participants in a program, the institution or entity shall collect and publish information, as required under paragraph (1) over a 3-year period.

“(5) Protection for teacher or leader identity and data validity—The Secretary, in consultation with the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, shall ensure that data collected under paragraph (1) and subsection (b) is collected in a way to protect the privacy of teacher or school leader candidates, as well as teachers or school leaders, and to ensure there is sufficient data quality to ensure the validity of conclusions to be drawn from the data collection.

“(b) State report card on the quality of educator preparation

“(1) In general—Each State that receives funds under this Act shall provide to the Secretary, and make widely available to the general public and to all local educational agencies located within the State, including by sending information about the State report card to every local educational agency in the State, in a uniform and comprehensible manner that conforms with the definitions and methods established by the Secretary, an annual State report card on the quality of educator preparation in the State, both for traditional educator preparation programs and for alternative routes to State certification or licensure programs, which shall include not less than the following:

“(A) All information reported under subsection (a)(1), for the State as a whole, and for each educator preparation program located within the State.

“(B) For the most recent year for which the information is available for each educator preparation program located within the State—

“(i) the number and percentage of recent program graduates hired into full-time positions as teachers or school leaders within 1 year of certification or licensure, in the aggregate and reported separately by—

“(I) teachers in high-need subject areas or fields;

“(II) high-need schools; and

“(III) certification or licensure type;

“(ii) for teacher preparation programs, the number and percentage of recent program graduates hired into full-time positions as teachers who served for periods of not less than 3 academic years after their initial placement in a teacher position, in the aggregate and reported separately by—

“(I) teachers in high-need subject areas or fields;

“(II) high-need schools;

“(III) certification or licensure type; and

“(iii) for school leader preparation programs, the number and percentage of recent program graduates hired into full-time positions as school leaders who served for periods of not less than 3 academic years after their initial placement in a school leader position, in the aggregated and reported separately by—

“(I) principals;

“(II) assistant principals; and

“(III) high-need schools.

“(C) For recent program graduates at each educator preparation program in the State—

“(i) the percentage of recent program graduates whose elementary and secondary students demonstrate evidence of improved student growth on State teacher or leader evaluation systems, if States have such teacher or leader evaluation systems; and

“(ii) the percentage of recent program graduates who are rated highly based on results from State-administered satisfaction surveys, as available, and the percentage of recent program graduates who self-identify as prepared to be effective teachers or school leaders based on results from State-administered satisfaction surveys, as available.

“(D) Any educator preparation program that has a first-time passage rate for all test takers from the program (regardless of whether or not they are considered program graduates) on assessments used for teacher or school leader certification or licensure below 80 percent.

“(E) The total number of teachers certified or licensed in the preceding year in each high-need subject or field, as compared to the number of teachers needed in each high-need subject or field, and the total number of school leaders certified or licensed in the preceding year and serving in a high-need school compared to the number of school leaders needed in a high-need school, by elementary schools and secondary schools located within the State.

“(2) State report card distribution and publication—Each academic year, a State shall—

“(A) submit the report card required under paragraph (1) for the State and for each educator preparation program in the State to the Secretary;

“(B) publish the State’s and each educator preparation program’s report cards on the website of the State educational agency;

“(C) require that each educator preparation program in the State publish the report card required under paragraph (1) on the program’s website and provide the report card to prospective teacher and school leader candidates as well as teacher and school leader candidates accepted for admission; and

“(D) provide the report card required under paragraph (1) to each local educational agency in the State.

“(3) Low-performing programs—Each State receiving funds under this Act shall provide—

“(A) the State’s criteria for assessing the performance of educator preparation programs in the State, including the measures described in section 212(a);

“(B) a list of all programs identified as low performing under section 212, and an identification of those programs at risk of being placed on such list, including a specification of the factors that led to each program’s identification;

“(C) for States that do not identify any programs as low performing under section 212 or at risk of being classified as low performing, a description of the reliability and validity of the measures used to assess program performance and evidence that each program met the State’s criteria for assessing performance of teacher preparation programs and school leader preparation programs; and

“(D) for States that do not identify any programs as low performing under section 212 or at risk of being classified as low performing, an explanation of why programs that have first-time passage rates under 80 percent on assessments used for teacher or school leader certification or licensure are not identified as low-performing by the State.

“(4) Prohibition against creating a national list—The Secretary shall not create a national list or ranking of States, institutions, or schools using the scaled scores provided under this subsection.

“(c) Data quality—The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to ensure the reliability, validity, integrity, and accuracy of the data submitted pursuant to this section.

“(d) Report of the secretary on the quality of educator preparation

“(1) Report card—The Secretary shall annually provide to the authorizing committees, and publish and make widely available, a report card on teacher and school leader qualifications and preparation in the United States, including all the information reported in subsection (b)(1). Such report shall identify States which received a grant under this part as part of an eligible partnership.

“(2) Report to congress—The Secretary shall prepare and submit a report to the authorizing committees and make such report publicly available that contains the following:

“(A) A comparison of States’ efforts to improve the quality of the current and future educator force, including a list of those States that did not identify any programs as low performing under section 212, or at risk for being identified as low performing, and an assessment of the reliability and validity of the criteria used to by such States to evaluate program performance.

“(B) A comparison of eligible partnerships’ efforts to improve the quality of the current and future educator force.

“(C) The national mean and median scaled scores and pass rate on any standardized test that is used in more than one State for teacher or school leader certification or licensure.

“(3) Special rule—In the case of a teacher preparation program or school leader preparation program with fewer than 10 graduates in a program, the Secretary shall collect and publish, and make publicly available, the information required under subsection (b)(1) taken over a 3-year period.

“(e) Coordination—The Secretary, to the extent practicable, shall coordinate the information collected and published under this part among States for individuals who took State teacher certification or licensure assessments in a State other than the State in which the individual received the individual’s most recent degree.

“211. Goals for meeting the needs of educator shortage areas

“(a) Annual goals—Each institution of higher education that offers a traditional educator preparation program (including programs that offer any ongoing professional development programs) or alternative routes to State certification or licensure program, and that enrolls students receiving Federal assistance under this Act, and each non-institution of higher education-based educator preparation entity receiving Federal assistance shall set annual quantifiable goals for increasing the number of prospective educators trained in educator shortage areas designated by the Secretary or by the State educational agency, including mathematics, science, special education, and instruction of English learners.

“(b) Assurances—Each institution described in subsection (a) shall provide assurances to the Secretary that—

“(1) training provided to prospective educators responds to the identified needs of the local educational agencies or States where the institution’s graduates are likely to teach or lead, based on past hiring and recruitment trends;

“(2) training provided to prospective educators is closely linked with the needs of schools and the instructional decisions new teachers or school leaders face in the classroom and school;

“(3) prospective special education teachers receive course work in core academic subjects and receive training in providing instruction in core academic subjects;

“(4) general education teachers receive training in providing instruction to diverse populations, including children with disabilities, English learners, and children from low-income families; and

“(5) prospective educators receive training on how to effectively meet the needs of urban and rural schools, as applicable.

“(c) Rule of construction—Nothing in this section shall be construed to require an institution to create a new educator preparation area of concentration or degree program or adopt a specific curriculum in complying with this section.

“212. State identification of low-performing programs

“(a) State assessment—In order to receive funds under this Act, a State shall conduct an assessment to identify low-performing educator preparation programs in the State and to assist such programs through the provision of technical assistance. Each such State shall provide the Secretary with an annual list of low-performing educator preparation programs and an identification of those programs at risk of being placed on such list, as applicable. Such assessment shall be described in the report under section 210(b). Levels of performance shall be determined by the State and shall include, at minimum—

“(1) measures of candidates’ academic strength, such as median cumulative grade point averages or median standardized entrance examination scores of admitted students;

“(2) first-time passage rates and scaled scores on assessments used for teacher or school leader certification or licensure by the State;

“(3) the number of hours of clinical training required for program candidates;

“(4) programs’ progress towards achieving goals set under section 211(a);

“(5) employment outcomes for recent program graduates, including job placement rates and retention rates, particularly in high-need schools;

“(6) recent program graduates’ results from teacher or leader evaluations; and

“(7) results of satisfaction surveys, as applicable.

“(b) Termination of eligibility—Any educator preparation program from which the State has withdrawn the State’s approval, or terminated the State’s financial support, due to the low performance of the program based upon the State assessment described in subsection (a)—

“(1) shall be ineligible for any funding for professional development activities awarded by the Department;

“(2) may not be permitted to accept or enroll any student who receives aid under title IV in the institution’s educator preparation program;

“(3) shall provide transitional support, including remedial services if necessary, for students enrolled at the institution at the time of termination of financial support or withdrawal of approval; and

“(4) shall be reinstated upon demonstration of improved performance, as determined by the State.

“(c) Negotiated rulemaking—If the Secretary develops any regulations implementing subsection (b)(2), the Secretary shall submit such proposed regulations to a negotiated rulemaking process, which shall include representatives of States, institutions of higher education, and educational and student organizations.

“(d) Application of the requirements—The requirements of this section shall apply to both traditional educator preparation programs and alternative routes to State certification and licensure programs.

“213. General provisions

“(a) Methods—The Secretary shall ensure that States, institutions of higher education, and educator preparation entities, use fair and equitable methods in reporting under this part and that the reporting methods do not reveal personally identifiable information.

“(b) Special rule—For each State that does not use content assessments as a means of ensuring that all teachers teaching in core academic subjects within the State are highly qualified, as required under section 1119 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, in accordance with the State plan submitted or revised under section 1111 of such Act, and that each person employed as a special education teacher in the State who teaches elementary school or secondary school is highly qualified by the deadline, as required under section 612(a)(14)(C) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Secretary shall—

“(1) to the extent practicable, collect data comparable to the data required under this part from States, local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, or other entities that administer such assessments to teachers or prospective teachers; and

“(2) notwithstanding any other provision of this part, use such data to carry out requirements of this part related to assessments, pass rates, and scaled scores.

“(c) Release of information to educator preparation programs

“(1) In general—For the purpose of improving teacher and school leader preparation programs, a State that receives funds under this Act, or that participates as a member of a partnership, consortium, or other entity that receives such funds, shall provide to an educator preparation program any and all pertinent education-related information that—

“(A) may enable the educator preparation program to evaluate the effectiveness of the program’s graduates or the program itself; and

“(B) is possessed, controlled, or accessible by or through the State.

“(2) Data required to be shared—In addition to the information described in paragraph (1), the State shall share with each educator preparation program in the State, and to the extent practicable, with educator preparation programs in other States whose program graduates are teaching in the State, data from teacher or school leader evaluation results, including any information necessary to complete subsections (a) and (b) of section 210.

“(3) Privacy—The information and data required under paragraphs (1) and (2) to be shared shall—

“(A) include aggregate elementary and secondary academic achievement, without revealing personally identifiable information about an individual student, for students who have been taught by graduates of the educator preparation program, as available; and

“(B) comply with section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g, commonly known as the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974”).

“(d) Funding—A State may use funds made available under section 2113(a)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to carry out this section.

“D Enhancing teacher education

“1 Honorable Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence

“214. Definitions

“In this subpart:

“(1) Eligible institution—The term eligible institution means—

“(A) an institution of higher education that offers a teacher preparation program that is—

“(i) a part B institution (as defined in section 322);

“(ii) a Hispanic-serving institution (as defined in section 502);

“(iii) a Tribal College or University (as defined in section 316);

“(iv) an Alaska Native-serving institution (as defined in section 317(b));

“(v) a Native Hawaiian-serving institution (as defined in section 317(b));

“(vi) a Predominantly Black Institution (as defined in section 318);

“(vii) an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution (as defined in section 320(b)); or

“(viii) a Native American-serving, nontribal institution (as defined in section 319);

“(B) a consortium of institutions described in subparagraph (A); or

“(C) an institution described in subparagraph (A), or a consortium described in subparagraph (B), in partnership with any other institution of higher education, but only if the center of excellence established under section 215 is located at an institution described in subparagraph (A).

“(2) Scientifically based reading research—The term scientifically based reading research has the meaning given such term in section 1208 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

“215. Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence

“(a) Program authorized—From the amounts appropriated to carry out this part, the Secretary is authorized to award competitive grants to eligible institutions to establish centers of excellence.

“(b) Use of funds—Grants provided by the Secretary under this subpart shall be used to ensure that current and future teachers are highly qualified by carrying out 1 or more of the following activities:

“(1) Implementing reforms within teacher preparation programs to ensure that such programs are preparing teachers who are highly qualified, are able to understand scientifically valid research, and are able to use advanced technology effectively in the classroom, including use of instructional techniques to improve student academic achievement, by—

“(A) retraining or recruiting faculty; and

“(B) designing (or redesigning) teacher preparation programs that—

“(i) prepare teachers to serve in low-performing schools and close student achievement gaps, and that are based on rigorous academic content, scientifically valid research (including scientifically based reading research and mathematics research, as it becomes available), and challenging State academic content standards and student academic achievement standards; and

“(ii) promote strong teaching skills.

“(2) Providing sustained and high-quality preservice clinical training, including the mentoring of prospective teachers by exemplary teachers, substantially increasing interaction between faculty at institutions of higher education and new and experienced teachers, school leaders, and other administrators at elementary schools or secondary schools, and providing support, including preparation time, for such interaction.

“(3) Developing and implementing initiatives to promote retention of highly qualified teachers and school leaders, including minority teachers and school leaders, including programs that provide—

“(A) teacher or school leader mentoring from exemplary teachers or school leaders, respectively; or

“(B) induction and support for teachers and school leaders during their first 3 years of employment as teachers or school leaders, respectively.

“(4) Awarding scholarships based on financial need to help students pay the costs of tuition, room, board, and other expenses of completing a teacher preparation program, not to exceed the cost of attendance.

“(5) Disseminating information on effective practices for teacher preparation and successful teacher certification and licensure assessment preparation strategies.

“(6) Activities authorized under section 202.

“(c) Application—Any eligible institution desiring a grant under this subpart shall submit an application to the Secretary at such a time, in such a manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may require.

“(d) Minimum grant amount—The minimum amount of each grant under this subpart shall be $500,000.

“(e) Limitation on administrative expenses—An eligible institution that receives a grant under this subpart may use not more than 2 percent of the funds provided to administer the grant.

“(f) Regulations—The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this subpart.

“2 Preparing general education teachers To more effectively educate students with disabilities

“216. Teach to reach grants

“(a) Authorization of program

“(1) In general—The Secretary is authorized to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to improve the preparation of general education teacher candidates to ensure that such teacher candidates possess the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively instruct students with disabilities in general education classrooms.

“(2) Duration of grants—A grant under this section shall be awarded for a period of not more than 5 years.

“(3) Non-Federal share—An eligible partnership that receives a grant under this section shall provide not less than 25 percent of the cost of the activities carried out with such grant from non-Federal sources, which may be provided in cash or in kind.

“(b) Definition of eligible partnership—In this section, the term eligible partnership means a partnership that—

“(1) shall include—

“(A) 1 or more departments or programs at an institution of higher education—

“(i) that prepare elementary or secondary general education teachers;

“(ii) that have a program of study that leads to an undergraduate degree, a master’s degree, or completion of a postbaccalaureate program required for teacher certification; and

“(iii) the graduates of which are highly qualified;

“(B) a department or program of special education at an institution of higher education;

“(C) a department or program at an institution of higher education that provides degrees in core academic subjects; and

“(D) a high-need local educational agency; and

“(2) may include a department or program of mathematics, earth or physical science, foreign language, or another department at the institution that has a role in preparing teachers.

“(c) Activities—An eligible partnership that receives a grant under this section—

“(1) shall use the grant funds to—

“(A) develop or strengthen an undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, or master’s teacher preparation program by integrating special education strategies into the general education curriculum and academic content;

“(B) provide teacher candidates participating in the program under subparagraph (A) with skills related to—

“(i) response to intervention, positive behavioral interventions and supports, differentiated instruction, and data driven instruction;

“(ii) universal design for learning;

“(iii) determining and utilizing accommodations for instruction and assessments;

“(iv) collaborating with special educators, related services providers, and parents, including participation in individualized education program development and implementation; and

“(v) appropriately utilizing technology and assistive technology for students with disabilities; and

“(C) provide extensive clinical training for participants described in subparagraph (B) with mentoring and induction program support throughout the program that continues during the first 2 years of full-time teaching; and

“(2) may use grant funds to develop and administer alternate assessments of students with disabilities.

“(d) Application—An eligible partnership seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. Such application shall include—

“(1) a self-assessment by the eligible partnership of the existing teacher preparation program at the institution of higher education and needs related to preparing general education teacher candidates to instruct students with disabilities; and

“(2) an assessment of the existing personnel needs for general education teachers who instruct students with disabilities, performed by the local educational agency in which most graduates of the teacher preparation program are likely to teach after completion of the program under subsection (c)(1).

“(e) Peer review—The Secretary shall convene a peer review committee to review applications for grants under this section and to make recommendations to the Secretary regarding the selection of grantees. Members of the peer review committee shall be recognized experts in the fields of special education, teacher preparation, and general education and shall not be in a position to benefit financially from any grants awarded under this section.

“(f) Evaluations

“(1) By the partnership

“(A) In general—An eligible partnership receiving a grant under this section shall conduct an evaluation at the end of the grant period to determine—

“(i) the effectiveness of the general education teachers who completed a program under subsection (c)(1) with respect to instruction of students with disabilities in general education classrooms; and

“(ii) the systemic impact of the activities carried out by such grant on how each institution of higher education that is a member of the partnership prepares teachers for instruction in elementary schools and secondary schools.

“(B) Report to the secretary—Each eligible partnership performing an evaluation under subparagraph (A) shall report the findings of such evaluation to the Secretary.

“(2) Report by the secretary—Not later than 180 days after the last day of the grant period under this section, the Secretary shall make available to Congress and the public the findings of the evaluations submitted under paragraph (1), and information on best practices related to effective instruction of students with disabilities in general education classrooms.

“E General provisions

“217. Limitations

“(a) Federal control prohibited—Nothing in this title shall be construed to permit, allow, encourage, or authorize any Federal control over any aspect of any private, religious, or home school, whether or not a home school is treated as a private school or home school under State law. This section shall not be construed to prohibit private, religious, or home schools from participation in programs or services under this title.

“(b) No change in State control encouraged or required—Nothing in this title shall be construed to encourage or require any change in a State’s treatment of any private, religious, or home school, whether or not a home school is treated as a private school or home school under State law.

“(c) National system of teacher certification or licensure prohibited—Nothing in this title shall be construed to permit, allow, encourage, or authorize the Secretary to establish or support any national system of teacher certification or licensure.

“(d) Rule of construction—Nothing in this title shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights, remedies, and procedures afforded to the employees of local educational agencies under Federal, State, or local laws (including applicable regulations or court orders) or under the terms of collective bargaining agreements, memoranda of understanding, or other agreements between such employees and their employers.

“(e) Teacher or school leader privacy—No State, institution of higher education, or local educational agency shall be required to publicly report information in compliance with this title in a case in which the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual teacher or school leader.”