,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bhfj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #ah1
 #bjad,mr4 ,coons 7for himself1 ,mr4    
,brown1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,south ,dakota1
 and ,mrs4 ,hagan7 introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,health1 
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a   
,,bill  ,to authorize the ,secretary of 
,education to make grants to support    
early college high schools and other    
dual or concurrent enrollment programs4 
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,fast ,track to ,college ,act of
 #bjad4  #b4 ,purpose ,the purpose of   
this ,act is to increase secondary      
school graduation rates and the         
percentage of students who complete a   
recognized postsecondary credential by  
the age of #bf1 including among         
low-income students and students from   
other populations underrepresented in   
higher education4  #c4 ,definitions ,in 
this ,act3 7#a7 ,dual or concurrent     

enrollment program ,the term dual or    
concurrent enrollment program means an  
academic program through which a        
secondary school student is able        
simultaneously to earn credit toward a  
secondary school diploma and a          
postsecondary degree or credential4     
7#b7 ,early college high school ,the    
term early college high school means a  
secondary school that provides a course 
of study that enables a student to earn 
a secondary school diploma and either an
 associate's degree or #a to #b years of
 postsecondary credit toward a          
postsecondary degree or credential4     
7#c7 ,educational service agency ,the   
term educational service agency has the 
meaning given such term in section #iaja
 of the ,elementary and ,secondary      
,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 
#ghja74  7#d7 ,eligible entity ,the term
 eligible entity means a partnership    
between a local educational agency1     
which may be an educational service     
agency1 and an institution of higher    

education4 ,such partnership also may   
include other entities1 such as a       
nonprofit organization with experience  
in youth development4  7#e7 ,institution
 of higher education ,the term          
institution of higher education has the 
meaning given such term in section #aja 
of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 
7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja74  7#f7 ,local     
educational agency ,the term local      
educational agency has the meaning given
 such term in section #iaja of the      
,elementary and ,secondary ,education   
,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74    
7#g7 ,low-income student ,the term      
low-income student means a student      
described in section #aaac7;a77#e7 of   
the ,elementary and ,secondary          
,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 
#fcac7;a77#e774  7#h7 ,secretary ,the   
term ,secretary means the ,secretary of 
,education4  #d4 ,authorization of      
appropriations2 reservations  7a7 ,in   
general ,to carry out this ,act1 there  
are authorized to be appropriated       

#aej1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjae and  
such sums as may be necessary for each  
of fiscal years #bjaf through #bjbj4    
7b7 ,early college high schools ,the    
,secretary shall reserve not less than  
#de percent of the funds appropriated   
under subsection 7a7 to support early   
college high schools under section #e4  
7c7 ,dual or concurrent enrollment      
programs ,the ,secretary shall reserve  
not less than #de percent of the funds  
appropriated under subsection 7a7 to    
support dual or concurrent enrollment   
programs 7other than early college high 
schools7 under section #e4  7d7 ,state  
grants ,the ,secretary shall reserve #aj
 percent of the funds appropriated under
 subsection 7a71 or #aj1jjj1jjj1        
whichever is less1 for grants to ,states
 under section #i4  #e4 ,authorized     
program  7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary
 is authorized to award #f-year grants  
to eligible entities seeking to         
establish a new1 or support an existing1
 early college high school or other dual

 or concurrent enrollment program in    
accordance with section #f4  7b7 ,grant 
amount ,the ,secretary shall ensure that
 grants are of sufficient size to enable
 grantees to carry out all required     
activities and otherwise meet the       
purposes of this ,act1 except that a    
grant under this section may not exceed 
#b1jjj1jjj4  7c7 ,matching requirement  
7#a7 ,in general ,an eligible entity    
shall contribute matching funds toward  
the costs of the early college high     
school or other dual or concurrent      
enrollment program to be supported under
 this section1 of which not less than   
half shall be from non-,federal sources1
 which funds shall represent not less   
than the following3 7,a7 #bj percent of 
the grant amount received in each of the
 first and second years of the grant4   
7,b7 #cj percent in each of the third   
and fourth years4  7,c7 #dj percent in  
the fifth year4  7,d7 #ej percent in the
 sixth year4  7#b7 ,determination of    
amount contributed ,the ,secretary shall

 allow an eligible entity to satisfy the
 requirement of this subsection through 
in-kind contributions4  7d7 ,supplement1
 not supplant ,an eligible entity shall 
use a grant received under this section 
only to supplement funds that would1 in 
the absence of such grant1 be made      
available from non-,federal funds for   
support of the activities described in  
the eligible entity's application under 
section #g1 and not to supplant such    
funds4  7e7 ,priority ,in awarding      
grants under this section1 the          
,secretary shall give priority to       
applicants-- 7#a7 that propose to       
establish or support an early college   
high school or other dual or concurrent 
enrollment program that will serve a    
student population of which #dj percent 
or more are students counted under      
section #aaac7;a77#e7 of the ,elementary
 and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife
 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcac7;a77#e772 and     
7#b7 from ,states that provide          
assistance to early college high schools

 or other dual or concurrent enrollment 
programs1 such as assistance to defray  
the costs of higher education 7including
 costs of tuition1 fees1 and textbooks74
  7f7 ,geographic distribution ,the     
,secretary shall1 to the maximum extent 
practicable1 ensure that grantees are   
from a representative cross-section of  
urban1 suburban1 and rural areas4  #f4  
,uses of funds  7a7 ,mandatory          
activities ,an eligible entity shall use
 grant funds received under section #e  
to support the activities described in  
its application under section #g1       
including the following3 7#a7 ,planning 
year ,in the case of a new early college
 high school or dual or concurrent      
enrollment program1 during the first    
year of the grant-- 7,a7 hiring a       
principal and staff1 as appropriate2    
7,b7 designing the curriculum and       
sequence of courses 7which shall not be 
mandated1 directed1 or controlled by the
 ,secretary or other officer or employee
 of the ,federal ,government7 in        

collaboration with 7at a minimum7       
teachers from the local educational     
agency and faculty from the partner     
institution of higher education2  7,c7  
informing parents and the community     
about the school or program and         
opportunities to become actively        
involved in the school or program2  7,d7
 establishing a course articulation     
process for defining and approving      
courses for secondary school and        
postsecondary credit or credential2     
7,e7 outreach programs to ensure that   
secondary school students and their     
families are aware of the early college 
high school or dual or concurrent       
enrollment program2  7,f7 liaison       
activities among partners in the        
eligible entity2 and  7,g7 coordinating 
secondary and postsecondary support     
services1 academic calendars1 and       
transportation4  7#b7 ,implementation   
period ,during the remainder of the     
grant period-- 7,a7 academic and social 
support services1 including counseling2 

7,b7 liaison activities among partners  
in the eligible entity2  7,c7 data      
collection and use of such data for     
student and instructional improvement   
and program evaluation2  7,d7 outreach  
programs to ensure that secondary school
 students and their families are aware  
of the early college high school or dual
 or concurrent enrollment program2  7,e7
 professional development1 including    
joint professional development for      
educators from the secondary school and 
faculty from the institution of higher  
education2 and  7,f7 school or program  
design and planning team activities1    
including curriculum development4  7b7  
,allowable activities ,an eligible      
entity may also use grant funds received
 under section #e otherwise to support  
the activities described in its         
application under section #g1           
including-- 7#a7 purchasing textbooks   
and equipment that support the school or
 program's curriculum2  7#b7 developing 
learning opportunities for students that

 complement classroom experiences1 such 
as internships1 career-based capstone   
projects1 and opportunities provided    
under chapters #a and #b of subpart #b  
of part ,a of title ,,iv of the ,higher 
,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 
#ajgj;a-#aa et seq472  7#c7             
transportation2 and  7#d7 planning time 
for educators from a secondary school   
and educators from an institution of    
higher education to collaborate4  #g4   
,application  7a7 ,in general ,to       
receive a grant under section #e1 an    
eligible entity shall submit to the     
,secretary an application at such time1 
in such manner1 and including such      
information as the ,secretary determines
 to be appropriate4  7b7 ,contents of   
application ,at a minimum1 the          
application described in subsection 7a7 
shall include a description of-- 7#a7   
the budget of the early college high    
school or other dual or concurrent      
enrollment program2  7#b7 each partner  
in the eligible entity and such         

partner's experience with early college 
high schools or other dual or concurrent
 enrollment programs1 and a description 
of key personnel from each partner and  
their responsibilities for the early    
college high school or dual or          
concurrent enrollment program2  7#c7 how
 the eligible entity will work with     
secondary and postsecondary teachers1   
other public and private entities1      
community-based organizations1          
businesses1 labor organizations1 and    
parents to ensure that students will be 
prepared to succeed in postsecondary    
education and employment1 which may     
include the development of an advisory  
board2  7#d7 how the eligible entity    
will target and recruit at-risk youth1  
including those at risk of dropping out 
of school1 first generation college     
students1 and students from populations 
described in section                    
#aaaa7;b77#b77;,c77v77,,ii7 of the      
,elementary and ,secondary ,education   
,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4            

#fcaa7;b77#b77;,c77v77,,ii772  7#e7 a   
system of student supports including    
small group activities1 tutoring1       
literacy and numeracy skill development 
in all academic disciplines1 parental   
and community outreach and engagement1  
extended learning time1 and college     
readiness activities1 such as early     
college academic seminars and           
counseling2  7#f7 in the case of an     
early college high school1 how a        
graduation and career plan will be      
developed1 consistent with ,state       
graduation requirements1 for each       
student and reviewed each semester2     
7#g7 how parents or guardians of        
students in the early college high      
school or dually enrolled students will 
be informed of their academic           
performance and progress and1 subject to
 paragraph 7#f71 involved in the        
development of their career and         
graduation plan2  7#h7 coordination that
 will occur between the institution of  
higher education and the local          

educational agency1 including regarding 
academic calendars1 provision of student
 services1 curriculum development1 and  
professional development2  7#i7 how the 
eligible entity will ensure that        
teachers in the early college high      
school or other dual or concurrent      
enrollment program receive appropriate  
professional development and other      
supports1 including to enable them to   
utilize effective parent and community  
engagement strategies1 and help students
 with limited ,english proficiency1     
students with disabilities1 and students
 from diverse cultural backgrounds to   
succeed2  7#aj7 learning opportunities  
for students that complement classroom  
experiences1 such as internships1       
career-based capstone projects1 and     
opportunities provided under chapters #a
 and #b of subpart #b of part ,a of     
title ,,iv of the ,higher ,education    
,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj;a-#aa
 et seq472  7#aa7 how policies1         
agreements1 and courses taken will      

ensure that postsecondary credits earned
 will be transferable to1 at a minimum1 
public institutions of higher education 
within the ,state1 consistent with      
existing statewide articulation         
agreements2  7#ab7 student assessments  
and other measurements of student       
achievement including benchmarks for    
student achievement2  7#ac7 outreach    
programs to provide elementary and      
secondary school students1 especially   
those in middle grades1 and their       
parents1 teachers1 school counselors1   
and principals information about and    
academic preparation for the early      
college high school or other dual or    
concurrent enrollment program2  7#ad7   
how the local educational agency and    
institution of higher education will    
work together1 as appropriate1 to       
collect and use data for student and    
instructional improvement and program   
evaluation2  7#ae7 how the eligible     
entity will help students meet          
eligibility criteria for postsecondary  

courses and ensure that students        
understand how their credits will       
transfer2 and  7#af7 how the eligible   
entity will access and leverage         
additional resources necessary to       
sustain the early college high school or
 other dual or concurrent enrollment    
program after the grant expires1        
including by engaging businesses and    
nonprofit organizations4  7c7           
,assurances ,an eligible entity's       
application under subsection 7a7 shall  
include assurances that-- 7#a7 in the   
case of an early college high school1   
the majority of courses offered1        
including postsecondary courses1 will be
 offered at facilities of the           
institution of higher education2  7#b7  
students will not be required to pay    
tuition or fees for postsecondary       
courses2  7#c7 postsecondary credits    
earned will be transcribed upon         
completion of the requisite course work2
 and  7#d7 faculty teaching             
postsecondary courses meet the normal   

standards for faculty established by the
 institution of higher education4  7d7  
,waiver ,the ,secretary may waive the   
requirement of subsection 7c77#a7 upon a
 showing that it is impractical to apply
 due to geographic considerations4  #h4 
,peer review  7a7 ,peer review of       
applications ,the ,secretary shall      
establish peer review panels to review  
applications submitted pursuant to      
section #g and to advise the ,secretary 
regarding such applications4  7b7       
,composition of peer review panels ,the 
,secretary shall ensure that each peer  
review panel is not comprised wholly of 
full-time officers or employees of the  
,federal ,government and includes1 at a 
minimum-- 7#a7 experts in the           
establishment and administration of     
early college high schools or other dual
 or concurrent enrollment programs from 
the secondary and postsecondary         
perspective2  7#b7 faculty at           
institutions of higher education and    
secondary school teachers with expertise

 in dual enrollment2 and  7#c7 experts  
in the education of at-risk students4   
#i4 ,grants to ,states  7a7 ,in general 
,the ,secretary is authorized to award  
#e-year grants to ,state agencies       
responsible for secondary or            
postsecondary education for efforts to  
support or establish early college high 
schools or other dual or concurrent     
enrollment programs4  7b7 ,grant amount 
,the ,secretary shall ensure that grants
 are of sufficient size to enable       
grantees to carry out all required      
activities4  7c7 ,matching requirement  
,a ,state shall contribute matching     
funds from non-,federal sources toward  
the costs of carrying out activities    
under this section1 which funds shall   
represent not less than #ej percent of  
the grant amount4  7d7 ,priority ,in    
awarding grants under this section1 the 
,secretary shall give priority to       
,states that provide assistance to early
 college high schools or other dual or  
concurrent enrollment programs1 such as 

assistance to defray the costs of higher
 education1 such as tuition1 fees1 and  
textbooks4  7e7 ,application ,to receive
 a grant under this section1 a ,state   
agency shall submit to the ,secretary an
 application at such time1 in such      
manner1 and including such information  
as the ,secretary determines to be      
appropriate4  7f7 ,contents of          
application ,at a minimum1 the          
application described in subsection 7e7 
shall include-- 7#a7 a description of   
how the ,state will carry out all of the
 required ,state activities described in
 subsection 7g72  7#b7 a description of 
how the ,state will identify and        
eliminate barriers to implementing      
effective early college high schools and
 dual or concurrent enrollment programs 
after the grant expires1 including by   
engaging businesses and nonprofit       
organizations2  7#c7 a description of   
how the ,state will access and leverage 
additional resources necessary to       
sustain early college high schools or   

other dual or concurrent enrollment     
programs2 and  7#d7 such other          
information as the ,secretary determines
 to be appropriate4  7g7 ,state         
activities ,a ,state receiving a grant  
under this section shall use such funds 
for-- 7#a7 creating outreach programs to
 ensure that secondary school students1 
their families1 and community members   
are aware of early college high schools 
and dual or concurrent enrollment       
programs in the ,state2  7#b7 planning  
and implementing a statewide strategy   
for expanding access to early college   
high schools and dual or concurrent     
enrollment programs for students who are
 underrepresented in higher education to
 raise statewide rates of secondary     
school graduation1 readiness for        
postsecondary education1 and completion 
of postsecondary degrees and            
credentials1 with a focus on at-risk    
students1 including identifying any     
obstacles to such a strategy under      
,state law or policy2  7#c7 providing   

technical assistance to early college   
high schools and other dual or          
concurrent enrollment programs1 such as 
brokering relationships and agreements  
that forge a strong partnership between 
elementary and secondary and            
postsecondary partners2  7#d7           
identifying policies that will improve  
the effectiveness and ensure the quality
 of early college high schools and dual 
or concurrent enrollment programs1 such 
as access1 funding1 data and quality    
assurance1 governance1 accountability   
and alignment policies2  7#e7 planning  
and delivering statewide training and   
peer learning opportunities for school  
leaders and teachers from early college 
high schools and dual or concurrent     
enrollment programs1 which may include  
providing instructional coaches who     
offer on-site guidance2  7#f7           
disseminating best practices in early   
college high schools and dual or        
concurrent enrollment programs from     
across the ,state and from other        

,states2 and  7#g7 facilitating         
statewide data collection1 research and 
evaluation1 and reporting to            
policymakers and other stakeholders4    
#aj4 ,reporting and oversight  7a7      
,reporting by grantees  7#a7 ,in general
 ,the ,secretary shall establish uniform
 guidelines for all grantees concerning 
information such grantees annually shall
 report to the ,secretary to demonstrate
 a grantee's progress toward achieving  
the goals of this ,act4  7#b7 ,contents 
of report ,at a minimum1 the report     
described in paragraph 7#a7 shall       
include1 for eligible entities receiving
 funds under section #e1 for students   
participating in the early college high 
school or other dual or concurrent      
enrollment program within each category 
of students described in section        
#aaaa7;h77#a77;,c77i7 of the ,elementary
 and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife
 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa7;h77#a77;,c77i773 
7,a7 ,the number of students4  7,b7 ,the
 percentage of students scoring         

advanced1 proficient1 basic1 and below  
basic on the assessments described in   
section #aaaa7;b77#c7 of the ,elementary
 and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife
 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa7;b77#c774  7,c7   
,the performance of students on other   
assessments or measurements of          
achievement4  7,d7 ,the number of       
secondary school credits earned4  7,e7  
,the number of postsecondary credits    
earned4  7,f7 ,attendance rate1 as      
appropriate4  7,g7 ,graduation rate4    
7,h7 ,placement in postsecondary        
education or advanced training1 in      
military service1 and in employment4    
7,i7 ,a description of the school or    
program's student1 parent1 and community
 outreach and engagement4  7b7          
,reporting by ,secretary ,the ,secretary
 annually shall compile and analyze the 
information described in subsection 7a7 
and shall submit a report containing    
such analysis to the ,committee on      
,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and        
,pensions of the ,senate and the        

,committee on ,education and the        
,workforce of the ,house of             
,representatives4 ,the report shall     
include identification of best practices
 for achieving the goals of this ,act4  
7c7 ,monitoring visits ,the ,secretary's
 designee shall visit each grantee at   
least once for the purpose of helping   
the grantee achieve the goals of this   
,act and to monitor the grantee's       
progress toward achieving such goals4   
7d7 ,national evaluation ,not later than
 #f months after the date on which funds
 are appropriated to carry out this     
,act1 the ,secretary shall enter into a 
contract with an independent            
organization to perform an evaluation of
 the grants awarded under this ,act4    
,such evaluation shall apply rigorous   
procedures to obtain valid and reliable 
data concerning participants' outcomes  
by social and academic characteristics  
and monitor the progress of students    
from secondary school to and through    
postsecondary education4  7e7 ,technical

 assistance ,the ,secretary shall       
provide technical assistance to eligible
 entities concerning best practices in  
early college high schools and dual or  
concurrent enrollment programs and shall
 disseminate such best practices among  
eligible entities and ,state and local  
educational agencies4  #aa4 ,rules of   
construction  7a7 ,employees ,nothing in
 this ,act shall be construed to alter  
or otherwise affect the rights1         
remedies1 and procedures afforded to the
 employees of local educational agencies
 7including schools7 or institutions of 
higher education under ,federal1 ,state1
 or local laws 7including applicable    
regulations or court orders7 or under   
the terms of collective bargaining      
agreements1 memoranda of understanding1 
or other agreements between such        
employees and their employers4  7b7     
,graduation rate ,a student who         
graduates from an early college high    
school supported under this ,act in the 
standard number of years for graduation 

described in the eligible entity's      
application shall be considered to have 
graduated on time for purposes of       
section #aaaa7;b77#b77;,c77vi7 of the   
,elementary and ,secondary ,education   
,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4            
#fcaa7;b77#b77;,c77vi774