,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dggh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #aa1 #bjbf,mr4 ,heinrich 7for himself and ,mr4 ,coons7 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 award grants to create evidence-based student success programs designed to increase participation1 retention1 and completion rates of high-need students4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,postsecondary ,student ,success ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,purpose ,it is the purpose of this ,act to support evidence-based participation1 retention1 and completion activities designed to ensure the postsecondary success of high-need students4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,completion rate ,the term completion rate means-- 7,a7 the percentage of students from an initial cohort enrolled at an entity that is a #b-year institution who have graduated from the institution or transferred to a #d-year institution of higher education2 or 7,b7 the percentage of students from an initial cohort enrolled at an entity in the ,state that is a #d-year institution who have graduated from the institution4 7#b7 ,dual or concurrent enrollment program ,the term dual or concurrent enrollment program has the meaning given the term in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#c7 ,early college high school ,the term early college high school has the meaning given the term in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#d7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means-- 7,a7 a public institution of higher education2 7,b7 a partnership between a nonprofit educational organization and an institution of higher education2 or 7,c7 a consortium of institutions of higher education4 7#e7 ,eligible indian entity ,the term eligible ,indian entity means the entity responsible for the governance1 operation1 or control of a ,tribal ,college or ,university4 7#f7 ,evidence-based ,the term evidence-based has the meaning given the term in section #haja7ba77;,a7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja7ba77;,a774 7#g7 ,evidence tiers 7,a7 ,evidence tier #a reform or practice ,the term evidence tier #a reform or practice means a reform or practice that prior research suggests has promise for the purpose of successfully improving student achievement or attainment for high-need students4 7,b7 ,evidence tier #b reform or practice ,the term evidence tier #b reform or practice means a reform or practice described in subparagraph 7,a71 or other reform or practice meeting similar criteria1 that measures impact and cost effectiveness of student success activities1 and1 through rigorous evaluation 7including through the use of existing administrative data1 as applicable71 has been found to be successfully implemented4 7,c7 ,evidence tier #c reform or practice ,the term evidence tier #c reform or practice means a reform or practice described in subparagraph 7,b71 or other reform or practice meeting similar criteria1 that has been found to produce sizable1 important impacts on student success and-- 7i7 determining whether such impacts can be successfully reproduced and sustained over time2 and 7ii7 identifying the conditions in which such reform or practice is most effective4 7#h7 ,first generation college student ,the term first generation college student has the meaning given the term in section #djb;,a7h7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj;a-#aa7;h774 7#i7 ,high-need student ,the term high-need student means-- 7,a7 a student from low-income background2 7,b7 a first generation college student2 7,c7 a caregiver student2 7,d7 a student with a disability2 7,e7 a student who stopped out before completing2 7,f7 a reentering justice-impacted student2 or 7,g7 a military-connected student4 7#aj7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja74 7#aa7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,education4 7#ab7 ,tribal ,college or ,university ,the term ,tribal ,college or ,university has the meaning given the term in section #caf7;b77#c7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajei;c7b77#c774 #d4 ,reservation of funds for eligible indian entities ,from the total amount appropriated to carry out this ,act for a fiscal year1 the ,secretary shall reserve #b percent for grants to eligible ,indian entities to increase participation1 retention1 and completion rates of high-need students4 #e4 ,authorization of postsecondary student success competitive grants 7a7 ,grant authorization ,for each of fiscal years #bjbg through #bjcb1 the ,secretary shall award1 on a competitive basis1 grants to eligible entities to provide student services to increase participation1 retention1 and completion rates of high-need students4 7b7 ,notification and ,application ,an eligible entity or eligible ,indian entity desiring a grant under this ,act shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing the information required under subsection 7c74 7c7 ,content of application ,an application submitted under this section shall include the following3 7#a7 ,a plan to increase1 with respect to all students enrolled at the eligible entity or ,tribal ,college or ,university1 attainment and completion rates or graduation rates1 including-- 7,a7 a description of the evidence-based reform or practice that would be used and whether the reform or practice would be an evidence tier #a reform or practice1 evidence tier #b reform or practice1 or evidence tier #c reform or practice2 and 7,b7 a particular focus on serving high-need students through student services and collaboration among #b-year programs1 #d-year programs1 and workforce systems4 7#b7 ,annual benchmarks for student outcomes with respect to the evidence-based reform or practice that would be used4 7#c7 ,a plan to evaluate the evidence-based reform or practice that would be used4 7#d7 ,rates of enrolled students who received a ,federal ,pell ,grant under subpart #a of part ,a of title ,,iv of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj;a et seq474 7#e7 ,demographics of enrolled students1 including high-need students4 7#f7 ,a description of how the eligible entity or eligible ,indian entity will1 directly or in collaboration with other institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations1 use the grant funds to implement one or more of the following evidence-based reforms and practices3 7,a7 ,providing comprehensive academic1 career1 and student services1 which may include mentoring1 advising1 or case management services4 7,b7 ,providing accelerated learning opportunities1 which may include dual or concurrent enrollment programs and early college high school programs4 7,c7 ,reforming course scheduling1 or credit-awarding policies4 7,d7 ,improving transfer pathways between the eligible entity1 or ,tribal ,college or ,university1 and other institutions of higher education4 7#g7 ,a description of how the evidence-based reform or practice will be sustained once the grant expires4 7d7 ,evidence-,based student success programs ,from the total amount appropriated to carry out this ,act for a fiscal year and not reserved under section #d1 the ,secretary shall reserve not less than #bj percent to award grants to eligible entities with applications that propose to include evidence-based reforms and practices-- 7#a7 at least #a of which is an evidence tier #c reform or practice2 and 7#b7 the rest of which are evidence tier #a reforms or practices or evidence tier #b reforms or practices4 7e7 ,required uses of funds ,an eligible entity or eligible ,indian entity that receives a grant under this ,act shall use the grant funds to carry out the plans submitted under subsection 7c7 and for evidence-based reforms and practices for improving participation1 retention1 and completion rates of students that may include the following3 7#a7 ,student services to support retention1 completion1 and success1 which may include-- 7,a7 faculty and peer counseling2 7,b7 use of real-time data on student progress2 7,c7 improving transfer student success2 and 7,d7 incentives for students to re-enroll or stay on track4 7#b7 ,direct student support services1 including a combination of-- 7,a7 tutoring1 academic supports1 and enrichment services2 and 7,b7 emergency financial assistance4 7#c7 ,efforts to prepare students for a career1 which may include-- 7,a7 career coaching1 career counseling and planning services1 and efforts to lower student to advisor ratios2 7,b7 networking and work-based learning opportunities to support the development of skills and professional relationships2 7,c7 utilizing career pathways2 and 7,d7 boosting experiences necessary to obtain and succeed in high-skill1 high-wage1 or in-demand industry sectors or occupations1 as described in section #ace7;b77#c7 of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #bcee7;b77#c774 7#d7 ,efforts to recruit and retain faculty and other instructional staff4 7f7 ,permissive use of funds ,from the total amount appropriated to carry out this ,act for a fiscal year and not reserved under section #d or subsection 7d71 the ,secretary may set aside-- 7#a7 not more than #e percent for administration1 capacity building1 research1 evaluation1 and reporting2 and 7#b7 not more than #b percent for technical assistance to eligible entities and eligible ,indian entities4 7g7 ,evaluations 7#a7 ,in general ,for the purpose of improving the effectiveness of the evidence-based reforms and practices carried out by eligible entities and eligible ,indian entities pursuant to a grant under this ,act1 the ,secretary shall make grants to or enter into contracts with #a or more organizations to-- 7,a7 evaluate the effectiveness of such evidence-based reforms and practices2 and 7,b7 disseminate information on the impact of such evidence-based reforms and practices in increasing completion and retention activities of students1 as well as other appropriate measures4 7#b7 ,issues to be evaluated ,the evaluations required under paragraph 7#a7 shall measure the effectiveness of the evidence-based reforms and practices carried out by eligible entities and eligible ,indian entities pursuant to a grant under this subsection in-- 7,a7 whether such entity implemented the plans1 and carried out the activities1 described in subsection 7c72 and 7,b7 comparing the completion and retention rates of students who participated in such reforms and practices with the rates of students of similar backgrounds who did not participate in such reforms and practices4 7#c7 ,results ,not later than #ah months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit a final report to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,education and ,workforce of the ,house of ,representatives4 7h7 ,grant limit ,an eligible entity that has branch campus may only receive a grant under this ,act for #a campus of the entity at a time4