A bill to provide for advanced placement programs.

Summary: Access to High Standards Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish Advanced Placement (AP) programs of assistance to increase the access of low-income students to AP high school courses and AP tests to earn advanced placement and credits at institutions of higher education.Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to: (1) State or local educational agencies (SEAs or LEAs) for activities to expand access for low-income individuals to AP incentive programs; (2) SEAs for subgrants to LEAs (especially those that serve high concentrations of low-income students, rural areas, and would not have such online access without assistance) to provide students with on-line AP courses; and (3) SEAs for AP incentive programs to reimburse low-income individuals for all or part of AP test fees.

SECTION 1. ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAMS.

    Title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 8001 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

                 ``PART L--ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAMS

``SEC. 10995A. SHORT TITLE.

    ``This part may be cited as the `Access to High Standards Act'.

``SEC. 10995B. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    ``(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            ``(1) far too many students are not being provided 
        sufficient academic preparation in secondary school, which 
        results in limited employment opportunities, college dropout 
        rates of over 25 percent for the first year of college, and 
        remediation for almost one-third of incoming college freshmen;
            ``(2) there is a growing consensus that raising academic 
        standards, establishing high academic expectations, and showing 
        concrete results are at the core of improving public education;
            ``(3) modeling academic standards on the well-known program 
        of advanced placement courses is an approach that many 
        education leaders and almost half of all States have endorsed;
            ``(4) advanced placement programs already are providing 30 
        different college-level courses, serving almost 60 percent of 
        all secondary schools, reaching over 1,000,000 students (of 
        whom 80 percent attend public schools, 55 percent are females, 
        and 30 percent are minorities), and providing test scores that 
        are accepted for college credit at over 3,000 colleges and 
        universities, every university in Germany, France, and Austria, 
        and most institutions in Canada and the United Kingdom;
            ``(5) 24 States are now funding programs to increase 
        participation in advanced placement programs, including 19 
        States that provide funds for advanced placement teacher 
        professional development, 3 States that require that all public 
        secondary schools offer advanced placement courses, 10 States 
        that pay the fees for advanced placement tests for some or all 
        students, and 4 States that require that their public 
        universities grant uniform academic credit for scores of 3 or 
        better on advanced placement tests; and
            ``(6) the State programs described in paragraph (5) have 
        shown the responsiveness of schools and students to such 
        programs, raised the academic standards for both students 
        participating in such programs and other children taught by 
        teachers who are involved in advanced placement courses, and 
        shown tremendous success in increasing enrollment, achievement, 
        and minority participation in advanced placement programs.
    ``(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this part are--
            ``(1) to encourage more of the 600,000 students who take 
        advanced placement courses but do not take advanced placement 
        exams each year to demonstrate their achievements through 
        taking the exams;
            ``(2) to build on the many benefits of advanced placement 
        programs for students, which benefits may include the 
        acquisition of skills that are important to many employers, 
        Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) scores that are 100 points 
        above the national averages, and the achievement of better 
        grades in secondary school and in college than the grades of 
        students who have not participated in the programs;
            ``(3) to support State and local efforts to raise academic 
        standards through advanced placement programs, and thus further 
        increase the number of students who participate and succeed in 
        advanced placement programs;
            ``(4) to increase the availability and broaden the range of 
        schools that have advanced placement programs, which programs 
        are still often distributed unevenly among regions, States, and 
        even secondary schools within the same school district, while 
        also increasing and diversifying student participation in the 
        programs;
            ``(5) to build on the State programs described in 
        subsection (a)(5) and demonstrate that larger and more diverse 
        groups of students can participate and succeed in advanced 
        placement programs;
            ``(6) to provide greater access to advanced placement 
        courses for low-income and other disadvantaged students;
            ``(7) to provide access to advanced placement courses for 
        secondary school juniors at schools that do not offer advanced 
        placement programs, increase the rate of secondary school 
        juniors and seniors who participate in advanced placement 
        courses to 25 percent of the secondary school student 
        population, and increase the numbers of students who receive 
        advanced placement test scores for which college academic 
        credit is awarded; and
            ``(8) to increase the participation of low-income 
        individuals in taking advanced placement tests through the 
        payment or partial payment of the costs of the advanced 
        placement test fees.

``SEC. 10995C. FUNDING DISTRIBUTION RULE.

    ``From amounts appropriated under section 10995H for a fiscal year, 
the Secretary shall give first priority to funding activities under 
section 10995F, and shall distribute any remaining funds not so applied 
according to the following ratio:
            ``(1) Seventy percent of the remaining funds shall be 
        available to carry out section 10995D.
            ``(2) Thirty percent of the remaining funds shall be 
        available to carry out section 10995E.

``SEC. 10995D. ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM GRANTS.

    ``(a) Grants Authorized.--
            ``(1) In general.--From amounts appropriated under section 
        10995H and made available under section 10995C(1) for a fiscal 
        year, the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, 
        to eligible entities to enable the eligible entities to carry 
        out the authorized activities described in subsection (c).
            ``(2) Duration and payments.--
                    ``(A) Duration.--The Secretary shall award a grant 
                under this section for a period of 3 years.
                    ``(B) Payments.--The Secretary shall make grant 
                payments under this section on an annual basis.
            ``(3) Definition of eligible entity.--In this section, the 
        term `eligible entity' means a State educational agency, or a 
        local educational agency, in the State.
    ``(b) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section the 
Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities submitting 
applications under subsection (d) that demonstrate--
            ``(1) a pervasive need for access to advanced placement 
        incentive programs;
            ``(2) the involvement of business and community 
        organizations in the activities to be assisted;
            ``(3) the availability of matching funds from State or 
        local sources to pay for the cost of activities to be assisted;
            ``(4) a focus on developing or expanding advanced placement 
        programs and participation in the core academic areas of 
        English, mathematics, and science; and
            ``(5)(A) in the case of an eligible entity that is a State 
        educational agency, the State educational agency carries out 
        programs in the State that target--
                    ``(i) local educational agencies serving schools 
                with a high concentration of low-income students; or
                    ``(ii) schools with a high concentration of low-
                income students; or
            ``(B) in the case of an eligible entity that is a local 
        educational agency, the local educational agency serves schools 
        with a high concentration of low-income students.
    ``(c) Authorized Activities.--An eligible entity may use grant 
funds under this section to expand access for low-income individuals to 
advanced placement incentive programs that involve--
            ``(1) teacher training;
            ``(2) preadvanced placement course development;
            ``(3) curriculum coordination and articulation between 
        grade levels that prepare students for advanced placement 
        courses;
            ``(4) curriculum development;
            ``(5) books and supplies; and
            ``(6) any other activity directly related to expanding 
        access to and participation in advanced placement incentive 
        programs particularly for low-income individuals.
    ``(d) Application.--Each eligible entity desiring 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.
    ``(e) Data Collection and Reporting.--
            ``(1) Data collection.--Each eligible entity receiving a 
        grant under this section shall annually report to the 
        Secretary--
                    ``(A) the number of students taking advanced 
                placement courses who are served by the eligible 
                entity;
                    ``(B) the number of advanced placement tests taken 
                by students served by the eligible entity;
                    ``(C) the scores on the advanced placement tests; 
                and
                    ``(D) demographic information regarding individuals 
                taking the advanced placement courses and tests 
                disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, English 
                proficiency status, and socioeconomic status.
            ``(2) Report.--The Secretary shall annually compile the 
        information received from each eligible entity under paragraph 
        (1) and report to Congress regarding the information.

``SEC. 10995E. ONLINE ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES.

    ``(a) Grants Authorized.--From amounts appropriated under section 
10995H and made available under section 10995C(2) for a fiscal year, 
the Secretary shall award grants to State educational agencies to 
enable such agencies to award grants to local educational agencies to 
provide students with online advanced placement courses.
    ``(b) State Educational Agency Applications.--
            ``(1) Application required.--Each State educational agency 
        desiring 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.
            ``(2) Award basis.--The Secretary shall award grants under 
        this section on a competitive basis.
    ``(c) Grants to Local Educational Agencies.--Each State educational 
agency receiving a grant award under subsection (b) shall award grants 
to local educational agencies within the State to carry out activities 
described in subsection (e). In awarding grants under this subsection, 
the State educational agency shall give priority to local educational 
agencies that--
            ``(1) serve high concentrations of low-income students;
            ``(2) serve rural areas; and
            ``(3) the State educational agency determines will not have 
        access to online advanced placement courses without assistance 
        provided under this section.
    ``(d) Contracts.--A local educational agency that receives a grant 
under this section may enter into a contract with a nonprofit or for-
profit organization to provide the online advanced placement courses, 
including contracting for necessary support services.
    ``(e) Uses.--Grant funds provided under this section may be used to 
purchase the online curriculum, to train teachers with respect to the 
use of online curriculum, or to purchase course materials.

``SEC. 10995F. ADVANCED PLACEMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Grants Authorized.--From amounts appropriated under section 
10995H and made available under section 10995C for a fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall award grants to State educational agencies having 
applications approved under subsection (c) to enable the State 
educational agencies to reimburse low-income individuals to cover part 
or all of the costs of advanced placement test fees, if the low-income 
individuals--
            ``(1) are enrolled in an advanced placement class; and
            ``(2) plan to take an advanced placement test.
    ``(b) Award Basis.--In determining the amount of the grant awarded 
to each State educational agency under this section for a fiscal year, 
the Secretary shall consider the number of children eligible to be 
counted under section 1124(c) in the State in relation to the number of 
such children so counted in all the States.
    ``(c) Information Dissemination.--A State educational agency shall 
disseminate information regarding the availability of advanced 
placement test fee payments under this section to eligible individuals 
through secondary school teachers and guidance counselors.
    ``(d) Applications.--Each State educational agency desiring 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. At a minimum, each State educational agency 
application shall--
            ``(1) describe the advanced placement test fees the State 
        educational agency will pay on behalf of low-income individuals 
        in the State from grant funds made available under this 
        section;
            ``(2) provide an assurance that any grant funds received 
        under this section, other than funds used in accordance with 
        subsection (e), shall be used only to pay for advanced 
        placement test fees; and
            ``(3) contain such information as the Secretary may require 
        to demonstrate that the State will ensure that a student is 
        eligible for payments under this section, including 
        documentation required under chapter 1 of subpart 2 of part A 
        of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
    ``(e) Additional Uses of Funds.--If each eligible low-income 
individual in a State pays not more than a nominal fee to take an 
advanced placement test in a core subject, then a State educational 
agency may use grant funds made available under this section that 
remain after advanced placement test fees have been paid on behalf of 
all eligible low-income individuals in the State, for activities 
directly related to increasing--
            ``(1) the enrollment of low-income individuals in advanced 
        placement courses;
            ``(2) the participation of low-income individuals in 
        advanced placement courses; and
            ``(3) the availability of advanced placement courses in 
        schools serving high-poverty areas.
    ``(f) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Grant funds provided under this 
section shall supplement, and not supplant, other non-federal funds 
that are available to assist low-income individuals in paying for the 
cost of advanced placement test fees.
    ``(g) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations 
as are necessary to carry out this section.
    ``(h) Report.--Each State educational agency annually shall report 
to the Secretary information regarding--
            ``(1) the number of low-income individuals in the State who 
        received assistance under this section; and
            ``(2) any activities carried out pursuant to subsection 
        (e).
    ``(i) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Advanced placement test.--The term `advanced 
        placement test' includes only an advanced placement test 
        approved by the Secretary for the purposes of this section.
            ``(2) Low-income individual.--The term `low-income 
        individual' has the meaning given the term in section 
        402A(g)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

``SEC. 10995G. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this part:
            ``(1) Advanced placement incentive program.--The term 
        `advanced placement incentive program' means a program that 
        provides advanced placement activities and services to low-
        income individuals.
            ``(2) Advanced placement test.--The term `advanced 
        placement test' means an advanced placement test administered 
        by the College Board or approved by the Secretary.
            ``(3) High concentration of low-income students.--The term 
        `high concentration of low-income students', used with respect 
        to a State educational agency, local educational agency or 
        school, means an agency or school, as the case may be, that 
        serves a student population 40 percent or more of whom are from 
        families with incomes below the poverty level, as determined in 
        the same manner as the determination is made under section 
        1124(c)(2).
            ``(4) Low-income individual.--The term `low-income 
        individual' means, other than for purposes of section 10995F, a 
        low-income individual (as defined in section 402A(g)(2) of the 
        Higher Education Act of 1965 who is academically prepared to 
        take successfully an advanced placement test as determined by a 
        school teacher or advanced placement coordinator taking into 
        consideration factors such as enrollment and performance in an 
        advanced placement course or superior academic ability.
            ``(5) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        `institution of higher education' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
            ``(6) State.--The term `State' means each of the several 
        States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the 
        Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United 
        States Virgin Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 
        the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

``SEC. 10995H. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``For the purpose of carrying out this part, there are authorized 
to be appropriated $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and such sums as 
may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.''.