Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 1999

Summary: Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 1999 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to States for use by public schools to develop or expand gifted and talented education programs through one or more of the following activities: (1) professional development programs; (2) technical assistance; (3) direct services and materials for gifted and talented students, through revised curricula, acceleration, independent study, dual enrollment or other strategies; (4) innovative approaches and curricula; and (4) emerging technologies, including distance learning. 
Allows States to use a limited portion of such grant funds for information, education, and support to parents and caregivers for their participation in deciding on educational programs for their gifted and talented children. 
Sets forth requirements for grant applications, allotment to States, and reporting. 
Authorizes appropriations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Gifted and Talented Students 
Education Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Gifted and talented students give evidence of high 
        performance capability in specific academic fields, or in areas 
        such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership 
        capacity, and require services or activities not ordinarily 
        provided by a school in order to fully develop such 
        capabilities. Gifted and talented students are from all 
        cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic 
        groups. Some such students have disabilities and for some, 
        English is not their first language. Many students from such 
        diverse backgrounds have been historically underrepresented in 
        gifted education programs.
            (2) Because gifted and talented students generally are more 
        advanced academically, are able to learn more quickly and study 
        in more depth and complexity than others their age, the 
        students have special educational needs that require 
        opportunities and experiences that are different from those 
        generally available in regular education programs.
            (3) Parents and families are essential partners to schools 
        in developing appropriate educational services for gifted and 
        talented students. They need access to information, research 
        and support regarding the characteristics of gifted children 
        and their educational and social and emotional needs, as well 
        as information on available strategies and resources for 
        education in State and local communities.
            (4) There currently is no Federal requirement to identify 
        or serve the Nation's approximately 3,000,000 gifted and 
        talented students.
            (5) While some States and school districts allocate 
        resources to educate gifted and talented students, others do 
        not. Additionally, State laws and State and local funding, 
        identification, and accountability mechanisms vary widely, 
        resulting in a vast disparity of services for this special-
        needs population.
            (6) If the United States is to compete successfully in the 
        global economy, it is important that more students achieve to 
        higher levels, and that highly capable students receive an 
        education that prepares them to perform the most highly 
        innovative and creative work that is necessary in today's 
        workplace.
            (7) The performance of twelfth-grade advanced students in 
        the United States on the Third International Mathematics and 
        Science Study (TIMSS) was among the lowest in the world. In 
        each of 5 physics content areas in the study and in each of 3 
        math content areas in the study, the performance of physics and 
        advanced mathematics students in the United States was among 
the lowest of participating countries.
            (8) Elementary school students that are gifted and talented 
        have already mastered 35 to 50 percent of the material covered 
        in a school year in several subject areas before the school 
        year begins.
            (9) In 1990, fewer than 2 cents out of every $100 spent on 
        elementary and secondary education in the United States was 
        devoted to providing challenging programming for the Nation's 
        gifted and talented students.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to provide grants to 
States to support programs, classes, and other services designed to 
meet the needs of the Nation's gifted and talented students in 
elementary and secondary schools.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION AND ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to provide grants to 
States for use by public schools to develop or expand gifted and 
talented education programs and to provide direct educational services 
and materials through 1 or more of the following activities:
            (1) Professional development programs.--States may expend 
        funds to develop and implement programs to address State and 
        local needs for inservice training programs for general 
        educators, specialists in gifted and talented education, 
        administrators, school counselors, or other personnel at the 
        elementary and secondary levels.
            (2) Technical assistance.--A State may make materials and 
        services available through State regional education service 
        centers, universities, colleges, or other entities.
            (3) Programs and services.--
                    (A) Direct services and materials.--States may 
                expend funds to provide direct educational services and 
                materials to gifted and talented students. Strategies 
                developed with such funds may include curriculum 
                compacting, modified or adapted curriculum, 
                acceleration, independent study, and dual enrollment.
                    (B) Innovative approaches.--States may support 
                innovative approaches and curricula used by school 
                districts, individual schools, or consortia of schools 
                or school districts.
            (4) Emerging technologies.--States may provide funds to 
        provide challenging, high-level course work to individual 
students or groups of students in schools and school districts that do 
not have the resources to otherwise provide the courses through new and 
emerging technologies, including distance learning. Funds may be used 
to develop curriculum packages, compensate distance-learning educators, 
or for other relevant purposes, but may not be used for the purchase or 
upgrading of technological hardware.
    (b) State Infrastructure Costs.--
            (1) Administrative Costs.--Not more than 10 percent of the 
        total amount received under this Act may be used for State 
        educational agency administrative costs, such as--
                    (A) facilitating the coordination of gifted and 
                talented education programs and services;
                    (B) disseminating information and materials to 
                teachers and parents;
                    (C) creating State gifted education advisory 
                boards; and
                    (D) administering funds received under this Act.
            (2) Education and support.--Not more than 2 percent of the 
        total amount received under this Act may be used by a State to 
        provide information, education, and support to parents and 
        caregivers of gifted and talented children to enhance their 
        ability to participate in decisions regarding their children's 
        educational programs. Such education shall be developed and 
        carried out by parents and caregivers or by parents and 
        caregivers in partnership with the State.

SEC. 4. APPLICATION.

    (a) In General.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this Act, 
a State educational agency shall submit an application to the Secretary 
at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as 
the Secretary may reasonably require.
    (b) Contents.--The application described in subsection (a) shall 
include assurances that--
            (1) funds received under this Act shall be used to identify 
        and support gifted and talented students, including students 
        from all economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds, students of 
        limited English proficiency, students with disabilities, and 
        highly gifted students;
            (2) not less than 88 percent of the funds received by the 
        State will be distributed to public schools within the State;
            (3) funds received under this Act shall be used only to 
        supplement, but not supplant, the amount of State and local 
        funds expended for the specialized education and related 
        services provided for the education of gifted and talented 
        students; and
            (4) the State shall develop and implement program 
        assessment models to evaluate educational effectiveness and 
        ensure program accountability.
    (c) Approval.--The Secretary shall approve an application of a 
State educational agency if such application meets the requirements of 
this section.

SEC. 5. ALLOTMENT TO STATES.

    (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), of the total 
amount made available to carry out this Act for a fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall award to each State an amount that bears the same 
relation to the total amount as the number of children ages 5 through 
18 in the State for the preceding academic year bears to the total 
number of all such children in all States for such year.
    (b) Minimum Award.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), each 
        State that meets the requirements of this Act shall receive not 
        less than $1,000,000 for the fiscal year involved.
            (2) Ratable reduction.--If the amount made available to 
        carry out this Act for a fiscal year is insufficient to 
        allocate the amount specified in paragraph (1) to each State, 
        the allocation shall be ratably reduced for each State.

SEC. 6. REPORTING.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act 
and for each subsequent year thereafter, the State educational agency 
shall submit an annual report to the Secretary that describes the 
number of students served and the activities supported with funds 
provided under this Act. The report shall include a description of the 
measures taken to comply with the accountability requirements of 
section 4.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Gifted and talented.--The term ``gifted and talented'' 
        has the meaning given such term under applicable State law or 
        as such term is defined by the State or local educational 
        agency involved, or in the case of a State that does not have a 
        law that defines the term and the State or local educational 
        agency has not defined the term, the term has the meaning given 
        such term under section 14101(16) of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. 8801(16)).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (3) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States 
        and the District of Columbia.
            (4) State educational agency.--The term ``State educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given the term under section 14101(28) 
        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
        8801(28)).

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION.

    There is authorized to be appropriated $160,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 to carry out this Act.