II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3952 

To increase rates of college completion and reduce college costs by accelerating 

time to degree, aligning secondary and postsecondary education, and 

improving postsecondary credit transfer. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 14, 2024 

Ms. HASSAN (for herself and Mr. YOUNG) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To increase rates of college completion and reduce college 

costs by accelerating time to degree, aligning secondary 

and postsecondary education, and improving postsecondary credit transfer. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fast Track To and 

5 Through College Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ACCELERATING TIME TO DEGREE. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part A of title IV of the Higher 

3 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) is amend4 ed— 

5 (1) by redesignating subparts 5, 6, and 7, as 

6 subparts 6, 7, and 8, respectively; and 

7 (2) by inserting after subpart 4 the following: 

8 ‘‘Subpart 5—Accelerating Time to Degree 

9 ‘‘SEC. 416A. PURPOSE. 

10 ‘‘The purpose of this subpart is to increase rates of 

11 college completion and reduce college costs by accelerating 

12 time to degree, aligning secondary and postsecondary edu13 cation, and improving postsecondary credit transfer. 

14 ‘‘SEC. 416B. DEFINITIONS. 

15 ‘‘In this subpart: 

16 ‘‘(1) ADVANCED COURSEWORK.—The term ‘ad17 vanced coursework’ means coursework designed for 

18 students to earn postsecondary credit upon its suc19 cessful completion while still in high school, such as 

20 coursework associated with Advanced Placement, 

21 International Baccalaureate, a dual or concurrent 

22 enrollment program, and early college high school 

23 programs. 

24 ‘‘(2) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION.— 

25 The term ‘career and technical education’ has the 

26 meaning given the term in section 3 of the Carl D. 


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1 Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 

2 2006. 

3 ‘‘(3) DUAL OR CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT

4 PROGRAM.—The term ‘dual or concurrent enrollment 

5 program’ has the meaning given the term in section 

6 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

7 Act of 1965. 

8 ‘‘(4) EARLY COLLEGE FAST TRACK PATHWAY.— 

9 The term ‘early college fast track pathway’ means a 

10 sequence of dual or concurrent enrollment program 

11 courses, Advanced Placement courses, International 

12 Baccalaureate courses, or other advanced 

13 coursework or assessments approved by the eligible 

14 entity taken at any point during high school that— 

15 ‘‘(A) when taken together, constitute a 

16 typical first year of study toward an associate 

17 degree or baccalaureate degree, or, in the case 

18 of postsecondary credit in career and technical 

19 education earned through dual or concurrent 

20 enrollment program course sequences, the first 

21 year of study toward a recognized postsec22 ondary credential for a high-skill, high-wage, or 

23 in-demand industry sector or occupation; and 

24 ‘‘(B) if completed successfully, results in 

25 credit that— 


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1 ‘‘(i) is equivalent to the academic 

2 workload of not less than 2 semesters of 

3 full-time postsecondary enrollment; 

4 ‘‘(ii) satisfies requirements for the 

5 State’s regular high school diploma; and 

6 ‘‘(iii) is a part of the statewide articu7 lation agreements described in clauses (iv) 

8 and (v) of section 416C(f)(2)(D), except 

9 that a pathway designed for earning post10 secondary credit in career and technical 

11 education through a dual or concurrent en12 rollment program leading to a recognized 

13 postsecondary credential may be part of an 

14 articulation agreement that includes some, 

15 but not all, public institutions of higher 

16 education in the State. 

17 ‘‘(5) EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL.—The 

18 term ‘early college high school’ has the meaning 

19 given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary 

20 and Secondary Education Act of 1965. 

21 ‘‘(6) EARLY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION FAST

22 TRACK PATHWAY.—The term ‘early high school 

23 graduation fast track pathway’ means a scholarship 

24 provided to a student who— 


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1 ‘‘(A) graduates high school early consistent 

2 with a State’s early high school graduation pol3 icy; 

4 ‘‘(B) does not require remedial coursework 

5 in postsecondary education consistent with a 

6 State’s postsecondary course placement stand7 ards described in section 416C(f)(2)(D)(iii); 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(C) attends any public 2-year or 4-year 

10 institution of higher education that is a part of 

11 the eligible entity. 

12 ‘‘(7) EARLY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION POL13 ICY.—The term ‘early high school graduation policy’ 

14 means a statewide policy adopted by all local edu15 cational agencies in a State that— 

16 ‘‘(A) allows students the opportunity to 

17 earn a regular high school diploma in not more 

18 than 3 years; 

19 ‘‘(B) is based in whole or in part on stu20 dent performance on valid and reliable assess21 ments aligned with the challenging State aca22 demic standards required under section 

23 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary 

24 Education Act of 1965, which may include a 


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1 nationally recognized high school academic as2 sessment; 

3 ‘‘(C) may permit students to earn required 

4 credit hours for a regular high school diploma 

5 through a demonstration of competency; and 

6 ‘‘(D) includes support for students to en7 sure a successful matriculation to postsecondary 

8 education. 

9 ‘‘(8) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en10 tity’ means a partnership that, with respect to a 

11 State— 

12 ‘‘(A) shall include— 

13 ‘‘(i) the State educational agency; 

14 ‘‘(ii) either— 

15 ‘‘(I) the State public higher edu16 cation system inclusive of all 2-year 

17 and 4-year public institutions of high18 er education in the State; or 

19 ‘‘(II) a consortium of the State’s 

20 public higher education institutions or 

21 systems that, together, is inclusive of 

22 all 2-year and 4-year public institu23 tions of higher education in the State; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) 1 or more local educational 

2 agencies, including at least 1 high-need 

3 local educational agency located in the 

4 State; and 

5 ‘‘(B) may include— 

6 ‘‘(i) a consortium of entities described 

7 in subparagraph (A) from different States; 

8 ‘‘(ii) 1 or more public or nonprofit 

9 private institutions of higher education; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(iii) 1 or more businesses, nonprofit 

12 organizations, State workforce agencies, or 

13 State workforce development boards estab14 lished under section 101 of the Workforce 

15 Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

16 U.S.C. 3111). 

17 ‘‘(9) EVIDENCE-BASED.—The term ‘evidence18 based’ has the meaning given the term in section 

19 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

20 Act of 1965. 

21 ‘‘(10) FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STU22 DENT.—The term ‘first-generation college student’ 

23 means— 

24 ‘‘(A) an individual both of whose parents 

25 did not complete a baccalaureate degree; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) in the case of any individual who reg2 ularly resided with and received support from 

3 only 1 parent, an individual whose only such 

4 parent did not complete a baccalaureate degree. 

5 ‘‘(11) GOVERNOR.—The term ‘Governor’ means 

6 the chief executive officer of a State. 

7 ‘‘(12) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN8 CY.—The term ‘high-need local educational agency’ 

9 means a local educational agency— 

10 ‘‘(A) that serves not fewer than 10,000 

11 children from families with incomes below the 

12 poverty line; 

13 ‘‘(B) for which not less than 20 percent of 

14 the children served by the agency are from fam15 ilies with incomes below the poverty line; 

16 ‘‘(C) that is in the highest quartile of local 

17 educational agencies in the State, based on stu18 dent poverty; or 

19 ‘‘(D) for which not less than 75 percent of 

20 the children served by the agency are histori21 cally underrepresented students. 

22 ‘‘(13) HIGH SCHOOL.—The term ‘high school’ 

23 has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of 

24 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

25 1965. 


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1 ‘‘(14) HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED

2 STUDENT.—The term ‘historically underrepresented 

3 student’ means— 

4 ‘‘(A) a student, or prospective student, at 

5 an institution of higher education who is at risk 

6 of educational failure or otherwise in need of 

7 special assistance and support; and 

8 ‘‘(B) may include an adult learner, work9 ing student, part-time student, student from a 

10 low-income background, student of color, Native 

11 youth, single parent (including a single preg12 nant woman), student who is a homeless child 

13 or youth, youth who is in, or has aged out of, 

14 the foster care system, first-generation college 

15 student, and student with a disability. 

16 ‘‘(15) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTOR OR OCCU17 PATION.—The term ‘in-demand industry sector or 

18 occupation’ has the meaning given the term in sec19 tion 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

20 Act. 

21 ‘‘(16) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

22 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

23 meaning given the term in section 101(a). 

24 ‘‘(17) MIDDLE GRADES.—The term ‘middle 

25 grades’ has the meaning given the term in section 


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1 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

2 Act of 1965. 

3 ‘‘(18) NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED HIGH SCHOOL

4 ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT.—The term ‘nationally rec5 ognized high school academic assessment’ means an 

6 assessment of high school students’ knowledge and 

7 skills that is administered in multiple States and is 

8 recognized by institutions of higher education in 

9 those or other States for the purposes of entrance or 

10 placement into courses in postsecondary education 

11 or training programs. 

12 ‘‘(19) PARENT.—The term ‘parent’ has the 

13 meaning given the term in section 8101 of the Ele14 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. 

15 ‘‘(20) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CREDEN16 TIAL.—The term ‘recognized postsecondary creden17 tial’ has the meaning given the term in section 3 of 

18 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. 

19 ‘‘(21) REGULAR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.—The 

20 term ‘regular high school diploma’ has the meaning 

21 given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary 

22 and Secondary Education Act of 1965. 

23 ‘‘(22) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of 

24 the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the 

25 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 


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1 ‘‘(23) SUBGROUP OF STUDENTS.—The term 

2 ‘subgroup of students’ means— 

3 ‘‘(A) economically disadvantaged students; 

4 ‘‘(B) students from each major racial and 

5 ethnic group; 

6 ‘‘(C) children with disabilities, as defined 

7 in section 602 of the Individuals with Disabil8 ities Education Act; 

9 ‘‘(D) English learners, as defined in sec10 tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

11 Education Act of 1965; 

12 ‘‘(E) students disaggregated by gender; 

13 ‘‘(F) migratory children, as described in 

14 section 1309(3) of the Elementary and Sec15 ondary Education Act of 1965; 

16 ‘‘(G) homeless children and youths, as de17 fined in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento 

18 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a); 

19 ‘‘(H) students who are in foster care or are 

20 aging out of the foster care system; and 

21 ‘‘(I) students with a parent who is a mem22 ber of the Armed Forces (as defined in section 

23 101(a)(4) of title 10, United States Code) on 

24 active duty (as defined in section 101(d) of 

25 such title). 


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1 ‘‘(24) WORK-BASED LEARNING.—The term 

2 ‘work-based learning’ has the meaning given the 

3 term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

4 Technical Education Act of 2006. 

5 ‘‘SEC. 416C. COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO STATES. 

6 ‘‘(a) RESERVATIONS.—From the total amount appro7 priated under section 416I for a fiscal year, the Secretary 

8 shall reserve— 

9 ‘‘(1) 2 percent to conduct the evaluation de10 scribed under section 416F; and 

11 ‘‘(2) 2 percent for technical assistance and dis12 semination, which may include— 

13 ‘‘(A) providing, directly or through grants, 

14 contracts, or cooperative agreements, technical 

15 assistance on using evidence-based practices to 

16 improve the outcomes of activities funded under 

17 this subpart; and 

18 ‘‘(B) disseminating information on evi19 dence-based practices that are successful in im20 proving the quality of activities funded under 

21 this subpart. 

22 ‘‘(b) GRANTS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) AWARDS.—From the total amount of 

24 funds available under section 416I for a fiscal year 

25 and not reserved under subsection (a), the Secretary 


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1 shall award grants on a competitive basis to eligible 

2 entities to implement activities described under sec3 tion 416D. 

4 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—A State may not receive 

5 (whether individually or as part of a consortium) a 

6 grant under this subpart more than once. 

7 ‘‘(c) GRANT DURATION.—Grants awarded under this 

8 subpart shall be for a period of 5 years. 

9 ‘‘(d) DIVERSITY OF PROJECTS.—In awarding grants 

10 under this subpart, the Secretary shall ensure that, to the 

11 extent practicable, grants are distributed among eligible 

12 entities that will serve geographically diverse areas, includ13 ing urban, suburban, and rural areas. 

14 ‘‘(e) PRIORITIES.—In awarding grants under this 

15 subpart, the Secretary shall give priority to applications 

16 that— 

17 ‘‘(1) demonstrate experience in the successful 

18 adoption or implementation of policies and programs 

19 described within the application requirements under 

20 subparagraphs (C) and (D) of subsection (f)(2) and 

21 uses of funds for evidence-based practices under sec22 tion 416D; 

23 ‘‘(2) prioritize implementation of at least 1 

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1 need local educational agencies at the beginning of 

2 the grant period; 

3 ‘‘(3) propose to develop multiple early college 

4 fast track pathways, including an early college fast 

5 track pathway that includes career and technical 

6 education and work-based learning aligned with 

7 high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors 

8 or occupations; 

9 ‘‘(4) propose to provide a larger award size in 

10 its early high school graduation fast track pathway 

11 relative to the size of the maximum Federal Pell 

12 Grant award under subpart 1; 

13 ‘‘(5) propose to expand access to advanced 

14 coursework for students who are not eligible for the 

15 early college fast track pathway or early high school 

16 graduation fast track pathway; and 

17 ‘‘(6) use school quality or student success indi18 cators to hold high schools accountable, consistent 

19 with section 1111(c)(4)(B)(v) of the Elementary and 

20 Secondary Education Act of 1965, that measure ac21 cess to and completion of advanced coursework, dual 

22 or concurrent enrollment programs, and early college 

23 high school programs or postsecondary enrollment, 

24 remediation, or first-year credit attainment. 

25 ‘‘(f) APPLICATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to receive a grant 

2 under subsection (b) for any fiscal year, the Gov3 ernor of a State shall submit an application to the 

4 Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and con5 taining such information as the Secretary may rea6 sonably require. 

7 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

8 by a Governor under this subsection shall include 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘(A) The vision of the eligible entity for 

11 aligning high school and higher education. 

12 ‘‘(B) Signatures from the Governor, chief 

13 State school officer, and State higher education 

14 executive officer. 

15 ‘‘(C) Evidence for each State within the el16 igible entity demonstrating adoption of— 

17 ‘‘(i) an early high school graduation 

18 policy; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) uniform statewide criteria for the 

20 receipt of postsecondary, nonelective credit 

21 at all public institutions of higher edu22 cation in the eligible entity based on per23 formance on Advanced Placement and 

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1 nations, and, at the discretion of the eligi2 ble entity, other assessments. 

3 ‘‘(D) A description of how the eligible enti4 ty will, not later than 2 years after the date of 

5 the initial receipt of funds under this section, 

6 implement policies and activities to align high 

7 school education with postsecondary education 

8 in each State within the eligible entity, which 

9 shall include— 

10 ‘‘(i) updating State requirements for a 

11 student to receive a regular high school di12 ploma, including students who graduate 

13 high school early consistent with subpara14 graph (C), to align with the challenging 

15 State academic standards and entrance re16 quirements for credit-bearing coursework 

17 as described in section 1111(b)(1)(D) of 

18 the Elementary and Secondary Education 

19 Act of 1965, which may include alignment 

20 with entrance requirements for credit-bear21 ing coursework at the State’s system of 4- 

22 year institutions of higher education; 

23 ‘‘(ii) verification of the alignment de24 scribed in clause (i) that is signified by the 

25 signature of the Governor of the State, 


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1 chief State school officer, and State higher 

2 education executive officer; 

3 ‘‘(iii) developing statewide standards 

4 for placement in postsecondary remedial 

5 coursework based on multiple indicators, 

6 which may include grade point average, 

7 college preparatory high school courses 

8 completed, and performance assessments; 

9 ‘‘(iv) developing a formal, universal 

10 statewide articulation agreement among all 

11 public institutions of higher education or 

12 systems in each State within the eligible 

13 entity in which all local educational agen14 cies within each State within the eligible 

15 entity may participate that guarantees— 

16 ‘‘(I) students who earn postsec17 ondary credit as part of an early col18 lege fast track pathway are able to 

19 transfer such credit to— 

20 ‘‘(aa) any public institution 

21 of higher education in the State, 

22 and that such credits will count 

23 toward meeting specific degree or 

24 certificate requirements; and 


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1 ‘‘(bb) any private nonprofit 

2 institution of higher education or 

3 public institution of higher edu4 cation located in another State 

5 that chooses to participate in the 

6 articulation agreement; 

7 ‘‘(II) all relevant credits are rec8 ognized throughout the public system 

9 of higher education in the State and 

10 count as credits earned for both a reg11 ular high school diploma and for a de12 gree or certificate program at a public 

13 institution of higher education in the 

14 State and at any private nonprofit in15 stitution of higher education or public 

16 institution of higher education located 

17 in another State that chooses to par18 ticipate; and 

19 ‘‘(III) if a student earns an asso20 ciate’s degree as part of an early col21 lege fast track pathway, such associ22 ate’s degree, awarded by the partici23 pating institution of higher education 

24 in the State, shall be fully acceptable 

25 in transfer and credited as the first 2 


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1 years of a related baccalaureate pro2 gram at a public institution of higher 

3 education in such State; and 

4 ‘‘(v) developing a formal, universal 

5 statewide articulation agreement among all 

6 public institutions of higher education in 

7 each State within the eligible entity to fa8 cilitate the seamless transfer of credit 

9 earned in the early college fast track path10 way among such institutions of higher edu11 cation, including between 2-year and 4- 

12 year public institutions of higher education 

13 and private nonprofit institutions of higher 

14 education if such private nonprofit institu15 tions of higher education choose to partici16 pate, which may include— 

17 ‘‘(I) common course numbering; 

18 ‘‘(II) a general education core 

19 curriculum; and 

20 ‘‘(III) management systems re21 garding course equivalency, transfer 

22 of credit, and articulation. 

23 ‘‘(E) A description of how the eligible enti24 ty will provide students with the opportunity to 

25 choose an early college fast track pathway or an 


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1 early high school graduation fast track path2 way, including— 

3 ‘‘(i) the criteria that will be used to 

4 designate students as eligible to participate 

5 in the early college fast track pathway 

6 prior to the conclusion of grade 11, 

7 which— 

8 ‘‘(I) may be based in part on stu9 dent performance on valid and reliable 

10 assessments aligned with the chal11 lenging State academic standards re12 quired under section 1111(b)(1) of 

13 the Elementary and Secondary Edu14 cation Act of 1965, which may include 

15 a nationally recognized high school 

16 academic assessment, and in part on 

17 other indicators consistent with the 

18 statewide standards for placement in 

19 postsecondary remedial coursework 

20 under subparagraph (D)(iii); 

21 ‘‘(II) if met, shall signify that the 

22 student will not require remedial 

23 coursework consistent with the place24 ment standards developed under sub25 paragraph (D)(iii); and 


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1 ‘‘(III) shall include students who 

2 meet the requirements of the State’s 

3 early high school graduation policy; 

4 ‘‘(ii) how the eligible entity will dis5 seminate information to all students and 

6 particularly subgroups of students, stu7 dents who would be first-generation college 

8 students, and, as applicable, other histori9 cally underrepresented students in the mid10 dle grades and in grades 9, 10, and 11, 

11 served by the eligible entity, including their 

12 parents, about the opportunity to partici13 pate in an early college fast track pathway 

14 or an early high school graduation fast 

15 track pathway, including— 

16 ‘‘(I) the requirements students 

17 must meet to participate in each fast 

18 track pathway consistent with the 

19 State’s early high school graduation 

20 policy and eligibility criteria described 

21 in clause (i); 

22 ‘‘(II) information regarding the 

23 transferability of credits from ad24 vanced coursework offered in the early 

25 college fast track pathway, including 


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1 the State’s criteria for the receipt of 

2 postsecondary credit based on per3 formance on Advanced Placement and 

4 International Baccalaureate course ex5 aminations described in subparagraph 

6 (C)(ii), which institutions of higher 

7 education participate in the articula8 tion agreements described under 

9 clauses (iv) and (v) of subparagraph 

10 (D), and the performance standards 

11 students must meet in order for credit 

12 from advanced coursework to transfer 

13 successfully; 

14 ‘‘(III) information on the scholar15 ships included within the early high 

16 school graduation fast track pathway, 

17 including the size of the scholarship 

18 and the institutions of higher edu19 cation at which the scholarships may 

20 be used; and 

21 ‘‘(IV) information regarding re22 sources and supports available to stu23 dents to prepare them to participate 

24 and succeed in a fast track pathway; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) how the eligible entity will pro2 vide each student served by the eligible en3 tity with the opportunity to be assessed 

4 prior to the conclusion of grade 11 to de5 termine whether the student meets— 

6 ‘‘(I) the eligibility criteria de7 scribed in clause (i) to participate in 

8 an early college fast track pathway; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(II) the requirements of the 

11 State’s early high school graduation 

12 policy so that a student may partici13 pate in an early high school gradua14 tion fast track pathway; and 

15 ‘‘(iv) how the eligible entity will notify 

16 each student, including the student’s par17 ents, who— 

18 ‘‘(I) meets the eligibility criteria 

19 described under clause (i) no later 

20 than the beginning of grade 12 about 

21 the opportunity for the student to 

22 participate in an early college fast 

23 track pathway for the remainder of 

24 the student’s enrollment in high 

25 school; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) meets the requirements of 

2 the early high school graduation policy 

3 about the opportunity to graduate 

4 high school early and receive a schol5 arship as part of an early high school 

6 graduation fast track pathway. 

7 ‘‘(F) A description of how the eligible enti8 ty will implement the early college fast track 

9 pathway and early high school graduation fast 

10 track pathway in all local educational agencies 

11 within each State within the eligible entity, in12 cluding— 

13 ‘‘(i) the timeline and plan to provide, 

14 by the end of the grant period, all students 

15 in the State who meet the eligibility cri16 teria described under subparagraph (E)(i) 

17 the opportunity to participate in an early 

18 college fast track pathway, which may in19 clude online coursework coordinated by the 

20 State; 

21 ‘‘(ii) the timeline and plan to provide 

22 all students in the State who meet the re23 quirements for its early high school grad24 uation policy the opportunity to receive a 


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1 scholarship through an early high school 

2 graduation fast track pathway; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) annual goals for participation in 

4 fast track pathways among subgroups of 

5 students such that, if the goals are met— 

6 ‘‘(I) significant progress will be 

7 made toward improving equity in stu8 dent eligibility and participation in 

9 the early high school graduation path10 way across the local educational agen11 cies within each State within the eligi12 ble entity; 

13 ‘‘(II) significant progress will be 

14 made toward improving equity in ac15 cess to advanced coursework and early 

16 college fast track pathways across the 

17 local educational agencies within each 

18 State in the eligible entity; and 

19 ‘‘(III) the composition of stu20 dents participating in fast track path21 ways will be demographically similar 

22 to each State, as a whole, within the 

23 eligible entity by the end of the grant 

24 period. 


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1 ‘‘(G) A description of how the eligible enti2 ty consulted with stakeholders in development 

3 of its application and how the eligible entity will 

4 continue to engage, collaborate, and solicit feed5 back with stakeholders to improve implementa6 tion of the application requirements described 

7 in this subsection and uses of funds described 

8 in section 416D, including— 

9 ‘‘(i) members of the State legislature 

10 and State board of education (if the State 

11 has a State board of education); 

12 ‘‘(ii) the State higher education gov13 erning or coordinating entity (if the State 

14 has such an entity); 

15 ‘‘(iii) the State entity that coordinates 

16 early childhood, elementary, secondary, 

17 and postsecondary education (if the State 

18 has such an entity); 

19 ‘‘(iv) local educational agencies, in20 cluding those located in rural areas and 

21 high-need local education agencies; 

22 ‘‘(v) representatives of Indian Tribes 

23 located in the State; 

24 ‘‘(vi) charter school leaders (if the 

25 State has charter schools); 


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1 ‘‘(vii) civil rights organizations in the 

2 State; 

3 ‘‘(viii) business leaders or their rep4 resentatives in the State; 

5 ‘‘(ix) teachers, principals, and other 

6 school leaders; and 

7 ‘‘(x) parents and students. 

8 ‘‘(H) Assurances that the eligible entity 

9 will— 

10 ‘‘(i) allow students who choose to par11 ticipate in an early college fast track path12 way the opportunity to do so at no cost to 

13 students and parents, including that such 

14 students and their parents shall not be re15 quired to pay the cost of related tuition, 

16 fees (including examination fees), books, 

17 and supplies necessary to successfully com18 plete the early college fast track pathway; 

19 ‘‘(ii) comply with the supplement, not 

20 supplant and maintenance of effort re21 quirements described in sections 416G and 

22 416H; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) use not less than half of the 

24 grant funds for purposes described under 

25 subsections (a)(2) and (b) of section 416D 


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1 to support subgroups of students, students 

2 who would be first-generation college stu3 dents, and, as applicable, other historically 

4 underrepresented students. 

5 ‘‘(g) REPORTING.—Each eligible entity receiving a 

6 grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary a 

7 report on an annual basis that includes, for each State 

8 within the eligible entity— 

9 ‘‘(1) information on the progress of the eligible 

10 entity in establishing the policies and completing the 

11 required activities as specified in subparagraphs (C) 

12 and (D) of subsection (f)(2) to align high school 

13 education with postsecondary education; 

14 ‘‘(2) the number and percentage of local edu15 cational agencies and schools in the State offering 

16 an early high school graduation fast track pathway 

17 and each early college fast track pathway consistent 

18 with its timelines and plans as specified in clauses 

19 (i) and (ii) of subsection (f)(2)(F), progress against 

20 the goals established by the eligible entity for demo21 graphically diverse student participation in fast 

22 track pathways specified in subsection (f)(2)(F)(iii), 

23 and evidence demonstrating how the eligible entity 

24 certified each such pathway meets all requirements 

25 of this subpart; 


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1 ‘‘(3) the number and percentage of students in 

2 the State, including for each subgroup of students, 

3 who— 

4 ‘‘(A) are eligible to participate in an early 

5 college fast track pathway; 

6 ‘‘(B) participate in an early college fast 

7 track pathway; and 

8 ‘‘(C) successfully complete an early college 

9 fast track pathway; 

10 ‘‘(4) the number and percentage of students in 

11 the State, including for each subgroup of students, 

12 who— 

13 ‘‘(A) are eligible to participate in an early 

14 high school graduation fast track pathway; and 

15 ‘‘(B) participate in an early high school 

16 graduation fast track pathway; 

17 ‘‘(5) the average scholarship award amount for 

18 students, including for each subgroup of students, in 

19 the State who participate in an early high school 

20 graduation fast track pathway; and 

21 ‘‘(6) any additional information as the Sec22 retary may reasonably require to ensure compliance 

23 with the requirements of this subpart and to effec24 tively evaluate, monitor, and improve grant imple25 mentation. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 416D. USE OF FUNDS. 

2 ‘‘(a) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—Each eligible entity 

3 that receives a grant under section 416C(b) for a fiscal 

4 year shall— 

5 ‘‘(1) use funds for activities to implement the 

6 alignment requirements pursuant to section 

7 416C(f)(2)(D) for a period of time not to exceed the 

8 first 2 fiscal years for which the grant is provided; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(2) use funds to support statewide implemen11 tation of early college fast track pathways and early 

12 high school graduation fast track pathways con13 sistent with the timeline, plan, and goals specified in 

14 section 416C(f)(2)(F), including— 

15 ‘‘(A) expanding advanced coursework to in16 crease the availability of early college fast track 

17 pathways, which may include— 

18 ‘‘(i) tuition, fees (including examina19 tion fees associated with Advanced Place20 ment, International Baccalaureate, and 

21 similar examinations), books, and supplies 

22 for eligible students; 

23 ‘‘(ii) creating or expanding statewide 

24 systems to provide each of the advanced 

25 courses in the early college fast track path26 ways online; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) establishing or expanding early 

2 college high schools; 

3 ‘‘(B) programs and activities to improve 

4 student preparation for, and participation in, 

5 an early college fast track pathway or early 

6 high school graduation fast track pathway, es7 pecially among subgroups of students, students 

8 who would be first-generation college students, 

9 and, as applicable, other historically underrep10 resented students, which may include— 

11 ‘‘(i) use of data from evidence-based 

12 early assessment programs or evidence13 based early warning indicator systems; 

14 ‘‘(ii) enhanced advising or counseling 

15 activities, such as providing course-taking 

16 and financial aid guidance as early as the 

17 middle grades; and 

18 ‘‘(iii) other evidence-based services as 

19 described by the eligible entity; and 

20 ‘‘(C) outreach and communications with 

21 students and parents, particularly historically 

22 underrepresented students, to build awareness 

23 of early college fast track pathways and early 

24 high school graduation fast track pathways. 


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1 ‘‘(b) ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES.—To support effective 

2 statewide implementation of fast track pathways con3 sistent with the timeline, plan, and goals specified in sec4 tion 416C(f)(2)(F), each eligible entity that receives a 

5 grant under section 416C(b) for a fiscal year may use 

6 funds to— 

7 ‘‘(1) offer students who graduate high school 

8 early scholarships and support for matriculating to 

9 postsecondary education as part of an early high 

10 school graduation fast track pathway; 

11 ‘‘(2) provide training, professional development, 

12 or recruitment for faculty who teach courses that 

13 are included in an early college fast track pathway; 

14 ‘‘(3) provide students with transportation to 

15 and from advanced courses in an early college fast 

16 track pathway; 

17 ‘‘(4) convene secondary and postsecondary edu18 cation and workforce leaders in the State and other 

19 stakeholders to coordinate and monitor grant imple20 mentation; and 

21 ‘‘(5) provide incentives for local educational 

22 agencies and institutions of higher education to en23 courage student participation in early college fast 

24 track pathways and early high school graduation 

25 fast track pathways. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 416E. FEDERAL PELL GRANT AWARDS. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the require3 ment under subsections (a)(1) and (d) of section 484 that 

4 a student not be enrolled in an elementary school or sec5 ondary school to be eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant 

6 under subpart 1, for the award years beginning on July 

7 1, 2024, the Secretary shall, in each State within an eligi8 ble entity awarded a grant under this subpart, award high 

9 school students who meet the eligibility requirements de10 scribed in section 416C(f)(2)(E) and participate in an 

11 early college fast track pathway, a Federal Pell Grant 

12 based on the determination of the student aid index for 

13 such student. 

14 ‘‘(b) TWO SEMESTER CAP WAIVER.—For a period 

15 not to exceed 2 semesters (or the equivalent of 2 semesters 

16 for students who are not enrolled full time, consistent with 

17 regulations promulgated by the Secretary described under 

18 section 401(d)(5)), Federal Pell Grants awarded to eligible 

19 students under subsection (a) shall not count toward the 

20 12-semester eligibility period for Federal Pell Grants de21 scribed under section 401(d)(5). 

22 ‘‘(c) AMOUNT OF PELL GRANT.—Notwithstanding 

23 paragraphs (3) and (5) of section 401(b) and section 472, 

24 the amount of the Federal Pell Grant received under sub25 section (a) shall not exceed the cost of tuition, fees (ex26 cluding fees associated with Advanced Placement, InterVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 28, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3952.IS S3952

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1 national Baccalaureate, and similar examinations), books, 

2 and supplies. 

3 ‘‘(d) APPLICABILITY.—The Secretary shall continue 

4 awarding Federal Pell Grants to students pursuant to this 

5 section in a State whose grant under this subpart has ex6 pired based upon the eligible entity’s continued compliance 

7 with the requirements of this subpart as determined by 

8 the Secretary. 

9 ‘‘SEC. 416F. EVALUATION. 

10 ‘‘The Secretary, in partnership with the Director of 

11 the Institute of Education Sciences, shall contract with a 

12 third party to conduct an independent evaluation not later 

13 than September 30, 2028, and preceded by interim re14 ports, of the policies and services provided under this sub15 part, including at a minimum, the impact of such policies 

16 and services on outcomes for all students and subgroups 

17 of students with regard to each of the following: 

18 ‘‘(1) Enrollment in and completion of advanced 

19 coursework during high school, including the number 

20 of courses students take and the number of credits 

21 students earn. 

22 ‘‘(2) Postsecondary enrollment, remediation, 

23 first-year credit attainment, and persistence. 

24 ‘‘(3) The rate at which credits transfer from 

25 advanced coursework in high school, including dual 


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1 or concurrent enrollment programs, and public insti2 tutions of higher education and between such insti3 tutions. 

4 ‘‘(4) Postsecondary degree attainment, includ5 ing completion of an associate’s degree, bacca6 laureate degree, or recognized postsecondary creden7 tial, and the time it takes students to earn a degree. 

8 ‘‘(5) The cost of a postsecondary degree, by de9 gree type, for participating students in an early col10 lege fast track pathway or an early high school grad11 uation fast track pathway. 

12 ‘‘SEC. 416G. SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT. 

13 ‘‘Funds made available under this subpart shall be 

14 used to supplement, and not supplant, non-Federal funds 

15 that would otherwise be used for activities authorized 

16 under this subpart. 

17 ‘‘SEC. 416H. MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT. 

18 ‘‘(a) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT REQUIRED.—A 

19 State that receives assistance under this subpart shall pro20 vide for institutions of higher education and local edu21 cational agencies in such State for any academic year be22 ginning on or after July 1, 2024, an amount that is equal 

23 to or greater than the average amount provided for ad24 vanced coursework by such State to such institutions of 

25 higher education and local educational agencies for adVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 28, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3952.IS S3952

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1 vanced coursework during the 2 most recent preceding 

2 academic years for which satisfactory data are available. 

3 ‘‘(b) ADJUSTMENTS FOR BIENNIAL APPROPRIA4 TIONS.—The Secretary shall take into consideration any 

5 adjustments to the calculations under subsection (a) that 

6 may be required to accurately reflect funding levels in 

7 States with biennial appropriation cycles. 

8 ‘‘(c) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the require9 ments of subsection (a) for not more than 2 consecutive 

10 years, if the Secretary determines that such a waiver 

11 would be equitable due to exceptional or uncontrollable cir12 cumstances, such as a natural disaster or a precipitous 

13 and unforeseen decline in the financial resources of a 

14 State or State educational agency, as appropriate. 

15 ‘‘(d) VIOLATION OF MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.— 

16 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary 

17 shall withhold from any State that violates subsection (a) 

18 and does not receive a waiver pursuant to subsection (c) 

19 any amount that would otherwise be available to the State 

20 under this subpart until such State has made significant 

21 efforts to correct such violation. 

22 ‘‘SEC. 416I. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

24 this subpart such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 

25 2024 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 


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1 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section, and the amend2 ments made by this section, shall take effect on the later 

3 of the date of enactment of this Act or July 1, 2024. 

Æ 


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