I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1817 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 

for the development of State statistical literacy plans and to authorize 

the Secretary of Education to make grants for statistics-related teacher 

professional development and the improvement of statistics education. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 10, 2011 

Mr. LOEBSACK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

of 1965 to provide for the development of State statistical literacy plans and to authorize the Secretary of 

Education to make grants for statistics-related teacher 

professional development and the improvement of statistics education. 

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 ‘‘Statistics Teaching, 

5 Aptitude, and Training Act of 2011’’ or the ‘‘STAT Act 

6 of 2011’’. 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1817 IH

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 The Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Statistical literacy, the understanding and 

4 use of the language and tools of statistics, is vital 

5 for United States citizens in an era of intense global 

6 competition and growing reliance on data, because of 

7 a statistically literate individual’s ability to— 

8 (A) ask and evaluate critical questions 

9 about the design of a study and the appro10 priateness of the conclusions drawn from a 

11 study; 

12 (B) distinguish arguments based on data 

13 and evidence from arguments based on anec14 dotes; 

15 (C) recognize and interpret different rep16 resentations of data in context; and 

17 (D) formulate questions that can be ad18 dressed with data, collect and organize relevant 

19 data, and draw appropriate statistical conclu20 sions. 

21 (2) Statistical literacy is essential for both ef22 fective citizenship and personal well-being because of 

23 the everyday need to— 

24 (A) interpret and synthesize data displays 

25 and summaries, such as polls, surveys, and 

26 study outcomes; and 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1817 IH

1 (B) critically evaluate claims based on 

2 data— 

3 (i) as a consumer of the news media; 

4 (ii) in making medical decisions; and 

5 (iii) in making financial decisions, 

6 such as decisions related to a mortgage or 

7 a car repair. 

8 (3) Statistics provides tools for describing varia9 bility and uncertainty to support making informed 

10 decisions, both large and small. A foundation in sta11 tistical thinking helps individuals to evaluate risks 

12 and weigh the likelihood of various outcomes. 

13 (4) Statistical literacy provides tools for dealing 

14 with uncertainty. There is uncertainty in virtually 

15 every situation and number individuals face, but sta16 tistical literacy enables individuals to make rational 

17 decisions in the face of uncertainty. 

18 (5) Statistical concepts are important for the 

19 study of mathematics, the natural sciences, and the 

20 social sciences. In mathematics, statistical literacy 

21 provides applications and real-life illustrations of the 

22 importance of mathematics, which motivates stu23 dents for deeper learning. In the natural sciences 

24 and the social sciences, statistical problem-solving 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1817 IH

1 teaches a framework for the scientific process and 

2 an understanding of data and their limitations. 

3 (6) Effective statistical literacy education in ele4 mentary and secondary school would— 

5 (A) produce graduates better equipped 

6 with the skills necessary to compete in the 

7 workforce of the 21st century, with its bur8 geoning growth of and dependence on data; 

9 (B) enhance student learning and problem10 solving skills across disciplines; and 

11 (C) equip students with knowledge needed 

12 to be responsible and engaged citizens. 

13 (7) Room exists for significant improvement in 

14 statistics education because of the following factors: 

15 (A) While national mathematics standards 

16 and benchmarks from organizations such as 

17 Achieve, the College Board, and the National 

18 Council for Teachers of Mathematics support 

19 data analysis and probability as essential com20 ponents of mathematics education, many ele21 mentary and secondary school teachers have not 

22 received the necessary training at the appro23 priate level to teach statistical literacy in their 

24 classrooms. 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1817 IH

1 (B) Most State guidelines include statistics 

2 and probability, but the topic tends to be 

3 skipped because of the lack of teacher prepara4 tion and proper emphasis on the topic in State 

5 assessments. 

6 (C) While some students do take a course 

7 in statistics, sound statistical reasoning skills 

8 take time for students to develop and cannot be 

9 honed in a single course. Foundational statis10 tical concepts should be introduced and nur11 tured in the elementary grades and strength12 ened and expanded throughout the middle 

13 school and high school grades and in postsec14 ondary courses. 

15 (D) Teacher training programs at institu16 tions of higher education for pre-service mathe17 matics and science teachers and professional de18 velopment programs designed to reach in-serv19 ice mathematics and science teachers do not yet 

20 include statistical concepts and pedagogy at the 

21 appropriate level. 

22 (E) Teachers do not yet have access to ma23 terials supported by statistics education re24 search. 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 1817 IH

1 SEC. 3. STATISTICAL LITERACY EDUCATION. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part D of title V of the Elemen3 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

4 7241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing new subpart: 

6 ‘‘Subpart 22—Statistical Literacy Education 

7 ‘‘CHAPTER A—STATISTICAL LITERACY 

8 PLANS 

9 ‘‘SEC. 5621. PLAN REQUIRED; DEVELOPMENT, SUBMISSION, 

10 AND APPROVAL. 

11 ‘‘(a) PLAN REQUIRED.—To be eligible to receive a 

12 grant under section 5632(a), a State educational agency 

13 shall submit a statistical literacy plan to the Secretary in 

14 accordance with this section. 

15 ‘‘(b) DEVELOPMENT.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency 

17 shall, in developing a statistical literacy plan— 

18 ‘‘(A) consult with the Statistical Literacy 

19 Advisory Panel established by the State edu20 cational agency under paragraph (2)(A); and 

21 ‘‘(B) seek input from the public. 

22 ‘‘(2) STATISTICAL LITERACY ADVISORY

23 PANEL.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State educational 

25 agency developing a statistical literacy plan 

26 shall establish a Statistical Literacy Advisory 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 1817 IH

1 Panel to advise the State educational agency on 

2 the contents of the plan. 

3 ‘‘(B) COMPOSITION OF PANEL.—A Statis4 tical Literacy Advisory Panel of a State edu5 cational agency shall include the following mem6 bers, to be appointed by the State educational 

7 agency: 

8 ‘‘(i) One member from the State edu9 cational agency and 1 member from a local 

10 educational agency within the State. 

11 ‘‘(ii) Two statisticians from institu12 tions of higher education, at least 1 of 

13 whom has expertise in teaching statistics 

14 education. 

15 ‘‘(iii) Two teachers from public ele16 mentary schools or public secondary 

17 schools, 1 of whom teaches a grade that is 

18 not higher than the 8th grade and 1 of 

19 whom teaches a grade that is not lower 

20 than the 9th grade and not higher than 

21 the 12th grade. 

22 ‘‘(iv) One member from a teacher 

23 training department or professional devel24 opment center of an institution of higher 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 1817 IH

1 education who has expertise in statistics or 

2 mathematics education. 

3 ‘‘(v) One statistician with experience 

4 working in the private sector in a field that 

5 employs a significant number of statisti6 cians, such as finance, computer science, 

7 or market and survey research. 

8 ‘‘(3) PLAN DEVELOPED FOR OTHER PUR9 POSES.—In the case of a State educational agency 

10 that, prior to the date of the enactment of this sub11 part, developed a statistical literacy plan in coopera12 tion with State statistical literacy and education ex13 perts for purposes other than meeting the require14 ment of subsection (a), the agency shall be deemed 

15 to meet the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2). 

16 ‘‘(c) APPROVAL.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

18 after submission by a State educational agency of a 

19 statistical literacy plan, the Secretary shall, with 

20 input from the Peer Review Board established under 

21 paragraph (5)(A)— 

22 ‘‘(A) if the plan meets the criteria de23 scribed in paragraph (2), approve the plan; or 

24 ‘‘(B) if the plan does not meet such cri25 teria, inform the State educational agency of 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 1817 IH

1 any deficiencies in the plan and implement the 

2 process described in paragraph (3). 

3 ‘‘(2) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—The criteria 

4 described in this paragraph are the following: 

5 ‘‘(A) The State educational agency certifies 

6 to the Secretary that the plan was developed in 

7 accordance with subsection (b). 

8 ‘‘(B) The plan includes the contents de9 scribed in subsection (d). 

10 ‘‘(C) Implementation of the plan will— 

11 ‘‘(i) achieve the objectives described in 

12 subsection (e); and 

13 ‘‘(ii) ensure statistical literacy appro14 priate to the grade-level of all students in 

15 elementary schools and secondary schools 

16 served by the State educational agency. 

17 ‘‘(3) PROCEDURE IF PLAN INADEQUATE.— 

18 ‘‘(A) NOTICE AND OPPORTUNITY FOR RE19 VISION.—The Secretary may not deny approval 

20 of a statistical literacy plan submitted by a 

21 State educational agency under paragraph (1) 

22 unless the Secretary has first— 

23 ‘‘(i) informed the agency of any defi24 ciencies in the plan; 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(ii) provided the agency with an op2 portunity for a hearing on such defi3 ciencies; 

4 ‘‘(iii) provided the agency with a pe5 riod of at least 90 days in which to revise 

6 the plan; and 

7 ‘‘(iv) offered the agency technical as8 sistance in revising the plan. 

9 ‘‘(B) RESUBMISSION AND FINAL DECI10 SION.—A State educational agency that has 

11 been given an opportunity to revise a statistical 

12 literacy plan under subparagraph (A)(iii) shall 

13 submit the revised plan to the Secretary not 

14 later than the end of the period described in 

15 such subparagraph. Not later than 120 days 

16 after receiving the revised plan, the Secretary 

17 shall approve or disapprove the plan. 

18 ‘‘(4) STATE ACADEMIC CONTENT STANDARDS

19 AND ASSESSMENTS.—The Secretary may not, as a 

20 condition of approval under this subsection of a sta21 tistical literacy plan of a State educational agency, 

22 require that the State educational agency— 

23 ‘‘(A) include in or delete from the statis24 tical literacy plan one or more specific elements 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 1817 IH

1 of the academic content standards adopted 

2 under section 1111(b)(1)(A); or 

3 ‘‘(B) use specific instruments or items for 

4 academic assessment. 

5 ‘‘(5) PEER REVIEW BOARD.— 

6 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary 

7 shall establish a Peer Review Board to advise 

8 the Secretary on whether a statistical literacy 

9 plan submitted by a State educational agency 

10 should be approved, revised, or (after the oppor11 tunity for revision required by paragraph 

12 (3)(A)(iii)) disapproved. 

13 ‘‘(B) MEMBERSHIP.—The Peer Review 

14 Board shall be composed of a number of mem15 bers to be determined by the Secretary, to be 

16 appointed by the Secretary. The Secretary shall 

17 appoint members that— 

18 ‘‘(i) are representative of parents, 

19 teachers, State educational agencies, local 

20 educational agencies, and nongovernmental 

21 organizations; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) are familiar with current issues 

23 in the field of statistics and statistics edu24 cation and with the statistics education 

25 needs of students. 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(C) COMPENSATION.— 

2 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro3 vided in clause (ii), members of the Peer 

4 Review Board shall serve without com5 pensation. 

6 ‘‘(ii) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each 

7 member of the Peer Review Board shall re8 ceive travel expenses, including per diem in 

9 lieu of subsistence, in accordance with ap10 plicable provisions under subchapter I of 

11 chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code. 

12 ‘‘(d) CONTENTS.—The contents described in this sub13 section are the following: 

14 ‘‘(1) A description of how the State educational 

15 agency will measure the statistical literacy of stu16 dents, including— 

17 ‘‘(A) challenging State academic content 

18 standards and student academic achievement 

19 standards in statistics education, and how sta20 tistics education instruction will be integrated 

21 throughout the curriculum used in elementary 

22 schools and secondary schools; and 

23 ‘‘(B) a description of the relationship of 

24 the plan to the secondary school graduation re25 quirements of the State. 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(2) A description of programs for professional 

2 development for teachers to improve— 

3 ‘‘(A) statistical subject-matter knowledge; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(B) pedagogical skills in teaching statis6 tical concepts, including the use of— 

7 ‘‘(i) interdisciplinary and research8 based learning; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) innovative technology in the 

10 classroom. 

11 ‘‘(3) A description of how the State educational 

12 agency will implement the plan, including securing 

13 funding and other necessary support. 

14 ‘‘(e) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives described in this 

15 subsection are the following: 

16 ‘‘(1) To prepare students to make informed de17 cisions in the face of uncertainty, including decisions 

18 related to personal finance, using statistical rea19 soning necessary to interpret data and critically 

20 evaluate claims based on data. 

21 ‘‘(2) To provide experiences that incorporate 

22 statistics into the regular school curriculum and to 

23 create programs that teach statistical problem-solv24 ing as an investigative process, including experiences 

25 and programs that— 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(A) promote statistical thinking through 

2 hands-on problem-solving and concept activities; 

3 ‘‘(B) emphasize concepts over formulas, 

4 using real-world data; 

5 ‘‘(C) stress the importance of context in 

6 problem-solving; 

7 ‘‘(D) recognize the omnipresence of varia8 bility; and 

9 ‘‘(E) use appropriate technology to empha10 size concepts and support learning. 

11 ‘‘(3) To create opportunities for enhanced and 

12 ongoing professional development for teachers that 

13 improves— 

14 ‘‘(A) statistical subject-matter knowledge; 

15 ‘‘(B) pedagogical skills in teaching statis16 tical concepts, including the use of— 

17 ‘‘(i) interdisciplinary and research18 based learning; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) innovative technology in the 

20 classroom; and 

21 ‘‘(C) the ability of teachers to collect, orga22 nize, analyze, and interpret classroom data to 

23 inform instruction and evaluate student 

24 progress in statistical literacy. 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(f) UPDATES OF PLAN.—A State educational agen2 cy that has a statistical literacy plan approved under sub3 section (c) and wishes to remain eligible for grant funds 

4 under section 5632(a) shall submit to the Secretary for 

5 approval under such subsection an updated plan— 

6 ‘‘(1) not later than 4 years after the date of the 

7 approval of the plan and every 4 years thereafter; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(2) at any other time the agency considers 

10 modification of the plan to be necessary to ensure 

11 that the plan continues to achieve the objectives de12 scribed in subsection (e). 

13 ‘‘(g) REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF PLAN.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency 

15 shall submit to the Secretary, not later than 2 years 

16 after receiving a grant under section 5632(a), and 

17 biennially thereafter for each 2-year period during 

18 any part of which the agency received grant funds 

19 under such section, a report on the implementation 

20 of the statistical literacy plan of the agency for 

21 which an approval under subsection (c) is in effect 

22 during such period. 

23 ‘‘(2) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—A report re24 quired by paragraph (1) shall— 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(A) be in a form and include such con2 tents as the Secretary may require; and 

3 ‘‘(B) be based on evaluation activities con4 ducted by the State educational agency on a 

5 regular basis throughout implementation of the 

6 plan. 

7 ‘‘(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary 

8 shall make each report required by paragraph (1) 

9 available to the public on an appropriate website. 

10 ‘‘SEC. 5622. GRANTS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF PLAN. 

11 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary may make 

12 grants on a competitive basis to State educational agencies 

13 for the development of statistical literacy plans required 

14 by section 5621(a). 

15 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—The Secretary may only make a 

16 grant under subsection (a) to a State educational agency 

17 that— 

18 ‘‘(1) the Secretary determines lacks the re19 sources to develop an adequate statistical literacy 

20 plan; and 

21 ‘‘(2) submits to the Secretary an application at 

22 such time, in such form, and containing such infor23 mation and assurances as the Secretary may require. 

24 ‘‘(c) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—A State educational 

25 agency receiving a grant under subsection (a) shall— 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(1) not later than 1 year after receiving the 

2 grant, submit to the Secretary a statistical literacy 

3 plan in accordance with section 5621; 

4 ‘‘(2) if the Secretary finds any deficiencies in 

5 the plan, submit a revised plan in accordance with 

6 the procedures described in subsection (c)(3) of such 

7 section; and 

8 ‘‘(3) not later than 30 days after the Secretary 

9 approves the plan, apply for a grant under section 

10 5632(a). 

11 ‘‘(d) DURATION.—A grant under subsection (a) shall 

12 be for a period of not more than 1 year. 

13 ‘‘(e) NONRENEWABILITY.—The Secretary may not 

14 award more than 1 grant under subsection (a) to the same 

15 State educational agency. 

16 ‘‘CHAPTER B—STATISTICS EDUCATION 

17 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS 

18 ‘‘SEC. 5631. PURPOSE. 

19 ‘‘The purpose of this chapter is to ensure the aca20 demic achievement of students in statistical literacy 

21 through the professional development of teachers and 

22 other education professionals. 

23 ‘‘SEC. 5632. FORMULA GRANTS TO STATES. 

24 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Using the allocation formula 

25 developed under subsection (b), the Secretary shall make 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 1817 IH

1 one or more grants to each State educational agency that 

2 has a statistical literacy plan approved under section 

3 5621(c) and submits an application for a grant under this 

4 subsection to enable each such agency to award subgrants 

5 to eligible partnerships under section 5633(a). 

6 ‘‘(b) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall promul7 gate regulations to implement this chapter. Such regula8 tions shall include the formula by which the Secretary will 

9 allocate grants to State educational agencies under sub10 section (a). 

11 ‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—A State edu12 cational agency receiving a grant under subsection (a) may 

13 not use more than 2.5 percent of the grant funds for ad14 ministrative expenses. 

15 ‘‘SEC. 5633. COMPETITIVE SUBGRANTS TO ELIGIBLE PART16 NERSHIPS. 

17 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—From funds received under 

18 section 5632(a), a State educational agency shall make 

19 grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to 

20 enable the eligible partnerships to carry out the activities 

21 described in subsection (c), consistent with the statistical 

22 literacy plan of the State educational agency. 

23 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency 

25 may not award a grant under subsection (a) to an 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 1817 IH

1 eligible partnership unless the eligible partnership 

2 submits to the State educational agency an applica3 tion at such time, in such form, and containing such 

4 information and assurances as the State educational 

5 agency may require, including the contents described 

6 in paragraph (2). 

7 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—The con8 tents described in this paragraph are the following: 

9 ‘‘(A) The results of a comprehensive as10 sessment of the teacher quality and professional 

11 development needs, with respect to the teaching 

12 and learning of statistical content, of the enti13 ties served by the eligible partnership. 

14 ‘‘(B) An explanation of how the activities 

15 to be carried out by the eligible partnership are 

16 expected to improve student academic achieve17 ment and strengthen the quality of statistical 

18 instruction at schools served by the eligible 

19 partnership. 

20 ‘‘(C) A description of how the activities to 

21 be carried out by the eligible partnership— 

22 ‘‘(i) will be aligned with challenging 

23 State academic content standards and stu24 dent academic achievement standards in 

25 statistics education and with the statistical 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 1817 IH

1 literacy plan of the State educational agen2 cy approved under section 5621(c); and 

3 ‘‘(ii) will advance the teaching of 

4 interdisciplinary courses that integrate sta5 tistics into the study of natural, social, and 

6 economic systems. 

7 ‘‘(D) A description of how the eligible part8 nership will carry out the activities described in 

9 subsection (c). 

10 ‘‘(E) An evaluation and accountability plan 

11 that establishes rigorous objectives to measure 

12 the impact of the activities carried out with 

13 grant funds, including objectives to measure the 

14 increase in the number of teachers served by 

15 the eligible partnership who participate in sta16 tistics education content-based professional de17 velopment activities. 

18 ‘‘(F) A description of how the eligible part19 nership will continue the activities carried out 

20 with grant funds after the grant period has ex21 pired. 

22 ‘‘(c) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—An eligible partnership 

23 receiving a grant under subsection (a) shall use the grant 

24 funds to carry out the following activities: 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
21 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(1) Creating opportunities for enhanced and 

2 ongoing professional development of teachers that 

3 improves the statistical subject-matter knowledge of 

4 such teachers. 

5 ‘‘(2) Creating opportunities for enhanced and 

6 ongoing professional development of teachers that 

7 improves pedagogical skills in teaching statistical 

8 concepts, including in the use of— 

9 ‘‘(A) interdisciplinary and research-based 

10 learning; and 

11 ‘‘(B) innovative classroom technology. 

12 ‘‘(3) Establishing and operating statistics edu13 cation summer workshops or institutes, including 

14 follow-up training, for elementary school and sec15 ondary school teachers to improve pedagogical skills 

16 and subject-matter knowledge with respect to the 

17 teaching of statistics concepts. 

18 ‘‘(4) Developing or redesigning more rigorous 

19 statistics education curricula that— 

20 ‘‘(A) are aligned with challenging State 

21 academic content standards and student aca22 demic achievement standards in statistics edu23 cation and with the statistical literacy plan of 

24 the State educational agency; and 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
22 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(B) advance the teaching of interdiscipli2 nary courses that integrate statistics in the 

3 teaching of mathematics, science, economics, fi4 nance and financial literacy, and social studies. 

5 ‘‘(5) Designing programs to prepare the teach6 ers at a school to provide mentoring and professional 

7 development to other teachers at such school to im8 prove teacher statistics education subject-matter and 

9 pedagogical skills. 

10 ‘‘(6) Establishing and operating programs to 

11 bring teachers into contact with working profes12 sionals in statistical fields to expand the subject13 matter knowledge of such teachers regarding statis14 tical concepts and the research by such teachers on 

15 statistical issues. 

16 ‘‘(7) Creating initiatives that seek to incor17 porate statistics education into teacher training pro18 grams or accreditation standards consistent with the 

19 statistical literacy plan of the State educational 

20 agency. 

21 ‘‘(d) DURATION.—A grant under subsection (a) shall 

22 be for a period of not more than 4 years. 

23 ‘‘(e) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—An eligible 

24 partnership receiving a grant under subsection (a) shall 

25 use such funds to supplement, not supplant, funds that 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
23 

•HR 1817 IH

1 would otherwise be used for the activities described in sub2 section (c). 

3 ‘‘(f) EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT.— 

4 Not later than 90 days after the end of each year in which 

5 an eligible partnership receives a grant under subsection 

6 (a) from a State educational agency, the eligible partner7 ship shall submit a report to the State educational agency 

8 on the progress of the eligible partnership in meeting the 

9 objectives established in the evaluation and accountability 

10 plan of the eligible partnership required by subsection 

11 (b)(2)(E). 

12 ‘‘(g) TERMINATION OF GRANT.—A State educational 

13 agency may terminate a grant to an eligible partnership 

14 at any time after the end of the 1st year of the grant 

15 based on the insufficiency of the progress of the eligible 

16 partnership in meeting the objectives established in the 

17 evaluation and accountability plan of the eligible partner18 ship required by subsection (b)(2)(E). 

19 ‘‘SEC. 5634. ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP DEFINED. 

20 ‘‘In this chapter, the term ‘eligible partnership’ 

21 means a partnership between a local educational agency 

22 and 1 or more of the following: 

23 ‘‘(1) The teacher training department or profes24 sional development center of an institution of higher 

25 education. 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
24 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(2) The statistics department of an institution 

2 of higher education. 

3 ‘‘(3) Another local educational agency, a public 

4 elementary school or a public secondary school (in5 cluding a public charter school), or a consortium of 

6 such schools. 

7 ‘‘(4) A Federal, State, regional, or local statis8 tical agency that has demonstrated effectiveness in 

9 improving the quality of statistics education teach10 ers. 

11 ‘‘CHAPTER C—STATISTICS EDUCATION 

12 GRANTS TO BUILD NATIONAL CAPACITY 

13 ‘‘SEC. 5641. PURPOSE. 

14 ‘‘The purpose of this chapter is to strengthen statis15 tics education as an integral part of the curriculum of ele16 mentary schools and secondary schools in the United 

17 States. 

18 ‘‘SEC. 5642. GRANT PROGRAM. 

19 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—From amounts reserved 

20 under section 5652(c), the Secretary may make grants, 

21 on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to enable the 

22 eligible entities to carry out activities described in sub23 section (c). 

24 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—The Secretary may only make a 

25 grant under subsection (a) to an eligible entity that subVerDate Mar 15 2010 06:05 May 12, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1817.IH H1817

pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
25 

•HR 1817 IH

1 mits to the Secretary an application at such time, in such 

2 form, and containing such information and assurances as 

3 the Secretary may require, including a description of how 

4 the entity will use grant funds to carry out 1 or more of 

5 the activities described in subsection (c). 

6 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity receiving a 

7 grant under subsection (a) shall use grant funds to carry 

8 out 1 or more of the following activities: 

9 ‘‘(1) Developing model State standards and cur10 riculum frameworks for statistics education that 

11 meet challenging academic content standards and 

12 student academic achievement standards for statis13 tics education. 

14 ‘‘(2) Replicating or disseminating information 

15 about proven and tested model statistics education 

16 programs that provide interdisciplinary instruction 

17 that integrates statistics in mathematics, science, ec18 onomics, and social studies. 

19 ‘‘(3) Developing and implementing new policy 

20 approaches to advancing statistics education at the 

21 State and national level. 

22 ‘‘(4) Conducting studies of national significance 

23 that— 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
26 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(A) provide a comprehensive, systematic, 

2 and formal assessment of the state of statistics 

3 education in the United States; 

4 ‘‘(B) evaluate the effectiveness of teaching 

5 statistics as a separate subject, and as an inte6 grating concept or theme; and 

7 ‘‘(C) evaluate the effectiveness of statistics 

8 education in improving student academic 

9 achievement in mathematics, science, and other 

10 core academic subjects. 

11 ‘‘(5) Conducting projects that advance wide12 spread adoption by State educational agencies and 

13 local educational agencies of statistics education con14 tent standards. 

15 ‘‘(d) DURATION.—A grant under subsection (a) shall 

16 be for a period of not less than 1 year and not more than 

17 5 years. 

18 ‘‘(e) REPORTS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) BY ELIGIBLE ENTITY TO SECRETARY.— 

20 Not later than 90 days after the end of each year 

21 in which an eligible entity receives a grant under 

22 subsection (a), the eligible entity shall submit to the 

23 Secretary a report that— 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
27 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(A) describes the activities carried out by 

2 the eligible entity using grant funds during the 

3 year covered by the report; and 

4 ‘‘(B) assesses whether such activities have, 

5 directly or indirectly, helped State educational 

6 agencies, local educational agencies, and schools 

7 served by the eligible entity to make progress 

8 towards achieving the objectives described in 

9 section 5621(e). 

10 ‘‘(2) BY SECRETARY TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

11 than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 

12 subpart and annually thereafter for any year in 

13 which grants are made under subsection (a), the 

14 Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that— 

15 ‘‘(A) describes the activities carried out by 

16 eligible entities using grants under subsection 

17 (a); 

18 ‘‘(B) evaluates the success of such activi19 ties in improving national and State statistics 

20 education capacity; and 

21 ‘‘(C) makes such recommendations as the 

22 Secretary considers appropriate to promote the 

23 continuation and improvement of such activi24 ties. 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
28 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(f) TERMINATION OF GRANT.—The Secretary may 

2 terminate a grant made to an eligible entity under sub3 section (a) if— 

4 ‘‘(1) the eligible entity fails to submit the report 

5 required by subsection (e)(1); or 

6 ‘‘(2) the Secretary determines on the basis of 

7 such report that the performance of the eligible enti8 ty with respect to improving statistics education is 

9 inadequate. 

10 ‘‘(g) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—An eligible en11 tity receiving a grant under subsection (a) shall use such 

12 funds to supplement, not supplant, funds that would oth13 erwise be used for the activities carried out with grant 

14 funds. 

15 ‘‘(h) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—The Secretary 

16 may not use more than 7.5 percent of the amounts re17 served under section 5652(c) for administrative expenses. 

18 ‘‘SEC. 5643. ELIGIBLE ENTITY DEFINED. 

19 ‘‘In this chapter, the term ‘eligible entity’ means— 

20 ‘‘(1) a teacher training department or profes21 sional development center of an institution of higher 

22 education; 

23 ‘‘(2) the statistics or mathematical sciences de24 partment of an institution of higher education; 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
29 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(3) a Federal, State, regional, or local statis2 tical agency that has demonstrated effectiveness, ex3 pertise, and experience in the development of the in4 stitutional, financial, intellectual, or policy resources 

5 needed to help the field of statistics education be6 come more effective and widely practiced; 

7 ‘‘(4) a nonprofit organization that has dem8 onstrated effectiveness, expertise, and experience in 

9 the development of the institutional, financial, intel10 lectual, or policy resources needed to help the field 

11 of statistics education become more effective and 

12 widely practiced; or 

13 ‘‘(5) any of the entities listed in paragraphs (1) 

14 through (4) in partnership with a local educational 

15 agency, a public elementary school or a public sec16 ondary school (including a public charter school), or 

17 a consortium of such schools. 

18 ‘‘CHAPTER D—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

19 ‘‘SEC. 5651. STATISTICAL LITERACY DEFINED. 

20 ‘‘In this subpart, the term ‘statistical literacy’ means 

21 the understanding of and ability to use the language and 

22 tools of statistics, including the ability to— 

23 ‘‘(1) ask and evaluate critical questions about 

24 the design of a study and the appropriateness of the 

25 conclusions drawn from a study; 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
30 

•HR 1817 IH

1 ‘‘(2) distinguish arguments based on data and 

2 evidence from arguments based on anecdotes; 

3 ‘‘(3) recognize and interpret different represen4 tations of data in context; and 

5 ‘‘(4) formulate questions that can be addressed 

6 with data, collect and organize relevant data, and 

7 draw appropriate statistical conclusions. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 5652. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap10 propriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out 

11 this subpart. 

12 ‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY.—Any amounts appropriated 

13 under subsection (a) are authorized to remain available 

14 until expended. 

15 ‘‘(c) RESERVATION.—Of any amounts appropriated 

16 under subsection (a) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall 

17 reserve not more than 10 percent to carry out chapter C.’’. 

18 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The table of con19 tents of such Act is amended by inserting after the item 

20 relating to section 5618 the following: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Statistical literacy education. 

‘‘SUBPART 22—STATISTICAL LITERACY EDUCATION

‘‘CHAPTER A—STATISTICAL LITERACY PLANS

‘‘Sec. 5621. Plan required; Development, submission, and approval. 

‘‘Sec. 5622. Grants for development of plan. 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS
31 

•HR 1817 IH

‘‘CHAPTER B—STATISTICS EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

GRANTS

‘‘Sec. 5631. Purpose. 

‘‘Sec. 5632. Formula grants to States. 

‘‘Sec. 5633. Competitive subgrants to eligible partnerships. 

‘‘Sec. 5634. Eligible partnership defined. 

‘‘CHAPTER C—STATISTICS EDUCATION GRANTS TO BUILD NATIONAL

CAPACITY

‘‘Sec. 5641. Purpose. 

‘‘Sec. 5642. Grant program. 

‘‘Sec. 5643. Eligible entity defined. 

‘‘CHAPTER D—GENERAL PROVISIONS

‘‘Sec. 5651. Statistical literacy defined. 

‘‘Sec. 5652. Authorization of appropriations. 

Æ 


pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with BILLS