I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3435 

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

a demonstration project to fund additional secondary school counselors 

in troubled title I schools to reduce the dropout rate. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 30, 2013 

Ms. LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ of California (for herself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. BROWN

of Florida, Mr. CUMMINGS, Ms. CHU, Ms. NORTON, Ms. ROYBALALLARD, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, 

Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. HONDA, Mr. HINOJOSA, 

Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mrs. NEGRETE MCLEOD, Mr. POLIS, Ms. KAPTUR, 

Ms. CLARKE, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California, Mr. RANGEL, Mrs. 

DAVIS of California, Mr. PIERLUISI, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. LOWENTHAL, 

Mr. HOLT, Mr. GARAMENDI, Ms. BASS, and Mr. TAKANO) 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 create a demonstration project to fund additional secondary school counselors in troubled title I 

schools to reduce the dropout rate. 

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


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 3435 IH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Put School Counselors 

3 Where They’re Needed Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR ADDITIONAL SEC5 ONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELORS. 

6 Part H of title I of the Elementary and Secondary 

7 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6551 et seq.) is amend8 ed by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘Subpart 3—Demonstration Project for Additional 

10 Secondary School Counselors 

11 ‘‘SEC. 1841. FINDINGS. 

12 ‘‘The Congress finds the following: 

13 ‘‘(1) Nationally, only 70 percent of students 

14 graduate from high school with a regular high school 

15 diploma. 

16 ‘‘(2) Every school day, 7,000 American high 

17 school students become dropouts. 

18 ‘‘(3) High school students living in low-income 

19 families drop out of school at three times the rate 

20 of their peers from high-income families. 

21 ‘‘(4) Only about 55 percent of African Amer22 ican students and 52 percent of Hispanic students 

23 graduate on time from high school with a regular di24 ploma, compared to 78 percent of white students. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 3435 IH

1 ‘‘(5) The dropout rate for students with disabil2 ities is approximately twice that of general education 

3 students. 

4 ‘‘(6) High school is the final transition into 

5 adulthood and the world of work as students begin 

6 defining their independence and forging their own 

7 pathways. As our next generation of leaders, our 

8 youth, are deciding their futures, they are faced with 

9 many challenges, including peer pressure and bul10 lying, high-stakes testing, the challenges of college 

11 admissions, the scholarship and financial aid appli12 cation process, and entrance into an ever more com13 petitive job market. Students need guidance and 

14 skills to help them navigate these complex decisions, 

15 which have serious and life changing consequences. 

16 ‘‘(7) School counseling programs are essential 

17 for students to achieve optimal personal growth, ac18 quire positive social skills and values, set appropriate 

19 career goals, and realize full academic potential to 

20 become productive, contributing members of the 

21 world community. 

22 ‘‘(8) Professional secondary school counselors 

23 are highly qualified educators with a mental health 

24 perspective who understand and respond to the chalVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:02 Nov 07, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3435.IH H3435

tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 3435 IH

1 lenges presented by today’s diverse student popu2 lation. 

3 ‘‘(9) The professional secondary school coun4 selor holds a master’s degree or higher in school 

5 counseling (or the substantial equivalent), and is 

6 certified or licensed by the State in which the coun7 selor works. 

8 ‘‘(10) Professional secondary school counselors 

9 are integral to the total educational program. They 

10 provide proactive leadership that engages all stake11 holders in the delivery of programs and services to 

12 help the student achieve success in school. Profes13 sional secondary school counselors align and work 

14 with the school’s mission to support the academic 

15 achievement of all students as they prepare for the 

16 ever-changing world of the 21st century. 

17 ‘‘(11) Professional secondary school counselors’ 

18 opportunities to assist students are often hindered 

19 by extraordinarily high student-to-counselor ratios. 

20 Currently, the average student-to-counselor ratio in 

21 America’s public schools is 471 to 1. The American 

22 School Counselor Association, the American Coun23 seling Association, and the National Association for 

24 College Admissions Counseling all recommend a 

25 ratio of one school counselor to 250 students and a 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 3435 IH

1 lower ratio for counselors working primarily with 

2 students at risk. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 1842. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT. 

4 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available to 

5 carry out this subpart, the Secretary shall carry out a 

6 demonstration project under which the Secretary makes 

7 grants on a competitive basis to secondary schools that 

8 receive funds under this title and have a four-year ad9 justed cohort graduation rate of 60 percent or lower. 

10 ‘‘(b) GRANTS.—A grant under this subpart shall be 

11 for a period of 4 years and may be used— 

12 ‘‘(1) to provide additional school counselors 

13 during that period; and 

14 ‘‘(2) to provide additional resources (such as 

15 professional development expenses or travel expenses 

16 for home visits, and any services and materials re17 ferred to in subsection (d)) and to pay overhead ex18 penses. 

19 ‘‘(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con20 gress that a participating school should aim to provide, 

21 under subsection (b)(1), one additional counselor per 250 

22 students at risk. 

23 ‘‘(d) SCOPE OF COUNSELING.—The additional school 

24 counselors shall identify students who are at risk of not 

25 graduating in 4 years and shall provide counseling priVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:02 Nov 07, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3435.IH H3435

tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 3435 IH

1 marily to those students. The counselors may identify such 

2 students at any time, but shall strive to identify them be3 fore they enter grade 9. Services shall be provided as long 

4 as necessary, including to the extent allowable and appro5 priate, after the student’s cohort graduation date. The 

6 counseling provided— 

7 ‘‘(1) may include a full panoply of services, in8 cluding an individual graduation plan and other re9 sources, such as appropriate course placement and 

10 supplemental services (to include not only supple11 mental educational services tutoring if available at 

12 the school site, but also other tutoring as necessary, 

13 along with supplemental books and materials); and 

14 ‘‘(2) shall include meetings with each student so 

15 identified and with the teachers, tutors, supple16 mental educational services providers, and parents of 

17 the student, and may also include meetings with 

18 other relevant individuals, such as a probation offi19 cer, mentor, coach, or employer of the student. 

20 ‘‘(e) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds under 

21 this subpart shall be used to supplement, not supplant, 

22 funds from non-Federal sources. The additional school 

23 counselors provided through funds under this subpart 

24 must be in addition to any employees who work in the 

25 secondary school guidance or counseling office, such as 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 3435 IH

1 counselors, college admissions specialists, career develop2 ment specialists, guidance information specialists, or any 

3 other professional or paraprofessional. 

4 ‘‘(f) ADDITIONAL GRANT PERIODS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A school that receives a 

6 grant under this subpart and demonstrates adequate 

7 improvement over the period of the grant is eligible 

8 to receive a second grant for a second period. If the 

9 school again demonstrates adequate improvement 

10 over that second period, the school is eligible to re11 ceive a third grant for a third period. The third 

12 grant shall provide amounts that decrease for each 

13 year of the third period and require the school to 

14 provide corresponding increases in non-Federal 

15 funds. 

16 ‘‘(2) ADEQUATE IMPROVEMENT.—For purposes 

17 of paragraph (1), a school demonstrates adequate 

18 improvement over a grant period if the four-year ad19 justed cohort graduation rate increases (or is pro20 jected to increase) by 10 percent or more over that 

21 period. 

22 ‘‘(g) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall carry out the 

23 demonstration project in at least 10 schools. The first five 

24 schools selected to participate shall each be from a dif25 ferent State. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 3435 IH

1 ‘‘SEC. 1843. DEFINITIONS. 

2 ‘‘For purposes of this subpart: 

3 ‘‘(1) FOUR-YEAR ADJUSTED COHORT GRADUA4 TION RATE.—The term ‘four-year adjusted cohort 

5 graduation rate’ means the number of students who 

6 earned a regular high school diploma at the conclu7 sion of their fourth year, before their fourth year, or 

8 during a summer session immediately following their 

9 fourth year, divided by the number of students who 

10 formed the adjusted cohort for that graduating 

11 class. 

12 ‘‘(2) ADJUSTED COHORT.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the other 

14 subparagraphs of this paragraph, the term ‘ad15 justed cohort’ means the students who entered 

16 grade 9 together, and any students that trans17 ferred into the cohort in grades 9 through 12 

18 minus any students removed from the cohort. 

19 ‘‘(B) TRANSFERS IN.—The term ‘transfers 

20 in’ means the students who enroll or re-enroll 

21 after the beginning of the entering cohort’s first 

22 year in high school, up to and including in 

23 grade 12. 

24 ‘‘(C) COHORT REMOVAL.—To remove stu25 dents from the cohort, the school or local eduVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:02 Nov 07, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3435.IH H3435

tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 3435 IH

1 cational agency must confirm that the stu2 dent— 

3 ‘‘(i) has transferred out; 

4 ‘‘(ii) is in the custody of the juvenile 

5 justice system; or 

6 ‘‘(iii) is deceased. 

7 ‘‘(D) TRANSFERS OUT.—The term ‘trans8 fers out’ means the students the school or local 

9 educational agency has confirmed have trans10 ferred to another school, local educational agen11 cy, or other educational program for which they 

12 are expected to receive a regular high school di13 ploma. Confirmation of a student’s transfer to 

14 another school, local educational agency, or pro15 gram requires formal documentation that the 

16 student enrolled in the receiving school. Stu17 dents enrolled in a GED or other alternative 

18 educational program that does not issue or pro19 vide credits toward the issuance of a regular 

20 high school diploma are not considered trans21 fers out. Students who were enrolled, but for 

22 whom there is no confirmation of transfer or 

23 completion, may not be labeled transfers or er24 rors, but must remain in the cohort as nonVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:02 Nov 07, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3435.IH H3435

tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 3435 IH

1 graduates for reporting and accountability pur2 poses. 

3 ‘‘(E) TREATMENT OF OTHER LEAVERS

4 AND WITHDRAWALS.—Students who were re5 tained in grade, enrolled in a GED program, or 

6 left school for any other reason may not be 

7 counted as transfers out for the purpose of cal8 culating graduation rates and must remain in 

9 the adjusted cohort. 

10 ‘‘(F) SPECIAL RULE.—For those high 

11 schools that start after ninth grade, the cohort 

12 shall be calculated based on the earliest high 

13 school grade. 

14 ‘‘(3) REGULAR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘regular 

16 high school diploma’ means the standard high 

17 school diploma awarded to the preponderance of 

18 students in the State that is fully aligned with 

19 State standards, or a higher diploma, and does 

20 not include GEDs, certificates of attendance, or 

21 any lesser diploma award. 

22 ‘‘(B) SPECIAL RULE.—For those students 

23 who have significant cognitive disabilities and 

24 are assessed using an alternate assessment 

25 aligned to alternate achievement standards, reVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:02 Nov 07, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3435.IH H3435

tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 3435 IH

1 ceipt of a regular high school diploma or State2 defined alternate diploma aligned with comple3 tion of their entitlement under the Individuals 

4 with Disabilities Education Act shall be counted 

5 as graduates with a regular high school diploma 

6 for the purposes of this Act. No more than one 

7 percent of students can be counted as graduates 

8 with a regular high school diploma under this 

9 subparagraph. 

10 ‘‘SEC. 1844. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

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

12 this subpart $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 

13 through 2017.’’. 

14 SEC. 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

15 The table of contents in section 2 of the Elementary 

16 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by in17 serting after the item relating to section 1830 the fol18 lowing: 

‘‘SUBPART 3—DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR ADDITIONAL SECONDARY

SCHOOL COUNSELORS

‘‘Sec. 1841. Findings. 

‘‘Sec. 1842. Demonstration project. 

‘‘Sec. 1843. Definitions. 

‘‘Sec. 1844. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 

Æ 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS