II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3508 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to support early 

college high schools and other dual enrollment programs. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2008 

Mr. KOHL introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants 

to support early college high schools and other dual 

enrollment programs. 

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 College 

5 Act of 2008’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

7 The purpose of this Act is to increase high school 

8 graduation rates and the percentage of students who com9 plete a recognized postsecondary credential by the age of 

10 26, including among low-income students and students 


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1 from other populations underrepresented in higher edu2 cation. 

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

4 For purposes of this Act: 

5 (1) DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM.—The term 

6 ‘‘dual enrollment program’’ means an academic pro7 gram through which a high school student is able si8 multaneously to earn credit toward a high school di9 ploma and a postsecondary degree or certificate. 

10 (2) EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL.—The term 

11 ‘‘early college high school’’ means a high school that 

12 provides a course of study that enables a student to 

13 earn a high school diploma and either an associate’s 

14 degree or one to two years of college credit toward 

15 a postsecondary degree or credential. 

16 (3) EDUCATIONAL SERVICE AGENCY.—The 

17 term ‘‘educational service agency’’ means an edu18 cational service agency as defined by section 9101 of 

19 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

20 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

21 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti22 ty’’ means a local educational agency, which may be 

23 an educational service agency, in a collaborative 

24 partnership with an institution of higher education. 

25 Such partnership also may include other entities, 


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1 such as a nonprofit organization with experience in 

2 youth development. 

3 (5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

4 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ means an in5 stitution of higher education as defined by section 

6 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 1002). 

8 (6) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 

9 ‘‘local educational agency’’ means a local educational 

10 agency as defined by section 9101 of the Elementary 

11 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

12 7801). 

13 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

14 the Secretary of Education. 

15 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

16 (a) EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOLS.—To support 

17 early college high schools under this Act, there are author18 ized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 

19 and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

20 2010 through 2014. 

21 (b) OTHER DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS.—To 

22 support other dual enrollment programs under this Act, 

23 there are authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for 

24 fiscal year 2009 and such sums as may be necessary for 

25 each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014. 


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1 (c) FUNDS RESERVED.—The Secretary shall reserve 

2 3 percent of funds appropriated pursuant to subsection 

3 (b) for grants to States under section 9. 

4 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZED PROGRAM. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to 

6 award six-year grants to eligible entities seeking to estab7 lish a new or support an existing early college high school 

8 or other dual enrollment program. 

9 (b) GRANT AMOUNT.—A grant under this Act shall 

10 not exceed $2,000,000. 

11 (c) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity shall con13 tribute matching funds toward the costs of the early 

14 college high school or other dual enrollment program 

15 to be supported under this Act, of which not less 

16 than half shall be from non-Federal sources, which 

17 funds shall represent not less than the following: 

18 (A) 20 percent of the grant amount re19 ceived in each of the first and second years of 

20 the grant. 

21 (B) 30 percent in each of the third and 

22 fourth years. 

23 (C) 40 percent in the fifth year. 

24 (D) 50 percent in the sixth year. 


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1 (2) DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT CONTRIB2 UTED.—The Secretary shall allow an eligible entity 

3 to satisfy the requirement of this subsection through 

4 in-kind contributions. 

5 (d) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—An eligible enti6 ty shall use a grant received under this Act only to supple7 ment funds that would, in the absence of such grant, be 

8 made available from non-Federal funds for support of the 

9 activities described in the eligible entity’s application 

10 under section 7, and not to supplant such funds. 

11 (e) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this Act, 

12 the Secretary shall give priority to applicants— 

13 (1) that propose to establish or support an 

14 early college high school or other dual enrollment 

15 program that will serve a student population of 

16 which 40 percent or more are students counted 

17 under section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and 

18 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

19 6313(a)(5)); and 

20 (2) from States that provide assistance to early 

21 college high schools or other dual enrollment pro22 grams, such as assistance to defray the costs of 

23 higher education, such as tuition, fees, and text24 books. 


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1 (f) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary 

2 shall, to the maximum extent practicable, ensure that 

3 grantees are from a representative cross-section of urban, 

4 suburban, and rural areas. 

5 SEC. 6. USES OF FUNDS. 

6 (a) MANDATORY ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity 

7 shall use grant funds received under section 5 to support 

8 the activities described in its application, including for the 

9 following: 

10 (1) PLANNING YEAR.—In the case of a new 

11 early college high school or dual enrollment program, 

12 during the first year of the grant— 

13 (A) hiring a principal and staff, as appro14 priate; 

15 (B) designing the curriculum and sequence 

16 of courses in collaboration with at a minimum, 

17 teachers from the local educational agency and 

18 faculty from the partner institution of higher 

19 education; 

20 (C) educating parents and the community 

21 about the school; 

22 (D) recruiting students; 

23 (E) liaison activities among partners in the 

24 eligible entity; and 


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1 (F) coordinating secondary and postsec2 ondary support services, academic calendars, 

3 and transportation. 

4 (2) IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD.—During the re5 mainder of the grant period— 

6 (A) academic and social support services, 

7 including counseling; 

8 (B) student recruitment and community 

9 education and engagement; 

10 (C) professional development, including 

11 joint professional development for secondary 

12 school and faculty from the institution of higher 

13 education; and 

14 (D) school design and planning team ac15 tivities, including curriculum development. 

16 (b) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity may 

17 also use grant funds received under this Act to otherwise 

18 support the activities described in its application, includ19 ing— 

20 (1) purchasing textbooks and equipment that 

21 support academic programs; 

22 (2) learning opportunities for students that 

23 complement classroom experiences, such as intern24 ships, career-based capstone projects, and opportuni25 ties provided under chapters 1 and 2 of subpart 2 


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1 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act 

2 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–11 et seq., 1070a–21 et 

3 seq.); 

4 (3) transportation; 

5 (4) planning time for high school and college 

6 educators to collaborate; and 

7 (5) data collection, sharing, reporting, and eval8 uation. 

9 SEC. 7. APPLICATION. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under section 

11 5, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an appli12 cation at such time, in such manner, and including such 

13 information as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

14 (b) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—At a minimum, 

15 the application described in subsection (a) shall include 

16 a description of— 

17 (1) the early college high school’s or other dual 

18 enrollment program’s budget; 

19 (2) each partner in the eligible entity and its 

20 experience with early college high schools or other 

21 dual enrollment programs, key personnel from each 

22 partner and their responsibilities for the early col23 lege high school or dual enrollment program, and 

24 how the eligible entity will work with secondary and 

25 postsecondary teachers, other public and private enVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:22 Sep 18, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3508.IS S3508

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1 tities, community-based organizations, businesses, 

2 and labor organizations to ensure that students will 

3 be prepared to succeed in postsecondary education 

4 and employment, which may include the development 

5 of an advisory board; 

6 (3) how the eligible entity will target and re7 cruit at-risk youth, including those at risk of drop8 ping out of school, first generation college students, 

9 and students from populations described in section 

10 1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) of the Elementary and Sec11 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

12 6311(b)(2)(C)(v)(II)); 

13 (4) a system of student supports for students in 

14 the early college high school or other dual enrollment 

15 program, including small group activities, tutoring, 

16 literacy and numeracy skill development in all aca17 demic disciplines, parental outreach, extended learn18 ing time, and college readiness activities, such as 

19 early college academic seminars and counseling; 

20 (5) in the case of an early college high school, 

21 how a graduation and career plan will be developed, 

22 consistent with State graduation requirements, for 

23 each student and reviewed each semester; 

24 (6) how parents or guardians of dually enrolled 

25 students will be informed of the students’ academic 


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1 performance and progress and, subject to paragraph 

2 (5), involved in the development of the students’ ca3 reer and graduation plan; 

4 (7) coordination activities between the institu5 tion of higher education and the local educational 

6 agency, including regarding academic calendars, pro7 vision of student services, curriculum development, 

8 and professional development; 

9 (8) how the eligible entity will ensure that 

10 teachers in the early college high school or other 

11 dual enrollment program receive appropriate profes12 sional development and other supports, including to 

13 enable the teachers to help English-language learn14 ers, students with disabilities, and students from di15 verse cultural backgrounds to succeed; 

16 (9) learning opportunities for students that 

17 complement classroom experiences, such as intern18 ships, career-based capstone projects, and opportuni19 ties provided under chapters 1 and 2 of subpart 2 

20 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act 

21 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–11 et seq., 1070a–21 et 

22 seq.); 

23 (10) a plan to ensure that postsecondary credits 

24 earned will be transferable to, at a minimum, public 

25 institutions of higher education within the State, 


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1 consistent with existing statewide articulation agree2 ment; 

3 (11) student assessments and other measure4 ments of student achievement that will be used, in5 cluding benchmarks for student achievement; 

6 (12) outreach programs to provide elementary 

7 and secondary school students, especially those in 

8 middle grades, and their parents, teachers, school 

9 counselors, and principals information about and 

10 academic preparation for the early college high 

11 school or other dual enrollment program; 

12 (13) how the eligible entity will help students 

13 meet eligibility criteria for postsecondary courses; 

14 and 

15 (14) how the eligible entity will sustain the 

16 early college high school or other dual enrollment 

17 program after the grant expires. 

18 (c) ASSURANCES.—An eligible entity’s application 

19 under subsection (a) shall include assurances that— 

20 (1) in the case of an early college high school, 

21 the majority of courses offered, including of postsec22 ondary courses, will be offered at facilities of the in23 stitution of higher education; 

24 (2) students will not be required to pay tuition 

25 or fees for postsecondary courses; 


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1 (3) postsecondary credits earned will be tran2 scribed upon completion of the requisite coursework; 

3 and 

4 (4) faculty teaching postsecondary courses meet 

5 the normal standards for faculty established by the 

6 institution of higher education. 

7 (d) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the require8 ment of subsection (c)(1) upon a showing that it is im9 practical to apply due to geographic considerations. 

10 SEC. 8. PEER REVIEW. 

11 (a) PEER REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—The Sec12 retary shall establish peer review panels to review applica13 tions submitted pursuant to section 7 and to advise the 

14 Secretary regarding such applications. 

15 (b) COMPOSITION OF PEER REVIEW PANELS.—The 

16 Secretary shall ensure that each peer review panel is not 

17 comprised wholly of full-time officers or employees of the 

18 Federal Government and includes, at a minimum— 

19 (1) experts in the establishment and adminis20 tration of early college high schools or other dual en21 rollment programs from the high school and college 

22 perspective; 

23 (2) faculty at institutions of higher education 

24 and secondary school teachers with expertise in dual 

25 enrollment; and 


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1 (3) experts in the education of at-risk students. 

2 SEC. 9. GRANTS TO STATES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to 

4 award six-year grants to State agencies responsible for 

5 secondary or postsecondary education for efforts to sup6 port or establish statewide dual enrollment programs. 

7 (b) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant under this sec8 tion, a State agency shall submit to the Secretary an appli9 cation at such time, in such manner, and including such 

10 information as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

11 (c) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—At a minimum, 

12 the application described in subsection (b) shall include— 

13 (1) how the State will create outreach programs 

14 to ensure that middle and high school students and 

15 their families are aware of dual enrollment programs 

16 in the State; 

17 (2) how the State will provide technical assist18 ance to local dual enrollment programs as appro19 priate; 

20 (3) how the State will ensure the quality of 

21 State and local dual enrollment programs; and 

22 (4) such other information as the Secretary de23 termines to be appropriate. 

24 (d) STATE ACTIVITIES.—A State receiving a grant 

25 under this section shall use such funds for— 


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1 (1) planning and implementing a statewide 

2 strategy for expanding access to dual enrollment 

3 programs for students who are underrepresented in 

4 higher education; and 

5 (2) providing technical assistance to local dual 

6 enrollment programs. 

7 SEC. 10. REPORTING AND OVERSIGHT. 

8 (a) REPORTING BY GRANTEES.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

10 uniform guidelines for all grantees under section 5, 

11 and uniform guidelines for all grantees under section 

12 9, concerning information such grantees annually 

13 shall report to the Secretary to demonstrate a grant14 ee’s progress toward achieving the goals of this Act. 

15 (2) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—At a minimum, 

16 the report described in paragraph (1) shall include, 

17 for eligible entities receiving funds under section 5, 

18 for each category of students described in section 

19 1111(h)(1)(C)(i) of the Elementary and Secondary 

20 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

21 6311(h)(1)(C)(i)): 

22 (A) The number of students. 

23 (B) The percentage of students scoring ad24 vanced, proficient, basic, and below basic on the 

25 assessments described in section 1111(b)(3) of 


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1 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

2 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(3)). 

3 (C) The performance of students on other 

4 assessments or measurements of achievement. 

5 (D) The number of secondary school cred6 its earned. 

7 (E) The number of postsecondary credits 

8 earned. 

9 (F) Attendance rate. 

10 (G) Graduation rate. 

11 (H) Placement in postsecondary education 

12 or advanced training, in military service, and in 

13 employment. 

14 (b) REPORTING BY THE SECRETARY.—The Secretary 

15 annually shall compile and analyze the information de16 scribed in subsection (a) and report it to the Committee 

17 on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate 

18 and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House 

19 of Representatives, which report shall include identifica20 tion of best practices for achieving the goals of this Act. 

21 (c) MONITORING VISITS.—The Secretary’s designee 

22 shall visit each grantee at least once for the purpose of 

23 helping the grantee achieve the goals of this Act and to 

24 monitor the grantee’s progress toward achieving such 

25 goals. 


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1 (d) NATIONAL EVALUATION.—Within six months of 

2 the appropriation of funds for this Act, the Secretary shall 

3 enter into a contract with an independent organization to 

4 perform an evaluation of the grants awarded under this 

5 Act. Such evaluation shall apply rigorous procedures to 

6 obtain valid and reliable data concerning participants’ out7 comes by social and academic characteristics and monitor 

8 the progress of students from high school to and through 

9 postsecondary education. 

10 (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

11 provide technical assistance to eligible entities concerning 

12 best practices in early college high schools and dual enroll13 ment programs and shall disseminate such best practices 

14 among eligible entities and State and local educational 

15 agencies. 

16 SEC. 11. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. 

17 (a) EMPLOYEES.—Nothing in this Act shall be con18 strued to alter or otherwise affect the rights, remedies, 

19 and procedures afforded to the employees of local edu20 cational agencies (including schools) or institutions of 

21 higher education under Federal, State, or local laws (in22 cluding applicable regulations or court orders) or under 

23 the terms of collective bargaining agreements, memoranda 

24 of understanding, or other agreements between such em25 ployees and their employers. 


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1 (b) GRADUATION RATE.—A student who graduates 

2 from an early college high school supported under this Act 

3 in the standard number of years for graduation described 

4 in the eligible entity’s application shall be considered to 

5 have graduated on time for purposes of section 

6 1111(b)(2)(C)(vi) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu7 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(C)(vi)). 

Æ 


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