I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1578 

To provide grants to States to ensure that all students in the middle grades 

are taught an academically rigorous curriculum with effective supports 

so that students complete the middle grades prepared for success in 

secondary school and postsecondary endeavors, to improve State and 

local educational agency policies and programs relating to the academic 

achievement of students in the middle grades, to develop and implement 

effective middle grades models for struggling students, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 14, 2023 

Mr. GRIJALVA (for himself and Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 

Workforce 

A BILL 

To provide grants to States to ensure that all students in 

the middle grades are taught an academically rigorous 

curriculum with effective supports so that students complete the middle grades prepared for success in secondary 

school and postsecondary endeavors, to improve State 

and local educational agency policies and programs relating to the academic achievement of students in the middle grades, to develop and implement effective middle 

grades models for struggling students, and for other 

purposes. 


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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 ‘‘Success in the Middle 

5 Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Research shows that Federal funding for 

9 students in middle school and high school, particu10 larly grades 6 through 12, is significantly lower than 

11 funding for elementary and postsecondary students. 

12 (2) International comparisons indicate that stu13 dents in the United States do not start out behind 

14 students of other nations in mathematics and 

15 science, but that they fall behind by the end of the 

16 middle grades. 

17 (3) In reading, 31 percent of students in grade 

18 8 read at or above the proficient level on the 2022 

19 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Aver20 age reading scores were lower at grade 8 for most 

21 racial/ethnic groups compared to 2019. 

22 (4) In mathematics, 27 percent of students in 

23 grade 8 displayed skills at or above the proficient 

24 level on the 2022 National Assessment of Edu25 cational Progress. 


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1 (5) Evidence demonstrates unfinished learning 

2 for the Nation’s students, including students from 

3 the middle grades, resulting from the COVID–19 

4 pandemic. Black and Hispanic students, in par5 ticular, were less likely to have access to the pre6 requisites of learning—devices, internet access, and 

7 live contact with teachers. Left unaddressed, these 

8 opportunity gaps could translate into wider achieve9 ment gaps. 

10 (6) By grade 6, a student who attends school 

11 less than 80 percent of the time, receives unsatisfac12 tory marks for mild but sustained misbehavior, or 

13 who fails English or mathematics, has only a 10 to 

14 20 percent chance of graduating on time. Without 

15 effective interventions and proper supports, these 

16 students are at risk of subsequent failure in sec17 ondary school, or of dropping out. 

18 (7) According to Gallup, student engagement is 

19 strong at the end of elementary school, with nearly 

3 20 ⁄4 of 5th graders (74%) reporting high levels of en21 gagement. But similar surveys have shown a gradual 

22 and steady decline in engagement for older students, 

with approximately 1 23 ⁄2 of students in middle school 

24 reporting high levels of engagement. 


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1 (8) Student transitions from elementary school 

2 to the middle grades and to secondary school are 

3 often complicated by poor curriculum alignment, in4 adequate counseling services, and unsatisfactory 

5 sharing of student performance and academic 

6 achievement data between grades. 

7 (9) Middle grades improvement strategies 

8 should be tailored based on a variety of performance 

9 indicators and data, so that— 

10 (A) educators can create and implement 

11 successful school improvement strategies to ad12 dress the needs of the middle grades; and 

13 (B) teachers can provide effective instruc14 tion and adequate assistance to meet the needs 

15 of at-risk students. 

16 (10) Middle grade teachers face unique chal17 lenges due to the increased individual subject matter 

18 focus of the curriculum combined with the physical, 

19 intellectual, and emotional changes faced by early 

20 adolescents transitioning from elementary school to 

21 high school. 

22 (11) Combining measures of academic achieve23 ment and motivation, social engagement, and self24 regulation—the behavioral domains essential for suc25 cess across the school and work continuum—proVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:04 Apr 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1578.IH H1578

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1 vides a more holistic picture of students, including 

2 their likelihood of enrolling in an institution of high3 er education following high school graduation. This 

4 information, available in middle school, allows for 

5 early identification of and intervention with students 

6 who may be less likely to complete secondary school 

7 and attend an institution of higher education. 

8 (12) Appropriate academic accommodations, 

9 age-appropriate discipline, access to assistive tech10 nology, and evidence-based interventions must be 

11 used with students with disabilities, particularly in 

12 the middle grades, as— 

13 (A) the dropout rate for learning disabled 

14 students is more than twice the dropout rate of 

15 all students; 

16 (B) nearly half of young adults with learn17 ing disabilities have been involved in the justice 

18 system; and 

19 (C) students with disabilities have a grad20 uation rate nearly 20 percentage points lower 

21 than the graduation rate for general education 

22 students. 

23 (13) Local educational agencies and State edu24 cational agencies often do not have the capacity to 

25 provide support for school improvement strategies. 


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1 Successful models do exist for turning around low2 performing middle grades, and Federal support 

3 should be provided to increase the capacity to apply 

4 promising practices based on evidence from success5 ful schools. 

6 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) ESEA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘‘edu9 cational service agency’’, ‘‘elementary school’’, 

10 ‘‘English learner’’, ‘‘evidence-based’’, ‘‘local edu11 cational agency’’, ‘‘outlying area’’, ‘‘high school’’, 

12 ‘‘secondary school’’, and ‘‘State educational agency’’ 

13 have the meanings given the terms in section 8101 

14 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

15 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

16 (2) CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.—The term 

17 ‘‘chronic absenteeism’’ means the percentage of indi18 vidual students missing 10 percent, or more, of the 

19 days of school in a school year. 

20 (3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti21 ty’’ means a partnership that includes— 

22 (A) not less than 1 eligible local edu23 cational agency; and 

24 (B) One of the following: 

25 (i) An institution of higher education. 


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1 (ii) An educational service agency. 

2 (iii) A nonprofit organization with 

3 demonstrated expertise in high-quality 

4 middle grades intervention. 

5 (4) ELIGIBLE LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.— 

6 The term ‘‘eligible local educational agency’’ means 

7 a local educational agency that serves not less than 

8 1 eligible school. 

9 (5) ELIGIBLE SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘eligible 

10 school’’ means an elementary school or secondary 

11 school that contains not less than 2 successive 

12 grades of grades 5 through 8 and for which— 

13 (A) a high proportion of the middle grades 

14 students attending such school will attend a 

15 secondary school with a graduation rate of 67 

16 percent or less; 

17 (B) more than 25 percent of the students 

18 who finish grade 6 at such school, or the ear19 liest middle grade level at the school, exhibit 1 

20 or more of the key risk factors and early risk 

21 identification signs, including— 

22 (i) student attendance below 90 per23 cent; 

24 (ii) a failing grade in a mathematics 

25 or reading or language arts course; 


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1 (iii) 2 failing grades in any courses; 

2 and 

3 (iv) out-of-school suspension or other 

4 evidence of at-risk behavior; or 

5 (C) more than 50 percent of the middle 

6 grades students attending such school do not 

7 perform at a proficient level on State student 

8 academic assessments required under section 

9 1111(b)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary 

10 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)) 

11 in mathematics or reading or language arts. 

12 (6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

13 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

14 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

15 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

16 (7) MIDDLE GRADES.—The term ‘‘middle 

17 grades’’ means any of grades 5 through 8. 

18 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

19 the Secretary of Education. 

20 (9) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

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

22 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 

23 (10) STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY.—The term 

24 ‘‘student with a disability’’ means a student who is 

25 a child with a disability, as defined in section 602 


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1 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 

2 (20 U.S.C. 1401). 

3 TITLE I—MIDDLE GRADES 

4 IMPROVEMENT 

5 SEC. 101. PURPOSES. 

6 The purposes of this title are to— 

7 (1) develop middle grade students’ social, emo8 tional, and academic competencies and deep content 

9 knowledge to ensure they are equipped to think criti10 cally, solve problems, communicate effectively, col11 laborate with others, and be self-directed so that 

12 they can enter high school on-track and graduate 

13 from high school on time and ready for postsec14 ondary and career pathways; 

15 (2) provide student and teacher supports for 

16 middle grades education, including funding and cur17 ricula, that align with the student and teacher sup18 ports provided for elementary school and secondary 

19 school grades within and across local educational 

20 agencies; 

21 (3) provide resources to State educational agen22 cies and local educational agencies to collaboratively 

23 develop and implement middle grade improvement 

24 plans in order to deliver evidence-based support and 


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1 technical assistance to schools serving middle grade 

2 students; 

3 (4) provide resources for schools serving middle 

4 grade students to develop positive learning commu5 nities where educators and students feel engaged, 

6 and share high expectations of student success, as 

7 exhibited by mutual respect, fair discipline ap8 proaches, and rigorous academic curriculum; and 

9 (5) increase the capacity of States and local 

10 educational agencies to develop effective, sustainable, 

11 and replicable school improvement programs and 

12 models and evidence-based or, when available, sci13 entifically valid student interventions for implemen14 tation by schools serving students in the middle 

15 grades. 

16 SEC. 102. FORMULA GRANTS TO STATE EDUCATIONAL 

17 AGENCIES FOR MIDDLE GRADES IMPROVE18 MENT. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appropriated 

20 under section 107, the Secretary shall make grants under 

21 this title for a fiscal year to each State educational agency 

22 for which the Secretary has approved an application in 

23 an amount equal to the allotment determined for such 

24 agency under subsection (c) for such fiscal year. 


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1 (b) RESERVATIONS.—From the total amount made 

2 available to carry out this title for a fiscal year, the Sec3 retary— 

4 (1) shall reserve not more than 1 percent for 

5 the Secretary of the Interior (on behalf of the Bu6 reau of Indian Education) and the outlying areas for 

7 activities carried out in accordance with this section; 

8 (2) shall reserve 1 percent to evaluate the effec9 tiveness of this title in achieving the purposes of this 

10 title and ensuring that results are peer-reviewed and 

11 widely disseminated, which may include hiring an 

12 outside evaluator; and 

13 (3) shall reserve 2 percent for technical assist14 ance and dissemination of best practices in middle 

15 grades education to States and local educational 

16 agencies. 

17 (c) AMOUNT OF STATE ALLOTMENTS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para19 graph (2), of the total amount made available to 

20 carry out this title for a fiscal year and not reserved 

21 under subsection (b), the Secretary shall allot such 

22 amount among the States in proportion to the num23 ber of children, aged 5 to 17, who reside within the 

24 State and are from families with incomes below the 

25 poverty level for the most recent fiscal year for 


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1 which satisfactory data are available, compared to 

2 the number of such individuals who reside in all 

3 such States for that fiscal year, determined in ac4 cordance with section 1124(c)(1)(A) of the Elemen5 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

6 U.S.C. 6333(c)(1)(A)). 

7 (2) MINIMUM ALLOTMENTS.—No State edu8 cational agency shall receive an allotment under this 

subsection for a fiscal year that is less than 1 9 ⁄2 of 

10 1 percent of the amount made available to carry out 

11 this title for such fiscal year. 

12 (d) SPECIAL RULE.—For any fiscal year for which 

13 the funds appropriated to carry out this title are less than 

14 $500,000,000, the Secretary is authorized to award grants 

15 to State educational agencies, on a competitive basis, rath16 er than as allotments described in this section, to enable 

17 such agencies to award subgrants under section 104 on 

18 a competitive basis. 

19 (e) REALLOTMENT.— 

20 (1) FAILURE TO APPLY; APPLICATION NOT AP21 PROVED.—If any State educational agency does not 

22 apply for an allotment under this title for a fiscal 

23 year, or if the application from the State educational 

24 agency is not approved, the Secretary shall reallot 


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1 the amount of the State’s allotment to the remaining 

2 States in accordance with this section. 

3 (2) UNUSED FUNDS.—The Secretary may 

4 reallot any amount of an allotment to a State if the 

5 Secretary determines that the State will be unable to 

6 use such amount within 2 years of such allotment. 

7 Such reallotments shall be made on the same basis 

8 as allotments are made under subsection (c). 

9 (f) APPLICATION.—In order to receive an allotment 

10 under this title, a State educational agency shall submit 

11 an application to the Secretary at such time, in such man12 ner, and accompanied by such information as the Sec13 retary may reasonably require, including a State middle 

14 grades improvement plan described in section 103(a)(4). 

15 (g) PEER REVIEW AND SELECTION.—The Sec16 retary— 

17 (1) shall establish a peer-review process to as18 sist in the review and approval of proposed State ap19 plications; 

20 (2) shall appoint individuals to participate in 

21 the peer-review process who are educators and ex22 perts in identifying, evaluating, and implementing 

23 effective education programs and practices (includ24 ing in the areas of teaching and learning, edu25 cational standards and assessments, school improveVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:04 Apr 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1578.IH H1578

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1 ment, school climate, rates of suspension and expul2 sion, and academic and behavioral supports for mid3 dle grades students, and in addressing the needs of 

4 students with disabilities and English learners in the 

5 middle grades), which individuals may include recog6 nized exemplary middle grades teachers and middle 

7 grades principals who have been recognized at the 

8 State or national level for exemplary work or con9 tributions to the field; 

10 (3) shall ensure that State educational agencies 

11 are given the opportunity to receive timely feedback, 

12 and to interact with peer-review panels, in person or 

13 via electronic communication, on issues that need 

14 clarification during the peer-review process; 

15 (4) shall approve an application submitted 

16 under this title not later than 120 days after the 

17 date of submission of the application unless the Sec18 retary determines that the application does not meet 

19 the requirements of this title; 

20 (5) may not decline to approve an application 

21 from a State educational agency before— 

22 (A) offering the State educational agency 

23 an opportunity to revise the application; 


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1 (B) providing the State educational agency 

2 with technical assistance in order to submit a 

3 successful application; and 

4 (C) providing an opportunity for a hearing 

5 to the State educational agency; and 

6 (6) shall direct the Inspector General of the De7 partment of Education to— 

8 (A) review final determinations reached by 

9 the Secretary to approve or deny State applica10 tions; 

11 (B) analyze the consistency of the process 

12 used by peer-review panels in reviewing and rec13 ommending to the Secretary approval or denial 

14 of such State applications; and 

15 (C) report the findings of this review and 

16 analysis to Congress. 

17 SEC. 103. STATE PLAN; AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES. 

18 (a) MANDATORY ACTIVITIES.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency 

20 that receives a grant under this title shall use the 

21 grant funds— 

22 (A) to prepare and implement the needs 

23 analysis and middle grades improvement plan, 

24 as described in paragraphs (3) and (4), of such 

25 agency; 


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1 (B) to make subgrants to eligible local 

2 educational agencies or eligible entities under 

3 section 104; and 

4 (C) to assist eligible local educational agen5 cies and eligible entities, when determined nec6 essary by the State educational agency or at the 

7 request of an eligible local educational agency 

8 or eligible entity, in designing a comprehensive 

9 schoolwide improvement plan and carrying out 

10 the activities under section 104. 

11 (2) FUNDS FOR SUBGRANTS.—A State edu12 cational agency that receives a grant under this title 

13 shall use not less than 90 percent of the grant funds 

14 to make subgrants to eligible local educational agen15 cies or eligible entities under section 104. 

16 (3) MIDDLE GRADES NEED ASSESSMENT.— 

17 (A) COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT.— 

18 (i) IN GENERAL.—A State educational 

19 agency that receives a grant under this 

20 title shall conduct a comprehensive needs 

21 assessment that analyzes how to strength22 en the programs, practices, and policies of 

23 the State to target support for students in 

24 the middle grades to improve positive stu25 dent outcomes that prepare students for 


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1 high school, postsecondary, and career suc2 cess. 

3 (ii) CONTRACTING ABILITY.—A State 

4 educational agency receiving a grant under 

5 this title may enter into a contract, or 

6 similar formal agreement, to work with en7 tities such as national and regional com8 prehensive centers (as described in section 

9 203 of the Educational Technical Assist10 ance Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9602)), insti11 tutions of higher education, or nonprofit 

12 organizations with demonstrated expertise 

13 in high-quality middle grades reform to 

14 conduct a comprehensive needs assessment. 

15 (B) PREPARATION OF ASSESSMENT.—In 

16 preparing the assessment under subparagraph 

17 (A), the State educational agency shall examine 

18 policies and practices of the State, and of local 

19 educational agencies within the State, affecting, 

20 with respect to middle grades— 

21 (i) curriculum alignment, assessment, 

22 and instruction; 

23 (ii) the State system of annual mean24 ingful differentiation, as described under 

25 section 1111(c)(4)(C) of the Elementary 


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1 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

2 U.S.C. 6311(c)(4)(C)); 

3 (iii) teacher and school leader prepa4 ration, quality, experience, and equitable 

5 distribution; 

6 (iv) interventions both in-school and 

7 out-of-school that support student learn8 ing; 

9 (v) student engagement activities; 

10 (vi) disproportionate use of exclu11 sionary disciplinary practices, including in12 school and out-of-school suspensions; 

13 (vii) family and community engage14 ment in education; 

15 (viii) equitable distribution of re16 sources; and 

17 (ix) student and academic support 

18 services, such as effective school library 

19 programs and school counseling on the 

20 transition to secondary school and plan21 ning for entry into postsecondary edu22 cation and the workforce. 

23 (4) MIDDLE GRADES IMPROVEMENT PLAN.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—A State educational 

25 agency that receives a grant under this title 


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1 shall develop a middle grades improvement plan 

2 that— 

3 (i) shall be a statewide plan to im4 prove student academic achievement in the 

5 middle grades, based on the needs assess6 ment described in paragraph (3); and 

7 (ii) describes what students are re8 quired to know and do to successfully— 

9 (I) complete the middle grades; 

10 (II) develop the competencies 

11 of— 

12 (aa) the ability to acquire 

13 and use deep content knowledge 

14 to solve problems; 

15 (bb) critical thinking; 

16 (cc) effective communica17 tion; 

18 (dd) self-direction; and 

19 (ee) the ability to collabo20 rate; and 

21 (III) make a successful transition 

22 to academically rigorous secondary 

23 school coursework that prepares stu24 dents to graduate from secondary 


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1 school ready for higher education and 

2 a career. 

3 (B) PLAN COMPONENTS.—A middle grades 

4 improvement plan described in subparagraph 

5 (A) shall also describe how the State edu6 cational agency will do each of the following: 

7 (i)(I) Align State standards and as8 sessments for middle grades education with 

9 State standards and assessments for sec10 ondary schools and prepare students to 

11 take challenging secondary school courses 

12 and successfully engage in postsecondary 

13 education. 

14 (II) Coordinate, where applicable, 

15 with the activities carried out through 

16 grants under section 6201(c)(1) of the 

17 America COMPETES Act (20 U.S.C. 

18 9871(c)(1)) for alignment of P–16 edu19 cation, as defined in section 6201(b) of 

20 such Act. 

21 (III) Support the transition from ele22 mentary school to the middle grades 

23 through programs that promote successful 

24 social, emotional, and cognitive develop25 ment. 


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1 (ii) Provide professional development 

2 to school leaders, teachers, and other 

3 school personnel in— 

4 (I) addressing the needs of di5 verse learners, including students with 

6 disabilities and English learners; 

7 (II) using challenging and rel8 evant research-based best practices 

9 and curricula; 

10 (III) using data to inform in11 struction; and 

12 (IV) increasing student engage13 ment and social and emotional learn14 ing competencies. 

15 (iii) Identify and disseminate informa16 tion on effective schools and instructional 

17 strategies for middle grades students based 

18 on high-quality research. 

19 (iv) Identify and provide support for 

20 students most at risk of not graduating 

21 from secondary school, including English 

22 learners, students with disabilities, and 

23 low-income students. 

24 (v) Provide technical assistance to eli25 gible entities to develop and implement 


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1 their early warning indicator and interven2 tion systems, as described in section 

3 104(d)(2)(D). 

4 (vi) Define a set of school perform5 ance indicators that shall be used, in addi6 tion to the indicators used to identify 

7 schools for comprehensive support and im8 provement under section 1111(c)(4)(D)(i) 

9 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu10 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

11 6311(c)(4)(D)(i)), to evaluate school per12 formance and guide the school improve13 ment process, such as— 

14 (I) student attendance and 

15 chronic absenteeism; 

16 (II) earned on-time promotion 

17 rates from grade to grade; 

18 (III) percentage of students fail19 ing a mathematics, reading or lan20 guage arts, or science course, or fail21 ing 2 or more of any courses; 

22 (IV) teacher preparation, experi23 ence, effectiveness, and attendance 

24 measures; 


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1 (V) in-school and out-of-school 

2 suspension or other measurable evi3 dence of at-risk behavior, including 

4 any disparities in rates among sub5 groups of students, as defined in sec6 tion 1111(c)(2)) of the Elementary 

7 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

8 (20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(2)); 

9 (VI) data collected by the Civil 

10 Rights Data Collection survey con11 ducted by the Office of Civil Rights of 

12 the Department of Education; and 

13 (VII) additional indicators pro14 posed by the State educational agency 

15 and approved by the Secretary, based 

16 upon any peer-review evaluation of in17 dicators conducted under section 

18 102(b)(2). 

19 (vii) Ensure that such plan is coordi20 nated with State activities to turn around 

21 schools identified for comprehensive sup22 port and improvement under section 

23 1111(c)(4)(D)(i) of the Elementary and 

24 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

25 U.S.C. 6311(c)(4)(D)(i)), including State 


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1 activities to improve secondary schools and 

2 elementary schools. 

3 (viii) Ensure that such plan includes 

4 specific provisions to improve family and 

5 community engagement in education in the 

6 middle grades. 

7 (b) PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A State educational 

8 agency that receives a grant under this title may use the 

9 grant funds to— 

10 (1) develop and encourage collaborations among 

11 researchers at institutions of higher education, State 

12 educational agencies, educational service agencies, 

13 local educational agencies, and nonprofit organiza14 tions with demonstrated expertise in high-quality 

15 middle grade interventions, to expand the use of ef16 fective practices in the middle grades and to improve 

17 middle grade education; 

18 (2) develop and facilitate collaboration among 

19 institutions of higher education, nonprofit organiza20 tions, and other stakeholders involved in teacher and 

21 school leader preparation to improve the quality and 

22 delivery of preservice and in-service middle grades 

23 teacher and school leader preparation to ensure new 

24 and existing middle grade educators are prepared for 


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1 the specific and unique needs of middle grades stu2 dents; 

3 (3) support local educational agencies in imple4 menting effective middle grades practices, models, 

5 and programs that— 

6 (A) are evidence-based; and 

7 (B) lead to improved student academic 

8 achievement; 

9 (4) support collaborative communities of middle 

10 grades teachers, administrators, school librarians, 

11 and researchers in creating and sustaining informa12 tional databases to disseminate results from rigorous 

13 research on effective practices and programs for 

14 middle grades education; and 

15 (5) increase middle grades student and aca16 demic support services, such as— 

17 (A) effective school library programs; and 

18 (B) school counseling on the transition to 

19 secondary school, such as summer bridge pro20 grams and student mentors, and planning for 

21 entry into postsecondary education and the 

22 workforce. 


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1 SEC. 104. COMPETITIVE SUBGRANTS TO IMPROVE LOW2 PERFORMING MIDDLE GRADES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency that 

4 receives a grant under this title shall make competitive 

5 subgrants to eligible local educational agencies and eligible 

6 entities to enable the eligible local educational agencies 

7 and eligible entities to improve low-performing middle 

8 grades in schools served by the agencies or entities. 

9 (b) PRIORITIES.—In making subgrants under sub10 section (a), a State educational agency shall give priority 

11 to eligible local educational agencies or eligible entities 

12 based on— 

13 (1) the respective populations of children de14 scribed in section 102(c)(1) served by the eligible 

15 local educational agencies that are participating in 

16 the subgrant application process; and 

17 (2) the respective populations of children served 

18 by the participating eligible local educational agen19 cies who attend eligible schools. 

20 (c) APPLICATION.—An eligible local educational 

21 agency or eligible entity that desires to receive a subgrant 

22 under subsection (a) shall submit an application to the 

23 State educational agency at such time, in such manner, 

24 and accompanied by such information as the State edu25 cational agency may reasonably require, including— 


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1 (1) a middle grade improvement plan described 

2 in subsection (d); and 

3 (2) a description of how activities described in 

4 such plan will be complementary to, and coordinated 

5 with, school improvement activities for elementary 

6 schools and secondary schools that serve the same 

7 students within the participating local educational 

8 agency. 

9 (d) MIDDLE GRADES IMPROVEMENT PLAN.—An eli10 gible local educational agency or eligible entity that desires 

11 to receive a subgrant under subsection (a) shall develop 

12 a comprehensive middle grades improvement plan for the 

13 middle grades that shall— 

14 (1) describe how activities described in such 

15 plan will be coordinated with activities specified in 

16 schoolwide program plans under section 1114 of the 

17 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

18 (20 U.S.C. 6314); 

19 (2) describe how the eligible local educational 

20 agency or eligible entity will— 

21 (A) identify eligible schools; 

22 (B) ensure that funds go to eligible schools 

23 with the highest percent of low-income students 

24 first, based on the eligible schools’ populations 

25 of children described in section 102(c)(1); 


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1 (C) use funds to close achievement gaps 

2 and improve the academic achievement of all 

3 students, including English learners and stu4 dents with disabilities, in eligible schools; 

5 (D) implement an early warning indicator 

6 and intervention system to alert schools when 

7 students begin to exhibit outcomes or behaviors 

8 that indicate the student is at increased risk for 

9 low academic achievement or is unlikely to 

10 progress to secondary school graduation, and to 

11 create a system of evidence-based interventions 

12 to be used by schools to effectively intervene, 

13 by— 

14 (i) identifying and analyzing, such as 

15 through the use of longitudinal data of 

16 past cohorts of students, the academic and 

17 behavioral indicators in the middle grades 

18 that most reliably predict dropping out of 

19 secondary school, such as attendance, 

20 chronic absenteeism, behavior measures 

21 (including suspensions, officer referrals, or 

22 conduct marks), academic performance in 

23 core courses, and earned on-time pro24 motion from grade-to-grade, and other rel25 evant indicator of student academic perVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:04 Apr 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1578.IH H1578

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1 formance as included in schoolwide pro2 gram plans under section 1114 of the Ele3 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 

4 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6314); 

5 (ii) analyzing student progress and 

6 performance on the indicators identified 

7 under clause (i) to guide decision making; 

8 (iii) analyzing academic indicators to 

9 determine whether students are on track to 

10 graduate on time, and developing appro11 priate evidence-based intervention; and 

12 (iv) identifying or developing a mecha13 nism for regularly collecting and report14 ing— 

15 (I) student-level data on the indi16 cators identified under clause (i); 

17 (II) student-level progress and 

18 performance, as described in clause 

19 (ii); 

20 (III) student-level data on the in21 dicators described in clause (iii); and 

22 (IV) information about the im23 pact of interventions on student out24 comes and progress; 


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1 (E) increase academic rigor and foster stu2 dent engagement to ensure students are enter3 ing secondary school prepared for success in a 

4 rigorous college- and career-ready curriculum, 

5 including a description of how such readiness 

6 will be measured; 

7 (F) implement a systemic transition plan 

8 for all students and encourage collaboration 

9 among elementary grades, middle grades, and 

10 secondary school grades to support the success11 ful transition between grades; 

12 (G) increase community and family en13 gagement in education in the middle grades to 

14 support student success; and 

15 (H) provide evidence that the strategies, 

16 programs, supports, and instructional practices 

17 proposed under the middle grades improvement 

18 plan are new and have not been implemented 

19 before by the eligible local educational agency 

20 or eligible entity; and 

21 (3) provide evidence of an ongoing commitment 

22 to sustain the plan for a period of not less than 4 

23 years. 


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1 (e) REVIEW AND SELECTION OF SUBGRANTS.—In 

2 making subgrants under subsection (a), the State edu3 cational agency shall— 

4 (1) establish a peer-review process to assist in 

5 the review and approval of applications under sub6 section (c); and 

7 (2) appoint individuals to participate in the 

8 peer-review process who are educators and experts in 

9 identifying, evaluating, and implementing effective 

10 education programs and practices, including— 

11 (A) experts— 

12 (i) in areas of teaching and learning, 

13 educational standards and assessments, 

14 and school improvement; 

15 (ii) in addressing the needs of stu16 dents with disabilities and English learners 

17 in the middle grades; and 

18 (iii) in the academic and behavioral 

19 supports for middle grades students; and 

20 (B) recognized exemplary middle grades 

21 teachers and principals who have been recog22 nized at the State or national level for exem23 plary work or contributions to the field. 

24 (f) REVISION OF SUBGRANTS.—If a State edu25 cational agency, using the peer-review process described 


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1 in subsection (e), determines that an application for a 

2 grant under subsection (a) does not meet the requirements 

3 of this title, the State educational agency shall notify the 

4 eligible local educational agency or eligible entity of such 

5 determination and the reasons for such determination, and 

6 offer— 

7 (1) the eligible local educational agency or eligi8 ble entity an opportunity to revise and resubmit the 

9 application; and 

10 (2) technical assistance to the eligible local edu11 cational agency or eligible entity, by the State edu12 cational agency or a nonprofit organization with 

13 demonstrated expertise in high-quality middle grades 

14 interventions, to revise the application. 

15 (g) MANDATORY USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible local 

16 educational agency or eligible entity that receives a 

17 subgrant under subsection (a) shall carry out the fol18 lowing: 

19 (1) Align the curricula for grades kindergarten 

20 through 12 for schools within the local educational 

21 agency to improve transitions from elementary 

22 grades to middle grades to secondary school grades. 

23 (2) In each eligible school served by the eligible 

24 local educational agency receiving or participating in 

25 the subgrant: 


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1 (A) Align the curricula for all grade levels 

2 within eligible schools to improve grade to grade 

3 transitions. 

4 (B) Implement evidence-based instructional 

5 strategies, programs, and learning environments 

6 that meet the needs of all students and ensure 

7 that school leaders and teachers receive profes8 sional development on the use of these strate9 gies. 

10 (C) Provide professional development for 

11 school leaders, teachers, specialized instruc12 tional support personnel, school librarians, and 

13 other school staff on the developmental stages 

14 of adolescents in the middle grades and how to 

15 deal with those stages appropriately in an edu16 cational setting. 

17 (D) Implement organizational practices 

18 and school schedules that allow for effective 

19 leadership, collaborative staff participation, pro20 fessional development, effective teacher instruc21 tional teaming, and parent and community in22 volvement. 

23 (E) Create a more personalized and engag24 ing learning environment for middle grades stu25 dents by developing a personal academic plan 


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1 for each student and assigning not less than 1 

2 adult who has received the appropriate training 

3 to monitor, evaluate, and support the progress 

4 of each individual student attending the eligible 

5 school. 

6 (F) Provide all students, and the students’ 

7 families, with information about, and assistance 

8 with, the requirements for secondary school 

9 graduation, admission to an institution of high10 er education, and career success. 

11 (G) Utilize data from an early warning in12 dicator and intervention system described in 

13 subsection (d)(2)(D) to identify struggling stu14 dents and assist the students as the students 

15 transition from elementary school to middle 

16 grades to secondary school. 

17 (H) Implement academic supports, such as 

18 effective school library programs, and effective 

19 and coordinated additional assistance programs 

20 to ensure that students have a strong founda21 tion in reading, writing, mathematics, science, 

22 and technology skills. 

23 (I) Develop and use effective, age- and 

24 level-appropriate, formative assessments to in25 form instruction. 


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1 (J) Provide integrated student support 

2 services, such as access to student health serv3 ices, mental health and trauma-informed care, 

4 and individualized school counseling, to address 

5 the comprehensive needs of students attending 

6 eligible schools. 

7 (h) PERMISSIBLE USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible local 

8 educational agency or eligible entity that receives a 

9 subgrant under subsection (a) may use the subgrant funds 

10 to carry out the following: 

11 (1) Implement extended learning opportunities 

12 in core academic areas, including more instructional 

13 time in literacy, mathematics, science, technology, 

14 history, and civics in addition to opportunities for 

15 language instruction and understanding other cul16 tures and the arts. 

17 (2) Provide evidence-based professional develop18 ment activities with specific benchmarks to enable 

19 teachers and other school staff to appropriately 

20 monitor academic and behavioral progress of, and 

21 modify curricula and implement accommodations 

22 and assistive technology services for, students with 

23 disabilities, consistent with the students’ individual24 ized education programs under section 614(d) of the 


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1 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 

2 U.S.C. 1414(d)). 

3 (3) Employ and use instructional coaches, in4 cluding literacy, mathematics, and English learner 

5 coaches. 

6 (4) Provide professional development for con7 tent-area teachers and school librarians on working 

8 effectively with English learners and students with 

9 disabilities, as well as professional development for 

10 English as a second language educators, bilingual 

11 educators, and special education personnel. 

12 (5) Provide professional development in areas 

13 that support improving school climate and increasing 

14 student engagement such as culturally responsive 

15 pedagogy, restorative justice programs, social and 

16 emotional learning, response to intervention, and 

17 positive behavior intervention support. 

18 (6) Encourage and facilitate the sharing of data 

19 among elementary grades, middle grades, secondary 

20 school grades, institutions of higher education, and 

21 other postsecondary educational institutions. 

22 (7) Create collaborative study groups composed 

23 of principals or middle grades teachers, or both, 

24 among eligible schools within the eligible local edu25 cational agency receiving or participating in the 


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1 subgrant, or between such eligible local educational 

2 agency and another local educational agency, with a 

3 focus on developing and sharing methods to increase 

4 student learning and academic achievement. 

5 (8) Incorporate as school quality and student 

6 success indicators into the State system of annual 

7 meaningful differentiation, as described under sec8 tion 1111(c)(4)(C) of the Elementary and Secondary 

9 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(4)(C)), 

10 for middle grades schools that feed into secondary 

11 schools, rates of first-year secondary school attend12 ance, retention, and achievement to the account13 ability system of each middle grades school that 

14 feeds into the secondary school. 

15 (i) NON-RECIPIENT PLANNING SUBGRANTS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the subgrants 

17 described in subsection (a), a State educational 

18 agency may (without regard to the preceding provi19 sions of this section) make planning subgrants, and 

20 provide technical assistance, to eligible local edu21 cational agencies and eligible entities that have not 

22 received a subgrant under subsection (a) to assist 

23 the local educational agencies and eligible entities in 

24 meeting the requirements of subsections (c) and (d). 


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1 (2) AMOUNT AND DURATION.—Each subgrant 

2 under this subsection shall be in an amount of not 

3 more than $100,000 and shall be for a period of not 

4 more than 1 year in duration. 

5 SEC. 105. DURATION OF GRANTS; SUPPLEMENT NOT SUP6 PLANT. 

7 (a) DURATION OF GRANTS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para9 graph (2), grants under this title and subgrants 

10 under section 104(a) may not exceed 3 years in du11 ration. 

12 (2) RENEWALS.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—Grants under this title 

14 and subgrants under section 104(a) may be re15 newed in 2-year increments. 

16 (B) CONDITIONS.—In order to be eligible 

17 to have a grant or subgrant renewed under this 

18 paragraph, the grant or subgrant recipient shall 

19 demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the granting 

20 entity, that— 

21 (i) the recipient has complied with the 

22 terms of the grant or subgrant, including 

23 by undertaking all required activities; and 


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1 (ii) during the period of the grant or 

2 subgrant, there has been significant 

3 progress in— 

4 (I) student academic achieve5 ment; and 

6 (II) positively impacting other 

7 key risk factors such as attendance, 

8 chronic absenteeism, and on-time pro9 motion. 

10 (b) FEDERAL FUNDS TO SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUP11 PLANT, NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency, 

13 eligible local educational agency, or eligible entity 

14 shall use Federal funds received under this title only 

15 to supplement the funds that would, in the absence 

16 of such Federal funds, be made available from non17 Federal sources for the education of students par18 ticipating in programs assisted under this title, and 

19 not to supplant such funds. 

20 (2) SPECIAL RULE.—Nothing in this title shall 

21 be construed to authorize an officer, employee, or 

22 contractor of the Federal Government to mandate, 

23 direct, limit, or control a State, local educational 

24 agency, or school’s specific instructional content, 


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1 academic achievement standards and assessments, 

2 curriculum, or program of instruction. 

3 SEC. 106. EVALUATION AND REPORTING. 

4 (a) EVALUATION.—Not later than 180 days after the 

5 date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 

6 the period of the grant, each State educational agency re7 ceiving a grant under this title shall— 

8 (1) conduct an evaluation of the State’s 

9 progress regarding the impact of the changes made 

10 to the policies and practices of the State in accord11 ance with this title, including— 

12 (A) a description of the specific changes 

13 made, or in the process of being made, to poli14 cies and practices as a result of the grant; 

15 (B) a discussion of any barriers hindering 

16 the identified changes in policies and practices, 

17 and implementation strategies to overcome such 

18 barriers; 

19 (C) evidence of the impact of changes to 

20 policies and practices on behavior and actions 

21 at the local educational agency and school level; 

22 and 

23 (D) evidence of the impact of the changes 

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1 proving measurable learning gains by middle 

2 grades students; 

3 (2) use the results of the evaluation conducted 

4 under paragraph (1) to adjust the policies and prac5 tices of the State as necessary to achieve the pur6 poses of this title; and 

7 (3) submit the results of the evaluation to the 

8 Secretary. 

9 (b) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary shall make the re10 sults of each State educational agency’s evaluation under 

11 subsection (a) available to other States and local edu12 cational agencies. 

13 (c) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORTING.—On 

14 an annual basis, each eligible local educational agency and 

15 eligible entity receiving a subgrant under section 104(a) 

16 shall report to the State educational agency and to the 

17 public on— 

18 (1) the performance on the school performance 

19 indicators (as described in section 103(a)(4)(B)(vi)) 

20 for each eligible school served by the eligible local 

21 educational agency or eligible entity, in the aggre22 gate and disaggregated by each of the subgroups of 

23 students, as defined in section 1111(c)(2) of the Ele24 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

25 U.S.C. 6311(c)(2)); and 


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1 (2) the use of funds by the eligible local edu2 cational agency or eligible entity and each such 

3 school. 

4 (d) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORTING.—On 

5 an annual basis, each State educational agency receiving 

6 grant funds under this title shall report to the Secretary 

7 and to the public on— 

8 (1) the performance of eligible schools in the 

9 State, based on the school performance indicators 

10 described in section 103(a)(4)(B)(vi), in the aggre11 gate and disaggregated by each of the subgroups of 

12 students, as defined in section 1111(c)(2) of the Ele13 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

14 U.S.C. 6311(c)(2)); and 

15 (2) the use of such funds by each eligible 

16 school, eligible entity, and eligible local educational 

17 agency in the State receiving such funds. 

18 (e) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Every 2 years, the Sec19 retary shall report to the public and to Congress— 

20 (1) a summary of the State educational agency 

21 reports under subsection (d); and 

22 (2) the use of funds by each State educational 

23 agency under this title. 


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1 SEC. 107. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

3 this title— 

4 (1) $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; 

5 (2) $525,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

6 (3) $550,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

7 (4) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; and 

8 (5) $650,000,000 for fiscal year 2028. 

9 TITLE II—RESEARCH 

10 RECOMMENDATIONS 

11 SEC. 201. PURPOSE. 

12 The purpose of this title is to facilitate the genera13 tion, dissemination, and application of research needed to 

14 identify and implement effective practices that lead to con15 tinual student learning and high academic achievement in 

16 the middle grades. 

17 SEC. 202. STUDY ON PROMISING PRACTICES. 

18 (a) STUDY ON PROMISING PRACTICES.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 

20 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

21 shall study and identify promising practices for the 

22 improvement of middle grades education. The Sec23 retary may contract with an independent third 

24 party, such as a nonprofit organization, nongovern25 mental organization, or institution of higher edu26 cation to satisfy this requirement. 


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1 (2) CONTENT OF STUDY.—The study described 

2 in paragraph (1) shall identify promising practices 

3 currently being implemented for the improvement of 

4 middle grades education. The study shall be con5 ducted in an open and transparent way that provides 

6 interim information to the public about criteria 

7 being used to identify— 

8 (A) such promising practices; 

9 (B) the practices that are being consid10 ered; and 

11 (C) the kind of evidence needed to docu12 ment effectiveness. 

13 (3) REPORT.—The contract entered into pursu14 ant to this subsection shall require that the inde15 pendent third party submit to the Secretary, the 

16 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen17 sions of the Senate, and the Committee on Edu18 cation and the Workforce of the House of Rep19 resentatives a final report regarding the study con20 ducted under this section not later than 1 year after 

21 the date of the commencement of the contract. 

22 (4) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall make 

23 public and post on the website of the Department of 

24 Education the findings of the study conducted under 

25 this subsection. 


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1 (b) SYNTHESIS STUDY OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING

2 AND LEARNING IN MIDDLE GRADES.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 

4 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

5 shall enter into a contract with the National Acad6 emies to review existing research on middle grades 

7 education, and on factors that might lead to in8 creased effectiveness and enhanced innovation in 

9 middle grades education. 

10 (2) CONTENT OF STUDY.—The study described 

11 in paragraph (1) shall review research on education 

12 programs, practices, and policies and research on 

13 the cognitive, social, and emotional development of 

14 children in the middle grades age range, in order to 

15 provide an enriched understanding of the factors 

16 that might lead to the development of innovative and 

17 effective middle grades programs, practices, and 

18 policies. The study shall focus on— 

19 (A) the areas of curriculum, instruction, 

20 and assessment (including additional supports 

21 for students who are below grade level in read22 ing, writing, mathematics, and science, and the 

23 identification of students with disabilities) to 

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1 cess in secondary school, postsecondary edu2 cation, and cognitively challenging employment; 

3 (B) the quality of (including experience, 

4 certification, and demonstrated effectiveness), 

5 and supports for, the teacher workforce; 

6 (C) aspects of student behavioral and so7 cial development, and of social interactions 

8 within schools that affect the learning of aca9 demic content; 

10 (D) the ways in which schools and local 

11 educational agencies are organized and operated 

12 that may be linked to student outcomes; 

13 (E) how development and use of early 

14 warning indicator and intervention systems can 

15 reduce risk factors for dropping out of school 

16 and low academic achievement; and 

17 (F) identification of areas where further 

18 research and evaluation may be needed on these 

19 topics to further the development of effective 

20 middle grades practices. 

21 (3) REPORT.—The contract entered into pursu22 ant to this subsection shall require that the National 

23 Academies submit to the Secretary, the Committee 

24 on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 

25 Senate, and the Committee on Education and the 


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1 Workforce of the House of Representatives a final 

2 report regarding the study conducted under this sub3 section not later than 2 years after the date of com4 mencement of the contract. 

5 (4) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall make 

6 public and post on the website of the Department of 

7 Education the findings of the study conducted under 

8 this subsection. 

9 (c) OTHER ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary shall carry 

10 out each of the following: 

11 (1) Create a national clearinghouse, in coordi12 nation with entities such as the What Works Clear13 inghouse of the Institute of Education Sciences, for 

14 research in best practices in the middle grades and 

15 in the approaches that successfully take those best 

16 practices to scale in schools and local educational 

17 agencies. 

18 (2) Create a national middle grades database 

19 accessible to educational researchers, practitioners, 

20 and policymakers that identifies factors at the 

21 school, classroom, and system level that facilitate or 

22 impede student academic achievement in the middle 

23 grades. 

24 (3) Require the Institute of Education Sciences 

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1 ically valid research designed to enhance perform2 ance of schools serving middle grades students, and 

3 of middle grades students who are most at risk of 

4 educational failure, which may be coordinated with 

5 the regional educational laboratories established 

6 under section 174 of the Education Sciences Reform 

7 Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9564), institutions of higher 

8 education, agencies recognized for their research 

9 work that has been published in peer-reviewed jour10 nals, and organizations that have such regional edu11 cational laboratories. Such research shall target spe12 cific issues such as— 

13 (A) effective practices for instruction and 

14 assessment in mathematics, science, technology, 

15 and literacy; 

16 (B) effective practices for developing in 

17 students the competencies of— 

18 (i) the ability to acquire and use deep 

19 content knowledge to solve problems; 

20 (ii) critical thinking; 

21 (iii) effective communication; 

22 (iv) self-direction; and 

23 (v) the ability to collaborate; 

24 (C) academic interventions for adolescent 

25 English learners; 


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1 (D) school improvement programs and 

2 strategies for closing the academic achievement 

3 gap between the different groups described in 

4 section 1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) of the Elementary 

5 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

6 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(B)(xi)), and for decreasing 

7 rates of suspension and expulsion; 

8 (E) evidence-based or, when available, sci9 entifically valid professional development plan10 ning targeted to improve pedagogy and student 

11 academic achievement and student engagement; 

12 and 

13 (F) the effects of decreased class size or 

14 increased instructional and support staff. 

15 (4) Strengthen the work of the existing national 

16 research and development centers under section 

17 133(c) of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 

18 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9533(c)), as of the date of enact19 ment of this Act, by adding an educational research 

20 and development center dedicated to addressing— 

21 (A) curricular, instructional, and assess22 ment issues pertinent to the middle grades 

23 (such as mathematics, science, technological flu24 ency, and the needs of English learners and 

25 students with disabilities); 


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1 (B) comprehensive reforms for low-per2 forming middle grades; and 

3 (C) other topics pertinent to improving the 

4 academic achievement of middle grades stu5 dents. 

6 (5) Provide grants to nonprofit organizations, 

7 for-profit organizations, institutions of higher edu8 cation, and others to partner with State educational 

9 agencies and local educational agencies to develop, 

10 adapt, or replicate effective models for turning 

11 around low-performing schools serving middle grades 

12 students. 

13 SEC. 203. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; RESERVA14 TIONS. 

15 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title 

17 $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2024, which amount shall re18 main available for obligation through fiscal year 2028. 

19 (b) RESERVATIONS.—From the total amount made 

20 available to carry out this title, the Secretary shall re21 serve— 

22 (1) 2.5 percent for the studies described in sub23 sections (a) and (b) of section 202; 

24 (2) 5 percent for the clearinghouse described in 

25 section 202(c)(1); 


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1 (3) 5 percent for the database described in sec2 tion 202(c)(2); 

3 (4) 42.5 percent for the activities described in 

4 section 202(c)(3); 

5 (5) 15 percent for the activities described in 

6 section 202(c)(4); and 

7 (6) 30 percent for the activities described in 

8 section 202(c)(5). 

Æ 


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