I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2790 

To create or adopt, and implement, rigorous and voluntary American education content standards in mathematics and science covering kindergarten through grade 12, to provide for the assessment of student proficiency benchmarked against such standards, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 10, 2009 

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

Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To create or adopt, and implement, rigorous and voluntary 

American education content standards in mathematics 

and science covering kindergarten through grade 12, to 

provide for the assessment of student proficiency 

benchmarked against such standards, and for other purposes. 

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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Standards to Provide Educational Achievement for Kids 

6 Act’’ or the ‘‘SPEAK Act’’. 


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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Assessing science in the National Assessment of Educational Progress. 

Sec. 4. Definitions. 

Sec. 5. Voluntary American education content standards; American Standards 

Incentive Fund. 

Sec. 6. Authorization of appropriations. 

3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) Throughout the years, educators and policy6 makers have consistently embraced standards as the 

7 mechanism to ensure that every student, no matter 

8 what school the student attends, masters the skills 

9 and develops the knowledge needed to participate in 

10 a global economy. 

11 (2) Recent international comparisons make 

12 clear that students in the United States have signifi13 cant shortcomings in mathematics and science, yet a 

14 high level of scientific and mathematics literacy is 

15 essential to societal innovations and advancements. 

16 (3) With more than 50 different sets of aca17 demic content standards, 50 State academic assess18 ments, and 50 definitions of proficiency under sec19 tion 1111(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu20 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)), there is 

21 great variability in the measures, standards, and 


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1 benchmarks for academic achievement in mathe2 matics and science. 

3 (4) Variation in State standards and the ac4 companying measures of proficiency make it difficult 

5 for parents and teachers to meaningfully gauge how 

6 well their children are learning mathematics and 

7 science in comparison to their peers internationally 

8 or here at home. 

9 (5) The disparity in the rigor of standards 

10 across States yields test results that tell the public 

11 little about how schools are performing and pro12 gressing, as States with low standards or low pro13 ficiency requirements may appear to be doing much 

14 better than States with more rigorous standards or 

15 higher requirements for proficiency. 

16 (6) As a result, the United States highly mobile 

17 student-aged population moves through the Nation’s 

18 schools gaining widely varying levels of knowledge, 

19 skills, and preparedness. 

20 (7) In order for the United States to compete 

21 in a global economy, the country needs to strengthen 

22 its educational expectations for all children. 

23 (8) To compete, the people of the United States 

24 must compare themselves against international 

25 benchmarks. 


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1 (9) Grounded in a real world analysis and inter2 national comparisons of what students need to suc3 ceed in work and college, rigorous and voluntary 

4 core American education content standards will keep 

5 the United States economically competitive and en6 sure that the children of the United States are given 

7 the same opportunity to learn to a high standard no 

8 matter where they reside. 

9 (10) Rigorous and voluntary core American 

10 education content standards in mathematics and 

11 science will enable students to succeed in academic 

12 settings across States while ensuring an American 

13 edge in the global marketplace. 

14 SEC. 3. ASSESSING SCIENCE IN THE NATIONAL ASSESS15 MENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS. 

16 (a) NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL

17 PROGRESS AUTHORIZATION ACT.—Section 303 of the Na18 tional Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization 

19 Act (20 U.S.C. 9622) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘, State as21 sessments,’’ and inserting ‘‘and State assessments in 

22 reading, mathematics, and science’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (b)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting 

25 ‘‘science,’’ after ‘‘mathematics,’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

2 (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

3 ‘‘reading and mathematics’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘reading, mathematics, and science’’; 

5 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

6 ‘‘reading and mathematics’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘reading, mathematics, and science’’; 

8 (iii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

9 ‘‘science,’’; and 

10 (iv) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

11 ‘‘reading and mathematics’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘reading, mathematics, and science’’; 

13 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

14 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

15 ‘‘reading and mathematics’’ each place the 

16 term occurs and inserting ‘‘reading, mathe17 matics, and science’’; and 

18 (ii) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by strik19 ing ‘‘reading and mathematics’’ and insert20 ing ‘‘reading, mathematics, and science’’; 

21 and 

22 (D) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ‘‘, re23 quire, or influence’’ and inserting ‘‘or require’’; 


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1 (3) in subsection (d)(3), by striking ‘‘reading 

2 and mathematics’’ each place the term occurs and 

3 inserting ‘‘reading, mathematics, and science’’; and 

4 (4) in subsection (f)(1)(B)(v), by striking ‘‘and 

5 mathematical knowledge’’ and inserting ‘‘, mathe6 matical knowledge, and science knowledge’’. 

7 (b) ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT

8 OF 1965.—Subpart 1 of part A of title I of the Elemen9 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

10 6311 et seq.) is amended— 

11 (1) in section 1111(c)(2) (20 U.S.C. 

12 6311(c)(2))— 

13 (A) by inserting ‘‘(and, for science, begin14 ning with the 2010–2011 school year)’’ after 

15 ‘‘2002–2003’’; and 

16 (B) by striking ‘‘reading and mathe17 matics’’ and inserting ‘‘reading, mathematics, 

18 and science’’; and 

19 (2) in section 1112(b)(1)(F) (20 U.S.C. 

20 6312(b)(1)(F)), by striking ‘‘reading and mathe21 matics’’ and inserting ‘‘reading, mathematics, and 

22 science’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

2 Section 304 of the National Assessment of Edu3 cational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9623) is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

6 striking ‘‘In this title:’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as 

7 otherwise provided, in this title:’’; 

8 (2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para9 graph (3); and 

10 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

13 the Secretary of Education.’’. 

14 SEC. 5. VOLUNTARY AMERICAN EDUCATION CONTENT 

15 STANDARDS; AMERICAN STANDARDS INCEN16 TIVE FUND. 

17 The National Assessment of Educational Progress 

18 Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9621 et seq.) is amended— 

19 (1) by redesignating sections 304 (as amended 

20 by section 4) and 305 as sections 306 and 307, re21 spectively; and 

22 (2) by inserting after section 303 the following: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 304. CREATION OR ADOPTION OF VOLUNTARY AMER24 ICAN EDUCATION CONTENT STANDARDS. 

25 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the 

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1 cational Achievement for Kids Act and from amounts ap2 propriated under section 307(a)(3) for a fiscal year, the 

3 Assessment Board shall create or adopt voluntary Amer4 ican education content standards in mathematics and 

5 science covering kindergarten through grade 12. 

6 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Assessment Board shall imple7 ment subsection (a) by carrying out the following duties: 

8 ‘‘(1) Create or adopt voluntary American edu9 cation content standards for mathematics and 

10 science covering kindergarten through grade 12 that 

11 reflect a common core of what students in the 

12 United States should know and be able to do to 

13 compete in a global economy. 

14 ‘‘(2) Anchor the voluntary American education 

15 content standards based on the mathematics and 

16 science frameworks and the achievement levels under 

17 section 303(e) of the National Assessment of Edu18 cational Progress for grades 4, 8, and 12. 

19 ‘‘(3) Ensure that the voluntary American edu20 cation content standards reflect international stand21 ards of excellence and the latest developments in the 

22 fields of mathematics and science. 

23 ‘‘(4) Review existing standards in mathematics 

24 and science developed by professional organizations. 


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1 ‘‘(5) Review State standards in mathematics 

2 and science as of the date of enactment of the 

3 Standards to Provide Educational Achievement for 

4 Kids Act and consult and work with entities that are 

5 developing, or have already developed, such State 

6 standards. 

7 ‘‘(6) Review the reports, views, and analyses of 

8 a broad spectrum of experts, including classroom 

9 educators, and of the public, as such reports, views, 

10 and analyses relate to mathematics and science edu11 cation, including— 

12 ‘‘(A) reviews of blue ribbon reports; 

13 ‘‘(B) exemplary practices in the field; and 

14 ‘‘(C) recent reports by government agen15 cies and professional organizations. 

16 ‘‘(7) Review scientifically rigorous studies that 

17 examine the relationship between— 

18 ‘‘(A) the sequences of secondary school19 level mathematics and science courses; and 

20 ‘‘(B) student achievement. 

21 ‘‘(8) Ensure that steps are taken in the devel22 opment of the voluntary American education content 

23 standards to recognize the needs of students who re24 ceive special education and related services under 

25 the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 


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1 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) and of students who are limited 

2 English proficient (as defined in section 9101 of the 

3 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

4 (20 U.S.C. 7801)). 

5 ‘‘(9) Solicit input from State and local rep6 resentative organizations, mathematics and science 

7 organizations (including mathematics and science 

8 teacher organizations), institutions of higher edu9 cation, higher education organizations, business or10 ganizations, and other appropriate organizations. 

11 ‘‘(10) Ensure that the voluntary American edu12 cation content standards reflect what students will 

13 be required to know and be able to do after sec14 ondary school graduation to be academically quali15 fied to enter an institution of higher education or 

16 training for the civilian or military workforce. 

17 ‘‘(11) Widely disseminate the voluntary Amer18 ican education content standards for public review 

19 and comment before final adoption. 

20 ‘‘(12) Provide for continuing review of the vol21 untary American education content standards not 

22 less often than once every 10 years, which review— 

23 ‘‘(A) shall solicit input from organizations 

24 and entities, including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) 1 or more professional mathe2 matics or science organizations, including 

3 mathematics or science educator organiza4 tions; 

5 ‘‘(ii) the State educational agencies 

6 that have received American Standards In7 centive Fund grants under section 305 

8 during the period covered by the review; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(iii) other organizations and entities, 

11 as determined appropriate by the Assess12 ment Board; and 

13 ‘‘(B) shall address issues including— 

14 ‘‘(i) whether the voluntary American 

15 education content standards continue to 

16 reflect international standards of excellence 

17 and the latest developments in the fields of 

18 mathematics and science; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) whether the voluntary American 

20 education content standards continue to 

21 reflect what students are required to know 

22 and be able to do in science and mathe23 matics after graduation from secondary 

24 school to be academically qualified to enter 

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1 ing for the civilian or military workforce, 

2 as of the date of the review. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 305. THE AMERICAN STANDARDS INCENTIVE FUND. 

4 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The terms ‘elementary 

6 school’, ‘local educational agency’, ‘professional de7 velopment’, ‘secondary school’, ‘State’, and ‘State 

8 educational agency’ have the meanings given the 

9 terms in section 9101 of the Elementary and Sec10 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

11 ‘‘(2) ACADEMIC CONTENT STANDARDS.—The 

12 term ‘academic content standards’ means the chal13 lenging academic content standards described in sec14 tion 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary 

15 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1)). 

16 ‘‘(3) LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT.—The term 

17 ‘levels of achievement’ means the State levels of 

18 achievement under subclauses (II) and (III) of sec19 tion 1111(b)(1)(D)(ii) of the Elementary and Sec20 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

21 6311(b)(1)(D)(ii) (II), (III)). 

22 ‘‘(4) STATE ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS.—The 

23 term ‘State academic assessments’ means the aca24 demic assessments for a State described in section 


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1 1111(b)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu2 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(3)). 

3 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.—From amounts 

4 appropriated under section 307(a)(4) for a fiscal year, the 

5 Secretary shall establish and fund the American Stand6 ards Incentive Fund to carry out the grant program under 

7 subsection (c). 

8 ‘‘(c) INCENTIVE GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months 

10 after the Assessment Board adopts the voluntary 

11 American education content standards under section 

12 304, the Secretary shall use amounts available from 

13 the American Standards Incentive Fund to award, 

14 on a competitive basis, grants to State educational 

15 agencies to enable each State educational agency to 

16 adopt the voluntary American education content 

17 standards in mathematics and science as the core of 

18 the State’s academic content standards in mathe19 matics and science by carrying out the activities de20 scribed in subsection (f). 

21 ‘‘(2) DURATION AND AMOUNT.—A grant under 

22 this subsection shall be awarded— 

23 ‘‘(A) for a period of not more than 4 years; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(B) in an amount that is not more than 

2 $4,000,000 over the period of the grant. 

3 ‘‘(3) SEA COLLABORATION PERMITTED.—A 

4 State educational agency receiving a grant under 

5 this subsection may collaborate with another State 

6 educational agency receiving a grant under this sub7 section in carrying out the activities described in 

8 subsection (f). 

9 ‘‘(d) CORE STANDARDS.—A State educational agency 

10 receiving a grant under subsection (c) shall adopt and use 

11 the voluntary American education content standards in 

12 mathematics and science as the core of the State academic 

13 content standards in mathematics and science. The State 

14 educational agency may add additional standards to the 

15 voluntary American education content standards as part 

16 of the State academic content standards in mathematics 

17 and science. 

18 ‘‘(e) STATE APPLICATION.—A State educational 

19 agency desiring to receive a grant under subsection (c) 

20 shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 

21 in such manner, and containing such information as the 

22 Secretary may require. The application shall include— 

23 ‘‘(1) timelines for carrying out each of the ac24 tivities described in subsection (f)(1); and 


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1 ‘‘(2) a description of the activities that the 

2 State educational agency will undertake to imple3 ment the voluntary American education content 

4 standards in mathematics and science adopted under 

5 section 304, and the achievement levels in mathe6 matics and science developed under section 303(e) 

7 for the national and State assessments of the Na8 tional Assessment of Educational Progress, at both 

9 the State educational agency and local educational 

10 agency levels, including any additional activities de11 scribed in subsection (f)(2). 

12 ‘‘(f) USE OF FUNDS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY ACTIVITIES.—A State edu14 cational agency receiving a grant under subsection 

15 (c) shall use grant funds to carry out all of the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(A) Adopt the voluntary American edu18 cation content standards in mathematics and 

19 science as the core of the State’s academic con20 tent standards in mathematics and science not 

21 later than 2 years after the receipt of a grant 

22 under subsection (c). 

23 ‘‘(B) Align the teacher certification or li24 censure, pre-service, and professional develop25 ment requirements of the State to the voluntary 


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1 American education content standards in math2 ematics and science not later than 3 years after 

3 the receipt of the grant. 

4 ‘‘(C) Align the State academic assessments 

5 in mathematics and science (or develop new 

6 such State academic assessments that are 

7 aligned) with the voluntary American education 

8 content standards in mathematics and science 

9 not later than 4 years after the receipt of the 

10 grant. 

11 ‘‘(D) Align the State levels of achievement 

12 in mathematics and science with the student 

13 achievement levels in mathematics and science 

14 developed under section 303(e) for the national 

15 and State assessments of the National Assess16 ment of Educational Progress not later than 4 

17 years after the receipt of the grant. 

18 ‘‘(E) Develop dissemination, technical as19 sistance, and professional development activities 

20 for the purpose of educating local educational 

21 agencies and schools on what the standards 

22 adopted by the State educational agency under 

23 this section are and how the standards can be 

24 incorporated into classroom instruction. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PERMISSIVE ACTIVITIES.—A State edu2 cational agency receiving a grant under subsection 

3 (c) may use the grant funds to carry out, at the 

4 local educational agency or State educational agency 

5 level, any of the following activities: 

6 ‘‘(A) Developing curricula and instruc7 tional materials in mathematics or science that 

8 are aligned with the voluntary American edu9 cation content standards in mathematics and 

10 science. 

11 ‘‘(B) Conducting other activities needed for 

12 the implementation of the voluntary American 

13 education content standards in mathematics 

14 and science. 

15 ‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under 

16 subsection (c), the Secretary shall give priority to a 

17 State educational agency that will use the grant 

18 funds to carry out subparagraph (A) of paragraph 

19 (2). 

20 ‘‘(g) AWARD BASIS.—In determining the amount of 

21 a grant under subsection (c), the Secretary shall take into 

22 consideration— 

23 ‘‘(1) the extent to which a State’s academic 

24 content standards, State academic assessments, lev25 els of achievement in mathematics and science, and 


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1 teacher certification or licensure, pre-service, and 

2 professional development requirements, must be re3 vised to align such State standards, assessments, 

4 levels, and teacher requirements with the voluntary 

5 American education content standards created or 

6 adopted under section 304 and the achievement lev7 els in mathematics and science developed under sec8 tion 303(e); and 

9 ‘‘(2) the planned activities described in the ap10 plication submitted under subsection (e). 

11 ‘‘(h) ANNUAL STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY RE12 PORTS.—A State educational agency receiving a grant 

13 under subsection (c) shall submit an annual report to the 

14 Secretary demonstrating the State educational agency’s 

15 progress in meeting the timelines described in the applica16 tion under subsection (e)(1). 

17 ‘‘(i) GRANTS FOR DOD AND BIA SCHOOLS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SCHOOLS.— 

19 From amounts available from the American Stand20 ards Incentive Fund, the Secretary, upon application 

21 by the Secretary of Defense, may award grants 

22 under subsection (c) to the Secretary of Defense on 

23 behalf of elementary schools and secondary schools 

24 operated by the Department of Defense to enable 

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1 lar to the activities described in subsection (f) for 

2 the elementary schools and secondary schools oper3 ated by the Department of Defense. 

4 ‘‘(2) BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS SCHOOLS.— 

5 From amounts available from the American Stand6 ards Incentive Fund, the Secretary, in consultation 

7 with the Secretary of the Interior, may award grants 

8 under subsection (c) to the Bureau of Indian Affairs 

9 on behalf of elementary schools and secondary 

10 schools operated or funded by the Department of the 

11 Interior to enable the Director of the Bureau of In12 dian Affairs to carry out activities similar to the ac13 tivities described in subsection (f) for the elementary 

14 schools and secondary schools operated or funded by 

15 the Department of the Interior. 

16 ‘‘(j) STUDY.—Not later than 2 years after the com17 pletion of the first 4-year grant cycle for grants under this 

18 section, the Commissioner for Education Statistics shall 

19 carry out a study comparing the gap between the reported 

20 proficiency on State academic assessments and assess21 ments under section 303 for State educational agencies 

22 receiving grants under subsection (c), before and after the 

23 State adopts the voluntary American education content 

24 standards in mathematics and science as the core of the 


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1 State education content standards in mathematics and 

2 science. The study shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) include an analysis of, for each State re4 ceiving a grant under subsection (c) and for the 

5 United States, the gaps in reported proficiency in 

6 mathematics and in science before and after the 

7 adoption of the voluntary American education con8 tent standards, for each grade of students subject to 

9 the assessments under section 303; and 

10 ‘‘(2) further disaggregate the information de11 scribed in paragraph (1) by the race, ethnicity, gen12 der, disability status, migrant status, English pro13 ficiency, and economically disadvantaged status of 

14 the students, except that such disaggregation shall 

15 not be required in a case in which the number of 

16 students in a category is insufficient to yield statis17 tically reliable information or the results would re18 veal personally identifiable information about an in19 dividual student. 

20 ‘‘(k) DATA GRANTS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appro23 priated under section 307(a)(4), the Secretary 

24 shall award, to each State educational agency 

25 that meets the requirements of paragraph (3), 


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1 a grant to enhance statewide student level lon2 gitudinal data systems as those systems relate 

3 to the requirements of part A of title I of the 

4 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

5 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.). 

6 ‘‘(B) DATA AUDIT SYSTEM.—The State, 

7 through the implementation of such enhanced 

8 data system, shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) ensure that the State has in place 

10 a State data audit system to assess data 

11 quality, validity, and reliability; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) provide guidance, technical as13 sistance, and professional development to 

14 local educational agencies to ensure local 

15 education officials and educators have the 

16 tools, knowledge, and protocol necessary to 

17 use the enhanced data system properly, en18 sure the integrity of the data, and be able 

19 to use the data to inform education policy 

20 and practice. 

21 ‘‘(2) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—A grant awarded to 

22 a State educational agency under this subsection 

23 shall be in an amount equal to 5 percent of the 

24 amount allocated to the State under section 1122 of 

25 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 


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1 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6332). If the amounts available 

2 from the American Standards Incentive Fund are 

3 insufficient to pay the full amounts of grants under 

4 this paragraph to all State educational agencies that 

5 receive a grant under this subsection, then the Sec6 retary shall ratably reduce the amount of all grants 

7 under this subsection. 

8 ‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.—In order to receive a 

9 grant under this subsection, a State educational 

10 agency shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) have received a grant under sub12 section (c); and 

13 ‘‘(B) successfully demonstrate to the Sec14 retary that the State has aligned— 

15 ‘‘(i) the State’s academic content 

16 standards and State academic assessments 

17 in mathematics and science, and the 

18 State’s teacher certification or licensure, 

19 pre-service, and professional development 

20 requirements, with the voluntary American 

21 education content standards in mathe22 matics and science; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) the State levels of achievement in 

24 mathematics and science for grades 4, 8, 

25 and 12, with the achievement levels in 


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1 mathematics and science developed under 

2 section 303(e) for such grades. 

3 ‘‘(4) NATURE OF GRANT.—A grant under this 

4 subsection to a State educational agency shall be in 

5 addition to any grant awarded to the State edu6 cational agency under subsection (c). 

7 ‘‘(5) LIMIT ON NUMBER OF GRANTS.—In no 

8 case shall a State educational agency receive more 

9 than 1 grant under this subsection. 

10 ‘‘(l) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 

11 after the date of enactment of the Standards to Provide 

12 Educational Achievement for Kids Act, and every 2 years 

13 thereafter, the Secretary shall report to Congress regard14 ing the status of all grants awarded under this section. 

15 ‘‘(m) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec16 tion shall be construed to establish a preferred national 

17 curriculum or preferred teaching methodology for elemen18 tary school or secondary school instruction. 

19 ‘‘(n) TIMELINE EXTENSION.—The Secretary may ex20 tend the 12-year requirement under section 1111(b)(2)(F) 

21 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

22 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(F)) by not less than 2 years and 

23 by not more than 4 years for a State served by a State 

24 educational agency that receives grants under subsections 

25 (c) and (k).’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 Section 307(a) of the National Assessment of Edu3 cational Progress Authorization Act (as redesignated by 

4 section 5(1)) (20 U.S.C. 9624(a)) is amended to read as 

5 follows: 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap7 propriated— 

8 ‘‘(1) to carry out section 302, $8,750,000 for 

9 fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may be necessary 

10 for each succeeding fiscal year; 

11 ‘‘(2) to carry out section 303, $200,000,000 for 

12 fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may be necessary 

13 for each succeeding fiscal year; 

14 ‘‘(3) to carry out section 304, $3,000,000 for 

15 fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may be necessary 

16 for each succeeding fiscal year; and 

17 ‘‘(4) to carry out section 305, $400,000,000 for 

18 fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may be necessary 

19 for each succeeding fiscal year.’’. 

Æ 


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