127 
(B) in paragraph (3), by— 
(i) inserting ‘‘for teachers with mas-
ter’s degrees in their field’’ after ‘‘Teach-
ing Fellowships’’; and 
(ii) by striking the period at the end 
of subparagraph (B) and inserting ‘‘; 
and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(4) in the case of National Science Foundation 
Master Teaching Fellowships for teachers with bach-
elor’s degrees in their field— 
‘‘(A) offering academic courses leading to 
a master’s degree and leadership training to 
prepare individuals to become master teachers 
in elementary and secondary schools; and 
‘‘(B) offering programs both during and 
after matriculation in the program for which 
the fellowship is received to enable fellows to 
become 
highly 
effective 
mathematics 
and 
science teachers, including mentoring, training, 
induction, and professional development activi-
ties, to fulfill the service requirements of this 
section, including the requirements of sub-
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section (e), and to exchange ideas with others 
in their fields.’’; 
(3) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘subsection 
(g)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (h)’’; and 
(4) by adding after subsection (f) the following 
new subsection: 
‘‘(g) SUPPORT FOR MASTER TEACHING FELLOWS 
WHILE ENROLLED IN A MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAM.— 
A National Science Foundation Master Teacher Fellow 
may receive a maximum of 1 year of fellowship support 
while enrolled in a master’s degree program as described 
in subsection (c)(4)(A), except that if such fellow is en-
rolled in a part-time program, such amount shall be pro-
rated according to the length of the program.’’. 
SEC. 327. INFORMAL STEM EDUCATION. 
(a) GRANTS.—The Director, through the Directorate 
for Education and Human Resources, shall continue to 
award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to support— 
(1) research and development of innovative out- 
of-school STEM learning and emerging STEM 
learning environments in order to improve STEM 
learning outcomes and engagement in STEM; and 
(2) research that advances the field of informal 
STEM education. 
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(b) USES OF FUNDS.—Activities supported by grants 
under this section may encompass a single STEM dis-
cipline, multiple STEM disciplines, or integrative STEM 
initiatives and shall include— 
(1) research and development that improves our 
understanding of learning and engagement in infor-
mal environments, including the role of informal en-
vironments in broadening participation in STEM; 
and 
(2) design and testing of innovative STEM 
learning models, programs, and other resources for 
informal learning environments to improve STEM 
learning outcomes and increase engagement for K– 
12 students, K–12 teachers, and the general public, 
including design and testing of the scalability of 
models, programs, and other resources. 
SEC. 328. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TO SUPPORT IM-
PROVED K–12 LEARNING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director, acting through the 
Directorate for Education and Human Resources, shall 
award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to support re-
search and development on alignment, implementation, 
impact, and ongoing improvement of standards and equiv-
alent learning expectations used by States in mathematics, 
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science, and, as appropriate, other State-based STEM 
standards. 
(b) RESEARCH AREAS.—In making awards under 
this section, the Director shall consider proposals for re-
search and development, including, as appropriate, large- 
scale research and development, of— 
(1) resources, including virtual resources such 
as web portals, for content, professional develop-
ment, and research results; 
(2) teacher education and professional develop-
ment; 
(3) learning progressions; 
(4) assessments; 
(5) metrics for evaluating the impact of stand-
ards; and 
(6) other areas of research and development 
that are likely to contribute to the alignment, imple-
mentation, impact, and ongoing improvement of 
standards in STEM subjects. 
TITLE IV—NATIONAL INSTITUTE 
OF STANDARDS AND TECH-
NOLOGY 
SEC. 401. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘National Institute of 
Standards and Technology Authorization Act of 2015’’. 
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