(i) a description and analysis of the 
high school’s capacity to implement the 
school improvement activities identified in 
the high school improvement plan, includ-
ing an analysis of— 
(I) the number, experience, train-
ing level, responsibilities, and stability 
of existing administrative, instruc-
tional, and noninstructional staff for 
the high school; and 
(II) a review of the budget, in-
cluding how Federal, State, and local 
funds are being spent, as of the time 
of the assessment, for instruction and 
operations at the school level for staff 
salaries, instructional materials, pro-
fessional development, and student 
support services, in order to establish 
the extent to which existing resources 
need to and can be reallocated to sup-
port the needed school improvement 
activities; 
(ii) additional resources and staff nec-
essary to implement the school improve-
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ment activities identified in the high school 
improvement plan; and 
(iii) an analysis of the local edu-
cational agency’s capacity to provide tech-
nical assistance, additional staff, and re-
sources to implement the high school im-
provement plan and to improve the high 
school’s performance. 
(B) 
ASSESSMENT
REQUIREMENTS.—A 
local educational agency shall use the informa-
tion provided in the capacity and needs assess-
ment for a high school, in coordination with the 
high school’s school improvement plan and the 
understanding of the reform history of high 
schools, to— 
(i) determine the level and direct the 
use of— 
(I) the funds requested by the 
local educational agency for the high 
school under the subgrant under this 
section; and 
(II) any additional funding to be 
provided by the State educational 
agency, the local educational agency, 
or other sources; and 
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(ii) to determine the number and di-
rect the use of secondary school reform 
partners and external partners. 
(C) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—A local edu-
cational agency may request technical assist-
ance from the State educational agency in pre-
paring the plan and the capacity and needs as-
sessment required under this paragraph. 
(c) AUTHORITY TO INTERVENE.—The State edu-
cational agency may intervene to develop or implement the 
high school improvement plans, or enter into contracts 
with secondary school reform partners to assist local edu-
cational agencies with the development and implementa-
tion of high school improvement plans, if the State edu-
cational agency determines that— 
(1) a local educational agency serving a high 
school in whole school reform or replacement has not 
submitted an application described in section 109(b); 
or 
(2) a local educational agency does not have the 
capacity to implement the school improvement activi-
ties described in the school improvement plan sub-
mitted under subsection (b)(4). 
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SEC. 111. SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The school improvement team de-
scribed in section 110(b)(2) for each high school identified 
for a school improvement category described in section 
106(b)(2) shall ensure that the school improvement activi-
ties included in the school improvement plan are imple-
mented. 
(b) TARGETED
INTERVENTIONS.—A high school 
identified for targeted interventions under section 
110(b)(1) or the local educational agency serving such 
high school, shall implement research-based targeted 
interventions, using data from the school performance in-
dicators, the early warning indicator system, other student 
indicators, and the capacity and needs assessment for the 
high school. The targeted interventions shall be designed, 
at a minimum, to address the specific problems identified 
by the indicators, including the needs of students who are 
not making sufficient progress to graduate in the standard 
number of years. 
(c) WHOLE SCHOOL REFORM.—The local educational 
agency or State educational agency, with technical assist-
ance from secondary school reform partners, shall enable 
and assist each school identified as needing whole school 
reform pursuant to section 110(b)(1) to implement whole 
school reform based on scientifically valid research using 
the data described in section 110(b)(3). Such reform— 
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(1) shall address the comprehensive aspects of 
high school reform, including— 
(A) schoolwide needs; 
(B) students who need targeted assistance; 
and 
(C) students who need intensive interven-
tions, including those who are not making suffi-
cient progress to graduate on time; 
(2) shall address schoolwide factors to improve 
student achievement, including— 
(A) setting high expectations and infusing 
relevance into learning for all students; 
(B) personalizing the high school experi-
ence; and 
(C) improving school climate, including 
student attendance and behavior; 
(3) shall include activities that— 
(A) ensure continuous improvement by— 
(i) ensuring the school improvement 
plan is supported to the extent practicable 
by all school staff; 
(ii) establishing clear— 
(I) goals and growth targets for 
implementation outcomes; and 
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(II) school annual growth tar-
gets; and 
(iii) regularly evaluating implementa-
tion of and fidelity to the high school im-
provement plan, such as dedicating a staff 
member to support implementation of the 
school improvement plan; 
(B) organize the school to improve teach-
ing and learning, including through— 
(i) strategic use of time, such as— 
(I) establishing common planning 
time for subject area teachers and 
interdisciplinary teams who share 
common groups of students; 
(II) utilizing block scheduling or 
redesigning the school calendar year 
or day to create extended learning 
time in core subjects; or 
(III) creating a flexible school pe-
riod to address specific student aca-
demic needs and interests such as 
credit recovery, electives, or service 
learning; 
(ii) alignment of resources to improve-
ment goals, such as through ensuring that 
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students in their initial year in the high 
school are taught by teachers prepared to 
meet their specific learning needs; and 
(iii) development of effective leader-
ship structures, supports, and clear deci-
sion-making processes, such as through de-
veloping distributive leadership and leader-
ship teams; 
(C) improve curriculum and instruction, 
including through— 
(i) increasing access to rigorous and 
advanced coursework, including adoption 
and implementation of a college- and work- 
ready curriculum, and evidence-based, en-
gaging instructional materials aligned with 
such a curriculum, for all students; 
(ii) increasing access to contextualized 
learning opportunities aligned with readi-
ness for postsecondary education and the 
workforce, such as— 
(I) providing work-based, project- 
based, and service-learning opportuni-
ties; or 
(II) providing a high quality, col-
lege preparatory curriculum in the 
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context of a rigorous career and tech-
nical education core; 
(iii) regularly collecting and using 
data to inform instruction, such as— 
(I) through use of formative as-
sessments; 
(II) creating and using common 
grading rubrics; or 
(III) identifying effective instruc-
tional approaches to meet student 
needs; and 
(iv) emphasizing core skills instruc-
tion, such as literacy, across content areas; 
(D) provide students with academic and 
social support to address individual student 
learning needs, including through— 
(i) increasing personalization through 
learning structures that facilitate the de-
velopment of student and staff relation-
ships such as— 
(I) implementing grade 9 acad-
emies or thematic smaller learning 
communities; 
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(II) establishing teams of teach-
ers who work exclusively with small 
groups of students; or 
(III) creating advisor positions to 
provide students with study, organiza-
tional, and social skills; 
(ii) offering extended-learning, credit 
recovery, mentoring, or tutoring options of 
sufficient scale to meet student needs; 
(iii) providing evidence-based acceler-
ated learning for students with academic 
skill levels below grade level; 
(iv) coordinating and increasing ac-
cess to integrated services, such as pro-
viding additional counselors, social work-
ers, and behavior and mental health pro-
viders to deliver such services; and 
(v) providing graduation and postsec-
ondary planning and transition supports, 
including college awareness and planning; 
(E) increase teacher and school leader ef-
fectiveness, including through— 
(i) professional development activities 
that respond to student and schoolwide 
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needs as identified through the data de-
scribed in section 110(b)(3), such as— 
(I) training teachers, leaders, and 
administrators together with staff 
from high schools making adequate 
yearly progress that serve similar pop-
ulations and in such schools; and 
(II) establishing peer learning 
and coaching among teachers; and 
(ii) facilitating collaboration, including 
through professional communities across 
subject area and interdisciplinary groups 
and similar high schools; and 
(F) engage families and community part-
ners, including community-based organizations, 
organizations assisting parent involvement, in-
stitutions of higher education, and industry, in 
school improvement activities through evidence- 
based strategies; and 
(4) may include— 
(A) providing enabling policies, such as ad-
ditional flexibility regarding staffing and com-
pensation, budgeting, student credit attainment, 
or use of school time, that support the imple-
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mentation of effective school improvement ac-
tivities and educational options; 
(B) implementing multiple school options 
or effective school models that address the 
needs of students who are not making sufficient 
progress to graduate in the standard number of 
years or have dropped out of high school, as in-
formed by analysis of school performance indi-
cator data described in section 106(b)(3) and 
early warning indicator system data described 
in section 110(b)(6)(A); and 
(C) other activities designed to address 
whole school needs, such as implementing a 
comprehensive reform model for the high 
school. 
(d) REPLACEMENT.—The local educational agency, 
in consultation with the State educational agency, sec-
ondary school reform partners, and external partners, 
shall replace each high school that, using data under sec-
tion 110(b)(3), is identified for replacement pursuant to 
section 110(b)(1). The local educational agency shall en-
sure successful implementation of the replacement strat-
egy through— 
(1) closing and reopening the schools or imple-
menting multiple school options or effective school 
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models that address the needs of students in the re-
placed schools, including students who are not mak-
ing sufficient progress to graduate in the standard 
number of years or have dropped out of high school; 
(2) providing enabling policies, such as addi-
tional flexibility regarding staffing and compensa-
tion, budgeting, or use of school time; and 
(3) implementing activities described in sub-
section (c). 
SEC. 112. EVALUATION AND REPORTING. 
(a) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORTING.—On 
an annual basis, each local educational agency receiving 
a subgrant under section 109 shall report to the State 
educational agency and to the public on— 
(1) the identified category of school improve-
ment for each high school in the school that failed 
to make adequate yearly progress for the most re-
cent 2 consecutive years; 
(2) the school performance indicators (as de-
scribed in section 106(b)(3)) for each such high 
school, in the aggregate and disaggregated by the 
subgroups described in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(C)(v)(II)); 
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(3) each such high school’s progress in meeting 
the high school’s annual growth targets under sec-
tion 110(b)(4)(A); and 
(4) the use of funds by the local educational 
agency and each such school. 
(b) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORTING.—On 
an annual basis, each State educational agency receiving 
a grant under this title shall prepare and submit to the 
Secretary, and make available to the public, a report on— 
(1) the school performance indicators (as de-
scribed in section 106(b)(3)) for each high school 
served by the State educational agency that receives 
assistance under this title, in the aggregate and 
disaggregated by the subgroups described in section 
1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary 
Education 
Act 
of 
1965 
(20 
U.S.C. 
6311(b)(2)(C)(v)(II)); 
(2) progress in meeting the annual growth tar-
gets under section 110(b)(4)(A) for each such high 
school; 
(3) the high schools in the State that have 
changed school improvement categories pursuant to 
section 110(b)(7); 
(4) the use of funds by each local educational 
agency and each school served with such funds; 
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