I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1115
To amend the Goals 2000: Educate America Act to restore opportunity-
to-learn standards.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 18, 1997
Mr. OWENS (for himself, Mr. MARTINEZ, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mr. PAYNE,
Mr. FLAKE, Mr. FORD, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr.
FATTAH, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. SCOTT, Ms. NORTON, Mr. FROST, Ms.
LOFGREN, and Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To amend the Goals 2000: Educate America Act to restore
opportunity-to-learn standards.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Opportunity-to-Learn
Standards Implementation Act’’.
SEC. 2. GOALS 2000: EDUCATE AMERICA ACT.
(a) REFERENCES.—Except as otherwise expressly
provided, whenever in this section an amendment or repeal
is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of,
a title, chapter, part, subpart, section, subsection, or other
provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to
a title, chapter, part, subpart, section, subsection, or other
provision of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (20
U.S.C. 5801 et seq.).
(b) 
OPPORTUNITY-TO-LEARN
DEVELOPMENT
GRANT.—The Act is amended—
(1) by redesignating parts B and C as parts C
and D, respectively; and
(2) by inserting after part A the following:
‘‘PART B—OPPORTUNITY-TO-LEARN
DEVELOPMENT GRANT
‘‘SEC. 
211. 
OPPORTUNITY-TO-LEARN 
DEVELOPMENT
GRANT.
‘‘(a) 
OPPORTUNITY-TO-LEARN
DEVELOPMENT
GRANTS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized
to award more than one grant, on a competitive
basis, to consortia of individuals and organizations
to develop voluntary national opportunity-to-learn
standards, and to develop a listing of model pro-
grams for use, on a voluntary basis, by States, which
standards and listing may be used to—
‘‘(A) provide all students with an oppor-
tunity to learn;
‘‘(B) assess the capacity and performance
of individual schools; and
‘‘(C) develop appropriate actions to be
taken in the event that the schools fail to
achieve such standards.
‘‘(2) COMPOSITION OF CONSORTIA.—To the ex-
tent possible, each consortium shall include the par-
ticipation of—
‘‘(A) State-level policymakers, such as Gov-
ernors, State legislators, chief State school offi-
cers, and State school board members;
‘‘(B) local policymakers and administra-
tors, such as local school board members, su-
perintendents, and principals;
‘‘(C) teachers (especially teachers involved
in the development of content standards) and
related services personnel;
‘‘(D) parents and individuals with experi-
ence in promoting parental involvement in edu-
cation;
‘‘(E) representatives of business;
‘‘(F) experts in vocational-technical edu-
cation;
‘‘(G) representatives of regional accrediting
associations;
‘‘(H) individuals with expertise in school fi-
nance and equity, the education of at-risk stu-
dents, and the preparation and training of
teachers and school administrators;
‘‘(I) curriculum and school reform experts;
‘‘(J) representatives of advocacy groups,
including student and civil rights advocacy
groups;
‘‘(K) representatives of higher education;
and
‘‘(L) secondary school students.
‘‘(3) DUTIES
OF
CONSORTIA.—In developing
voluntary national opportunity-to-learn standards,
each consortium shall—
‘‘(A) draw upon current research about
student achievement and the necessary condi-
tions for effective teaching and learning; and
‘‘(B) provide for the development of more
than one draft of standards which incorporate
the comments and recommendations of edu-
cators and other knowledgeable individuals
across the Nation.
‘‘(4) EXPERTISE OR BACKGROUND.—One-third
of the members of each consortium shall consist of
individuals with expertise or background in the edu-
cational needs and assessment of children who are
from low-income families, are from minority back-
grounds, have limited-English proficiency, or have
disabilities.
‘‘(5) 
GEOGRAPHIC
REPRESENTATION.—The
membership of each consortium shall be geographi-
cally representative and reflect the racial, ethnic,
and gender diversity of the United States.
‘‘(b) APPLICATIONS.—Each consortium that desires
to receive a grant under this subsection shall submit an
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information and assurances as the
Secretary may require.
‘‘(c) REPORT.—After the development of the vol-
untary national opportunity-to-learn standards, each con-
sortium receiving assistance under this section shall sub-
mit a report to the Secretary which discusses the back-
ground, important issues, and rationale regarding such
standards.
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for fiscal
year 1998 and such sums as may be necessary for each
of the fiscal years 1999 through 2002, to carry out this
section.’’.
(c) DEFINITIONS.—Section 3(a) of the Act is amend-
ed—
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through
(13) as paragraphs (8) through (14), respectively;
(2) by inserting after paragraph (6) the follow-
ing:
‘‘(7) the term ‘opportunity-to-learn standards’
means the criteria for, and the basis of, assessing
the sufficiency or quality of the resources, practices,
and conditions necessary at each level of the edu-
cation system (schools, local educational agencies,
and States) to provide all students with an oppor-
tunity to learn the material in voluntary national
content standards or State content standards.’’.
(d) NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL.—Section
202(j) of the Act is amended by striking ‘‘or student per-
formances’’ and inserting ‘‘, student performance, or op-
portunity-to-learn’’.
(e) DUTIES OF THE GOALS PANEL.—Section 203 of
the Act is amended by striking paragraph (2) and insert-
ing the following:
‘‘(2) report on State opportunity-to-learn stand-
ards and strategies and the progress of States that
are implementing such standards and strategies to
help all students meet State content standards and
State student performance standards.’’.
(f) POWERS
OF
THE
GOALS
PANEL.—Section
204(a)(2) of the Act is amended by inserting ‘‘voluntary
national opportunity-to-learn standards,’’ before ‘‘and
State assessments.’’.
(g) STATE IMPROVEMENT PLANS.—Section 306 of
the Act is amended—
(1) by inserting after subsection (c) the follow-
ing:
‘‘(d) OPPORTUNITY-TO-LEARN
STANDARDS
AND
STRATEGIES.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Each State improvement
plan shall establish standards or strategies for pro-
viding all students with an opportunity to learn.
Such standards or strategies shall include such fac-
tors as the State deems appropriate to ensure that
all students receive a fair opportunity to achieve the
knowledge and skills as described in State content
standards and State student performance standards
adopted by the State.
‘‘(2) IMPLEMENTATION.—Notwithstanding any
other provision of this Act, the implementation of
opportunity-to-learn standards or strategies shall be
voluntary on the part of the States, local educational
agencies, and schools.
‘‘(3) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section
shall be construed to—
‘‘(A) mandate equalized spending per pupil
for a State, local educational agency, or school;
or
‘‘(B) mandate national school building
standards for a State, local educational agency,
or school.’’; and
(2) in subsection (e), by inserting ‘‘State oppor-
tunity-to-learn standards or strategies,’’ before ‘‘and
State assessments.’’.
(h) STATE USES OF FUNDS.—Section 308(b)(2)(A)
of the Act is amended by inserting ‘‘State opportunity-
to-learn standards,’’ before ‘‘and State assessments’’.
(i) ASSISTANCE
TO OUTLYING AREAS
AND SEC-
RETARY
OF INTERIOR.—Section 315(b) of the Act is
amended—
(1) in paragraph (1)(C) by inserting ‘‘, includ-
ing the requirements for timetables for opportunity-
to-learn standards,’’ after ‘‘improvement plans’’;
(2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol-
lows:
‘‘(2) PLAN
SPECIFICS.—The reform and im-
provement plan shall include, in addition to the re-
quirements described above, specific provisions for—
‘‘(A) opportunity-to-learn standards per-
taining to residential programs and transpor-
tation costs associated with programs located
on or near reservations or serving students in
off-reservation residential boarding schools;
‘‘(B) review and incorporation of the Na-
tional Education Goals and the voluntary na-
tional content standards, voluntary national
student performance standards, and voluntary
national opportunity-to-learn standards, pro-
vided that such review shall include the issues
of cultural and language differences; and’’.
(3) in subsection (c)(1)(A) by inserting ‘‘and to
provide a framework for the implementation of op-
portunity-to-learn standards or strategies’’ before
the period.
(j) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 90 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Edu-
cation shall promulgate regulations or guidelines regard-
ing the implementation of opportunity-to-learn standards.