(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. References. 
TITLE I—IMPROVING BASIC PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS 
Sec. 101. State plans. 
Sec. 102. Annual State report cards. 
Sec. 103. Local educational agency plans. 
Sec. 104. National assessment of title I. 
TITLE II—IMPROVING TEACHING FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED 
STUDENTS 
Sec. 201. State applications. 
Sec. 202. Local applications and needs assessments. 
Sec. 203. Local use of funds. 
Sec. 204. Subgrants to eligible partnerships. 
TITLE III—GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS IN RURAL 
SCHOOLS 
Sec. 301. Small rural school achievement program. 
Sec. 302. Rural and low-income school program. 
TITLE IV—SUPPORTING ESSENTIAL RESEARCH ON THE 
LEARNING NEEDS OF GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS 
Sec. 401. Supporting essential research on the learning needs of gifted and tal-
ented students. 
TITLE V—GENERAL PROVISIONS 
Sec. 501. Definitions. 
Sec. 502. Amendments to other laws. 
Sec. 503. Effective date. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Academically gifted and talented students 
make up an estimated 6 to 10 percent of the pre-
kindergarten through grade 12 student population, 
totaling between 3,000,000 and 6,000,000 students. 
(2) There is a growing excellence gap at the 
highest levels of achievement between the perform-
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ance of subgroups of students, particularly between 
the performance of students who are African-Amer-
ican or Hispanic and the performance of White stu-
dents, and between low-income students compared to 
their more advantaged peers, on statewide assess-
ments and on the National Assessment of Edu-
cational Progress. 
(3) Advanced students in the United States lag 
behind the performance of similar students in other 
countries, which puts the Nation at a competitive 
disadvantage. 
(4) Gifted and talented students, and high-abil-
ity students who have not been formally identified 
for gifted education services, require modifications to 
the general education curriculum to fully meet their 
potential. 
(5) Effective assessment and instruction of gift-
ed and talented students requires educators to have 
specialized knowledge and skills. 
(6) Ninety percent of teachers nationwide want 
more professional development focused on the skills 
necessary for teaching advanced students. 
(7) Interventions and strategies that have been 
demonstrated to be successful with gifted and tal-
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ented students can be modified to improve the 
achievement of all students. 
(8) The availability of gifted education pro-
grams and services to students who require such 
services is unequal and often relies solely on local re-
sources and leadership, leaving many high-ability 
students from rural areas or who are English lan-
guage learners or Hispanic, African-American, or 
Native American, among others, without access to 
appropriate services. 
(9) There are an estimated 360,000 students in 
the United States who are both gifted and have a 
disability. These ‘‘twice exceptional’’ children present 
special challenges because their disability often 
masks their academic potential or their academic 
strengths may mask their disability, resulting in a 
lack of services and supports for this student popu-
lation. 
(10) The development and dissemination of re-
search and national data on gifted and talented stu-
dents is necessary to— 
(A) guide evidence-based classroom prac-
tices vital to meeting the unique needs of this 
population of students; and 
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(B) contribute to the decisionmaking of 
educators, families, and policymakers. 
SEC. 3. REFERENCES. 
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 
this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 
of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 
section or other provision of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.). 
TITLE I—IMPROVING BASIC 
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS 
SEC. 101. STATE PLANS. 
(a) ACCOUNTABILITY.—Section 1111(b)(2)(A) (20 
U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(A)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 
semicolon; 
(2) in clause (iii), by striking the period at the 
end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(iv) include a recognition program 
for local educational agencies in the State 
that, for each category of students de-
scribed in subparagraph (C)(v), signifi-
cantly increase the proportion of students 
scoring at or above the advanced level of 
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achievement on the State academic assess-
ments under paragraph (3).’’. 
(b) STATE ASSESSMENTS.—Section 1111(b)(3)(C) 
(20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(3)(C)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (xiv), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 
semicolon; 
(2) in clause (xv), by striking the period at the 
end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(xvi) measure individual academic 
achievement, including measuring above 
grade level achievement.’’. 
(c) ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM.—Section 1111(b)(8) 
(20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(8)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as sub-
paragraph (F); and 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(E) the specific steps the State edu-
cational agency will take to assist each local 
educational agency and school affected by the 
State plan to provide additional educational as-
sistance to individual students who— 
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‘‘(i) perform at the advanced level of 
achievement on the State academic assess-
ments described in paragraph (3); and 
‘‘(ii) are gifted and talented (including 
high-ability students with disabilities, high- 
ability students who are limited English 
proficient, and other high-ability students 
who have not previously been formally 
identified for gifted education services); 
and’’. 
SEC. 102. ANNUAL STATE REPORT CARDS. 
Section 1111(h)(1)(C) (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)(1)(C)) is 
amended— 
(1) in clause (vii), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 
semicolon; 
(2) by redesignating clause (viii) as clause (ix); 
and 
(3) by inserting after clause (vii) the following: 
‘‘(viii) a comparison of the perform-
ance of students between different local 
educational agencies across the State at 
each level of achievement described in sub-
section (b)(1)(D)(ii), disaggregated by the 
subgroups 
described 
in 
subsection 
(b)(2)(C)(v); and’’. 
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SEC. 103. LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY PLANS. 
(a) PLAN
PROVISIONS.—Section 1112(b)(1) (20 
U.S.C. 6312(b)(1)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (P), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
(2) in subparagraph (Q), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(R) a description of how the local edu-
cational agency will— 
‘‘(i) identify gifted and talented stu-
dents, including high-ability students with 
disabilities, high-ability students who are 
limited English proficient, and other high- 
ability students who have not previously 
been formally identified for gifted edu-
cation services; and 
‘‘(ii) 
implement 
educational 
ap-
proaches at the elementary and secondary 
levels to support the learning needs of gift-
ed and talented students to ensure that 
such students make appropriate learning 
gains, such as early entrance to kinder-
garten, 
enrichment, 
acceleration, 
cur-
riculum compacting, and dual enrollment 
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in secondary school and postsecondary edu-
cation.’’. 
(b) SCHOOLWIDE PROGRAMS.—Section 1114(b)(1) 
(20 U.S.C. 6314(b)(1)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(K) A description of how the school will 
identify gifted and talented students, including 
high-ability students with disabilities, high-abil-
ity students who are limited English proficient, 
and other high-ability students who have not 
previously been formally identified for gifted 
education services, and provide services to sup-
port the learning needs of gifted and talented 
students to ensure that such students make ap-
propriate learning gains.’’. 
(c) TARGETED
ASSISTANCE
SCHOOLS.—Section 
1115(c)(1) (20 U.S.C. 6315(c)(1)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (G), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
(2) in subparagraph (H), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(I) identify gifted and talented students, 
including high-ability students with disabilities, 
high-ability students who are limited English 
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proficient, and other high-ability students who 
have not previously been formally identified for 
gifted education services, and provide services 
to support the learning needs of gifted and tal-
ented students to ensure that gifted and tal-
ented and high-ability students make appro-
priate learning gains.’’. 
SEC. 104. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF TITLE I. 
Section 1501(a)(2)(E) (20 U.S.C. 6491(a)(2)(E)) is 
amended— 
(1) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘and’’; 
(2) in clause (v), by striking the period at the 
end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(vi) made public an analysis of excel-
lence gaps and a description of activities to 
close any such gaps.’’. 
TITLE II—IMPROVING TEACHING 
FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED 
STUDENTS 
SEC. 201. STATE APPLICATIONS. 
Section 2112(b)(5) (20 U.S.C. 6612(b)(5)) is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) A description of the comprehensive strat-
egy the State educational agency will use to improve 
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the teaching skills of teachers, principals, pupil serv-
ices personnel, and other instructional leaders in 
order to enable them to employ strategies that focus 
on— 
‘‘(i) the identification of students’ specific 
learning needs, particularly students with dis-
abilities, students who are limited English pro-
ficient, students who are gifted and talented, 
and students with low literacy levels; and 
‘‘(ii) the tailoring of academic instruction 
to such needs.’’. 
SEC. 202. LOCAL APPLICATIONS AND NEEDS ASSESSMENTS. 
(a) LOCAL APPLICATIONS.—Section 2122(b) (20 
U.S.C. 6622(b)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(12) A description of how the activities will 
have a substantial, measurable, and positive impact 
on student academic achievement and how the activi-
ties will be used as part of a broader strategy to 
eliminate the achievement gap and the excellence 
gap.’’. 
(b) NEEDS ASSESSMENT.—Section 2122(c)(2) (20 
U.S.C. 6622(c)(2)) is amended by inserting ‘‘shall be 
based on an analysis of the achievement and learning 
needs of students at each level of achievement described 
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in section 1111(b)(1)(D)(ii) on the State academic assess-
ments, disaggregated by each subgroup described in sec-
tion 1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II),’’ before ‘‘shall be conducted’’. 
SEC. 203. LOCAL USE OF FUNDS. 
Section 2123(a) (20 U.S.C. 6623(a)) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘to carry out’’ and inserting ‘‘to increase 
student achievement for all students, including lim-
ited English proficient students, students with dis-
abilities, and gifted and talented students, by car-
rying out’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (3)(B)— 
(A) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘and’’; 
(B) in clause (v), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(vi) provide training to support the 
identification of students who are gifted 
and talented, and to implement instruc-
tional practices that support the education 
of such students, such as early entrance to 
kindergarten, 
enrichment, 
acceleration, 
curriculum compacting and dual enroll-
ment in secondary school and postsec-
ondary education.’’. 
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SEC. 204. SUBGRANTS TO ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS. 
Section 2134(a)(1) (20 U.S.C. 6634(a)(1)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) teachers, principals, and pupil service 
personnel have the training to support— 
‘‘(i) the identification of students who 
are gifted and talented, including high-abil-
ity students with disabilities, high-ability 
students who are limited English pro-
ficient, and other high-ability students who 
have not previously been formally identified 
for gifted education services; and 
‘‘(ii) implementation of instructional 
practices that support the education of 
gifted and talented students, such as early 
entrance to kindergarten, enrichment, ac-
celeration, curriculum compacting, and 
dual enrollment in secondary school and 
postsecondary education; and’’. 
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TITLE 
III—GIFTED 
AND 
TAL-
ENTED STUDENTS IN RURAL 
SCHOOLS 
SEC. 301. SMALL RURAL SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM. 
Section 6211(a)(1) (20 U.S.C. 7345(a)(1)) is amend-
ed by inserting ‘‘, including supporting gifted and talented 
students (including high-ability students with disabilities, 
high-ability students who are limited English proficient, 
and other high-ability students who have not previously 
been formally identified for gifted education services),’’ 
after ‘‘local activities’’. 
SEC. 302. RURAL AND LOW-INCOME SCHOOL PROGRAM. 
Section 6222(a)(2) (20 U.S.C. 7351a(a)(2)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘and to train’’ and inserting ‘‘, train 
teachers to meet the unique learning needs of gifted and 
talented students, including high-ability students with dis-
abilities, high-ability students who are limited English pro-
ficient, and other high-ability students who have not pre-
viously been formally identified for gifted education serv-
ices, and train’’. 
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TITLE IV—SUPPORTING ESSEN-
TIAL 
RESEARCH 
ON 
THE 
LEARNING NEEDS OF GIFTED 
AND TALENTED STUDENTS 
SEC. 401. SUPPORTING ESSENTIAL RESEARCH ON THE 
LEARNING NEEDS OF GIFTED AND TALENTED 
STUDENTS. 
The Secretary, acting through the Director of the In-
stitute of Education Sciences, shall— 
(1) continue research and development activities 
related to the education of gifted and talented stu-
dents, particularly research and development activi-
ties related to such students who reside in rural 
communities or have been underrepresented as gift-
ed and talented, including students who are low-in-
come or limited English proficient, students with 
disabilities, and students from minority back-
grounds; 
(2) support a National Research and Dissemi-
nation Center on the Gifted and Talented that con-
ducts research and serves as a national clearing-
house for evidence-based best practices to improve 
the identification and instruction of gifted and tal-
ented students; 
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(3) administer demonstration grants that build 
and enhance the ability of elementary school and 
secondary school personnel to support gifted and tal-
ented students; and 
(4) ensure that statistical data related to the 
education of gifted and talented children in kinder-
garten through grade 12 in the United States and 
in other nations is collected, reported, analyzed, and 
disseminated. 
TITLE V—GENERAL PROVISIONS 
SEC. 501. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 9101 (20 U.S.C. 7801) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (19) through 
(42) and paragraph (43) as paragraphs (20) 
through (43) and paragraph (45), respectively; 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (18) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(19) EXCELLENCE GAP.—The term ‘excellence 
gap’ means differences in the percentage of students 
performing at the highest level of achievement de-
scribed in section 1111(b)(1)(D)(ii) between dif-
ferent 
subgroups 
described 
in 
section 
1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II).’’; and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (43), as redes-
ignated by paragraph (1), the following: 
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‘‘(44) TEACHING SKILLS.—The term ‘teaching 
skills’ has the meaning given the term in section 200 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965.’’. 
SEC. 502. AMENDMENTS TO OTHER LAWS. 
(a) COORDINATION
OF
FEDERAL
STEM EDU-
CATION.—Section 101(b) of the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 6621(b)) is 
amended— 
(1) in the first subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (5)(D), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(B) in paragraph (6), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (6), the 
following: 
‘‘(7) encourage participating agencies to develop 
and implement activities and programs that support 
advanced students in kindergarten through grade 
12, including advanced students who are from low- 
income families and advanced students from other 
groups that are underrepresented in the STEM 
fields, in order to promote advanced students’ pur-
suit of careers in STEM fields.’’; and 
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(2) by redesignating the second subsection (b) 
and subsection (c) as subsection (c) and subsection 
(d), respectively. 
(b) LABORATORY COOPERATIVE SCIENCE CENTERS 
AND OTHER AUTHORIZED EDUCATION ACTIVITIES.—Sec-
tion 3164 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 1991 (42 U.S.C. 7381b(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘The Sec-
retary shall determine which students are eligible to 
participate in such mathematics and science edu-
cation programs based on the academic achievement 
of such students.’’ after ‘‘development facilities.’’; 
and 
(2) in paragraph (13), by inserting ‘‘The Sec-
retary shall determine which middle-school students 
are eligible to participate in such prefreshman en-
richment program based on the academic achieve-
ment of such students.’’ after ‘‘by universities on 
their campuses.’’. 
(c) ADVANCED PLACEMENT
AND INTERNATIONAL 
BACCALAUREATE PROGRAMS.—Section 6123 of the Amer-
ica COMPETES Act (20 U.S.C. 9833) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
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(B) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) the availability of Advanced Placement or 
International Baccalaureate mathematics, science, 
and critical foreign language courses earlier than is 
typical to students who are prepared for such 
work.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (f)(2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (E), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(B) in subparagraph (F), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(G) how the eligible entity will make Ad-
vanced Placement or International Bacca-
laureate mathematics, science, and critical for-
eign language courses available earlier than is 
typical to students who are prepared for such 
work.’’. 
SEC. 503. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, 
shall take effect 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
Act. 
Æ 
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