H. R. 2646—16
‘‘(iv) a representative of: (I) an institution of higher
education operating a program of teacher preparation
in the State; (II) a local educational agency; (III) an
eligible research institution; (IV) a private nonprofit
or for-profit eligible professional development provider
providing instruction based on reliable, replicable
research on reading; (V) a family literacy service pro-
vider; (VI) an adult education provider; (VII) a volun-
teer organization that is involved in reading programs;
or (VIII) a school or a public library that offers reading
or literacy programs for children or families.
‘‘(2) 
AGREEMENT.—The 
contractual 
agreement 
that
establishes a reading and literacy partnership—
‘‘(A) shall specify—
‘‘(i) the nature and extent of the association among
the participants referred to in paragraph (1); and
‘‘(ii) the roles and duties of each such participant;
and
‘‘(B) shall remain in effect during the entire grant
period proposed in the partnership’s grant application
under subsection (e).
‘‘(3) FUNCTIONS.—Each reading and literacy partnership
for a State shall prepare and submit an application under
subsection (e) and, if the partnership receives a grant under
this section—
‘‘(A) shall solicit applications for, and award, subgrants
under sections 2504 and 2505;
‘‘(B) shall oversee the performance of the subgrants
and submit performance reports in accordance with sub-
section (h);
‘‘(C) if sufficient grant funds are available under this
part—
‘‘(i) work to enhance the capacity of agencies in
the State to disseminate reliable, replicable research
on reading to schools, classrooms, and providers of
early education and child care;
‘‘(ii) facilitate the provision of technical assistance
to subgrantees under sections 2504 and 2505 by provid-
ing the subgrantees information about technical assist-
ance providers; and
‘‘(iii) build on, and promote coordination among,
literacy programs in the State, in order to increase
their effectiveness and to avoid duplication of their
efforts; and
‘‘(D) shall ensure that each local educational agency
to which the partnership makes a subgrant under section
2504 makes available, upon request and in an understand-
able and uniform format, to any parent of a student attend-
ing any school selected under section 2504(a)(2) in the
geographic area served by the agency, information regard-
ing the qualifications of the student’s classroom teacher
to provide instruction in reading.
‘‘(4) FISCAL AGENT.—The State educational agency shall
act as the fiscal agent for the reading and literacy partnership
for the purposes of receipt of funds from the Secretary, disburse-
ment of funds to subgrantees under sections 2504 and 2505,
and accounting for such funds.
H. R. 2646—17
‘‘(c) PREEXISTING PARTNERSHIP.—If, before the date of the enact-
ment of the Reading Excellence Act, a State established a consor-
tium, partnership, or any other similar body, that includes the
Governor and the chief State school officer and has, as a central
part of its mission, the promotion of literacy for children in their
early childhood years through the third grade, but that does not
satisfy the requirements of subsection (b)(1), the State may elect
to treat that consortium, partnership, or body as the reading and
literacy partnership for the State notwithstanding such subsection,
and the consortium, partnership, or body shall be considered a
reading and literacy partnership for purposes of the other provisions
of this part.
‘‘(d) MULTI-STATE PARTNERSHIP ARRANGEMENTS.—A reading
and literacy partnership that satisfies the requirements of sub-
section (b) may join with other such partnerships in other States
to develop a single application that satisfies the requirements of
subsection (e) and identifies which State educational agency, from
among the States joining, shall act as the fiscal agent for the
multi-State arrangement. For purposes of the other provisions of
this part, any such multi-State arrangement shall be considered
to be a reading and literacy partnership.
‘‘(e) APPLICATIONS.—A reading and literacy partnership that
desires to receive a grant under this section shall submit an applica-
tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and including
such information as the Secretary may require. The application—
‘‘(1) shall describe how the partnership will ensure that
95 percent of the grant funds are used to make subgrants
under sections 2504 and 2505;
‘‘(2) shall be integrated, to the maximum extent possible,
with State plans and programs under this Act, the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), and,
to the extent appropriate, the Adult Education Act (20 U.S.C.
1201 et seq.);
‘‘(3) shall describe how the partnership will ensure that
professional development funds available at the State and local
levels are used effectively to improve instructional practices
for reading and are based on reliable, replicable research on
reading;
‘‘(4) shall describe—
‘‘(A) the contractual agreement that establishes the
partnership, including at least the elements of the agree-
ment referred to in subsection (b)(2);
‘‘(B) how the partnership will assess, on a regular
basis, the extent to which the activities undertaken by
the partnership and the partnership’s subgrantees under
this part have been effective in achieving the purposes
of this part;
‘‘(C) what evaluation instruments the partnership will
use to determine the success of local educational agencies
to whom subgrants under sections 2504 and 2505 are made
in achieving the purposes of this part;
‘‘(D) how subgrants made by the partnership under
such sections will meet the requirements of this part,
including how the partnership will ensure that subgrantees
will use practices based on reliable, replicable research
on reading; and
H. R. 2646—18
‘‘(E) how the partnership will, to the extent practicable,
make grants to subgrantees in both rural and urban areas;
‘‘(5) shall include an assurance that each local educational
agency to whom the partnership makes a subgrant under
section 2504—
‘‘(A) will carry out family literacy programs based on
the Even Start family literacy model authorized under
part B of title I to enable parents to be their child’s first
and most important teacher, and will make payments for
the receipt of technical assistance for the development of
such programs;
‘‘(B) will carry out programs to assist those kinder-
garten students who are not ready for the transition to
first grade, particularly students experiencing difficulty
with reading skills;
‘‘(C) will use supervised individuals (including tutors),
who have been appropriately trained using reliable,
replicable research on reading, to provide additional
support, before school, after school, on weekends, during
non-instructional periods of the school day, or during the
summer, for students in grades one through three who
are experiencing difficulty reading; and
‘‘(D) will carry out professional development for the
classroom teacher and other appropriate teaching staff on
the teaching of reading based on reliable, replicable
research on reading; and
‘‘(6) shall describe how the partnership—
‘‘(A) will ensure that a portion of the grant funds
that the partnership receives in each fiscal year will be
used to make subgrants under section 2505; and
‘‘(B) will make local educational agencies described
in section 2505(a)(1) aware of the availability of such sub-
grants.
‘‘(f ) PEER REVIEW PANEL.—
‘‘(1) COMPOSITION OF PEER REVIEW PANEL.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The National Institute for Literacy,
in consultation with the National Research Council of the
National Academy of Sciences, the National Institute of
Child Health and Human Development, and the Secretary,
shall convene a panel to evaluate applications under this
section. At a minimum the panel shall include representa-
tives of the National Institute for Literacy, the National
Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences,
the National Institute of Child Health and Human Develop-
ment, and the Secretary.
‘‘(B) EXPERTS.—The panel shall include experts who
are competent, by virtue of their training, expertise, or
experience, to evaluate applications under this section, and
experts who provide professional development to teachers
of reading to children and adults, based on reliable,
replicable research on reading.
‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—Not more than one-third of the panel
may be composed of individuals who are employees of the
Federal Government.
H. R. 2646—19
‘‘(2) PAYMENT
OF
FEES
AND
EXPENSES
OF
CERTAIN
MEMBERS.—The Secretary shall use funds reserved under sec-
tion 2510(b)(2) to pay the expenses and fees of panel members
who are not employees of the Federal Government.
‘‘(3) DUTIES OF PANEL.—
‘‘(A) MODEL
APPLICATION
FORMS.—The peer review
panel shall develop a model application form for reading
and literacy partnerships desiring to apply for a grant
under this section. The peer review panel shall submit
the model application form to the Secretary for final
approval.
‘‘(B) SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS.—
‘‘(i) RECOMMENDATIONS OF PANEL.—
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall receive
grant applications from reading and literacy part-
nerships under this section and shall provide the
applications to the peer review panel for evalua-
tion. With respect to each application, the peer
review panel shall initially recommend the applica-
tion for funding or for disapproval.
‘‘(II) PRIORITY.—In recommending applications
to the Secretary, the panel shall give priority to
applications from States that have modified, are
modifying, or provide an assurance that not later
than 1 year after receiving a grant under this
section the State will modify, State teacher certifi-
cation in the area of reading to reflect reliable,
replicable research, except that nothing in this
part shall be construed to establish a national
system of teacher certification.
‘‘(III) 
RANKING
OF
APPLICATIONS.—With
respect to each application recommended for fund-
ing, the panel shall assign the application a rank,
relative to other recommended applications, based
on the priority described in subclause (II), the
extent to which the application furthers the pur-
poses of this part, and the overall quality of the
application.
‘‘(IV) RECOMMENDATION
OF
AMOUNT.—With
respect to each application recommended for fund-
ing, the panel shall make a recommendation to
the Secretary with respect to the amount of the
grant that should be made.
‘‘(ii) SECRETARIAL SELECTION.—
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause (iii), the
Secretary shall determine, based on the peer
review panel’s recommendations, which applica-
tions from reading and literacy partnerships shall
receive funding and the amounts of such grants.
In determining grant amounts, the Secretary shall
take into account the total amount of funds avail-
able for all grants under this section and the types
of activities proposed to be carried out by the part-
nership.
‘‘(II) EFFECT OF RANKING BY PANEL.—In mak-
ing grants under this section, the Secretary shall
select applications according to the ranking of the
H. R. 2646—20
applications by the peer review panel, except in
cases where the Secretary determines, for good
cause, that a variation from that order is appro-
priate.
‘‘(iii) MINIMUM
GRANT
AMOUNTS.—Each reading
and literacy partnership selected to receive a grant
under this section shall receive an amount for each
fiscal year that is not less than $100,000.
‘‘(g) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—A reading and
literacy partnership that receives a grant under this section may
use not more than 3 percent of the grant funds for administrative
costs.
‘‘(h) REPORTING.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A reading and literacy partnership that
receives a grant under this section shall submit performance
reports to the Secretary pursuant to a schedule to be deter-
mined by the Secretary, but not more frequently than annually.
Such reports shall include—
‘‘(A) the results of use of the evaluation instruments
referred to in subsection (e)(4)(C);
‘‘(B) the process used to select subgrantees;
‘‘(C) a description of the subgrantees receiving funds
under this part; and
‘‘(D) with respect to subgrants under section 2504,
the model or models of reading instruction, based on
reliable, replicable research on reading, selected by sub-
grantees.
‘‘(2) PROVISION
TO
PEER
REVIEW
PANEL.—The Secretary
shall provide the reports submitted under paragraph (1) to
the peer review panel convened under subsection (f ). The panel
shall use such reports in recommending applications for funding
under this section.
‘‘SEC. 2504. LOCAL READING IMPROVEMENT SUBGRANTS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—
‘‘(1) SUBGRANTS.—A reading and literacy partnership that
receives a grant under section 2503 shall make subgrants,
on a competitive basis, to local educational agencies that have
at least one school that is identified for school improvement
under section 1116(c) in the geographic area served by the
agency.
‘‘(2) ROLE OF LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.—A local edu-
cational agency that receives a subgrant under this section
shall use the subgrant in a manner consistent with this section
to advance reform of reading instruction in any school selected
by the agency that—
‘‘(A) is identified for school improvement under section
1116(c) at the time the agency receives the subgrant; and
‘‘(B) has a contractual association with one or more
community-based organizations that have established a
record of effectiveness with respect to reading readiness,
reading instruction for children in kindergarten through
third grade, and early childhood literacy.
‘‘(b) GRANT PERIOD.—A subgrant under this section shall be
for a period of 3 years and may not be revoked or terminated
on the ground that a school ceases, during the grant period, to
be identified for school improvement under section 1116(c).
H. R. 2646—21
‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.—A local educational agency that desires
to receive a subgrant under this section shall submit an application
to the reading and literacy partnership at such time, in such man-
ner, and including such information as the partnership may require.
The application—
‘‘(1) shall describe how the local educational agency will
work with schools selected by the agency under subsection
(a)(2) to select one or more models of reading instruction, devel-
oped using reliable, replicable research on reading, as a model
for implementing and improving reading instruction by all
teachers and for all children in each of the schools selected
by the agency under such subsection and, where appropriate,
their parents;
‘‘(2) shall select one or more models described in paragraph
(1), for the purpose described in such paragraph, and shall
describe each such selected model;
‘‘(3) shall demonstrate that a person responsible for the
development of each such model, or a person with experience
or expertise about such model and its implementation, has
agreed to work with the applicant in connection with such
implementation and improvement efforts;
‘‘(4) shall describe—
‘‘(A) how the applicant will ensure that funds available
under this part, and funds available for reading for grades
kindergarten through grade six from other appropriate
sources, are effectively coordinated and, where appropriate,
integrated, with funds under this Act in order to improve
existing activities in the areas of reading instruction,
professional development, program improvement, parental
involvement, technical assistance, and other activities that
can help meet the purposes of this part; and
‘‘(B) the amount of funds available for reading for
grades kindergarten through grade six from appropriate
sources other than this part, including title I (except that
such description shall not be required to include funds
made available under part B of title I unless the applicant
has established a contractual association in accordance
with subsection (d)(2) with an eligible entity under such
part B), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), and any other law providing
Federal financial assistance for professional development
for teachers of such grades who teach reading, which will
be used to help achieve the purposes of this part;
‘‘(5) shall describe the amount and nature of funds from
any other public or private sources, including funds received
under this Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), that will be combined with funds
received under the subgrant;
‘‘(6) shall include an assurance that the applicant—
‘‘(A) will carry out family literacy programs based on
the Even Start family literacy model authorized under
part B of title I to enable parents to be their child’s first
and most important teacher, will make payments for the
receipt of technical assistance for the development of such
programs;
‘‘(B) will carry out programs to assist those kinder-
garten students who are not ready for the transition to
H. R. 2646—22
first grade, particularly students experiencing difficulty
with reading skills;
‘‘(C) will use supervised individuals (including tutors),
who have been appropriately trained using reliable,
replicable research on reading, to provide additional
support, before school, after school, on weekends, during
non-instructional periods of the school day, or during the
summer, for students in grades one through three who
are experiencing difficulty reading; and
‘‘(D) will carry out professional development for the
classroom teacher and other teaching staff on the teaching
of reading based on reliable, replicable research on reading;
‘‘(7) shall describe how the local educational agency pro-
vides instruction in reading to children who have not been
determined to be a child with a disability (as defined in section
602 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20
U.S.C. 1401)), pursuant to section 614(b)(5) of such Act (20
U.S.C. 1414(a)(5)), because of a lack of instruction in reading;
and
‘‘(8) shall indicate the amount of the subgrant funds (if
any) that the applicant will use to carry out the duties described
in section 2505(b)(2).
‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In approving applications under this section,
a reading and literacy partnership shall give priority to an applica-
tion submitted by an applicant who demonstrates that the applicant
has established—
‘‘(1) a contractual association with one or more Head Start
programs under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9801 et seq.)
under which—
‘‘(A) the Head Start program agrees to select the same
model or models of reading instruction, as a model for
implementing and improving the reading readiness of chil-
dren participating in the program, as was selected by the
applicant; and
‘‘(B) the applicant agrees—
‘‘(i) to share with the Head Start program an
appropriate amount of the applicant’s information
resources with respect to the model, such as curricula
materials; and
‘‘(ii) to train personnel from the Head Start
program;
‘‘(2) a contractual association with one or more State- or
federally-funded 
preschool 
programs, 
or 
family 
literacy
programs, under which—
‘‘(A) the program agrees to select the same model or
models of reading instruction, as a model for implementing
and improving reading instruction in the program’s activi-
ties, as was selected by the applicant; and
‘‘(B) the applicant agrees to train personnel from the
program who work with children and parents in schools
selected under subsection (a)(2); or
‘‘(3) a contractual association with one or more public librar-
ies providing reading or literacy services to preschool children,
or preschool children and their families, under which—
‘‘(A) the library agrees to select the same model or
models of reading instruction, as a model for implementing
and improving reading instruction in the library’s reading
H. R. 2646—23
or literacy programs, as was selected by the applicant;
and
‘‘(B) the applicant agrees to train personnel, including
volunteers, from such programs who work with preschool
children, or preschool children and their families, in schools
selected under subsection (a)(2).
‘‘(e) USE OF FUNDS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), an applicant
who receives a subgrant under this section may use the
subgrant funds to carry out activities that are authorized by
this part and described in the subgrant application, including
the following:
‘‘(A) Making reasonable payments for technical and
other assistance to a person responsible for the develop-
ment of a model of reading instruction, or a person with
experience or expertise about such model and its
implementation, who has agreed to work with the recipient
in connection with the implementation of the model.
‘‘(B) Carrying out a contractual agreement described
in subsection (d).
‘‘(C) Professional development (including training of
volunteers), purchase of curricular and other supporting
materials, and technical assistance.
‘‘(D) Providing, on a voluntary basis, training to par-
ents of children enrolled in a school selected under sub-
section (a)(2) on how to help their children with school
work, particularly in the development of reading skills.
Such training may be provided directly by the subgrant
recipient, or through a grant or contract with another
person. Such training shall be consistent with reading
reforms taking place in the school setting.
‘‘(E) Carrying out family literacy programs based on
the Even Start family literacy model authorized under
part B of title I to enable parents to be their child’s first
and most important teacher, and making payments for
the receipt of technical assistance for the development of
such programs.
‘‘(F) Providing instruction for parents of children
enrolled in a school selected under subsection (a)(2), and
others who volunteer to be reading tutors for such children,
in the instructional practices based on reliable, replicable
research on reading used by the applicant.
‘‘(G) Programs to assist those kindergarten students
enrolled in a school selected under subsection (a)(2) who
are not ready for the transition to first grade, particularly
students experiencing difficulty with reading skills.
‘‘(H) Providing, for students who are enrolled in grades
one through three in a school selected under subsection
(a)(2) and are experiencing difficulty reading, additional
support before school, after school, on weekends, during
non-instructional periods of the school day, or during the
summer, using supervised individuals (including tutors)
who have been appropriately trained using reliable,
replicable research on reading.
‘‘(I) Carrying out the duties described in section
2505(b)(2) for children enrolled in a school selected under
subsection (a)(2).
H. R. 2646—24
‘‘(J) Providing reading assistance to children who have
not been determined to be a child with a disability (as
defined in section 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401)), pursuant to section
614(b)(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(b)(5)), because of
a lack of instruction in reading.
‘‘(2) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—A recipient
of a subgrant under this section may use not more than 3
percent of the subgrant funds for administrative costs.
‘‘(f ) TRAINING NONRECIPIENTS.—A recipient of a subgrant under
this section may train, on a fee-for-service basis, personnel who
are from schools, or local educational agencies, that are not receiving
such a subgrant in the instructional practices based on reliable,
replicable research on reading used by the recipient. Such a non-
recipient school may use funds received under title I, and other
appropriate Federal funds used for reading instruction, to pay for
such training, to the extent consistent with the law under which
such funds were received.
‘‘SEC. 2505. TUTORIAL ASSISTANCE SUBGRANTS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—
‘‘(1) SUBGRANTS.—A reading and literacy partnership that
receives a grant under section 2503 shall make subgrants on
a competitive basis to—
‘‘(A) local educational agencies that have at least one
school in the geographic area served by the agency that—
‘‘(i) is located in an area designated as an empower-
ment zone under part I of subchapter U of chapter
1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or
‘‘(ii) is located in an area designated as an
enterprise community under part I of subchapter U
of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
or
‘‘(B) in the case of local educational agencies that do
not have any such empowerment zone or enterprise commu-
nity in the State in which the agency is located, local
educational agencies that have at least one school that
is identified for school improvement under section 1116(c)
in the geographic area served by the agency.
‘‘(2) APPLICATIONS.—A local educational agency that desires
to receive a subgrant under this section shall submit an applica-
tion to the reading and literacy partnership at such time,
in such manner, and including such information as the partner-
ship may require. The application shall include an assurance
that the agency will use the subgrant funds to carry out the
duties described in subsection (b) for children enrolled in one
or more schools selected by the agency and described in para-
graph (1).
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A local educational agency that receives
a subgrant under this section shall carry out, using the funds
provided under the subgrant, each of the duties described in
paragraph (2).
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The duties described in this paragraph are
the provision of tutorial assistance in reading to children who
have difficulty reading, using instructional practices based on