that contains not less than 2 or more successive 
grades beginning with grade 5 and ending with 
grade 8 and for which— 
(A) a high proportion of the middle grades 
students attending such school will attend a 
secondary school with a graduation rate of less 
than 65 percent; 
(B) more than 25 percent of the students 
who finish grade 6 at such school, or the ear-
liest middle grade level at the school, exhibit 1 
or more of the key risk factors and early risk 
identification signs, including— 
(i) student attendance below 90 per-
cent; 
(ii) a failing grade in a mathematics 
or reading or language arts course; 
(iii) 2 failing grades in any courses; 
and 
(iv) out-of-school suspension or other 
evidence of at-risk behavior; or 
(C) more than 50 percent of the middle 
grades students attending such school do not 
perform at a proficient level on State student 
academic assessments required under section 
1111(b)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary 
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Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(3)) 
in mathematics or reading or language arts. 
(7) ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER.—The term 
‘‘English language learner’’ means an individual who 
is limited English proficient, as defined in section 
9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(8) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
(9) MIDDLE
GRADES.—The term ‘‘middle 
grades’’ means any of grades 5 through 8. 
(10) PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.— 
The term ‘‘principles of scientific research’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 200 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021). 
(11) SCIENTIFICALLY VALID RESEARCH.—The 
term ‘‘scientifically valid research’’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 200 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021). 
(12) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary’’ 
means the Secretary of Education. 
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(13) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
(14) STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY.—The term 
‘‘student with a disability’’ means a student who is 
a child with a disability, as defined in section 602 
of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 
(20 U.S.C. 1401). 
TITLE I—MIDDLE GRADES 
IMPROVEMENT 
SEC. 101. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this title are to— 
(1) ensure that middle grade students develop 
deep content knowledge and the ability to use knowl-
edge to think critically, solve problems, communicate 
effectively, collaborate with others, and be self-di-
rected so that they can graduate from secondary 
school ready for higher education and careers; 
(2) ensure that curricula and student supports 
for middle grades education align with the curricula 
and student supports provided for elementary school 
and secondary school grades; 
(3) provide resources to State educational agen-
cies and local educational agencies to collaboratively 
develop school improvement plans in order to deliver 
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support and technical assistance to schools serving 
students in the middle grades; and 
(4) increase the capacity of States and local 
educational agencies to develop effective, sustainable, 
and replicable school improvement programs and 
models and evidence-based or, when available, sci-
entifically valid student interventions for implemen-
tation by schools serving students in the middle 
grades. 
SEC. 102. FORMULA GRANTS TO STATE EDUCATIONAL 
AGENCIES FOR MIDDLE GRADES IMPROVE-
MENT. 
(a) IN
GENERAL.—From amounts appropriated 
under section 107, the Secretary shall make grants under 
this title for a fiscal year to each State educational agency 
for which the Secretary has approved an application under 
subsection (f) in an amount equal to the allotment deter-
mined for such agency under subsection (c) for such fiscal 
year. 
(b) RESERVATIONS.—From the total amount made 
available to carry out this title for a fiscal year, the Sec-
retary— 
(1) shall reserve not more than 1 percent for 
the Secretary of the Interior (on behalf of the Bu-
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reau of Indian Education) and the outlying areas for 
activities carried out in accordance with this section; 
(2) shall reserve 1 percent to evaluate the effec-
tiveness of this title in achieving the purposes of this 
title and ensuring that results are peer-reviewed and 
widely disseminated, which may include hiring an 
outside evaluator; and 
(3) shall reserve 5 percent for technical assist-
ance and dissemination of best practices in middle 
grades education to States and local educational 
agencies. 
(c) AMOUNT OF STATE ALLOTMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), of the total amount made available to 
carry out this title for a fiscal year and not reserved 
under subsection (b), the Secretary shall allot such 
amount among the States in proportion to the num-
ber of children, aged 5 to 17, who reside within the 
State and are from families with incomes below the 
poverty level for the most recent fiscal year for 
which satisfactory data are available, compared to 
the number of such individuals who reside in all 
such States for that fiscal year, determined in ac-
cordance with section 1124(c)(1)(A) of the Elemen-
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tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6333(c)(1)(A)). 
(2) MINIMUM
ALLOTMENTS.—No State edu-
cational agency shall receive an allotment under this 
subsection for a fiscal year that is less than 1⁄2 of 
1 percent of the amount made available to carry out 
this title for such fiscal year. 
(d) SPECIAL RULE.—For any fiscal year for which 
the funds appropriated to carry out this title are less than 
$500,000,000, the Secretary is authorized to award grants 
to State educational agencies, on a competitive basis, rath-
er than as allotments described in this section, to enable 
such agencies to award subgrants under section 104 on 
a competitive basis. 
(e) REALLOTMENT.— 
(1) FAILURE TO APPLY; APPLICATION NOT AP-
PROVED.—If any State educational agency does not 
apply for an allotment under this title for a fiscal 
year, or if the application from the State educational 
agency is not approved, the Secretary shall reallot 
the amount of the State’s allotment to the remaining 
States in accordance with this section. 
(2) UNUSED
FUNDS.—The Secretary may 
reallot any amount of an allotment to a State if the 
Secretary determines that the State will be unable to 
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use such amount within 2 years of such allotment. 
Such reallotments shall be made on the same basis 
as allotments are made under subsection (c). 
(f) APPLICATION.—In order to receive an allotment 
under this title, a State educational agency shall submit 
an application to the Secretary at such time, in such man-
ner, and accompanied by such information as the Sec-
retary may reasonably require, including a State middle 
grades improvement plan described in section 103(a)(4). 
(g) PEER
REVIEW
AND
SELECTION.—The Sec-
retary— 
(1) shall establish a peer-review process to as-
sist in the review and approval of proposed State ap-
plications; 
(2) shall appoint individuals to participate in 
the peer-review process who are educators and ex-
perts in identifying, evaluating, and implementing 
effective education programs and practices (includ-
ing in the areas of teaching and learning, edu-
cational standards and assessments, school improve-
ment, school climate, rates of suspension and expul-
sion, and academic and behavioral supports for mid-
dle grades students, and in addressing the needs of 
students with disabilities and English language 
learners in the middle grades), which individuals 
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may include recognized exemplary middle grades 
teachers and middle grades principals who have been 
recognized at the State or national level for exem-
plary work or contributions to the field; 
(3) shall ensure that State educational agencies 
are given the opportunity to receive timely feedback, 
and to interact with peer-review panels, in person or 
via electronic communication, on issues that need 
clarification during the peer-review process; 
(4) shall approve an application submitted 
under this title not later than 120 days after the 
date of submission of the application unless the Sec-
retary determines that the application does not meet 
the requirements of this title; 
(5) may not decline to approve an application 
from a State educational agency before— 
(A) offering the State educational agency 
an opportunity to revise the application; 
(B) providing the State educational agency 
with technical assistance in order to submit a 
successful application; and 
(C) providing an opportunity for a hearing 
to the State educational agency; and 
(6) shall direct the Inspector General of the De-
partment of Education to— 
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(A) review final determinations reached by 
the Secretary to approve or deny State applica-
tions; 
(B) analyze the consistency of the process 
used by peer-review panels in reviewing and rec-
ommending to the Secretary approval or denial 
of such State applications; and 
(C) report the findings of this review and 
analysis to Congress. 
SEC. 103. STATE PLAN; AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES. 
(a) MANDATORY ACTIVITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency 
that receives a grant under this title shall use the 
grant funds— 
(A) to prepare and implement the needs 
analysis and middle grades improvement plan, 
as described in paragraphs (3) and (4), of such 
agency; 
(B) to make subgrants to eligible local 
educational agencies or eligible entities under 
section 104; and 
(C) to assist eligible local educational agen-
cies and eligible entities, when determined nec-
essary by the State educational agency or at the 
request of an eligible local educational agency 
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or eligible entity, in designing a comprehensive 
schoolwide improvement plan and carrying out 
the activities under section 104. 
(2) FUNDS
FOR
SUBGRANTS.—A State edu-
cational agency that receives a grant under this title 
shall use not less than 80 percent of the grant funds 
to make subgrants to eligible local educational agen-
cies or eligible entities under section 104. 
(3) MIDDLE GRADES NEEDS ANALYSIS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—A State educational 
agency that receives a grant under this title 
shall enter into a contract, or similar formal 
agreement, to work with entities such as na-
tional and regional comprehensive centers (as 
described in section 203 of the Educational 
Technical Assistance Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 
9602)), institutions of higher education, or non-
profit organizations with demonstrated exper-
tise in high-quality middle grades reform, to 
prepare a plan that analyzes how to strengthen 
the programs, practices, and policies of the 
State in supporting students in the middle 
grades, including the factors, such as local im-
plementation, that influence variation in the ef-
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fectiveness of such programs, practices, and 
policies. 
(B) PREPARATION OF PLAN.—In preparing 
the plan under subparagraph (A), the State 
educational agency shall examine policies and 
practices of the State, and of local educational 
agencies within the State, affecting— 
(i) middle grades curriculum instruc-
tion and assessment; 
(ii) education accountability and data 
systems; 
(iii) teacher preparation, quality, ex-
perience, and equitable distribution; 
(iv) interventions that support learn-
ing in school, including personal academic 
plans; 
(v) student engagement activities; 
(vi) in-school and out-of-school sus-
pensions; 
(vii) family and community engage-
ment in education; and 
(viii) student and academic support 
services, such as effective school library 
programs and school counseling on the 
transition to secondary school and plan-
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ning for entry into postsecondary edu-
cation and the workforce. 
(4) MIDDLE GRADES IMPROVEMENT PLAN.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—A State educational 
agency that receives a grant under this title 
shall develop a middle grades improvement plan 
that— 
(i) shall be a statewide plan to im-
prove student academic achievement in the 
middle grades, based on the needs analysis 
described in paragraph (3); and 
(ii) describes what students are re-
quired to know and do to successfully— 
(I) complete the middle grades; 
(II) develop the competencies 
of— 
(aa) the ability to acquire 
and use deep content knowledge 
to solve problems; 
(bb) critical thinking; 
(cc) 
effective 
communica-
tion; 
(dd) self-direction; and 
(ee) the ability to collabo-
rate; and 
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(III) make a successful transition 
to academically rigorous secondary 
school coursework that prepares stu-
dents to graduate from secondary 
school ready for higher education and 
a career. 
(B) PLAN COMPONENTS.—A middle grades 
improvement plan described in subparagraph 
(A) shall also describe how the State edu-
cational agency will do each of the following: 
(i)(I) Ensure that the curricula and 
assessments for middle grades education 
are aligned with secondary school curricula 
and assessments and prepare students to 
take challenging secondary school courses 
and successfully engage in postsecondary 
education. 
(II) Ensure coordination, where appli-
cable, with the activities carried out 
through grants under section 6201(c)(1) of 
the America COMPETES Act (20 U.S.C. 
9871) for alignment of P–16 education, as 
defined in section 6201(b) of such Act. 
(III) Ensure that the transition from 
elementary school to the middle grades is 
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supported through programs that promote 
successful social, emotional, and cognitive 
development. 
(ii) Ensure that professional develop-
ment is provided to school leaders, teach-
ers, and other school personnel in— 
(I) addressing the needs of di-
verse learners, including students with 
disabilities 
and 
English 
language 
learners; 
(II) using challenging and rel-
evant research-based best practices 
and curricula; 
(III) using data to inform in-
struction; and 
(IV) increasing student engage-
ment and social and emotional learn-
ing competencies. 
(iii) Identify and disseminate informa-
tion on effective schools and instructional 
strategies for middle grades students based 
on high-quality research. 
(iv) Include specific provisions for stu-
dents most at risk of not graduating from 
secondary school, including English lan-
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guage learners, students with disabilities, 
and low-income students. 
(v) Provide technical assistance to eli-
gible entities to develop and implement 
their early warning indicator and interven-
tion systems, as described in section 
104(d)(2)(D). 
(vi) Define a set of comprehensive 
school performance indicators that shall be 
used, in addition to the indicators used to 
determine adequate yearly progress (as de-
fined in section 1111(b)(2)(C) of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(C))), to evalu-
ate school performance and guide the 
school improvement process, such as— 
(I) 
student 
attendance 
and 
chronic absenteeism; 
(II) earned on-time promotion 
rates from grade to grade; 
(III) percentage of students fail-
ing a mathematics, reading or lan-
guage arts, or science course, or fail-
ing 2 or more of any courses; 
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(IV) teacher preparation, experi-
ence, effectiveness, and attendance 
measures; 
(V) in-school and out-of-school 
suspension or other measurable evi-
dence of at-risk behavior, including 
any 
disparities 
in 
rates 
among 
groups 
described 
in 
section 
1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act 
of 
1965 
(20 
U.S.C. 
6311(b)(2)(C)(v)(II)); 
(VI) data collected by the Civil 
Rights Data Collection survey con-
ducted by the Office of Civil Rights of 
the Department of Education; and 
(VII) additional indicators pro-
posed by the State educational agen-
cy, and approved by the Secretary 
pursuant to the peer-review process 
described in section 102(g). 
(vii) Ensure that such plan is coordi-
nated with State activities to turn around 
other schools in need of improvement, in-
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cluding State activities to improve sec-
ondary schools and elementary schools. 
(viii) Ensure that such plan includes 
specific provisions to improve family and 
community engagement in education in the 
middle grades. 
(b) PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A State educational 
agency that receives a grant under this title may use the 
grant funds to— 
(1) develop and encourage collaborations among 
researchers at institutions of higher education, State 
educational agencies, educational service agencies, 
local educational agencies, and nonprofit organiza-
tions with demonstrated expertise in high-quality 
middle grades interventions, to expand the use of ef-
fective practices in the middle grades and to improve 
middle grades education; 
(2) support local educational agencies in imple-
menting effective middle grades practices, models, 
and programs that— 
(A) are evidence-based or, when available, 
scientifically valid; and 
(B) lead to improved student academic 
achievement; 
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(3) support collaborative communities of middle 
grades teachers, administrators, school librarians, 
and researchers in creating and sustaining informa-
tional databases to disseminate results from rigorous 
research on effective practices and programs for 
middle grades education; and 
(4) increase middle grades student and aca-
demic support services, such as effective school li-
brary programs and school counseling on the transi-
tion to secondary school, such as summer bridge 
programs and student mentors, and planning for 
entry into postsecondary education and the work-
force. 
SEC. 104. COMPETITIVE SUBGRANTS TO IMPROVE LOW- 
PERFORMING MIDDLE GRADES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency that 
receives a grant under this title shall make competitive 
subgrants to eligible local educational agencies and eligible 
entities to enable the eligible local educational agencies 
and eligible entities to improve low-performing middle 
grades in schools served by the agencies or entities. 
(b) PRIORITIES.—In making subgrants under sub-
section (a), a State educational agency shall give priority 
to eligible local educational agencies or eligible entities 
based on— 
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(1) the respective populations of children de-
scribed in section 102(c)(1) served by the eligible 
local educational agencies that are participating in 
the subgrant application process; and 
(2) the respective populations of children served 
by the participating eligible local educational agen-
cies who attend eligible schools. 
(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible local educational 
agency or eligible entity that desires to receive a subgrant 
under subsection (a) shall submit an application to the 
State educational agency at such time, in such manner, 
and accompanied by such information as the State edu-
cational agency may reasonably require, including— 
(1) a comprehensive schoolwide improvement 
plan described in subsection (d); 
(2) a description of how activities described in 
such plan will be coordinated with activities specified 
in plans for schoolwide programs under section 1114 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6314) and school improvement 
plans required under section 1116(b)(3) of such Act 
(20 U.S.C. 6316(b)(3)); and 
(3) a description of how activities described in 
such plan will be complementary to, and coordinated 
with, school improvement activities for elementary 
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schools and secondary schools in need of improve-
ment that serve the same students within the par-
ticipating local educational agency. 
(d) COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOLWIDE IMPROVEMENT 
PLAN.—An eligible local educational agency or eligible en-
tity that desires to receive a subgrant under subsection 
(a) shall develop a comprehensive schoolwide improvement 
plan for the middle grades that shall— 
(1) include the information described in sub-
section (c)(2); 
(2) describe how the eligible local educational 
agency or eligible entity will— 
(A) identify eligible schools; 
(B) ensure that funds go to the highest 
priority eligible schools first, based on the eligi-
ble schools’ populations of children described in 
section 102(c)(1); 
(C) use funds to close achievement gaps 
and improve the academic achievement of all 
students, including English language learners 
and students with disabilities, in eligible 
schools; 
(D) implement an early warning indicator 
and intervention system to alert schools when 
students begin to exhibit outcomes or behaviors 
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that indicate the student is at increased risk for 
low academic achievement or is unlikely to 
progress to secondary school graduation, and to 
create a system of evidence-based interventions 
to be used by schools to effectively intervene, 
by— 
(i) identifying and analyzing, such as 
through the use of longitudinal data of 
past cohorts of students, the academic and 
behavioral indicators in the middle grades 
that most reliably predict dropping out of 
secondary school, such as attendance, 
chronic absenteeism, behavior measures 
(including suspensions, officer referrals, or 
conduct marks), academic performance in 
core courses, and earned on-time pro-
motion from grade-to-grade; 
(ii) analyzing student progress and 
performance on the indicators identified 
under clause (i) to guide decisionmaking; 
(iii) analyzing academic indicators to 
determine whether students are on track to 
graduate on time, and developing appro-
priate evidence-based intervention; and 
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(iv) identifying or developing a mecha-
nism for regularly collecting and report-
ing— 
(I) student-level data on the indi-
cators identified under clause (i); 
(II) student-level progress and 
performance, as described in clause 
(ii); 
(III) student-level data on the in-
dicators described in clause (iii); and 
(IV) information about the im-
pact of interventions on student out-
comes and progress; 
(E) increase academic rigor and foster stu-
dent engagement to ensure students are enter-
ing secondary school prepared for success in a 
rigorous college- and career-ready curriculum, 
including a description of how such readiness 
will be measured; 
(F) implement a systemic transition plan 
for all students and encourage collaboration 
among elementary grades, middle grades, and 
secondary school grades to support the success-
ful transition between grades; 
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(G) increase community and family en-
gagement in education in the middle grades to 
support student success; and 
(H) provide evidence that the strategies, 
programs, supports, and instructional practices 
proposed under the schoolwide improvement 
plan are new and have not been implemented 
before by the eligible local educational agency 
or eligible entity; and 
(3) provide evidence of an ongoing commitment 
to sustain the plan for a period of not less than 4 
years. 
(e) REVIEW AND SELECTION OF SUBGRANTS.—In 
making subgrants under subsection (a), the State edu-
cational agency shall— 
(1) establish a peer-review process to assist in 
the review and approval of applications under sub-
section (c); and 
(2) appoint individuals to participate in the 
peer-review process who are educators and experts in 
identifying, evaluating, and implementing effective 
education programs and practices, including— 
(A) experts— 
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(i) in areas of teaching and learning, 
educational standards and assessments, 
and school improvement; 
(ii) in addressing the needs of stu-
dents with disabilities and English lan-
guage learners in the middle grades; and 
(iii) in the academic and behavioral 
supports for middle grades students; and 
(B) recognized exemplary middle grades 
teachers and principals who have been recog-
nized at the State or national level for exem-
plary work or contributions to the field. 
(f) REVISION
OF SUBGRANTS.—If a State edu-
cational agency, using the peer-review process described 
in subsection (e), determines that an application for a 
grant under subsection (a) does not meet the requirements 
of this title, the State educational agency shall notify the 
eligible local educational agency or eligible entity of such 
determination and the reasons for such determination, and 
offer— 
(1) the eligible local educational agency or eligi-
ble entity an opportunity to revise and resubmit the 
application; and 
(2) technical assistance to the eligible local edu-
cational agency or eligible entity, by the State edu-
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cational agency or a nonprofit organization with 
demonstrated expertise in high-quality middle grades 
interventions, to revise the application. 
(g) MANDATORY USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible local 
educational agency or eligible entity that receives a 
subgrant under subsection (a) shall carry out the fol-
lowing: 
(1) Align the curricula for grades kindergarten 
through 12 for schools within the local educational 
agency to improve transitions from elementary 
grades to middle grades to secondary school grades. 
(2) In each eligible school served by the eligible 
local educational agency receiving or participating in 
the subgrant: 
(A) Align the curricula for all grade levels 
within eligible schools to improve grade to grade 
transitions. 
(B) Implement evidence-based or, when 
available, scientifically valid instructional strate-
gies, programs, and learning environments that 
meet the needs of all students and ensure that 
school leaders and teachers receive professional 
development on the use of these strategies. 
(C) Ensure that school leaders, teachers, 
pupil service personnel, school librarians, and 
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other school staff understand the developmental 
stages of adolescents in the middle grades and 
how to deal with those stages appropriately in 
an educational setting. 
(D) Implement organizational practices 
and school schedules that allow for effective 
leadership, collaborative staff participation, pro-
fessional development, effective teacher instruc-
tional teaming, and parent and community in-
volvement. 
(E) Create a more personalized and engag-
ing learning environment for middle grades stu-
dents by developing a personal academic plan 
for each student and assigning not less than 1 
adult who has received the appropriate training 
to monitor, evaluate, and support the progress 
of each individual student attending the eligible 
school. 
(F) Provide all students, and the students’ 
families, with information about, and assistance 
with, the requirements for secondary school 
graduation, admission to an institution of high-
er education, and career success. 
(G) Utilize data from an early warning in-
dicator and intervention system described in 
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subsection (d)(2)(D) to identify struggling stu-
dents and assist the students as the students 
transition from elementary school to middle 
grades to secondary school. 
(H) Implement academic supports, such as 
effective school library programs, and effective 
and coordinated additional assistance programs 
to ensure that students have a strong founda-
tion in reading, writing, mathematics, and 
science skills. 
(I) Implement evidence-based or, when 
available, scientifically valid schoolwide pro-
grams and targeted supports to promote posi-
tive academic outcomes, such as increased at-
tendance rates, decreased chronic absenteeism, 
and the promotion of physical, personal, and so-
cial development. 
(J) Develop and use effective formative as-
sessments to inform instruction. 
(K) Provide integrated student support 
services, such as access to health and mental 
health care, to address the comprehensive needs 
of students attending eligible schools. 
(h) PERMISSIBLE USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible local 
educational agency or eligible entity that receives a 
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subgrant under subsection (a) may use the subgrant funds 
to carry out the following: 
(1) Implement extended learning opportunities 
in core academic areas, including more instructional 
time in literacy, mathematics, science, history, and 
civics in addition to opportunities for language in-
struction and understanding other cultures and the 
arts. 
(2) Provide evidence-based professional develop-
ment activities with specific benchmarks to enable 
teachers and other school staff to appropriately 
monitor academic and behavioral progress of, and 
modify curricula and implement accommodations 
and assistive technology services for, students with 
disabilities, consistent with the students’ individual-
ized education programs under section 614(d) of the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 
U.S.C. 1414(d)). 
(3) Employ and use instructional coaches, in-
cluding literacy, mathematics, and English language 
learner coaches. 
(4) Provide professional development for con-
tent-area teachers and school librarians on working 
effectively with English language learners and stu-
dents with disabilities, as well as professional devel-
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opment for English as a second language educators, 
bilingual educators, and special education personnel. 
(5) Provide professional development in areas 
that support improving school climate and increasing 
student engagement such as culturally responsive 
pedagogy, restorative justice programs, social and 
emotional learning, Response to Intervention, and 
positive behavior intervention support. 
(6) Encourage and facilitate the sharing of data 
among elementary grades, middle grades, secondary 
school grades, institutions of higher education, and 
other postsecondary educational institutions. 
(7) Create collaborative study groups composed 
of principals or middle grades teachers, or both, 
among eligible schools within the eligible local edu-
cational agency receiving or participating in the 
subgrant, or between such eligible local educational 
agency and another local educational agency, with a 
focus on developing and sharing methods to increase 
student learning and academic achievement. 
(8) Ensure students are prepared to enter sec-
ondary school by linking secondary school attend-
ance, retention, and achievement to the account-
ability system of each middle school that feeds into 
the secondary school. 
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(i) PLANNING SUBGRANTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the subgrants 
described in subsection (a), a State educational 
agency may (without regard to the preceding provi-
sions of this section) make planning subgrants, and 
provide technical assistance, to eligible local edu-
cational agencies and eligible entities that have not 
received a subgrant under subsection (a) to assist 
the local educational agencies and eligible entities in 
meeting the requirements of subsections (c) and (d). 
(2) AMOUNT AND DURATION.—Each subgrant 
under this subsection shall be in an amount of not 
more than $100,000 and shall be for a period of not 
more than 1 year in duration. 
SEC. 105. DURATION OF GRANTS; SUPPLEMENT NOT SUP-
PLANT. 
(a) DURATION OF GRANTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), grants under this title and subgrants 
under section 104(a) may not exceed 3 years in du-
ration. 
(2) RENEWALS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Grants under this title 
and subgrants under section 104(a) may be re-
newed in 2-year increments. 
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(B) CONDITIONS.—In order to be eligible 
to have a grant or subgrant renewed under this 
paragraph, the grant or subgrant recipient shall 
demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the granting 
entity, that— 
(i) the recipient has complied with the 
terms of the grant or subgrant, including 
by undertaking all required activities; and 
(ii) during the period of the grant or 
subgrant, 
there 
has 
been 
significant 
progress in— 
(I) student academic achieve-
ment, as measured by the annual 
measurable objectives established pur-
suant to section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v) of 
the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
6311(b)(2)(C)(v)); and 
(II) other key risk factors such 
as attendance, chronic absenteeism, 
and on-time promotion. 
(b) FEDERAL FUNDS TO SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUP-
PLANT, NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency, 
eligible local educational agency, or eligible entity 
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shall use Federal funds received under this title only 
to supplement the funds that would, in the absence 
of such Federal funds, be made available from non- 
Federal sources for the education of students par-
ticipating in programs assisted under this title, and 
not to supplant such funds. 
(2) SPECIAL RULE.—Nothing in this title shall 
be construed to authorize an officer, employee, or 
contractor of the Federal Government to mandate, 
direct, limit, or control a State, local educational 
agency, or school’s specific instructional content, 
academic achievement standards and assessments, 
curriculum, or program of instruction. 
SEC. 106. EVALUATION AND REPORTING. 
(a) EVALUATION.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 
the period of the grant, each State educational agency re-
ceiving a grant under this title shall— 
(1) conduct an evaluation of the State’s 
progress regarding the impact of the changes made 
to the policies and practices of the State in accord-
ance with this title, including— 
(A) a description of the specific changes 
made, or in the process of being made, to poli-
cies and practices as a result of the grant; 
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(B) a discussion of any barriers hindering 
the identified changes in policies and practices, 
and implementation strategies to overcome such 
barriers; 
(C) evidence of the impact of changes to 
policies and practices on behavior and actions 
at the local educational agency and school level; 
and 
(D) evidence of the impact of the changes 
to State and local policies and practices on im-
proving measurable learning gains by middle 
grades students; 
(2) use the results of the evaluation conducted 
under paragraph (1) to adjust the policies and prac-
tices of the State as necessary to achieve the pur-
poses of this title; and 
(3) submit the results of the evaluation to the 
Secretary. 
(b) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary shall make the re-
sults of each State educational agency’s evaluation under 
subsection (a) available to other States and local edu-
cational agencies. 
(c) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORTING.—On 
an annual basis, each eligible local educational agency and 
eligible entity receiving a subgrant under section 104(a) 
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shall report to the State educational agency and to the 
public on— 
(1) the performance on the school performance 
indicators (as described in section 103(a)(4)(B)(vi)) 
for each eligible school served by the eligible local 
educational agency or eligible entity, in the aggre-
gate and disaggregated by the groups 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)); and 
(2) the use of funds by the eligible local edu-
cational agency or eligible entity and each such 
school. 
(d) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORTING.—On 
an annual basis, each State educational agency receiving 
grant funds under this title shall report to the Secretary 
and to the public on— 
(1) the performance of eligible schools in the 
State, based on the school performance indicators 
described in section 103(a)(4)(B)(vi), in the aggre-
gate and disaggregated by the groups 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)); and 
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(2) the use of such funds by each eligible 
school, eligible entity, and eligible local educational 
agency in the State receiving such funds. 
(e) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Every 2 years, the Sec-
retary shall report to the public and to Congress— 
(1) a summary of the State educational agency 
reports under subsection (d); and 
(2) the use of funds by each State educational 
agency under this title. 
SEC. 107. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this title— 
(1) $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2016; 
(2) $525,000,000 for fiscal year 2017; 
(3) $550,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; 
(4) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 2019; and 
(5) $650,000,000 for fiscal year 2020. 
TITLE II—RESEARCH 
RECOMMENDATIONS 
SEC. 201. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this title is to facilitate the genera-
tion, dissemination, and application of research needed to 
identify and implement effective practices that lead to con-
tinual student learning and high academic achievement in 
the middle grades. 
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SEC. 202. RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS. 
(a) STUDY ON PROMISING PRACTICES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall enter into a contract with the National Acad-
emies to study and identify promising practices for 
the improvement of middle grades education. 
(2) CONTENT OF STUDY.—The study described 
in paragraph (1) shall identify promising practices 
currently being implemented for the improvement of 
middle grades education. The study shall be con-
ducted in an open and transparent way that provides 
interim information to the public about criteria 
being used to identify— 
(A) such promising practices; 
(B) the practices that are being consid-
ered; and 
(C) the kind of evidence needed to docu-
ment effectiveness. 
(3) REPORT.—The contract entered into pursu-
ant to this subsection shall require that the National 
Academies submit to the Secretary, the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
Senate, and the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce of the House of Representatives a final 
report regarding the study conducted under this sub-
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section not later than 1 year after the date of the 
commencement of the contract. 
(4) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall make 
public and post on the website of the Department of 
Education the findings of the study conducted under 
this subsection. 
(b) SYNTHESIS STUDY OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING 
AND LEARNING IN MIDDLE GRADES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall enter into a contract with the National Acad-
emies to review existing research on middle grades 
education, and on factors that might lead to in-
creased effectiveness and enhanced innovation in 
middle grades education. 
(2) CONTENT OF STUDY.—The study described 
in paragraph (1) shall review research on education 
programs, practices, and policies and research on 
the cognitive, social, and emotional development of 
children in the middle grades age range, in order to 
provide an enriched understanding of the factors 
that might lead to the development of innovative and 
effective middle grades programs, practices, and 
policies. The study shall focus on— 
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(A) the areas of curriculum, instruction, 
and assessment (including additional supports 
for students who are below grade level in read-
ing, writing, mathematics, and science, and the 
identification of students with disabilities) to 
better prepare all students for subsequent suc-
cess in secondary school, postsecondary edu-
cation, and cognitively challenging employment; 
(B) the quality of (including experience, 
certification, and demonstrated effectiveness), 
and supports for, the teacher workforce; 
(C) aspects of student behavioral and so-
cial development, and of social interactions 
within schools that affect the learning of aca-
demic content; 
(D) the ways in which schools and local 
educational agencies are organized and operated 
that may be linked to student outcomes; 
(E) how development and use of early 
warning indicator and intervention systems can 
reduce risk factors for dropping out of school 
and low academic achievement; and 
(F) identification of areas where further 
research and evaluation may be needed on these 
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topics to further the development of effective 
middle grades practices. 
(3) REPORT.—The contract entered into pursu-
ant to this subsection shall require that the National 
Academies submit to the Secretary, the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
Senate, and the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce of the House of Representatives a final 
report regarding the study conducted under this sub-
section not later than 2 years after the date of com-
mencement of the contract. 
(4) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall make 
public and post on the website of the Department of 
Education the findings of the study conducted under 
this subsection. 
(c) OTHER ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary shall carry 
out each of the following: 
(1) Create a national clearinghouse, in coordi-
nation with entities such as the What Works Clear-
inghouse of the Institute of Education Sciences, for 
research in best practices in the middle grades and 
in the approaches that successfully take those best 
practices to scale in schools and local educational 
agencies. 
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(2) Create a national middle grades database 
accessible to educational researchers, practitioners, 
and policymakers that identifies factors at the 
school, classroom, and system level that facilitate or 
impede student academic achievement in the middle 
grades. 
(3) Require the Institute of Education Sciences 
to develop a strand of field-initiated and scientif-
ically valid research designed to enhance perform-
ance of schools serving middle grades students, and 
of middle grades students who are most at risk of 
educational failure, which may be coordinated with 
the regional educational laboratories established 
under section 174 of the Education Sciences Reform 
Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9564), institutions of higher 
education, agencies recognized for their research 
work that has been published in peer-reviewed jour-
nals, and organizations that have such regional edu-
cational laboratories. Such research shall target spe-
cific issues such as— 
(A) effective practices for instruction and 
assessment in mathematics, science, technology, 
and literacy; 
(B) effective practices for developing in 
students the competencies of— 
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(i) the ability to acquire and use deep 
content knowledge to solve problems; 
(ii) critical thinking; 
(iii) effective communication; 
(iv) self-direction; and 
(v) the ability to collaborate; 
(C) academic interventions for adolescent 
English language learners; 
(D) school improvement programs and 
strategies for closing the academic achievement 
gap between the different groups 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)), and for decreas-
ing rates of suspension and expulsion; 
(E) evidence-based or, when available, sci-
entifically valid professional development plan-
ning targeted to improve pedagogy and student 
academic achievement and student engagement; 
(F) the effects of increased learning or ex-
tended school time in the middle grades; and 
(G) the effects of decreased class size or 
increased instructional and support staff. 
(4) Strengthen the work of the existing national 
research and development centers under section 
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