I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2211
To reauthorize title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 22, 2003
Mr. GINGREY (for himself, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. MCKEON, and Mr. WILSON of 
South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To reauthorize title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
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 ‘‘Ready to Teach Act 
of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. TEACHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT GRANTS. 
Part A of title II of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) is amended to read as fol-
lows:
‘‘PART A—TEACHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT 
GRANTS FOR STATES AND PARTNERSHIPS 
‘‘SEC. 201. PURPOSES; DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this part are to—
‘‘(1) improve student academic achievement; 
‘‘(2) improve the quality of the current and fu-
ture teaching force by improving the preparation of 
prospective teachers and enhancing professional de-
velopment activities; 
‘‘(3) hold institutions of higher education ac-
countable for preparing highly qualified teachers; 
and 
‘‘(4) recruit qualified individuals, including mi-
norities and individuals from other occupations, into 
the teaching force. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this part: 
‘‘(1) ARTS AND SCIENCES.—The term ‘arts and 
sciences’ means—
‘‘(A) when referring to an organizational 
unit of an institution of higher education, any 
academic unit that offers 1 or more academic 
majors in disciplines or content areas cor-
responding to the academic subject matter 
areas in which teachers provide instruction; and 
‘‘(B) when referring to a specific academic 
subject matter area, the disciplines or content
areas in which academic majors are offered by 
the arts and science organizational unit. 
‘‘(2) EXEMPLARY TEACHER.—The term ‘exem-
plary teacher’ has the meaning given such term in 
section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
‘‘(3) HIGHLY
QUALIFIED.—The term ‘highly 
qualified’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
tion 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
‘‘(4) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN-
CY.—The term ‘high-need local educational agency’ 
means a local educational agency—
‘‘(A)(i) that serves not fewer than 10,000 
children from families with incomes below the 
poverty line; or 
‘‘(ii) for which not less than 20 percent of 
the children served by the agency are from fam-
ilies with incomes below the poverty line; and 
‘‘(B)(i) for which there is a high percent-
age of teachers not teaching in the academic 
subjects or grade levels that the teachers were 
trained to teach; or
‘‘(ii) for which there is a high percentage 
of teachers with emergency, provisional, or tem-
porary certification or licensing. 
‘‘(5) POVERTY LINE.—The term ‘poverty line’ 
means the poverty line (as defined by the Office of 
Management and Budget, and revised annually in 
accordance with section 673(2) of the Community 
Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) ap-
plicable to a family of the size involved. 
‘‘(6) 
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.—The 
term ‘professional development’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7801). 
‘‘(7) SCIENTIFICALLY
BASED
READING
RE-
SEARCH.—The term ‘scientifically based reading re-
search’ has the meaning given such term in section 
1208 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6368). 
‘‘(8) SCIENTIFICALLY BASED RESEARCH.—The 
term ‘scientifically based research’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7801).
‘‘SEC. 202. STATE GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available 
under section 210(1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary is 
authorized to award grants under this section, on a com-
petitive basis, to eligible States to enable the eligible 
States to carry out the activities described in subsection 
(d). 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE STATE.—
‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this part, the term ‘eligi-
ble State’ means—
‘‘(A) the Governor of a State; or 
‘‘(B) in the case of a State for which the 
constitution or law of such State designates an-
other individual, entity, or agency in the State 
to be responsible for teacher certification and 
preparation activity, such individual, entity, or 
agency. 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—The Governor and the 
individual, entity, or agency designated under para-
graph (1) shall consult with the Governor, State 
board of education, State educational agency, or 
State agency for higher education, as appropriate,
with respect to the activities assisted under this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(3) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub-
section shall be construed to negate or supersede the
legal authority under State law of any State agency, 
State entity, or State public official over programs 
that are under the jurisdiction of the agency, entity, 
or official. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, an eligible State shall, at the time of 
the initial grant application, submit an application to the 
Secretary that—
‘‘(1) meets the requirement of this section; 
‘‘(2) includes a description of how the eligible 
State intends to use funds provided under this sec-
tion; and 
‘‘(3) includes measurable objectives for the use 
of the funds provided under the grant. 
‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible State that re-
ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds 
to reform teacher preparation requirements, to coordinate 
with State activities under section 2113(c) of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
6613(c)), and to ensure that current and future teachers 
are highly qualified, by carrying out one or more of the 
following activities: 
‘‘(1) REFORMS.—Ensuring that institutions of 
higher education with teacher preparation programs 
are preparing teachers who are highly qualified, and
are able to use advanced technology effectively in the 
classroom, by assisting such institutions—
‘‘(A) to retrain faculty; and 
‘‘(B) to design (or redesign) teacher prepa-
ration programs so they are based on rigorous 
academic content, scientifically based research 
(including scientifically based reading research), 
and challenging State student academic content 
standards. 
‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION OR LICENSURE REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Reforming teacher certification (including 
recertification) or licensing requirements to ensure 
that—
‘‘(A) teachers have the subject matter 
knowledge and teaching skills in the academic 
subjects that the teachers teach necessary to 
help students meet challenging State student 
academic achievement standards; and 
‘‘(B) such requirements are aligned with 
challenging State academic content standards. 
‘‘(3) ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL TEACHER 
PREPARATION
AND
STATE
CERTIFICATION.—Pro-
viding prospective teachers with alternatives to tradi-
tional preparation and State certification through—
‘‘(A) innovative approaches that reduce un-
necessary barriers to State certification while 
producing highly qualified teachers; 
‘‘(B) programs that provide support to 
teachers during their initial years in the profes-
sion; and 
‘‘(C) alternative routes to State certifi-
cation of teachers for qualified individuals, in-
cluding mid-career professionals from other oc-
cupations, former military personnel, and recent 
college graduates with records of academic dis-
tinction. 
‘‘(4) INNOVATIVE
PROGRAMS.—Planning and 
implementing innovative and experimental programs 
to enhance the ability of institutions of higher edu-
cation to prepare highly qualified teachers, such as 
charter colleges of education, that—
‘‘(A) permit flexibility in meeting State re-
quirements as long as graduates, during their 
initial years in the profession, increase student 
academic achievement; 
‘‘(B) provide long-term data gathered from 
teachers’ performance over multiple years in the 
classroom on the ability to increase student aca-
demic achievement;
‘‘(C) ensure high-quality preparation of 
teachers from underrepresented groups; and 
‘‘(D) create performance measures that 
can be used to document the effectiveness of in-
novative methods for preparing highly qualified 
teachers. 
‘‘(5) MERIT
PAY.—Developing, or assisting 
local educational agencies in developing, merit-based 
performance systems that include strategies that 
provide differential and bonus pay for—
‘‘(A) principals; 
‘‘(B) teachers in high-need academic sub-
jects, such as reading, mathematics, and 
science; 
‘‘(C) special education teachers; and 
‘‘(D) teachers in high-poverty or rural 
schools or districts. 
‘‘(6) TEACHER ADVANCEMENT.—Developing, or 
assisting local educational agencies in developing, 
teacher advancement and retention initiatives that 
promote professional growth and emphasize multiple 
career paths (such as paths to becoming a career 
teacher, mentor teacher, or exemplary teacher) and 
pay differentiation.
‘‘(7) TEACHER REMOVAL.—Developing and im-
plementing effective mechanisms to ensure that local 
educational agencies and schools are able to remove 
expeditiously incompetent or unqualified teachers 
consistent with procedures to ensure due process for 
the teachers. 
‘‘(8) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Providing tech-
nical assistance to low-performing teacher prepara-
tion programs within institutions of higher education 
identified under section 208(a). 
‘‘(9) TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS.—Developing—
‘‘(A) systems to measure the effectiveness 
of teacher preparation programs and profes-
sional development programs; and 
‘‘(B) strategies to document gains in stu-
dent academic achievement or increases in 
teacher mastery of the academic subjects the 
teachers teach as a result of such programs. 
‘‘(10) TEACHER
RECRUITMENT.—Undertaking 
teacher recruitment activities that—
‘‘(A) develop and implement effective 
mechanisms to ensure that local educational
agencies and schools are able effectively to re-
cruit highly qualified teachers; or 
‘‘(B) are described in section 204(d).
‘‘SEC. 203. PARTNERSHIP GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS.—From amounts made available under 
section 210(2) for a fiscal year, the Secretary is author-
ized to award grants under this section, on a competitive 
basis, to eligible partnerships to enable the eligible part-
nerships to carry out the activities described in subsections 
(d) and (e). 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS.—In this part, 
the term ‘eligible partnership’ means an entity 
that—
‘‘(A) shall include—
‘‘(i) a partner institution; 
‘‘(ii) a school of arts and sciences; 
‘‘(iii) a high-need local educational 
agency; and 
‘‘(iv) a public or private educational 
organization; and 
‘‘(B) may include a Governor, State edu-
cational agency, the State board of education, 
the State agency for higher education, an insti-
tution of higher education not described in sub-
paragraph (A), a public charter school, a public 
or private elementary school or secondary 
school, a public or private educational organiza-
tion, a business, a faith-based or community or-
ganization, or a prekindergarten program. 
‘‘(2) PARTNER INSTITUTION.—In this section, 
the term ‘partner institution’ means an institution of 
higher education, the teacher training program of 
which demonstrates that—
‘‘(A) graduates from the teacher training 
program exhibit strong performance on State-
determined qualifying assessments for new 
teachers through—
‘‘(i) demonstrating that the graduates 
of the program who intend to enter the 
field of teaching have passed all of the ap-
plicable State qualification assessments for 
new teachers, which shall include an as-
sessment of each prospective teacher’s sub-
ject matter knowledge in the content area 
or areas in which the teacher intends to 
teach; or 
‘‘(ii) being ranked among the highest-
performing teacher preparation programs 
in the State as determined by the State—
‘‘(I) using criteria consistent with 
the requirements for the State report 
card under section 207(a); and
‘‘(II) using the State report card 
on teacher preparation required under 
section 207(a), after the first publica-
tion of such report card and for every 
year thereafter; or 
‘‘(B) the teacher training program requires 
all the students of the program to participate in 
intensive clinical experience, to meet high aca-
demic standards, and—
‘‘(i) in the case of secondary school 
candidates, to successfully complete an 
academic major in the subject area in 
which the candidate intends to teach or to 
demonstrate competence through a high 
level of performance in relevant content 
areas; and 
‘‘(ii) in the case of elementary school 
candidates, to successfully complete an 
academic major in the arts and sciences or 
to demonstrate competence through a high 
level of performance in core academic sub-
ject areas. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Each eligible partnership desir-
ing a grant under this section shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accom-
‘‘(B) how the partnership will carry out 
the activities required under subsection (d) and 
any permissible activities under subsection (e); 
‘‘(C) the partnership’s evaluation plan pur-
suant to section 206(b); and 
‘‘(D) how faculty of the teacher prepara-
tion program at the partner institution will 
serve, over the term of the grant, with highly 
qualified teachers in the classrooms of the high-
need local educational agency included in the 
partnership. 
‘‘(d) REQUIRED USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible part-
nership that receives a grant under this section shall use 
the grant funds to reform teacher preparation require-
ments, to coordinate with State activities under section 
2113(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6613(c)), and to ensure that current 
and future teachers are highly qualified, by carrying out 
one or more of the following activities: 
‘‘(1) REFORMS.—Implementing reforms within 
teacher preparation programs to ensure that such 
programs are preparing teachers who are highly
qualified, and are able to use advanced technology 
effectively in the classroom, by—
‘‘(A) retraining faculty; and
‘‘(B) designing (or redesigning) teacher 
preparation programs so they are based on rig-
orous academic content, scientifically based re-
search (including scientifically based reading re-
search), and challenging State student academic 
content standards. 
‘‘(2) 
CLINICAL
EXPERIENCE
AND
INTER-
ACTION.—Providing 
sustained 
and 
high-quality 
preservice clinical experience, including the men-
toring of prospective teachers by exemplary teachers, 
and substantially increasing interaction between fac-
ulty at institutions of higher education and new and 
experienced teachers, principals, and other adminis-
trators at elementary schools or secondary schools, 
and providing support, including preparation time, 
for such interaction. 
‘‘(3) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—Creating 
opportunities for enhanced and ongoing professional 
development that improves the academic content 
knowledge of teachers in the subject areas in which 
the teachers are certified to teach or in which the 
teachers are working toward certification to teach, 
and that promotes strong teaching skills.
‘‘(4) TEACHER PREPARATION.—Developing, or 
assisting local educational agencies in developing, 
professional development activities that—
‘‘(A) provide training in how to teach and 
address the needs of students with different 
learning styles, particularly students with dis-
abilities and students with special learning 
needs; and 
‘‘(B) provide training in methods of—
‘‘(i) improving student behavior in the 
classroom; and 
‘‘(ii) identifying early and appropriate 
interventions to help students described in 
subparagraph (A) learn. 
‘‘(e) ALLOWABLE USES
OF FUNDS.—An eligible 
partnership that receives a grant under this section may 
use such funds to carry out the following activities: 
‘‘(1) ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL TEACHER 
PREPARATION
AND
STATE
CERTIFICATION.—Pro-
viding prospective teachers with alternatives to tradi-
tional preparation and State certification through—
‘‘(A) innovative approaches that reduce un-
necessary barriers to teacher preparation while 
producing highly qualified teachers;
‘‘(B) programs that provide support during 
a teacher’s initial years in the profession; and 
‘‘(C) alternative routes to State certifi-
cation of teachers for qualified individuals, in-
cluding mid-career professionals from other oc-
cupations, former military personnel, and recent 
college graduates with records of academic dis-
tinction. 
‘‘(2) DISSEMINATION
AND
COORDINATION.—
Broadly disseminating information on effective prac-
tices used by the partnership, and coordinating with 
the activities of the Governor, State board of edu-
cation, State higher education agency, and State 
educational agency, as appropriate. 
‘‘(3) MANAGERIAL AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS.—
Developing and implementing professional develop-
ment programs for principals that enable the prin-
cipals to be effective school leaders and prepare all 
students to meet challenging State academic content 
and student academic achievement standards. 
‘‘(4) TEACHER
RECRUITMENT.—Activities de-
scribed in section 204(d). 
‘‘(f) SPECIAL RULE.—No individual member of an el-
igible partnership shall retain more than 50 percent of the 
funds made available to the partnership under this section.
‘‘(g) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall 
be construed to prohibit an eligible partnership from using 
grant funds to coordinate with the activities of more than 
one Governor, State board of education, State educational 
agency, local educational agency, or State agency for high-
er education. 
‘‘SEC. 204. TEACHER RECRUITMENT GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From amounts made 
available under section 210(3) for a fiscal year, the Sec-
retary is authorized to award grants, on a competitive 
basis, to eligible applicants to enable the eligible applicants 
to carry out activities described in subsection (d). 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT DEFINED.—In this part, 
the term ‘eligible applicant’ means—
‘‘(1) an eligible State described in section 
202(b); or 
‘‘(2) an eligible partnership described in section 
203(b). 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Any eligible applicant desiring 
to receive a grant under this section shall submit an appli-
cation to the Secretary at such time, in such form, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may require, 
including—
‘‘(1) a description of the assessment that the el-
igible applicant, and the other entities with whom
the eligible applicant will carry out the grant activi-
ties, have undertaken to determine the most critical 
needs of the participating high-need local edu-
cational agencies; 
‘‘(2) a description of the activities the eligible 
applicant will carry out with the grant, including the 
extent to which the applicant will use funds to re-
cruit minority students to become highly qualified 
teachers; and 
‘‘(3) a description of the eligible applicant’s 
plan for continuing the activities carried out with 
the grant, once Federal funding ceases. 
‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS.—Each eligible applicant re-
ceiving a grant under this section shall use the grant 
funds—
‘‘(1)(A) to award scholarships to help students 
pay the costs of tuition, room, board, and other ex-
penses of completing a teacher preparation program; 
‘‘(B) to provide support services, if needed to 
enable scholarship recipients to complete postsec-
ondary education programs; and
‘‘(C) for follow up services provided to former 
scholarship recipients during the recipients first 3 
years of teaching; or
‘‘(2) to develop and implement effective mecha-
nisms to ensure that high-need local educational 
agencies and schools are able effectively to recruit 
highly qualified teachers. 
‘‘(e) SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall 
establish such requirements as the Secretary finds nec-
essary to ensure that recipients of scholarships under this 
section who complete teacher education programs subse-
quently teach in a high-need local educational agency, for 
a period of time equivalent to the period for which the 
recipients receive scholarship assistance, or repay the 
amount of the scholarship. The Secretary shall use any 
such repayments to carry out additional activities under 
this section. 
‘‘(f) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give priority 
under this section to eligible applicants who provide an 
assurance that they will recruit a high percentage of mi-
nority students to become highly qualified teachers. 
‘‘SEC. 205. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 
‘‘(a) DURATION; ONE-TIME AWARDS; PAYMENTS.—
‘‘(1) DURATION.—
‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE STATES AND ELIGIBLE AP-
PLICANTS.—Grants awarded to eligible States 
and eligible applicants under this part shall be 
awarded for a period not to exceed 3 years.
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE
PARTNERSHIPS.—Grants 
awarded to eligible partnerships under this part 
shall be awarded for a period of 5 years. 
‘‘(2) ONE-TIME AWARD.—An eligible partner-
ship may receive a grant under each of sections 203 
and 204 only once. 
‘‘(3) PAYMENTS.—The Secretary shall make 
annual payments of grant funds awarded under this 
part. 
‘‘(b) PEER REVIEW.—
‘‘(1) PANEL.—The Secretary shall provide the 
applications submitted under this part to a peer re-
view panel for evaluation. With respect to each ap-
plication, the peer review panel shall initially rec-
ommend the application for funding or for dis-
approval. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In recommending applications 
to the Secretary for funding under this part, the 
panel shall—
‘‘(A) with respect to grants under section 
202, give priority to eligible States serving 
States that—
‘‘(i) have initiatives to reform State 
teacher certification requirements that are 
based on rigorous academic content, sci-
entifically based research, including sci-
entifically based reading research, and 
challenging State student academic content 
standards; 
‘‘(ii) include innovative reforms to 
hold institutions of higher education with 
teacher preparation programs accountable 
for preparing teachers who are highly 
qualified and have strong teaching skills; 
or 
‘‘(iii) involve the development of inno-
vative efforts aimed at reducing the short-
age of highly qualified teachers in high 
poverty urban and rural areas; 
‘‘(B) with respect to grants under section 
203—
‘‘(i) give priority to applications from 
broad-based eligible partnerships that in-
volve businesses and community organiza-
tions; and 
‘‘(ii) take into consideration—
‘‘(I) providing an equitable geo-
graphic distribution of the grants 
throughout the United States; and
‘‘(II) the potential of the pro-
posed activities for creating improve-
ment and positive change. 
‘‘(3) SECRETARIAL SELECTION.—The Secretary 
shall determine, based on the peer review process, 
which application shall receive funding and the 
amounts of the grants. In determining grant 
amounts, the Secretary shall take into account the 
total amount of funds available for all grants under 
this part and the types of activities proposed to be 
carried out. 
‘‘(c) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.—
‘‘(1) STATE GRANTS.—Each eligible State re-
ceiving a grant under section 202 or 204 shall pro-
vide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 
50 percent of the amount of the grant (in cash or 
in kind) to carry out the activities supported by the 
grant. 
‘‘(2) PARTNERSHIP
GRANTS.—Each eligible 
partnership receiving a grant under section 203 or 
204 shall provide, from non-Federal sources (in cash 
or in kind), an amount equal to 25 percent of the 
grant for the first year of the grant, 35 percent of 
the grant for the second year of the grant, and 50
percent of the grant for each succeeding year of the 
grant. 
‘‘(d) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—
An eligible State or eligible partnership that receives a 
grant under this part may not use more than 2 percent 
of the grant funds for purposes of administering the grant. 
‘‘SEC. 206. ACCOUNTABILITY AND EVALUATION. 
‘‘(a) STATE GRANT ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT.—An 
eligible State that receives a grant under section 202 shall 
submit an annual accountability report to the Secretary, 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
sions of the Senate, and the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce of the House of Representatives. Such re-
port shall include a description of the degree to which the 
eligible State, in using funds provided under such section, 
has made substantial progress in meeting the following 
goals: 
‘‘(1) PERCENTAGE
OF
HIGHLY
QUALIFIED 
TEACHERS.—Increasing the percentage of highly
qualified teachers in the State as required by section 
1119 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6319). 
‘‘(2) STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.—In-
creasing student academic achievement for all stu-
dents as defined by the eligible State.
‘‘(3) RAISING STANDARDS.—Raising the State 
academic standards required to enter the teaching 
profession as a highly qualified teacher. 
‘‘(4) INITIAL CERTIFICATION OR LICENSURE.—
Increasing success in the pass rate for initial State 
teacher certification or licensure, or increasing the 
numbers of qualified individuals being certified or li-
censed as teachers through alternative programs. 
‘‘(5) DECREASING TEACHER SHORTAGES.—De-
creasing shortages of highly qualified teachers in 
poor urban and rural areas. 
‘‘(6) INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFES-
SIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.—Increasing opportunities 
for enhanced and ongoing professional development 
that—
‘‘(A) improves the academic content knowl-
edge of teachers in the subject areas in which 
the teachers are certified or licensed to teach or 
in which the teachers are working toward cer-
tification or licensure to teach; and 
‘‘(B) promotes strong teaching skills. 
‘‘(7) TECHNOLOGY
INTEGRATION.—Increasing 
the number of teachers prepared effectively to inte-
grate technology into curricula and instruction and 
who use technology to collect, manage, and analyze
student academic achievement data to improve 
teaching and decisionmaking. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP EVALUATION.—Each 
eligible partnership receiving a grant under section 203 
shall establish, and include in the application submitted 
under section 203(c), an evaluation plan that includes 
strong performance objectives. The plan shall include ob-
jectives and measures for—
‘‘(1) increased student achievement for all stu-
dents as measured by the partnership; 
‘‘(2) increased teacher retention in the first 3 
years of a teacher’s career; 
‘‘(3) increased success in the pass rate for ini-
tial State certification or licensure of teachers; 
‘‘(4) increased percentage of highly qualified 
teachers; and 
‘‘(5) increasing the number of teachers trained 
effectively to integrate technology into curricula and 
instruction and who use technology to collect, man-
age, and analyze student academic achievement data 
to improve teaching and decisionmaking. 
‘‘(c) REVOCATION OF GRANT.—
‘‘(1) REPORT.—Each eligible State or eligible 
partnership receiving a grant under this part shall 
report annually on the progress of the eligible State
or eligible partnership toward meeting the purposes 
of this part and the goals, objectives, and measures 
described in subsections (a) and (b). 
‘‘(2) REVOCATION.—
‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE STATES AND ELIGIBLE AP-
PLICANTS.—If the Secretary determines that an 
eligible State or eligible applicant is not making 
substantial progress in meeting the purposes, 
goals, objectives, and measures, as appropriate, 
by the end of the second year of a grant under 
this part, then the grant payment shall not be 
made for the third year of the grant. 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE
PARTNERSHIPS.—If the 
Secretary determines that an eligible partner-
ship is not making substantial progress in 
meeting the purposes, goals, objectives, and 
measures, as appropriate, by the end of the 
third year of a grant under this part, then the 
grant payments shall not be made for any suc-
ceeding year of the grant. 
‘‘(d) EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION.—The Sec-
retary shall evaluate the activities funded under this part 
and report annually the Secretary’s findings regarding the 
activities to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce of the House of Representatives. 
The Secretary shall broadly disseminate successful prac-
tices developed by eligible States and eligible partnerships 
under this part, and shall broadly disseminate information 
regarding such practices that were found to be ineffective. 
‘‘SEC. 207. ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PROGRAMS THAT PRE-
PARE TEACHERS. 
‘‘(a) STATE REPORT CARD ON THE QUALITY OF 
TEACHER PREPARATION.—Each State that receives funds 
under this Act shall provide to the Secretary annually, in 
a uniform and comprehensible manner that conforms with 
the definitions and methods established by the Commis-
sioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a 
State report card on the quality of teacher preparation 
in the State, which shall include at least the following: 
‘‘(1) A description of the teacher certification 
and licensure assessments, and any other certifi-
cation and licensure requirements, used by the 
State. 
‘‘(2) The standards and criteria that prospec-
tive teachers must meet in order to attain initial 
teacher certification or licensure and to be certified 
or licensed to teach particular subjects or in par-
ticular grades within the State.
‘‘(3) A description of the extent to which the 
assessments and requirements described in para-
graph (1) are aligned with the State’s standards and 
assessments for students. 
‘‘(4) The percentage of students at an institu-
tion who participated in a teacher preparation pro-
gram of such institution for at least 2 semesters who 
passed each of the assessments used by the State for 
teacher certification and licensure, and the passing 
score on each assessment that determines whether a 
candidate has passed that assessment. 
‘‘(5) The percentage of students at an institu-
tion who participated in a teacher preparation pro-
gram of such institution for at least 2 semesters who 
passed each of the assessments used by the State for 
teacher certification and licensure, disaggregated 
and ranked, by the teacher preparation program in 
that State from which the teacher candidate received
the candidate’s most recent degree, which shall be 
made available widely and publicly. 
‘‘(6) Information on the extent to which teach-
ers in the State are given waivers of State certifi-
cation or licensure requirements, including the pro-
portion of such teachers distributed across high- and 
low-poverty school districts and across subject areas.
‘‘(7) A description of each State’s alternative 
routes to teacher certification, if any, and the per-
centage of teachers certified through alternative cer-
tification routes who pass State teacher certification 
or licensure assessments. 
‘‘(8) For each State, a description of proposed 
criteria for assessing the performance of teacher 
preparation programs within institutions of higher 
education in the State, including indicators of teach-
er candidate skills and academic content knowledge 
and evidence of gains in student academic achieve-
ment. 
‘‘(b) REPORT OF THE SECRETARY ON THE QUALITY 
OF TEACHER PREPARATION.—
‘‘(1) REPORT CARD.—The Secretary shall pro-
vide to Congress, and publish and make widely avail-
able, a report card on teacher qualifications and 
preparation in the United States, including all the 
information reported in paragraphs (1) through (8) 
of subsection (a). Such report shall identify States 
for which eligible States and eligible partnerships re-
ceived a grant under this part. Such report shall be 
so provided, published and made available annually. 
‘‘(2) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—The Secretary 
shall report to Congress—
‘‘(A) a comparison of States’ efforts to im-
prove teaching quality; and 
‘‘(B) regarding the national mean and me-
dian scores on any standardized test that is 
used in more than 1 State for teacher certifi-
cation or licensure. 
‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULE.—In the case of institu-
tions with fewer than 10 students who participated 
in a teacher preparation program of such institution 
for at least 2 semesters taking any single initial 
teacher certification or licensure assessment during 
an academic year, the Secretary shall collect and 
publish information with respect to an average pass 
rate on State certification or licensure assessments 
taken over a 3-year period. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATION.—The Secretary, to the extent 
practicable, shall coordinate the information collected and 
published under this part among States for individuals 
who took State teacher certification or licensure assess-
ments in a State other than the State in which the indi-
vidual received the individual’s most recent degree. 
‘‘(d) INSTITUTIONAL REPORT CARDS ON THE QUAL-
ITY OF TEACHER PREPARATION.—
‘‘(1) REPORT CARD.—Each institution of higher 
education that conducts a teacher preparation pro-
gram that enrolls students receiving Federal assist-
ance under this Act shall report annually to the 
State and the general public, in a uniform and com-
prehensible manner that conforms with the defini-
tions and methods established by the Commissioner 
of the National Center for Education Statistics, the 
following information: 
‘‘(A) PASS RATE.—(i) For the most recent 
year for which the information is available, the 
pass rate of each student at the institution who 
participated in the teacher preparation program 
for at least 2 semesters on the teacher certifi-
cation or licensure assessments of the State in 
which the institution is located, but only for 
those students who took those assessments 
within 3 years of receiving a degree from the 
institution. 
‘‘(ii) A comparison of the institution’s pass 
rate for students who participated in the teach-
er preparation program for at least 2 semesters 
with the average pass rate for institutions in 
the State. 
‘‘(iii) A comparison of the institution’s av-
erage score for students who participated in the 
teacher preparation program for at least 2 se-
mesters with the average scores for institutions 
in the State. 
‘‘(iv) In the case of institutions with fewer 
than 10 students who participated in a teacher 
preparation program of such institution for at 
least 2 semesters taking any single initial teach-
er certification or licensure assessment during 
an academic year, the institution shall collect 
and publish information with respect to an av-
erage pass rate on State certification or licen-
sure assessments taken over a 3-year period. 
‘‘(B) PROGRAM INFORMATION.—The num-
ber of students in the program, the average 
number of hours of supervised practice teaching 
required for those in the program, and the fac-
ulty-student ratio in supervised practice teach-
ing. 
‘‘(C) STATEMENT.—In States that approve 
or accredit teacher education programs, a state-
ment of whether the institution’s program is so 
approved or accredited. 
‘‘(D) 
DESIGNATION
AS
LOW-PER-
FORMING.—Whether the program has been des-
ignated as low-performing by the State under 
section 208(a).
‘‘(2) 
REQUIREMENT.—The 
information 
de-
scribed in paragraph (1) shall be reported through 
publications such as school catalogs and promotional 
materials sent to potential applicants, secondary 
school guidance counselors, and prospective employ-
ers of the institution’s program graduates, including 
materials sent by electronic means. 
‘‘(3) FINES.—In addition to the actions author-
ized in section 487(c), the Secretary may impose a 
fine not to exceed $25,000 on an institution of high-
er education for failure to provide the information 
described in this subsection in a timely or accurate 
manner. 
‘‘SEC. 208. STATE FUNCTIONS. 
‘‘(a) STATE ASSESSMENT.—In order to receive funds 
under this Act, a State shall have in place a procedure 
to identify and assist, through the provision of technical
assistance, low-performing programs of teacher prepara-
tion within institutions of higher education. Such State 
shall provide the Secretary an annual list of such low-per-
forming institutions that includes an identification of 
those institutions at risk of being placed on such list. Such 
levels of performance shall be determined solely by the 
State and may include criteria based upon information col-
lected pursuant to this part. Such assessment shall be de-
scribed in the report under section 207(a). 
‘‘(b) TERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY.—Any institu-
tion of higher education that offers a program of teacher 
preparation in which the State has withdrawn the State’s 
approval or terminated the State’s financial support due 
to the low performance of the institution’s teacher prepa-
ration program based upon the State assessment described 
in subsection (a)—
‘‘(1) shall be ineligible for any funding for pro-
fessional development activities awarded by the De-
partment of Education; and 
‘‘(2) shall not be permitted to accept or enroll 
any student who receives aid under title IV of this 
Act in the institution’s teacher preparation program. 
‘‘SEC. 209. GENERAL PROVISIONS. 
‘‘(a) METHODS.—In complying with sections 207 and 
208, the Secretary shall ensure that States and institu-
tions of higher education use fair and equitable methods 
in reporting and that the reporting methods do not allow 
identification of individuals. 
‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE.—For each State in which there 
are no State certification or licensure assessments, or for 
States that do not set minimum performance levels on 
those assessments—
‘‘(1) the Secretary shall, to the extent prac-
ticable, collect data comparable to the data required 
under this part from States, local educational agen-
cies, institutions of higher education, or other enti-
ties that administer such assessments to teachers or 
prospective teachers; and 
‘‘(2) notwithstanding any other provision of this 
part, the Secretary shall use such data to carry out 
requirements of this part related to assessments or 
pass rates. 
‘‘(c) LIMITATIONS.—
‘‘(1) FEDERAL CONTROL PROHIBITED.—Noth-
ing in this part shall be construed to permit, allow, 
encourage, or authorize any Federal control over any 
aspect of any private, religious, or home school, 
whether or not a home school is treated as a private 
school or home school under State law. This section 
shall not be construed to prohibit private, religious, 
or home schools from participation in programs or 
services under this part. 
‘‘(2) NO CHANGE IN STATE CONTROL ENCOUR-
AGED OR REQUIRED.—Nothing in this part shall be 
construed to encourage or require any change in a 
State’s treatment of any private, religious, or home
school, whether or not a home school is treated as 
a private school or home school under State law. 
‘‘(3) NATIONAL SYSTEM OF TEACHER CERTIFI-
CATION PROHIBITED.—Nothing in this part shall be 
construed to permit, allow, encourage, or authorize 
the Secretary to establish or support any national 
system of teacher certification. 
‘‘SEC. 210. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this part such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
2004 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years, of which—
‘‘(1) 45 percent shall be available for each fiscal 
year to award grants under section 202; 
‘‘(2) 45 percent shall be available for each fiscal 
year to award grants under section 203; and 
‘‘(3) 10 percent shall be available for each fiscal 
year to award grants under section 204.’’. 
SEC. 3. PREPARING TOMORROW’S TEACHERS TO USE TECH-
NOLOGY. 
(a) 
PERMISSIBLE
USES
OF
FUNDS.—Section 
223(b)(1)(E) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1043(b)(1)(E)) is amended by inserting ‘‘student 
academic achievement’’ after ‘‘analyze’’. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
224 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1044) is amended by striking ‘‘each of fiscal years 2002 
and 2003.’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2004 and each of 
the 4 succeeding fiscal years.’’.
Æ