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SEC. 926. STUDY OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES AND 
PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall provide 
for the conduct a study of the best practices of States in 
assessing undergraduate postsecondary student learning, 
particularly as such practices relate to public account-
ability systems. 
(b) CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ASSOCIATION.—Such 
study shall be conducted by an association or organization 
with specific expertise and knowledge in state practices 
and access to necessary state officials (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘‘association’’). The association respon-
sible for the study under this section shall be a national, 
non-partisan or bi-partisan entity representing States or 
State officials with expertise in evaluative and qualitative 
policy research for best practice models, the capacity to 
convene experts, and to formulate policy recommenda-
tions. 
(c) REQUIRED SUBJECTS OF STUDY.—In performing 
the study, the association shall, at a minimum, examine 
the following: 
(1) The current status of institutional and state 
efforts to embed student learning assessments into 
the state-level public accountability frameworks. 
(2) The extent to which there is commonality 
among educators and accrediting agencies on learn-
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ing standards for the associates and bachelors de-
grees. 
(3) The reliability, rigor, and generalizability of 
available instruments to assess general education at 
the undergraduate level. 
(4) Roles and responsibilities for public ac-
countability for student learning. 
(d) CONSULTATION.— 
(1) NATIONAL
COMMITTEE.—The association 
shall establish and consult with a national com-
mittee. The committee shall meet not less than twice 
a year to review the research, identify best practice 
models, and review recommendations. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The national advisory com-
mittee shall consist of a representative of the Sec-
retary of Education and individuals with expertise 
in— 
(A) State accountability systems; 
(B) student learning assessments; 
(C) student flow data; 
(D) transitions between K–12 and higher 
education; and 
(E) Federal higher education policy. 
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(3) ADDITIONAL EXPERTISE.—The association 
may augment this committee with other expertise, as 
appropriate. 
(e) CONGRESSIONAL CONSULTATION.—The associa-
tion shall consult on a regular basis with the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Health Education 
Labor and Pensions of the Senate in carrying out the 
study required by this section. 
(f) REPORT.—The association shall, not later than 
two years after the date of enactment of this Act, prepare 
and submit a report on the study required by this section 
to the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 
SEC. 927. STUDY OF MINORITY GRADUATION RATES. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Education 
shall— 
(1) commission a national study on the decreas-
ing numbers of underrepresented minority males, 
particularly African American males, entering and 
graduating from colleges and universities; and 
(2) make specific recommendations to the Con-
gress on new approaches to increase minority male 
graduation rates and the number of minority males 
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going into careers where the population is underrep-
resented. 
(b) SUBMISSION OF REPORT.—Not later than one 
year after the date of the enactment this Act, the Sec-
retary shall submit a report on the study required by sub-
section (a)(1), together with the recommendations re-
quired by subsection (a)(2), to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate and the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House 
of Representatives. 
SEC. 928. STUDY OF EDUCATION-RELATED INDEBTEDNESS 
OF MEDICAL SCHOOL GRADUATES. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Education 
shall conduct a study to evaluate the higher education- 
related indebtedness of medical school graduates in the 
United States at the time of graduation. 
(b) DEADLINE.—Not later than one year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 
a report on the study required by subsection (a) to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Edu-
cation, Labor and Pensions of the Senate, and shall make 
the report widely available to the public. Additional re-
ports may be periodically prepared and released as nec-
essary. 
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SEC. 929. STUDY OF ADULT LEARNERS. 
The Secretary of Education shall conduct a study of 
the developing trends in older adult learners attending col-
lege and how institutions of higher education are address-
ing the needs of this specific population in terms of out-
reach, accessibility, financing, and student support serv-
ices, including online education. The Secretary shall sub-
mit a report on the study to the Committee on Education 
and the Workforce of the House of Representatives that 
includes recommendations on measures the Federal Gov-
ernment can take to address the needs in regards to edu-
cation and job training for the aging population and the 
changing demographics of our country. 
SEC. 930. INCREASE IN COLLEGE TEXTBOOK PRICES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Committee on Education and 
the Workforce of the House of Representatives makes the 
following findings: 
(1) The rising costs of higher education are 
making a postsecondary education inaccessible for 
many individuals. 
(2) The rise in college textbook pricing contrib-
utes to the overall costs of higher education, and 
many factors have contributed to the rise in text-
book pricing. 
(b) SENSE OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND 
THE WORKFORCE.—It is the sense of the Committee on 
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