H. R. 1429—25 
‘‘(vii) changes in the characteristics of the popu-
lation of children who are eligible to participate in 
Head Start programs, including country of origin, lan-
guage background, and family structure of such chil-
dren, and changes in the population and number of 
such children who are in foster care or are homeless 
children; 
‘‘(viii) mechanisms to ensure that children partici-
pating in Head Start programs make a successful 
transition to the schools that the children will be 
attending; 
‘‘(ix) the need for Head Start agencies to maintain 
regular communications with parents, including con-
ducting periodic meetings to discuss the progress of 
individual children in Head Start programs; and 
‘‘(x) the unique challenges faced by individual pro-
grams, including those programs that are seasonal or 
short term and those programs that serve rural popu-
lations; 
‘‘(C)(i) review and revise as necessary the standards 
in effect under this subsection; and 
‘‘(ii) ensure that any such revisions in the standards 
will not result in the elimination of or any reduction in 
quality, scope, or types of health, educational, parental 
involvement, nutritional, social, or other services required 
to be provided under such standards as in effect on the 
date of enactment of the Improving Head Start for School 
Readiness Act of 2007; and 
‘‘(D) consult with Indian tribes, including Alaska 
Natives, experts in Indian, including Alaska Native, early 
childhood education and development, linguists, and the 
National Indian Head Start Directors Association on the 
review and promulgation of standards under paragraph 
(1) (including standards for language acquisition and school 
readiness). 
‘‘(3) STANDARDS RELATING TO OBLIGATIONS TO DELEGATE 
AGENCIES.—In developing any modifications to standards under 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall describe the obligations of 
a Head Start agency to a delegate agency to which the Head 
Start agency has delegated responsibility for providing services 
under this subchapter. 
‘‘(b) MEASURES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation with rep-
resentatives of Head Start agencies and with experts in the 
fields of early childhood education and development, family 
services, and program management, shall use the study on 
Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children 
by the National Academy of Sciences and other relevant 
research to inform, revise, and provide guidance to Head Start 
agencies for utilizing, scientifically based measures that sup-
port, as appropriate— 
‘‘(A) classroom instructional practices; 
‘‘(B) identification of children with special needs; 
‘‘(C) program evaluation; and 
‘‘(D) administrative and financial management prac-
tices.
H. R. 1429—26 
‘‘(2) CHARACTERISTICS OF MEASURES.—The measures under 
this subsection shall— 
‘‘(A) be developmentally, linguistically, and culturally 
appropriate for the population served; 
‘‘(B) be reviewed periodically, based on advances in 
the science of early childhood development; 
‘‘(C) be consistent with relevant, nationally recognized 
professional and technical standards related to the assess-
ment of young children; 
‘‘(D) be valid and reliable in the language in which 
they are administered; 
‘‘(E) be administered by staff with appropriate training 
for such administration; 
‘‘(F) provide for appropriate accommodations for chil-
dren with disabilities and children who are limited English 
proficient; 
‘‘(G) be high-quality research-based measures that have 
been demonstrated to assist with the purposes for which 
they were devised; and 
‘‘(H) be adaptable, as appropriate, for use in the self- 
assessment of Head Start agencies, including in the evalua-
tion of administrative and financial management practices. 
‘‘(3) USE OF MEASURES; LIMITATIONS ON USE.— 
‘‘(A) USE.—The measures shall be designed, as appro-
priate, for the purpose of— 
‘‘(i) helping to develop the skills, knowledge, abili-
ties, and development described in subsection (a)(1)(B) 
of children participating in Head Start programs, with 
an emphasis on measuring skills that scientifically 
valid research has demonstrated are related to chil-
dren’s school readiness and later success in school; 
‘‘(ii) improving classroom practices, including 
reviewing children’s strengths and weaknesses and 
individualizing instruction to better meet the needs 
of the children involved; 
‘‘(iii) identifying the special needs of children; and 
‘‘(iv) improving overall program performance in 
order to help programs identify problem areas that 
may require additional training and technical assist-
ance resources. 
‘‘(B) LIMITATIONS.—Such measures shall not be used 
to exclude children from Head Start programs. 
‘‘(4) CONFIDENTIALITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, through regulation, 
shall ensure the confidentiality of any personally identifi-
able data, information, and records collected or maintained 
under this subchapter by the Secretary and any Head 
Start agency. Such regulations shall provide the policies, 
protections, and rights equivalent to those provided to a 
parent, student, or educational agency or institution under 
section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 
U.S.C. 1232g). 
‘‘(B) PROHIBITION ON NATIONWIDE DATABASE.—Nothing 
in this subsection shall be construed to authorize the 
development of a nationwide database of personally identi-
fiable data, information, or records on children resulting 
from the use of measures under this subsection.
H. R. 1429—27 
‘‘(5) SPECIAL RULE.— 
‘‘(A) PROHIBITION.—The use of assessment items and 
data on any assessment authorized under this subchapter 
by any agent of the Federal Government is prohibited 
for the purposes of— 
‘‘(i) ranking, comparing, or otherwise evaluating 
individual children for purposes other than research, 
training, or technical assistance; and 
‘‘(ii) providing rewards or sanctions for individual 
children or teachers. 
‘‘(B) RESULTS.—The Secretary shall not use the results 
of a single assessment as the sole method for assessing 
program effectiveness or making agency funding deter-
minations at the national, regional, or local level under 
this subchapter. 
‘‘(c) MONITORING OF LOCAL AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To determine whether Head Start agen-
cies meet standards described in subsection (a)(1) established 
under this subchapter with respect to program, administrative, 
financial management, and other requirements, and in order 
to help the programs identify areas for improvement and areas 
of strength as part of their ongoing self-assessment process, 
the Secretary shall conduct the following reviews of Head Start 
agencies, including the Head Start programs operated by such 
agencies: 
‘‘(A) A full review, including the use of a risk-based 
assessment approach, of each such agency at least once 
during each 3-year period. 
‘‘(B) A review of each newly designated Head Start 
agency immediately after the completion of the first year 
such agency carries out a Head Start program. 
‘‘(C) Followup reviews, including— 
‘‘(i) return visits to Head Start agencies with 1 
or more findings of deficiencies, not later than 6 
months after the Secretary provides notification of such 
findings, or not later than 12 months after such 
notification if the Secretary determines that additional 
time is necessary for an agency to address such a 
deficiency prior to the review; and 
‘‘(ii) a review of Head Start agencies with signifi-
cant areas of noncompliance. 
‘‘(D) Other reviews, including unannounced site inspec-
tions of Head Start centers, as appropriate. 
‘‘(2) CONDUCT
OF
REVIEWS.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that reviews described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of 
paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) are conducted by review teams that— 
‘‘(i) include individuals who are knowledgeable 
about Head Start programs and, to the maximum 
extent practicable, individuals who are knowledgeable 
about— 
‘‘(I) other early childhood education and 
development programs, personnel management, 
financial accountability, and systems development 
and monitoring; and 
‘‘(II) the diverse (including linguistic and cul-
tural) needs of eligible children (including children
H. R. 1429—28 
with disabilities, homeless children, children in 
foster care, and limited English proficient children) 
and their families; 
‘‘(ii) include, to the maximum extent practicable, 
current or former employees of the Department of 
Health and Human Services who are knowledgeable 
about Head Start programs; and 
‘‘(iii) shall receive periodic training to ensure 
quality and consistency across reviews; 
‘‘(B) include as part of the reviews, a review and assess-
ment of program strengths and areas in need of improve-
ment; 
‘‘(C) include as part of the reviews, a review and assess-
ment of whether programs have adequately addressed 
population and community needs (including those of limited 
English proficient children and children of migrant or sea-
sonal farmworker families); 
‘‘(D) include as part of the reviews, an assessment 
of the extent to which the programs address the 
communitywide strategic planning and needs assessment 
described in section 640(g)(1)(C); 
‘‘(E) include information on the innovative and effective 
efforts of the Head Start agencies to collaborate with the 
entities providing early childhood and development services 
or programs in the community and any barriers to such 
collaboration that the agencies encounter; 
‘‘(F) include as part of the reviews, a valid and reliable 
research-based observational instrument, implemented by 
qualified individuals with demonstrated reliability, that 
assesses classroom quality, including assessing multiple 
dimensions of teacher-child interactions that are linked 
to positive child development and later achievement; 
‘‘(G) are conducted in a manner that evaluates program 
performance, quality, and overall operations with consist-
ency and objectivity, are based on a transparent and reli-
able system of review, and are conducted in a manner 
that includes periodic interrater reliability checks, to 
ensure quality and consistency, across and within regions, 
of the reviews and of noncompliance and deficiency deter-
minations; 
‘‘(H) in the case of reviews of Early Head Start agencies 
and programs, are conducted by a review team that 
includes individuals who are knowledgeable about the 
development of infants and toddlers; 
‘‘(I) include as part of the reviews a protocol for fiscal 
management that shall be used to assess compliance with 
program requirements for— 
‘‘(i) using Federal funds appropriately; 
‘‘(ii) using Federal funds specifically to purchase 
property (consistent with section 644(f)) and to com-
pensate personnel; 
‘‘(iii) securing and using qualified financial officer 
support; and 
‘‘(iv) reporting financial information and imple-
menting appropriate internal controls to safeguard 
Federal funds;