‘‘(D) 
ANNUAL
IMPROVEMENT
FOR 
SCHOOLS.—Each year, for a school to meet the 
standard for adequate student growth under 
this paragraph, not less than 95 percent of each 
group of students described in paragraph 
(2)(C)(v)(II) who are enrolled in the school are 
required to take the assessments, consistent 
with paragraph (3), including subparagraph 
(C)(xi) of such paragraph, and with— 
‘‘(i) accommodations provided in the 
same manner as those provided under sec-
tion 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 
(29 U.S.C. 794); and 
‘‘(ii) accommodations and alternative 
assessments provided in the same manner 
as 
those 
provided 
under 
section 
612(a)(16)(A) of the Individuals with Dis-
abilities Education Act. 
‘‘(E) EVALUATION.— 
‘‘(i) SECRETARIAL DUTIES.—The Sec-
retary shall— 
‘‘(I) establish a rigorous peer-re-
view process, which shall include a di-
verse board of experts and community 
stakeholders, to assist in the review of 
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State 
accountability 
model 
plans, 
based on the criteria described in sub-
paragraphs (B) and (C)(i); 
‘‘(II) appoint individuals to the 
peer-review process who are represent-
ative of parents, teachers, State edu-
cational agencies, and local edu-
cational agencies, and who are famil-
iar with educational standards, assess-
ments, accountability, the needs of 
low-performing schools, and other 
educational needs of students; 
‘‘(III) if the Secretary determines 
that the State plan does not meet the 
requirements of this paragraph, im-
mediately notify the State of such de-
termination and the reasons for such 
determination; 
‘‘(IV) not decline to approve a 
State’s accountability model plan be-
fore— 
‘‘(aa) offering the State an 
opportunity to revise its account-
ability model plan; 
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‘‘(bb) providing technical as-
sistance in order to assist the 
State to meet the requirements of 
this paragraph; 
‘‘(cc) providing a hearing; 
and 
‘‘(dd) allowing the State to 
communicate with peer reviewers 
in order to further explain or jus-
tify the merits of the State’s ac-
countability model plan; and 
‘‘(V) have the authority to dis-
approve a State accountability model 
plan for not meeting the requirements 
of this paragraph, but shall not have 
the authority to require a State, as a 
condition of approval of the State ac-
countability model plan, to include in, 
or delete from, such plan 1 or more 
specific elements of the State’s aca-
demic content standards or to use 
specific academic assessment instru-
ments or items. 
‘‘(ii) STATE REVISIONS.—A State ac-
countability model plan shall be revised by 
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the State educational agency if it is nec-
essary to satisfy the requirements of this 
paragraph. 
‘‘(F) APPROVED SCHOOLS.—If, as of the 
date of enactment of the Growth to Excellence 
Act of 2012, a State has already received ap-
proval from the Secretary to use an account-
ability model, the Secretary may allow such 
State a period of not more than 2 years from 
the date of enactment of such Act to transition 
to the use of the accountability model described 
in this paragraph. 
‘‘(13) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) COLLEGE AND CAREER READY.—The 
term ‘college and career ready’, when used with 
respect to a student, means that the student 
meets the requirements necessary to be admit-
ted into credit-bearing, nonremedial, entry-level 
coursework at a State public institution of high-
er education. 
‘‘(B) COLLEGE AND CAREER READY ACA-
DEMIC CONTENT STANDARDS.—The term ‘col-
lege and career ready academic content stand-
ards’ means challenging academic content 
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standards (as required under paragraph (1)) 
that are— 
‘‘(i) developed based on evidence that 
mastery of such standards corresponds to 
being college and career ready without the 
need for remediation; and 
‘‘(ii)(I) common to a significant num-
ber of States; or 
‘‘(II) approved by a system of public 
4-year institutions of higher education in 
the State, such that mastery of such 
standards leads to placement into credit- 
bearing, nonremedial, first-year coursework 
for a student admitted to an institution of 
higher education that is part of such sys-
tem. 
‘‘(C) COLLEGE
AND
CAREER
READY
AS-
SESSMENTS.—The term ‘college and career 
ready assessments’ means an assessment for 
mathematics and an assessment for reading or 
language arts that— 
‘‘(i) measures the annual academic 
growth of individual students; 
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‘‘(ii) is aligned with the college and 
career ready academic content standards 
described in this paragraph; and 
‘‘(iii) meets the requirements under 
paragraph (3). 
‘‘(D) ON TRACK TO BEING COLLEGE AND 
CAREER READY.—The term ‘on track to being 
college and career ready’ in a subject means 
that a student is performing at or above grade 
level, such that the student will be college and 
career ready in the subject before graduation 
from secondary school, as measured by the 
State assessment system.’’. 
Æ 
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