Access to High Standards Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Access to High Standards Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) far too many students are not being provided sufficient 
        academic preparation in secondary school, which results in 
        limited employment opportunities, college dropout rates of over 
        25 percent for the first year of college, and remediation for 
        almost one-third of incoming college freshmen;
            (2) there is a growing consensus that raising academic 
        standards, establishing high academic expectations, and showing 
        concrete results are at the core of improving public education;
            (3) modeling academic standards on the well-known program 
        of advanced placement courses is an approach that many 
        education leaders and almost half of all States have endorsed;
            (4) advanced placement programs already are providing 30 
        different college-level courses, serving almost 60 percent of 
        all secondary schools, reaching over 1,000,000 students (of 
        whom 80 percent attend public schools, 55 percent are females, 
        and 30 percent are minorities), and providing test scores that 
        are accepted for college credit at over 3,000 colleges and 
        universities, every university in Germany, France, and Austria, 
        and most institutions in Canada and the United Kingdom;
            (5) 24 States are now funding programs to increase 
        participation in advanced placement programs, including 19 
        States that provide funds for advanced placement teacher 
        professional development, 3 States that require that all public 
        secondary schools offer advanced placement courses, 10 States 
        that pay the fees for advanced placement tests for some or all 
        students, and 4 States that require that their public 
        universities grant uniform academic credit for scores of 3 or 
        better on advanced placement tests; and
            (6) the State programs described in paragraph (5) have 
        shown the responsiveness of schools and students to such 
        programs, raised the academic standards for both students 
        participating in such programs and other children taught by 
        teachers who are involved in advanced placement courses, and 
        shown tremendous success in increasing enrollment, achievement, 
        and minority participation in advanced placement programs.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to encourage more of the 600,000 students who take 
        advanced placement courses but do not take advanced placement 
        exams each year to demonstrate their achievements through 
        taking the exams;
            (2) to build on the many benefits of advanced placement 
        programs for students, which benefits may include the 
        acquisition of skills that are important to many employers, 
        Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) scores that are 100 points 
        above the national averages, and the achievement of better 
        grades in secondary school and in college than the grades of 
        students who have not participated in the programs;
            (3) to support State and local efforts to raise academic 
        standards through advanced placement programs, and thus further 
        increase the number of students who participate and succeed in 
        advanced placement programs;
            (4) to increase the availability and broaden the range of 
        schools that have advanced placement programs, which programs 
        are still often distributed unevenly among regions, States, and 
        even secondary schools within the same school district, while 
        also increasing and diversifying student participation in the 
        programs;
            (5) to build on the State programs described in subsection 
        (a)(5) and demonstrate that larger and more diverse groups of 
        students can participate and succeed in advanced placement 
        programs;
            (6) to provide greater access to advanced placement courses 
        for low-income and other disadvantaged students; and
            (7) to provide access to advanced placement courses for 
        secondary school juniors at schools that do not offer advanced 
        placement programs, increase the rate of secondary school 
        juniors and seniors who participate in advanced placement 
        courses to 25 percent of the secondary school student 
        population, and increase the numbers of students who receive 
advanced placement test scores for which college academic credit is 
awarded.

SEC. 3. ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM GRANTS.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--From amounts appropriated under the 
        authority of subsection (f) for a fiscal year, the Secretary 
        shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 
        entities to enable the eligible entities to carry out the 
        authorized activities described in subsection (c).
            (2) Duration and payments.--
                    (A) Duration.--The Secretary shall award a grant 
                under this section for a period of 3 years.
                    (B) Payments.--The Secretary shall make grant 
                payments under this section on an annual basis.
            (3) Definition of eligible entity.--In this section, the 
        term ``eligible entity'' means a State educational agency, or a 
        local educational agency, in the State.
    (b) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section the Secretary 
shall give priority to eligible entities submitting applications under 
subsection (d) that demonstrate--
            (1) a pervasive need for access to advanced placement 
        incentive programs;
            (2) the involvement of business and community organizations 
        in the activities to be assisted;
            (3) the availability of matching funds from State or local 
        sources to pay for the cost of activities to be assisted;
            (4) a focus on developing or expanding advanced placement 
        programs and participation in the core academic areas of 
        English, mathematics, and science; and
            (5)(A) in the case of an eligible entity that is a State 
        educational agency, the State educational agency carries out 
        programs in the State that target--
                    (i) local educational agencies serving schools with 
                a high concentration of low-income students; or
                    (ii) schools with a high concentration of low-
                income students; or
            (B) in the case of an eligible entity that is a local 
        educational agency, the local educational agency serves schools 
        with a high concentration of low-income students.
    (c) Authorized Activities.--An eligible entity may use grant funds 
under this section to expand access for low-income individuals to 
advanced placement incentive programs that involve--
            (1) teacher training;
            (2) preadvanced placement course development;
            (3) curriculum coordination and articulation between grade 
        levels that prepares students for advanced placement courses;
            (4) curriculum development;
            (5) books and supplies; and
            (6) any other activity directly related to expanding access 
        to and participation in advanced placement incentive programs 
        particularly for low-income individuals.
    (d) Application.--Each eligible entity desiring a grant under this 
section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 
such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may 
require.
    (e) Data Collection and Reporting.--
            (1) Data collection.--Each eligible entity receiving a 
        grant under this section shall annually report to the 
        Secretary--
                    (A) the number of students taking advanced 
                placement courses who are served by the eligible 
                entity;
                    (B) the number of advanced placement tests taken by 
                students served by the eligible entity;
                    (C) the scores on the advanced placement tests; and
                    (D) demographic information regarding individuals 
                taking the advanced placement courses and tests 
                disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, English 
                proficiency status, and socioeconomic status.
            (2) Report.--The Secretary shall annually compile the 
        information received from each eligible entity under paragraph 
        (1) and report to Congress regarding the information.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for fiscal year 
2000, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding 
fiscal years.

SEC. 4. ON-LINE ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--From amounts appropriated under subsection 
(f) the Secretary shall award grants to local educational agencies to 
enable the local educational agencies to provide students with on-line 
advanced placement courses.
    (b) Contracts.--A local educational agency that receives a grant 
under this section may enter into a contract with a nonprofit or for-
profit organization to provide the on-line advanced placement courses, 
including contracting for necessary support services.
    (c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section the Secretary 
shall give priority to local educational agencies that--
            (1) serve high concentrations of low-income students;
            (2) serve rural areas; and
            (3) the Secretary determines would not have access to on-
        line advanced placement courses without assistance provided 
        under this section.
    (d) Uses.--Grant funds provided under this section may be used to 
purchase the on-line curriculum, to train teachers with respect to the 
use of on-line curriculum, or to purchase course materials.
    (e) Applications.--Each local educational agency desiring a grant 
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner and accompanied by such information as the 
Secretary may require.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 
and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 
years.

SEC. 5. ADDITIONAL PRIORITIES FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT.

    (a) Dissemination of Advanced Placement Information.--Each 
institution of higher education receiving Federal funds for research or 
for programs assisted under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1001 et seq.)--
            (1) shall distribute to secondary school counselors or 
        advanced placement coordinators in the State information with 
        respect to the amount and type of academic credit provided to 
students at the institution of higher education for advanced placement 
test scores; and
            (2) shall standardize, not later than 4 years after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the form and manner in which the 
        information described in paragraph (1) is disseminated by the 
        various departments, offices, or other divisions of the 
        institution of higher education.
    (b) State and Local Initiatives.--
            (1) Javits gifted and talented students.--Section 10205(a) 
        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 8035(a)) is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' after the 
                semicolon;
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) to programs and projects for gifted and talented 
        students that build on or otherwise incorporate advanced 
        placement courses and tests.''.
            (2) Upward bound program.--Section 402C of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a-13) is amended by adding 
        at the end the following:
    ``(f) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority in awarding 
grants under this section to upward bound projects that focus on 
increasing secondary school student participation and success in 
advanced placement courses.''.
            (3) Eisenhower professional development.--
                    (A) Federal activities.--Section 2101 of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6621) is amended by adding at the end the 
                following:
    ``(c) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority in awarding 
grants and entering into contracts and cooperative agreements under 
this part to activities that involve training in advanced placement 
instruction.''.
                    (B) State and local activities.--Section 2207 of 
                the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6647) is amended--
                            (i) in paragraph (12), by striking ``and'' 
                        after the semicolon;
                            (ii) in paragraph (13), by striking the 
                        period and inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(14) providing professional development activities 
        involving training in advanced placement instruction.''.
            (4) Technology.--
                    (A) Star schools.--Section 3204 of the Elementary 
                and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6894) is 
                amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Advanced Placement Instruction.--Each eligible entity 
receiving funds under this part is encouraged to deliver advanced 
placement instruction to underserved communities.''.
                    (B) Education technology grants.--Subpart 2 of part 
                A of title III of the Elementary and Secondary 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6841 et seq.) is 
                amended--
                            (i) in section 3134 (20 U.S.C. 6844)--
                                    (I) in paragraph (5), by striking 
                                ``and'' after the semicolon;
                                    (II) in paragraph (6), by striking 
                                the period and inserting ``; and''; and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following:
            ``(7) providing education technology for advanced placement 
        instruction.''; and
                            (ii) in section 3136(c) (20 U.S.C. 
                        6846(c))--
                                    (I) in paragraph (4), by striking 
                                ``and'' after the semicolon;
                                    (II) in paragraph (5), by striking 
                                the period and inserting ``; and''; and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following:
            ``(6) the project will use education technology for 
        advanced placement instruction.''.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Advanced placement incentive program.--The term 
        ``advanced placement incentive program'' means a program that 
        provides advanced placement activities and services to low-
        income individuals.
            (2) Advanced placement test.--The term ``advanced placement 
        test'' means an advanced placement test administered by the 
        College Board or approved by the Secretary.
            (3) High concentration of low-income students.--The term 
        ``high concentration of low-income students'', used with 
        respect to a State educational agency, local educational agency 
        or school, means an agency or school, as the case may be, that 
        serves a student population 40 percent or more of whom are from 
        families with incomes below the poverty level, as determined in 
        the same manner as the determination is made under section 
        1124(c)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
        1965 (20 U.S.C. 6333(c)(2)).
            (4) Low-income individual.--The term ``low-income 
        individual'' means a low-income individual (as defined in 
        section 402A(g)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1070a-11(g)(2)) who is academically prepared to 
        successfully take an advanced placement test as determined by a 
        school teacher or advanced placement coordinator taking into 
        consideration factors such as enrollment and performance in an 
        advanced placement course or superior academic ability.
            (5) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001(a)).
            (6) Local educational agency; secondary school; and state 
        educational agency.--The terms ``local educational agency'', 
        ``secondary school'', and ``State educational agency'' have the 
        meanings given the terms in section 14101 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).
            (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (8) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
        States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the 
        Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United 
        States Virgin Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 
        the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

Summary: Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to make AP programs a priority for Javits Gifted and Talented Students, Upward Bound, Eisenhower professional development, Star Schools, and education technology grants. Requires each institution of higher learning receiving HEA assistance to distribute to secondary school counselors or AP coordinators in the State information on academic credit given to students at the institution for AP test scores.