SEC. 1003
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Section Summary
Section 1003 outlines the State' educational agency's responsibility to carry out subsection (b) and the State educational agency's statewide system of technical assistance and support for local educational agencies.
The state must reserve 7% of the amount the State receives under subpart 2 of Part A. Of those reserved funds, 95% must be used to make grants to local educational agencies to implement comprehensive support and improvement activities or targeted support and improvement activities.
A State educational agency may also, with approval of the local educational agency, directly provide activities or arrange for their provision through other entities such as school support teams, educational service agencies, or nonprofit or for-profit external providers.
State subgrants are awarded to local educational agencies for a period of no more than 4 years. This may include a planning year. Local educational agencies must submit an application to the state to be considered for a grant. Each application must include, as a minimum:
- A description of how the local educational agency will:
- Develop comprehensive support and improvement plans
- Support schools implementing support and improvement plans
- Monitor schools implementing support and improvement plans
- Use a rigorous review process for external partners
- Align other Federal, State and local resources to carry out activities
- Modify practices and policies as needed to fully and effectively implement support and improvement plans
- Assure that each school will receive all of the State and local funds it would have received in the absence of funds received in this section.
Priority for awarding grants will be given local educational agencies that:
- Serve high numbers, or a high percentage of, elementary schools and secondary schools implementing plans
- Demonstrate the greatest need
- Demonstrate the strongest commitment to using funds
ESSA Update
``SEC. 1003. SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT.
``(a) State Reservations.--To carry out subsection (b) and the State
educational agency's statewide system of technical assistance and
support for local educational agencies, each State shall reserve the
greater of--
``(1) 7 percent of the amount the State receives under
subpart 2 of part A; or
``(2) the sum of the amount the State--
``(A) reserved for fiscal year 2016 under this
subsection, as in effect on the day before the date of
enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act; and
``(B) received for fiscal year 2016 under subsection
(g), as in effect on the day before the date of
enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
``(b) Uses.--Of the amount reserved under subsection (a) for any
fiscal year, the State educational agency--
``(1)(A) shall allocate not less than 95 percent of that
amount to make grants to local educational agencies on a formula
or competitive basis, to serve schools implementing
comprehensive support and improvement activities or targeted
support and improvement activities under section 1111(d); or
``(B) may, with the approval of the local educational
agency, directly provide for these activities or arrange for
their provision through other entities such as school support
teams, educational service agencies, or nonprofit or for-profit
external providers
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with expertise in using evidence-based strategies to improve
student achievement, instruction, and schools; and
``(2) shall use the funds not allocated to local educational
agencies under paragraph (1) to carry out this section, which
shall include--
``(A) establishing the method, consistent with
paragraph (1)(A), the State will use to allocate funds
to local educational agencies under such paragraph,
including ensuring--
``(i) the local educational agencies receiving
an allotment under such paragraph represent the
geographic diversity of the State; and
``(ii) that allotments are of sufficient size
to enable a local educational agency to
effectively implement selected strategies;
``(B) monitoring and evaluating the use of funds by
local educational agencies receiving an allotment under
such paragraph; and
``(C) as appropriate, reducing barriers and
providing operational flexibility for schools in the
implementation of comprehensive support and improvement
activities or targeted support and improvement
activities under section 1111(d).
``(c) Duration.--The State educational agency shall award each
subgrant under subsection (b) for a period of not more than 4 years,
which may include a planning year.
``(d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed as prohibiting a State from allocating subgrants under this
section to a statewide school district, consortium of local educational
agencies, or an educational service agency that serves schools
implementing comprehensive support and improvement activities or
targeted support and improvement activities, if such entities are
legally constituted or recognized as local educational agencies in the
State.
``(e) Application.--To receive an allotment under subsection (b)(1),
a local educational agency shall submit an application to the State
educational agency at such time, in such form, and including such
information as the State educational agency may require. Each
application shall include, at a minimum--
``(1) a description of how the local educational agency will
carry out its responsibilities under section 1111(d) for schools
receiving funds under this section, including how the local
educational agency will--
``(A) develop comprehensive support and improvement
plans under section 1111(d)(1) for schools receiving
funds under this section;
``(B) support schools developing or implementing
targeted support and improvement plans under section
1111(d)(2), if funds received under this section are
used for such purpose;
``(C) monitor schools receiving funds under this
section, including how the local educational agency will
carry out its responsibilities under clauses (iv) and
(v) of section 1111(d)(2)(B) if funds received under
this section are used to support schools implementing
targeted support and improvement plans;
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``(D) use a rigorous review process to recruit,
screen, select, and evaluate any external partners with
whom the local educational agency will partner;
``(E) align other Federal, State, and local
resources to carry out the activities supported with
funds received under subsection (b)(1); and
``(F) as appropriate, modify practices and policies
to provide operational flexibility that enables full and
effective implementation of the plans described in
paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 1111(d); and
``(2) an assurance that each school the local educational
agency proposes to serve will receive all of the State and local
funds it would have received in the absence of funds received
under this section.
``(f) Priority.--The State educational agency, in allocating funds
to local educational agencies under this section, shall give priority to
local educational agencies that--
``(1) serve high numbers, or a high percentage of,
elementary schools and secondary schools implementing plans
under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 1111(d);
``(2) demonstrate the greatest need for such funds, as
determined by the State; and
``(3) demonstrate the strongest commitment to using funds
under this section to enable the lowest-performing schools to
improve student achievement and student outcomes.
``(g) Unused Funds.--If, after consultation with local educational
agencies in the State, the State educational agency determines that the
amount of funds reserved to carry out subsection (b) is greater than the
amount needed to provide the assistance described in that subsection,
the State educational agency shall allocate the excess amount to local
educational agencies in accordance with--
``(1) the relative allocations the State educational agency
made to those agencies for that fiscal year under subpart 2 of
part A; or
``(2) section 1126(c).
``(h) Special Rule.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this
section, the amount of funds reserved by the State educational agency
under subsection (a) for fiscal year 2018 and each subsequent fiscal
year shall not decrease the amount of funds each local educational
agency receives under subpart 2 of part A below the amount received by
such local educational agency under such subpart for the preceding
fiscal year.
``(i) Reporting.--The State shall include in the report described in
section 1111(h)(1) a list of all the local educational agencies and
schools that received funds under this section, including the amount of
funds each school received and the types of strategies implemented in
each school with such funds.''.
NCLB Text
``SEC. 1003. <<NOTE: 20 USC 6303.>> SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT.
``(a) State Reservations.--Each State shall reserve 2 percent of the
amount the State receives under subpart 2 of part A for fiscal years
2002 and 2003, and 4 percent of the amount received under such subpart
for fiscal years 2004 through 2007, to carry out subsection (b) and to
carry out the State's responsibilities under sections 1116 and 1117,
including carrying out the State educational agency's statewide system
of technical assistance and support for local educational agencies.
``(b) Uses.--Of the amount reserved under subsection (a) for any
fiscal year, the State educational agency--
``(1) shall allocate not less than 95 percent of that amount
directly to local educational agencies for schools identified
for school improvement, corrective action, and restructuring,
for activities under section 1116(b); or
``(2) may, with the approval of the local educational
agency, directly provide for these activities or arrange for
their provision through other entities such as school support
teams or educational service agencies.
``(c) Priority.--The State educational agency, in allocating funds
to local educational agencies under this section, shall give priority to
local educational agencies that--
``(1) serve the lowest-achieving schools;
``(2) demonstrate the greatest need for such funds; and
``(3) demonstrate the strongest commitment to ensuring that
such funds are used to enable the lowest-achieving schools to
meet the progress goals in school improvement plans under
section 1116 (b)(3)(A)(v).
``(d) Unused Funds.--If, after consultation with local educational
agencies in the State, the State educational agency determines that the
amount of funds reserved to carry out subsection (b) is greater than the
amount needed to provide the assistance described in that subsection,
the State educational agency shall allocate the excess amount to local
educational agencies in accordance with--
``(1) the relative allocations the State educational agency
made to those agencies for that fiscal year under subpart 2 of
part A; or
``(2) section 1126(c).
``(e) Special Rule.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this
section, the amount of funds reserved by the State educational agency
under subsection (a) in any fiscal year shall not decrease the amount of
funds each local educational agency receives under subpart 2 below the
amount received by such local educational agency under such subpart for
the preceding fiscal year.
``(f) <<NOTE: Public information. Records.>> Reporting.--The State
educational agency shall make publicly available a list of those schools
that have received funds or services pursuant to subsection (b) and the
percentage of students from each school from families with incomes below
the poverty line.
``(g) Assistance for Local School Improvement.--
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``(1) Program authorized.--The Secretary shall award grants
to States to enable the States to provide subgrants to local
educational agencies for the purpose of providing assistance for
school improvement consistent with section 1116.
``(2) State allotments.--Such grants shall be allotted among
States, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the outlying areas, in
proportion to the funds received by the States, the Bureau of
Indian Affairs, and the outlying areas, respectively, for the
fiscal year under parts A, C, and D of this title. The Secretary
shall expeditiously allot a portion of such funds to States for
the purpose of assisting local educational agencies and schools
that were in school improvement status on the date preceding the
date of enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
``(3) Reallocations.--If a State does not receive funds
under this subsection, the Secretary shall reallocate such funds
to other States in the same proportion funds are allocated under
paragraph (2).
``(4) State applications.--Each State educational agency
that desires to receive funds under this subsection shall submit
an application to the Secretary at such time, and containing
such information, as the Secretary shall reasonably require,
except that such requirement shall be waived if a State
educational agency submitted such information as part of its
State plan under this part. Each State application shall
describe how the State educational agency will allocate such
funds in order to assist the State educational agency and local
educational agencies in complying with school improvement,
corrective action, and restructuring requirements of section
1116.
``(5) Local educational agency grants.--A grant to a local
educational agency under this subsection shall be--
``(A) of sufficient size and scope to support the
activities required under sections 1116 and 1117, but
not less than $50,000 and not more than $500,000 for
each participating school;
``(B) integrated with other funds awarded by the
State under this Act; and
``(C) renewable for two additional 1-year periods if
schools are meeting the goals in their school
improvement plans developed under section 1116.
``(6) Priority.--The State, in awarding such grants, shall
give priority to local educational agencies with the lowest-
achieving schools that demonstrate--
``(A) the greatest need for such funds; and
``(B) the strongest commitment to ensuring that such
funds are used to provide adequate resources to enable
the lowest-achieving schools to meet the goals under
school and local educational agency improvement,
corrective action, and restructuring plans under section
1116.
``(7) Allocation.--A State educational agency that receives
a grant under this subsection shall allocate at least 95 percent
of the grant funds directly to local educational agencies for
schools identified for school improvement, corrective action, or
restructuring to carry out activities under section 1116(b), or
may, with the approval of the local educational agency, directly
provide for these activities or arrange for their provision
[[Page 115 STAT. 1444]]
through other entities such as school support teams or
educational service agencies.
``(8) Administrative costs.--A State educational agency that
receives a grant award under this subsection may reserve not
more than 5 percent of such grant funds for administration,
evaluation, and technical assistance expenses.
``(9) Local awards.--Each local educational agency that
applies for assistance under this subsection shall describe how
it will provide the lowest-achieving schools the resources
necessary to meet goals under school and local educational
agency improvement, corrective action, and restructuring plans
under section 1116.
