Grants to States

(a) In general The Secretary shall award grants to States, on a competitive basis, to assist States in supporting or establishing early college high schools or dual or concurrent enrollment programs. (b) Duration Each grant under this section shall be awarded for a period of 6 years. (c) Grant amount The Secretary shall ensure that the amount of each grant under this section is sufficient to enable each grantee to carry out the activities described in subsection (f), of which not more than 15 percent of the overall grant total may be used to improve data systems for the purpose of facilitating the execution of the reporting requirement in section 7(a). (d) Matching requirement For each year that a State receives a grant under this section, the State shall provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 50 percent of the amount of the grant received by the State for such year to carry out the activities supported by the grant. (e) Supplement, not supplant A State shall use a grant received under this section only to supplement funds that would, in the absence of such grant, be made available from other Federal, State, or local sources for activities supported by the grant, and not to supplant such funds. (f) Uses of funds (1) Mandatory activities A State shall use grant funds received under this section to— (A) support the activities described in its application under subsection (g); (B) plan and implement a statewide strategy for expanding access to early college high schools and dual or concurrent enrollment programs for students who are underrepresented in higher education to raise statewide rates of secondary school graduation, readiness for postsecondary education, and completion of recognized postsecondary credentials, with a focus on students academically at risk of not enrolling in or completing postsecondary education; (C) identify any obstacles to such a strategy under State law or policy; (D) provide technical assistance (either directly or through a knowledgeable intermediary) to early college high schools and dual or concurrent enrollment programs, which may include— (i) brokering relationships and agreements that forge a strong partnership between elementary and secondary and postsecondary partners; and (ii) offering statewide training, professional development, and peer learning opportunities for school leaders, instructors, and counselors or advisors; (E) identify and implement policies that will improve the effectiveness and ensure the quality of early college high schools and dual or concurrent enrollment programs, such as eligibility and access, funding, data and quality assurance, governance, accountability, and alignment policies; (F) update the State’s requirements for a student to receive a regular high school diploma to align with the challenging State academic standards and entrance requirements for credit-bearing coursework as described in subparagraphs (A) and (D) of section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1)); (G) incorporate indicators regarding student access to and completion of early college high schools and dual or concurrent enrollment programs into the school quality and student success indicators included in the State system of annual meaningful differentiation as described under section 1111(c)(4)(B)(v)(I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(4)(B)(v)(I)); (H) disseminate best practices for early college high schools and dual or concurrent enrollment programs, which may include best practices from programs in the State or other States; (I) facilitate statewide secondary and postsecondary data collection, research and evaluation, and reporting to policymakers and other stakeholders, disaggregated for each category of students described in section 1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(B)(xi)); and (J) conduct outreach programs to ensure that secondary school students, their families, and community members are made aware of early college high schools and dual or concurrent enrollment programs in the State through a new or existing State online website that complies with the web accessibility requirements under Federal and State laws that protect individuals with disabilities. (2) Allowable activities A State may use grant funds received under this section to— (A) establish a mechanism to offset the costs of tuition, fees, standardized testing, performance assessments, and support services for low-income students and students from underrepresented populations enrolled in early college high schools or dual or concurrent enrollment programs; (B) establish formal transfer systems within and across State higher education systems, including 2-year and 4-year public and private institutions to maximize the transferability of postsecondary courses; (C) provide incentives to local educational agencies that— (i) assist high school teachers in getting the credentials needed to participate in early college high school and dual or concurrent enrollment programs; (ii) encourage the use of instructors at institutions of higher education to teach higher education courses in high schools; and (iii) participate in an annual assessment of current availability and shortages of high school instructors who are credentialed to teach a dual or concurrent enrollment course, and shortages of these instructors in specific curricular areas; and (D) support initiatives to improve the quality of early college high school and dual or concurrent enrollment programs at participating institutions, including by assisting such institutions in aligning programs with the quality standards described in section 5(f)(4). (g) State applications (1) Application To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. (2) Contents of application The application under paragraph (1) shall include, at minimum, a description of— (A) how the State will carry out the mandatory State activities described in subsection (f)(1); (B) how the State will ensure that any programs funded with a grant under this section are coordinated with programs under— (i) the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.); (ii) the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.); (iii) the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); and (iv) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.); (C) how the State intends to use grant funds to address achievement gaps for each category of students described in section 1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(B)(xi)); (D) how the State will access and leverage additional resources necessary to sustain early college high schools and dual or concurrent enrollment programs; (E) how the State will identify and eliminate barriers to implementing effective early college high schools and dual or concurrent enrollment programs after the grant expires, including by engaging businesses and nonprofit organizations; and (F) such other information as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.