Definitions

In this Act: (1) ESEA terms The terms child, educational service agency, elementary school, English learner evidence-based, local educational agency, middle grades, outlying area, parent, professional development, school leader, secondary school, specialized instructional support personnel, and State educational agency have the meanings given the terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). (2) Arts and sciences The term arts and sciences has the meaning given the term in section 200 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021). (3) Career lattice system The term career lattice system means a framework for supporting an the professional development and career progression of an individual through connected services, education, and employment opportunities across multiple departments, functions, and career pathways. (4) Certification or licensure The term certification or licensure means a regular or standard State certification or licensure, or advanced professional certification or licensure, that is issued after an applicant has met State requirements to teach in an early childhood education program or elementary school or secondary school in that State, except that such term does not include any of the following: (A) A probationary certificate. (B) A temporary or provisional certificate. (C) A waiver or emergency certificate. (5) Children from low-income families The term children from low-income families means children counted under section 1124(c)(1)(A) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6333(c)(1)(A)). (6) Digital literacy skills The term digital literacy skills has the meaning given the term in section 202 of the Museum and Library Services Act (20 U.S.C. 9101). (7) Early childhood educator The term early childhood educator means an individual with primary responsibility for the education of children in an early childhood education program. (8) Early childhood education program The term early childhood education program has the meaning given the term in section 103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003). (9) Educator The term educator — (A) means a teacher, including an early childhood educator, a principal, another school leader, and specialized instructional support personnel (including school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, and speech language pathologists); and (B) includes a professional that is employed in or by a school or State or local educational agency, such as an occupational therapist, library media specialist, or other staff, as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). (10) Educator mentoring The term educator mentoring means the mentoring of new or prospective educators through a program that— (A) includes clear criteria for the selection of mentors who will provide role model relationships for mentees, which criteria shall be developed by the eligible partnership and based on measures of educator effectiveness; (B) provides evidence-based training for such mentors, including instructional strategies for literacy instruction and classroom management (including approaches that improve the schoolwide climate for learning, which may include positive behavioral interventions and supports and social and emotional learning); (C) provides regular and ongoing opportunities for mentors and mentees to observe the teaching methods of each other in classroom settings during the day in a high-need school in the high-need local educational agency in the eligible partnership; (D) provides paid release time for mentors, as applicable; (E) provides mentoring to each mentee by a colleague who works in the same field, grade, or subject as the mentee; (F) promotes evidence-based research on— (i) teaching and learning; (ii) assessment of student learning; (iii) the development of teaching skills through the use of instructional and behavioral interventions; and (iv) the improvement of the capacity of the mentee to measurably advance student learning; (G) integrates technology effectively into curricula and instruction, including technology consistent with the principles of universal design for learning and technology to collect, manage, and analyze data to improve teaching and learning for the purpose of improving student learning outcomes; and (H) includes— (i) common planning time or regularly scheduled collaboration for the mentor and mentee; and (ii) joint professional development opportunities. (11) Educator preparation program The term educator preparation program means a program that leads to certification or licensure in a State. (12) Eligible partnership The term eligible partnership means a partnership that— (A) shall include— (i) a high-need local educational agency; (ii) a high-need school or a consortium of high-need schools served by the high-need local educational agency (or as appropriate, 1 or more high-need early childhood education programs); and (iii) an institution of higher education and a school, department, or program of education within such institution, which may include an existing educator preparation program that provides intensive and sustained collaboration between faculty and local educational agencies consistent with the requirements of title II of this Act; and (B) may include any of the following: (i) The Governor of the State. (ii) The State educational agency. (iii) The State board of education. (iv) The State agency for higher education. (v) A State workforce development board established under section 101 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111). (vi) A business. (vii) A public or private nonprofit educational organization. (viii) An educational service agency. (ix) A teacher organization. (x) A school leader organization. (xi) An organization representing specialized instructional support personnel. (xii) A high-performing local educational agency, or a consortium of such local educational agencies, that can serve as a resource to the partnership. (xiii) A charter school (as defined in section 4310 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7221i)). (xiv) A school or department of arts and sciences within the partner institution. (xv) A school or department within the partner institution that focuses on psychology and human development. (xvi) A school or department within the partner institution with comparable expertise in the disciplines of teaching, learning, and child and adolescent development. (xvii) A public or nonprofit entity operating a program that provides alternative routes to State certification or licensure of teachers. (13) Grow your own program The term Grow Your Own program means a partnership— (A) to recruit, financially support, and prepare local residents to teach in their communities; (B) that is between— (i) 1 or more local educational agencies; and (ii) 1 or more educator preparation programs; and (C) that may include community organizations. (14) High-need early childhood education program The term high-need early childhood education program means an early childhood education program serving children from low-income families that is located within the geographic area served by a high-need local educational agency. (15) High-need local educational agency The term high-need local educational agency means a local educational agency— (A) (i) that serves not fewer than 10,000 children from low-income families; (ii) for which not less than 20 percent of the children served by the agency are from low-income families; (iii) that meets the eligibility requirements for funding under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program under section 5211(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7345(b)) or the Rural and Low-Income School Program under section 5221(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 7351); or (iv) that is in the highest quartile of local educational agencies in the State, in a ranking of all schools served by a local educational agency, ranked in descending order by percentage of low-income children served by the local educational agency; and (B) (i) for which a majority of schools are identified for comprehensive support and improvement under subsection (c)(4)(D) of section 1111 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311), targeted support and improvement under subsection (d)(2)(A) of such section, or additional targeted support under subsection (d)(2)(C) of such section; (ii) for which 1 or more schools served by the agency has a high teacher turnover rate or a high percentage of teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary certification or licensure; or (iii) for which there is a high percentage of positions in State-identified areas of teacher or school leader shortage, including in special education, English language instruction, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and career and technical education. (16) High-need school (A) In general The term high-need school means a public elementary school or secondary school that, based on the most recent data available, meets one or both of the following: (i) The school is in the highest quartile of schools in a ranking of all schools served by a local educational agency, ranked in descending order by: (I) The percentage of students aged 5 through 17 in poverty counted in the most recent census data approved by the Secretary. (II) The percentage of students eligible for a free or reduced price school lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.). (III) The percentage of students in families receiving assistance under the State program funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act. (IV) The percentage of students eligible to receive medical assistance under the Medicaid program. (V) A composite of two or more of the measures described in subclauses (I) through (IV). (ii) In the case of— (I) an elementary school, the school serves students not less than 60 percent of whom are eligible for a free or reduced price school lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); or (II) any other school that is not an elementary school, the school serves students not less than 45 percent of whom are eligible for a free or reduced price school lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.). (B) Special rule (i) Designation by the Secretary The Secretary may, upon approval of an application submitted by an eligible partnership seeking a grant under title II of this Act, designate a school that does not qualify as a high-need school under subparagraph (A) as a high-need school for the purpose of title II. The Secretary shall base the approval of an application for designation of a school under this clause on a consideration of the information required under clause (ii) and may also take into account other information submitted by the eligible partnership. (ii) Application requirements An application for designation of a school under clause (i) shall include— (I) the number and percentage of students attending such school who are— (aa) aged 5 through 17 in poverty counted in the most recent census data approved by the Secretary; (bb) eligible for a free or reduced price school lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); (cc) in families receiving assistance under the State program funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act; or (dd) eligible to receive medical assistance under the Medicaid program; (II) information about the student academic achievement of students at such school; and (III) for a secondary school, the graduation rate for such school. (17) Induction program The term induction program means a formalized program for new educators during not less than the first 2 years of the educator in the profession that— (A) is designed to provide support for, and improve the professional performance and advance the retention in the field of, beginning educators; (B) promotes effective teaching skills, instructional leadership skills, and profession-readiness for educators; and (C) includes the following components: (i) High-quality mentoring. (ii) Periodic, structured time for collaboration with educators in the same department or field, including mentor teachers, as well as time for information-sharing among teachers, principals, administrators, other appropriate instructional staff, and participating faculty in a partner institution. (iii) The application of evidence-based instructional practices. (iv) Opportunities for new educators to draw directly on the expertise of mentors, faculty, and researchers to support the integration of evidence-based practice and research with practice in instruction. (v) The development of skills in instructional and behavioral interventions derived from evidence-based practice and, if applicable, research. (vi) Faculty who— (I) model the integration of research and practice in instruction; (II) model personalized instruction; and (III) assist new educators with the effective use and integration of technology in instruction. (vii) Interdisciplinary collaboration among exemplary educators, faculty, researchers, and other staff who prepare new educators with respect to the learning process and the assessment of learning. (viii) Assistance with the understanding of evidence of student learning and the applicability of such evidence in classroom instruction. (ix) The development of skills to implement and support evidence-based practices that create a positive and inclusive school culture and climate. (x) Regular and structured observation and evaluation of new educators by multiple evaluators, using valid and reliable measures of teaching skills, instructional leadership skills, and methods to prepare teachers to be profession-ready. (18) 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)). (19) Model demonstration project The term model demonstration project means a project that defines, implements, evaluates, disseminates, and scales research-based intervention and implementation strategies to determine the degree to which a given model can be implemented and sustained in real-world settings, by staff employed in those settings, while achieving outcomes similar to those attained under research conditions. (20) Partner institution The term partner institution means an institution of higher education, which may include a 2-year institution of higher education offering a dual program with a 4-year institution of higher education, that— (A) is participating in an eligible partnership; and (B) has an educator preparation program that— (i) has a record of preparing profession-ready educators; (ii) is approved by the State to offer an educator preparation program; and (iii) is not low-performing, as determined by the State. (21) Profession-ready The term profession-ready — (A) when used with respect to a principal, means a principal who— (i) has an advanced degree or other appropriate credential; (ii) has completed a principal preparation process and is fully certified and licensed by the State in which the principal is employed; (iii) has demonstrated instructional leadership, including the ability to collect, analyze, and use data on evidence of student learning and evidence of classroom practice; (iv) has demonstrated proficiency in professionally recognized leadership standards, such as through— (I) a performance assessment; (II) completion of a residency program; or (III) other measures of leadership, as determined by the State; (v) has demonstrated the ability to work with students who are culturally and linguistically diverse; (vi) has demonstrated skill as an instructional leader; and (vii) has demonstrated proficiency in the use of instructional technology, assistive technology, and the application of technology to create equity and access for all students; (B) when used with respect to a teacher, means a teacher who— (i) has completed at least a baccalaureate degree and an educator preparation program and has a teacher certification or licensure for the State in which the teacher teaches; (ii) has demonstrated content knowledge in each subject that the teacher teaches; (iii) has demonstrated the ability to work with students who are culturally and linguistically diverse; and (iv) has demonstrated teaching skills, such as through— (I) a teacher performance assessment; or (II) other measures of teaching skills, as determined by the State; and (C) when used with respect to any other educator not described in subparagraph (A) or (B), means an educator who has completed an appropriate preparation program for the educator's occupation and has a certification or licensure described in paragraph (4) for such occupation, for the State in which the educator is employed. (22) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education. (23) Social and emotional learning The term social and emotional learning means the process through which all children and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, empathize with others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. (24) State The term State means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each of the outlying areas. (25) Teacher residency program The term teacher residency program has the meaning given the term in section 2002 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6602).