20 U.S.C. § 6821

Current through P.L. 118-106 (published on www.congress.gov on 10/04/2024)
Section 6821 - Formula grants to States
(a) In general

In the case of each State educational agency having a plan approved by the Secretary for a fiscal year under section 6823 of this title, the Secretary shall make a grant for the year to the agency for the purposes specified in subsection (b). The grant shall consist of the allotment determined for the State educational agency under subsection (c).

(b) Use of funds
(1) Subgrants to eligible entities

The Secretary may make a grant under subsection (a) only if the State educational agency involved agrees to expend at least 95 percent of the State educational agency's allotment under subsection (c) for a fiscal year-

(A) to award subgrants, from allocations under section 6824 of this title, to eligible entities to carry out the activities described in section 6825 of this title (other than subsection (e)); and
(B) to award subgrants under section 6824(d)(1) of this title to eligible entities that are described in that section to carry out the activities described in section 6825(e) of this title.
(2) State activities

Subject to paragraph (3), each State educational agency receiving a grant under subsection (a) may reserve not more than 5 percent of the agency's allotment under subsection (c) to carry out one or more of the following activities:

(A) Establishing and implementing, with timely and meaningful consultation with local educational agencies representing the geographic diversity of the State, standardized statewide entrance and exit procedures, including a requirement that all students who may be English learners are assessed for such status within 30 days of enrollment in a school in the State.
(B) Providing effective teacher and principal preparation, effective professional development activities, and other effective activities related to the education of English learners, which may include assisting teachers, principals, and other educators in-
(i) meeting State and local certification and licensing requirements for teaching English learners; and
(ii) improving teaching skills in meeting the diverse needs of English learners, including how to implement effective programs and curricula on teaching English learners.
(C) Planning, evaluation, administration, and interagency coordination related to the subgrants referred to in paragraph (1).
(D) Providing technical assistance and other forms of assistance to eligible entities that are receiving subgrants from a State educational agency under this subpart, including assistance in-
(i) identifying and implementing effective language instruction educational programs and curricula for teaching English learners;
(ii) helping English learners meet the same challenging State academic standards that all children are expected to meet;
(iii) identifying or developing, and implementing, measures of English proficiency; and
(iv) strengthening and increasing parent, family, and community engagement in programs that serve English learners.
(E) Providing recognition, which may include providing financial awards, to recipients of subgrants under section 6825 of this title that have significantly improved the achievement and progress of English learners in meeting-
(i) the State-designed long-term goals established under section 6311(c)(4)(A)(ii) of this title, including measurements of interim progress towards meeting such goals, based on the State's English language proficiency assessment under section 6311(b)(2)(G) of this title; and
(ii) the challenging State academic standards.
(3) Direct administrative expenses

From the amount reserved under paragraph (2), a State educational agency may use not more than 50 percent of such amount or $175,000, whichever is greater, for the planning and direct administrative costs of carrying out paragraphs (1) and (2).

(c) Reservations and allotments
(1) Reservations

From the amount appropriated under section 6801 of this title for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve-

(A) 0.5 percent or $5,000,000 of such amount, whichever is greater, for payments to eligible entities that are defined under section 6822(a) of this title for activities, approved by the Secretary, consistent with this subpart;
(B) 0.5 percent of such amount for payments to outlying areas, to be allotted in accordance with their respective needs for assistance under this subpart, as determined by the Secretary, for activities, approved by the Secretary, consistent with this subpart; and
(C) 6.5 percent of such amount for national activities under sections 6861 and 7013 of this title, except that not more than $2,000,000 of such amount may be reserved for the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs described in section 7013 of this title.
(2) State allotments
(A) In general

Except as provided in subparagraph (B), from the amount appropriated under section 6801 of this title for each fiscal year that remains after making the reservations under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall allot to each State educational agency having a plan approved under section 6823(c) of this title-

(i) an amount that bears the same relationship to 80 percent of the remainder as the number of English learners in the State bears to the number of English learners in all States, as determined in accordance with paragraph (3)(A); and
(ii) an amount that bears the same relationship to 20 percent of the remainder as the number of immigrant children and youth in the State bears to the number of such children and youth in all States, as determined in accordance with paragraph (3)(B).
(B) Minimum allotments

No State educational agency shall receive an allotment under this paragraph that is less than $500,000.

(C) Reallotment

If any State educational agency described in subparagraph (A) does not submit a plan to the Secretary for a fiscal year, or submits a plan (or any amendment to a plan) that the Secretary, after reasonable notice and opportunity for a hearing, determines does not satisfy the requirements of this subpart, the Secretary-

(i) shall endeavor to make the State's allotment available on a competitive basis to specially qualified agencies within the State to satisfy the requirements of section 6825 of this title (and any additional requirements that the Secretary may impose), consistent with the purposes of such section, and to carry out required and authorized activities under such section; and
(ii) shall reallot any portion of such allotment remaining after the application of clause (i) to the remaining State educational agencies in accordance with subparagraph (A).
(D) Special rule for Puerto Rico

The total amount allotted to Puerto Rico for any fiscal year under subparagraph (A) shall not exceed 0.5 percent of the total amount allotted to all States for that fiscal year.

(3) Use of data for determinations

In making State allotments under paragraph (2) for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall-

(A) determine the number of English learners in a State and in all States, using the most accurate, up-to-date data, which shall be-
(i) data available from the American Community Survey conducted by the Department of Commerce, which may be multiyear estimates;
(ii) the number of students being assessed for English language proficiency, based on the State's English language proficiency assessment under section 6311(b)(2)(G) of this title, which may be multiyear estimates; or
(iii) a combination of data available under clauses (i) and (ii); and
(B) determine the number of immigrant children and youth in the State and in all States based only on data available from the American Community Survey conducted by the Department of Commerce, which may be multiyear estimates.

20 U.S.C. § 6821

Pub. L. 89-10, title III, §3111, as added Pub. L. 107-110, §301, Jan. 8, 2002, 115 Stat. 1691; amended Pub. L. 114-95, §3003, 129 Stat. 1954.

EDITORIAL NOTES

PRIOR PROVISIONSA prior section 3111 of Pub. L. 89-10 was classified to section 6811 of this title, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 107-110.

AMENDMENTS2015-Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(1)(A), added subpars. (A) to (E) and struck out former subpars. (A) to (D) which read as follows:"(A) Professional development activities, and other activities, that assist personnel in meeting State and local certification and licensing requirements for teaching limited English proficient children."(B) Planning, evaluation, administration, and interagency coordination related to the subgrants referred to in paragraph (1)."(C) Providing technical assistance and other forms of assistance to eligible entities that are receiving subgrants from a State educational agency under this subpart, including assistance in-"(i) identifying and implementing language instruction educational programs and curricula that are based on scientifically based research on teaching limited English proficient children; "(ii) helping limited English proficient children meet the same challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards as all children are expected to meet;"(iii) identifying or developing, and implementing, measures of English proficiency; and "(iv) promoting parental and community participation in programs that serve limited English proficient children."(D) Providing recognition, which may include providing financial awards, to subgrantees that have exceeded their annual measurable achievement objectives pursuant to section 6842 of this title."Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(1)(B), substituted "Direct administrative" for "Administrative" in heading and substituted "50 percent" for "60 percent" and inserted "direct" before "administrative costs" in text.Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(2)(A)(i), substituted "section 6801" for "section 6801(a)" in introductory provisions.Subsec. (c)(1)(B). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(2)(A) (ii), inserted "and" after semicolon at end. Subsec. (c)(1)(C). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(2)(A) (iii), added subpar. (C) and struck out former subpar. (C) which read as follows: "6.5 percent of such amount for national activities under sections 6861 and 7013 of this title, except that not more than 0.5 percent of such amount shall be reserved for evaluation activities conducted by the Secretary and not more than $2,000,000 of such amount may be reserved for the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs described in section 7013 of this title; and".Subsec. (c)(1)(D). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(2)(A) (iv), struck out subpar. (D) which read as follows: "such sums as may be necessary to make continuation awards under paragraph (2)."Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(2)(B), (C), redesignated par. (3) as (2) and struck out former par. (2) which related to continuation awards.Subsec. (c)(2)(A). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(2)(D)(i), substituted "section 6801" for "section 6801(a)" in introductory provisions.Subsec. (c)(2)(A)(i). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(2)(D) (ii), substituted "English learners in the State bears to the number of English learners in all States, as determined in accordance with paragraph (3)(A); and" for "limited English proficient children in the State bears to the number of such children in all States; and". Subsec. (c)(2)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(2)(D) (iii), inserted ", as determined in accordance with paragraph (3)(B)" before period at end.Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(2)(E), added par. (3). Former par. (3) redesignated (2).Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 114-95, §3003(b)(2)(B), struck out par. (4) which related to use of data for determinations.

STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES

EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2015 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 114-95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114-95, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.

Department
The term "Department" means the Department of Education.
Secretary
The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Education.
State educational agency
The term "State educational agency" means the agency primarily responsible for the State supervision of public elementary schools and secondary schools.
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.
parent
The term "parent" includes a legal guardian or other person standing in loco parentis (such as a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a person who is legally responsible for the child's welfare).
professional development
The term "professional development" means activities that-(A) are an integral part of school and local educational agency strategies for providing educators (including teachers, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, paraprofessionals, and, as applicable, early childhood educators) with the knowledge and skills necessary to enable students to succeed in a well-rounded education and to meet the challenging State academic standards; and(B) are sustained (not stand-alone, 1-day, or short term workshops), intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and classroom-focused, and may include activities that-(i) improve and increase teachers'-(I) knowledge of the academic subjects the teachers teach;(II) understanding of how students learn; and(III) ability to analyze student work and achievement from multiple sources, including how to adjust instructional strategies, assessments, and materials based on such analysis;(ii) are an integral part of broad schoolwide and districtwide educational improvement plans;(iii) allow personalized plans for each educator to address the educator's specific needs identified in observation or other feedback;(iv) improve classroom management skills;(v) support the recruitment, hiring, and training of effective teachers, including teachers who became certified through State and local alternative routes to certification;(vi) advance teacher understanding of-(I) effective instructional strategies that are evidence-based; and(II) strategies for improving student academic achievement or substantially increasing the knowledge and teaching skills of teachers;(vii) are aligned with, and directly related to, academic goals of the school or local educational agency;(viii) are developed with extensive participation of teachers, principals, other school leaders, parents, representatives of Indian tribes (as applicable), and administrators of schools to be served under this chapter;(ix) are designed to give teachers of English learners, and other teachers and instructional staff, the knowledge and skills to provide instruction and appropriate language and academic support services to those children, including the appropriate use of curricula and assessments;(x) to the extent appropriate, provide training for teachers, principals, and other school leaders in the use of technology (including education about the harms of copyright piracy), so that technology and technology applications are effectively used in the classroom to improve teaching and learning in the curricula and academic subjects in which the teachers teach;(xi) as a whole, are regularly evaluated for their impact on increased teacher effectiveness and improved student academic achievement, with the findings of the evaluations used to improve the quality of professional development;(xii) are designed to give teachers of children with disabilities or children with developmental delays, and other teachers and instructional staff, the knowledge and skills to provide instruction and academic support services, to those children, including positive behavioral interventions and supports, multi-tier system of supports, and use of accommodations;(xiii) include instruction in the use of data and assessments to inform and instruct classroom practice;(xiv) include instruction in ways that teachers, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, and school administrators may work more effectively with parents and families;(xv) involve the forming of partnerships with institutions of higher education, including, as applicable, Tribal Colleges and Universities as defined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)), to establish school-based teacher, principal, and other school leader training programs that provide prospective teachers, novice teachers, principals, and other school leaders with an opportunity to work under the guidance of experienced teachers, principals, other school leaders, and faculty of such institutions;(xvi) create programs to enable paraprofessionals (assisting teachers employed by a local educational agency receiving assistance under part A of subchapter I) to obtain the education necessary for those paraprofessionals to become certified and licensed teachers;(xvii) provide follow-up training to teachers who have participated in activities described in this paragraph that are designed to ensure that the knowledge and skills learned by the teachers are implemented in the classroom; and(xviii) where practicable, provide jointly for school staff and other early childhood education program providers, to address the transition to elementary school, including issues related to school readiness.