S 3347 ISCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a demonstration project to fund additional secondary school counselors in troubled title I schools to reduce the dropout rate.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

July 28, 2008CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. CASEY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a demonstration project to fund additional secondary school counselors in troubled title I schools to reduce the dropout rate.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Put School Counselors Where They’re Needed Act’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR ADDITIONAL SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELORS.

(a) In General- Part H of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6551 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘Subpart 3--Demonstration Project for Additional Secondary School Counselors

‘SEC. 1841. FINDINGS.

‘Congress finds the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) Nationally, only 70 percent of students graduate from high school with a regular high school diploma.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) Every school day, 7,000 high school students in the United States become dropouts.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) High school students living in low-income families drop out of school at 6 times the rate of their peers from high-income families.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(4) Only about 55 percent of African-American students and 52 percent of Hispanic students graduate on time from high school with a regular diploma, compared to 78 percent of white students.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(5) The dropout rate for students with disabilities is approximately twice that of general education students.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(6) High school is the final transition into adulthood and the world of work as students begin separating from parents and exploring and defining their independence. Students who are deciding who they are and what they will do when they graduate face many pressures, including high-stakes testing, the challenges of college admissions, the scholarship and financial aid application process, and entrance into a competitive job market. They need guidance in these complex decisions, which have serious and life changing consequences.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(7) School counseling programs are essential for students to achieve optimal personal growth, acquire positive social skills and values, set appropriate career goals, and realize full academic potential to become productive, contributing members of the world community.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(8) Professional secondary school counselors are highly qualified educators with a mental health perspective who understand and respond to the challenges presented by today’s diverse student population.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(9) The professional secondary school counselor holds a master’s degree or higher in school counseling (or the substantial equivalent), and is certified or licensed by the State in which the counselor works.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(10) Professional secondary school counselors are integral to the total educational program. They provide proactive leadership that engages all stakeholders in the delivery of programs and services to help the student achieve success in school. Professional secondary school counselors align and work with the school’s mission to support the academic achievement of all students as they prepare for the ever-changing world of the 21st century.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(11) Professional secondary school counselors’ opportunities to assist students are often hindered by extraordinarily high student-to-counselor ratios. Currently, the average student-to-counselor ratio in America’s public schools is 479 to 1. The American School Counselor Association, the American Counseling Association, and the National Association for College Admissions Counseling all recommend a ratio of 1 school counselor to 250 students and a lower ratio for counselors working primarily with students at risk.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘SEC. 1842. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.

‘(a) In General- From amounts made available to carry out this subpart, the Secretary shall carry out a demonstration project under which the Secretary makes grants on a competitive basis to secondary schools that receive funds under this title and have a 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate of 60 percent or lower.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(b) Grants- A grant under this section shall be for a period of 4 years and may be used--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) to provide additional school counselors during that period; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) to provide additional resources (such as professional development expenses or travel expenses for home visits, and any services and materials referred to in subsection (d)) and to pay overhead expenses.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(c) Sense of Congress- It is the sense of Congress that a secondary school that receives a grant under this section should aim to provide, under subsection (b)(1), 1 additional counselor per 250 students at risk.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(d) Scope of Counseling- The additional school counselors provided with funds under this subpart shall identify students who are at risk of not graduating in 4 years and shall provide counseling primarily to those students. The counselors may identify such students at any time, but shall strive to identify the students before the students enter grade 9. Services shall be provided as long as necessary, including to the extent allowable and appropriate, after the student’s cohort graduation date. The counseling provided--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) may include a full panoply of services, including an individual graduation plan and other resources, such as appropriate course placement and supplemental services (to include not only supplemental educational services tutoring if available at the school site, but also other tutoring as necessary, along with supplemental books and materials); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) shall include meetings with each student identified under this subsection and with the teachers, tutors, supplemental educational services providers, and parents of the student, and may also include meetings with other relevant individuals, such as a probation officer, mentor, coach, or employer of the student.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(e) Supplement Not Supplant- Funds provided under this subpart shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, funds from non-Federal sources available to carry out activities described in this section. The additional school counselors provided through funds under this subpart shall be in addition to any employees who work in the secondary school guidance or counseling office, such as counselors, college admissions specialists, career development specialists, guidance information specialists, or any other professional or paraprofessional.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(f) Additional Grant Periods-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) IN GENERAL- A secondary school that receives a grant under this section and demonstrates adequate improvement over the period of the grant is eligible to receive a second grant for a second period. If the secondary school again demonstrates adequate improvement over that second period, the school is eligible to receive a third grant for a third period. The third grant shall provide amounts that decrease for each year of the third period and require the school to provide corresponding increases in non-Federal funds.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) ADEQUATE IMPROVEMENT- For purposes of paragraph (1), a school demonstrates adequate improvement over a grant period if the 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate increases (or is projected to increase) by 10 percent or more over that period.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(g) Selection- The Secretary shall carry out the demonstration project under this section in not less than 10 schools. The first 5 schools selected to participate shall each be from a different State.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘SEC. 1843. DEFINITIONS.

‘In this subpart:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) 4-year ADJUSTED COHORT GRADUATION RATE- The term ‘4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate’ means the number of students who earned a regular high school diploma at the conclusion of their fourth year, before their fourth year, or during a summer session immediately following their fourth year, divided by the number of students who formed the adjusted cohort for that graduating class.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) ADJUSTED COHORT-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) IN GENERAL- Subject to subparagraphs (B), (C), (D), (E), and (F), the term ‘adjusted cohort’ means the students who entered grade 9 together, and any students that transferred into the cohort in grade 9 through 12 minus any students removed from the cohort as described in subparagraph (C).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) TRANSFERS IN- The term ‘transfers in’ means enrolls or re-enrolls after the beginning of the entering cohort’s first year in high school, up to and including in grade 12.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) COHORT REMOVAL- To remove students from a cohort, the school or local educational agency shall confirm that the student--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) has transferred out;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(ii) is in the custody of the juvenile justice system; orCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(iii) is deceased.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(D) TRANSFERS OUT-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) IN GENERAL- Subject to clauses (ii), (iii), and (iv), the term ‘transfers out’ means transfers to another school, local educational agency, or other educational program from which the student is expected to receive a regular high school diploma.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(ii) CONFIRMATION- Confirmation of a student’s transfer to another school, local educational agency, or program requires formal documentation that the student enrolled in the receiving school.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(iii) NOT CONSIDERED TRANSFERS- A student who enrolls in a GED or other alternative educational program that does not issue or provide credits toward the issuance of a regular high school diploma shall not be considered to have transferred out for purposes of this subparagraph.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(iv) REMAIN IN COHORT- A student who was enrolled in a school, but for whom there is no confirmation of transfer or completion, may not be labeled a transfer or error, but shall remain in the cohort as a non-graduate for reporting and accountability purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(E) TREATMENT OF OTHER LEAVERS AND WITHDRAWALS- A student who was retained in a grade, enrolled in a GED program, or left school for any other reason may not be counted as a transfer out for the purpose of calculating graduation rates and shall remain in the adjusted cohort.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(F) SPECIAL RULE- For those high schools that start after ninth grade, the cohort shall be calculated based on the earliest high school grade.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) REGULAR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) IN GENERAL- The term ‘regular high school diploma’ means the standard high school diploma awarded to the preponderance of students in the State that is fully aligned with State standards, or a higher diploma, and does not include GEDs, certificates of attendance, or any lesser diploma award.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) SPECIAL RULE- For a student who has a significant cognitive disability and is assessed using an alternate assessment aligned to alternate achievement standards, receipt of a regular high school diploma or State-defined alternate diploma aligned with completion of the student’s entitlement under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act shall be counted as a graduate with a regular high school diploma for the purposes of this subpart. Not more than 1 percent of students in a school may be counted as graduates with a regular high school diploma under this subparagraph.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘SEC. 1844. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subpart $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2011.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Table of Contents- The table of contents in section 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1830 the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘subpart 3--demonstration project for additional secondary school counselors

‘Sec. 1841. Findings.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘Sec. 1842. Demonstration project.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘Sec. 1843. Definitions.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘Sec. 1844. Authorization of appropriations.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink