 
 CHAPTER 70--STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY 
                                 SCHOOLS
 
    SUBCHAPTER I--HELPING DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN MEET HIGH STANDARDS
 
  Part E--Federal Evaluations, Demonstrations, and Transition Projects
 
Sec. 6491. Evaluations


(a) National assessment

                           (1) In general

        The Secretary shall conduct a national assessment of programs 
    assisted under this subchapter, in coordination with the ongoing 
    National Evaluation under subsection (b) of this section that shall 
    be planned, reviewed, and conducted in consultation with an 
    independent panel of researchers, State practitioners, local 
    practitioners, and other appropriate individuals.

                           (2) Examination

        The assessment shall examine how well schools, local educational 
    agencies, and States are--
            (A) progressing toward the goal of all children served under 
        this subchapter reaching the State's challenging State content 
        standards and challenging State student performance standards; 
        and
            (B) accomplishing the purpose set forth in section 6301(d) 
        of this title to achieve the goal described in paragraph (1), 
        including--
                (i) ensuring challenging State content standards and 
            challenging State student performance standards for all 
            children served under this subchapter and aligning the 
            efforts of States, local educational agencies, and schools 
            to help such children reach such standards;
                (ii) providing children served under this subchapter an 
            enriched and accelerated educational program through 
            schoolwide programs or through additional services that 
            increase the amount and quality of instructional time that 
            such children receive;
                (iii) promoting schoolwide reform and access for all 
            children served under this subchapter to effective 
            instructional strategies and challenging academic content;
                (iv) significantly upgrading the quality of the 
            curriculum and instruction by providing staff in 
            participating schools with substantial opportunities for 
            professional development;
                (v) coordinating services provided under all parts of 
            this subchapter with each other, with other educational and 
            pupil services, including preschool services, and, to the 
            extent feasible, with health and social service programs 
            funded from other sources;
                (vi) affording parents of children served under this 
            subchapter meaningful opportunities to participate in the 
            education of their children at home and at school, such as 
            the provision of family literacy services;
                (vii) distributing resources to areas where needs are 
            greatest;
                (viii) improving accountability, as well as teaching and 
            learning, by making assessments under this subchapter 
            congruent with State assessment systems; and
                (ix) providing greater decisionmaking authority and 
            flexibility to schools in exchange for greater 
            responsibility for student performance.

                        (3) NAEP information

        Where feasible, the Secretary shall use information gathered 
    from a variety of sources, including the National Assessment of 
    Educational Progress, State evaluations, and available research 
    studies, in carrying out this subsection.

                    (4) Interim and final reports

        The Secretary shall submit to the President and the appropriate 
    committees of the Congress an interim report by January 1, 1996, 
    summarizing the preliminary findings of the assessment and a final 
    report of the findings of the assessment by January 1, 1999.

(b) Studies and data collection

                           (1) In general

        The Secretary may collect such data, as necessary, at the State, 
    local, and school levels and conduct studies and evaluations, 
    including national studies and evaluations, to assess on an ongoing 
    basis the effectiveness of programs under this subchapter and to 
    report on such effectiveness on a periodic basis. The Secretary 
    shall report not later than December 31, 1997 to the Committee on 
    Education and Labor of the House of Representatives and the 
    Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate on how 
    schoolwide programs are meeting the needs of children from migratory 
    families.

                       (2) Minimum information

        At a minimum, the Secretary shall collect trend information on 
    the effect of programs under this subchapter. Such data shall 
    complement the data collected and reported under subsections (a) and 
    (c) of this section.

(c) National evaluation of part A of this subchapter

                           (1) In general

        The Secretary shall carry out an ongoing evaluation of the 
    program assisted under part A of this subchapter in order to provide 
    the public, the Congress, and educators involved in such program, an 
    accurate description of the short- and long-term effectiveness of 
    such program and to provide information that can be used to improve 
    such program's effectiveness in enabling students to meet 
    challenging State content standards and challenging State student 
    performance standards, graduate from secondary school, and make 
    successful transitions to postsecondary education and work. Such 
    evaluation shall--
            (A) have a longitudinal design that tracks cohorts of 
        students within schools of differing poverty concentrations for 
        at least three years which, when the cohorts are taken as a 
        whole, provides a picture of such program's effectiveness over 
        the elementary and secondary grades;
            (B) be separate and independent from State and local 
        assessments and evaluations as required under this subchapter;
            (C) utilize the highest available content standards that are 
        generally accepted as national in scope;
            (D) provide information on all students, students served 
        under part A of this subchapter, and, if funds are sufficient, 
        information on students from low-income families, limited-
        English-proficient students, and students with disabilities; and
            (E) when feasible, collect, cross-tabulate, and report data 
        by sex within race or ethnicity and socioeconomic status.

                               (2) Use

        The Secretary shall use the results of the evaluation described 
    in paragraph (1) as part of the national assessment required by 
    subsection (a) of this section and shall report the data from such 
    evaluation to the Congress and the public at least as frequently as 
    reports are made under subsection (a)(4) of this section.

(d) Developmentally appropriate measures

    In conducting the national assessment under subsection (a) of this 
section and the national ongoing evaluation under subsection (c) of this 
section, the Secretary shall use developmentally appropriate measures to 
assess student performance and progress.

(e) Parental involvement, study, report and dissemination

                           (1) In general

        The Secretary, through the Office of Education Research and 
    Improvement, shall conduct a study to identify and describe--
            (A) common barriers to effective parental involvement in the 
        education of participating children; and
            (B) successful local policies and programs which improve 
        parental involvement and the performance of participating 
        children.

                       (2) Duties of Secretary

        The Secretary shall--
            (A) complete such study by December 31, 1996;
            (B) report the findings of such study to the Committee on 
        Education and Labor of the House of Representatives and to the 
        Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate; and
            (C) disseminate the findings, relating to the successful 
        local policies and programs which improve parental involvement 
        and the performance of participating children, to local 
        educational agencies.

(Pub. L. 89-10, title I, Sec. 1501, as added Pub. L. 103-382, title I, 
Sec. 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3601; amended Pub. L. 104-134, title 
I, Sec. 101(d) [title VII, Sec. 703(b)(3)], Apr. 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 
1321-211, 1321-255; renumbered title I, Pub. L. 104-140, Sec. 1(a), May 
2, 1996, 110 Stat. 1327; Pub. L. 105-18, title VI, Sec. 60002, June 12, 
1997, 111 Stat. 214.)


                               Amendments

    1997--Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 105-18 substituted ``January 1, 1999'' 
for ``January 1, 1998''.
    1996--Subsec. (a)(2)(B)(v) to (x). Pub. L. 104-134 redesignated cls. 
(vi) to (x) as (v) to (ix), respectively, and struck out former cl. (v) 
which read as follows: ``using and evaluating the usefulness of 
opportunity-to-learn standards or strategies in improving learning in 
schools receiving assistance under this part;''.

                         Change of Name

    Committee on Education and Labor of House of Representatives treated 
as referring to Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities of 
House of Representatives by section 1(a) of Pub. L. 104-14, set out as a 
note preceding section 21 of Title 2, The Congress. Committee on 
Economic and Educational Opportunities of House of Representatives 
changed to Committee on Education and the Workforce of House of 
Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Fifth Congress, 
Jan. 7, 1997.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 6302 of this title.
