Community College Student Success Act of 2021

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2237 To direct the Secretary of Education to establish and carry out two grant programs to make grants to eligible institutions to plan and implement programs that provide comprehensive support services and resources de- signed to increase graduation rates and transfer rates to 4-year institu- tions at community colleges, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 24, 2021 Mr. SCHATZ (for himself and Mr. BROWN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To direct the Secretary of Education to establish and carry out two grant programs to make grants to eligible insti- tutions to plan and implement programs that provide comprehensive support services and resources designed to increase graduation rates and transfer rates to 4- year institutions at community colleges, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 2237 IS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Community College 2 Student Success Act of 2021’’. 3 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 4 The table of contents of this Act is as follows: 5 Sec. 1. Short title. Sec. 2. Table of contents. Sec. 3. Definitions. TITLE I—COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAM Sec. 101. Definitions. Sec. 102. Community College Student Success Grant Program authorized. Sec. 103. Grants to plan community college student success programs. Sec. 104. Grants to implement, improve, or expand community college student success programs. Sec. 105. Evaluations. Sec. 106. Outreach and technical assistance. Sec. 107. Report to Congress. Sec. 108. Relationship to other student financial assistance. Sec. 109. Supplement not supplant. Sec. 110. Authorization of appropriations. TITLE II—PART TIME COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAM Sec. 201. Definitions. Sec. 202. Part time community College Student Success Grant Program au- thorized. Sec. 203. Grants to plan part time community college student success pro- grams. Sec. 204. Grants to implement, improve, or expand part time community col- lege student success programs. Sec. 205. Evaluations. Sec. 206. Outreach and technical assistance. Sec. 207. Report to Congress. Sec. 208. Supplement, not supplant. Sec. 209. Authorization of appropriations. SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 (1) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘eligi- 8 ble institution’’ means— 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 2237 IS (A) a public 2-year institution of higher 1 education; or 2 (B) a partnership between— 3 (i) a public 2-year institution of high- 4 er education; and 5 (ii) a nonprofit organization identified 6 as an evidence-based comprehensive stu- 7 dent success program by the Department 8 of Education. 9 (2) EVIDENCE-BASED COMPREHENSIVE STU- 10 DENT SUCCESS PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘evidence- 11 based comprehensive student success program’’ 12 means a program that uses a comprehensive ap- 13 proach to student success and meets the criteria for 14 receiving an expansion grant from the Education In- 15 novation and Research program, as determined by 16 the Department of Education. 17 (3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 18 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 19 meaning given the term under section 101 of the 20 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 21 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 22 the Secretary of Education. 23 (5) TRANSFER RATE.—The term ‘‘transfer 24 rate’’, when used with respect to students enrolled in 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 2237 IS a program of study at an eligible institution, means 1 that rate at which such students transfer to a 4-year 2 institution of higher education. 3 TITLE I—COMMUNITY COLLEGE 4 STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAM 5 SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this title: 7 (1) COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS 8 PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘community college student 9 success program’’ means a program carried out by 10 an eligible institution under which the institution 11 carries out the following: 12 (A) Provides eligible students participating 13 in such program with an amount that covers 14 the cost of tuition and fees that are not covered 15 by any Federal, State, or institutional financial 16 assistance received by the student. 17 (B) Requires eligible students participating 18 in such program to— 19 (i) be enrolled in the eligible institu- 20 tion and carry a full-time academic work- 21 load during each fall and spring semester 22 (or equivalent terms) during which the stu- 23 dent participates in such program; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 2237 IS (ii) if the eligible student is referred 1 to remedial courses or on academic proba- 2 tion, meet, on at least a weekly basis or 3 under an alternate schedule, as determined 4 by the institution, with a tutor, except that 5 in the case of an eligible student who is 6 academically struggling, but who is not re- 7 ferred to remedial courses or on academic 8 probation, the student may meet with a 9 tutor at least as often as the program advi- 10 sor for such student requires or under an 11 alternate schedule, as determined by the 12 institution; 13 (iii) meet with a program advisor— 14 (I) twice each month during the 15 first semester (or equivalent term) of 16 participation in such program; and 17 (II) as directed by the program 18 advisor in subsequent semesters (or 19 equivalent terms) under subparagraph 20 (C)(ii); and 21 (iv) meet with an on-campus career 22 advisor or participate in a career services 23 event or program once each semester (or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 2237 IS equivalent term) or under an alternate 1 schedule, as determined by the institution. 2 (C) Provides a program advisor to each eli- 3 gible student participating in such program 4 who— 5 (i) provides comprehensive academic 6 and personal advising to the eligible stu- 7 dent, including— 8 (I) the creation and implementa- 9 tion of an academic plan for the stu- 10 dent to graduate from a program of 11 study at the eligible institution within 12 150 percent of the normal time for 13 graduation from such program; 14 (II) taking steps to enable an eli- 15 gible student referred to remedial 16 courses to complete college mathe- 17 matics and English in their first year; 18 and 19 (III) assisting the eligible student 20 with developing and achieving aca- 21 demic goals, including creating strong 22 transfer pathways (including articula- 23 tion agreements that guarantee ad- 24 mission), that demonstrate pro- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 2237 IS grammatic transfer for students inter- 1 ested in transferring to a 4-year insti- 2 tution of higher education; 3 (ii) after the eligible student partici- 4 pating in such program completes a semes- 5 ter (or equivalent term), creates for the eli- 6 gible student a needs-based advising sched- 7 ule that indicates, based on the eligible 8 student’s academic performance, the fre- 9 quency with which such eligible student 10 shall be required to meet with a program 11 advisor for each subsequent semester (or 12 equivalent term) of program participation; 13 (iii) has a caseload of not more than 14 125 eligible students; 15 (iv) tracks the attendance of the eligi- 16 ble student at the meetings described in 17 clauses (ii), (iii), and (iv) of subparagraph 18 (B); 19 (v) monitors the academic progress of 20 the eligible student; and 21 (vi) provides each eligible student who 22 meets the requirements of subparagraph 23 (B), on at least a monthly basis, with fi- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 2237 IS nancial incentives support that will en- 1 hance student success. 2 (D) Provides tutoring, academic support, 3 and career services at no cost to eligible stu- 4 dents participating in such program, and may 5 reserve places in select courses for such eligible 6 students in order to create community within 7 cohorts of eligible students. 8 (E) Provides information to eligible stu- 9 dents participating in such program about the 10 eligibility of such students for assistance under 11 the supplemental nutrition assistance program 12 under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 13 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) and the program of block 14 grants for States for temporary assistance for 15 needy families established under part A of title 16 IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et 17 seq.). 18 (2) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—The term ‘‘eligible 19 student’’ means a student enrolled at an eligible in- 20 stitution who— 21 (A) on the date such eligible student would 22 begin participation in a community college stu- 23 dent success program at such eligible institu- 24 tion— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 2237 IS (i) is enrolled in a program of study 1 leading to an associate degree that pre- 2 pares students to transfer to a 4-year in- 3 stitution of higher education or advance in 4 the labor market; 5 (ii) is carrying a full-time academic 6 workload during each Fall and Spring se- 7 mester (or equivalent terms) during which 8 the student participates in such program; 9 (iii) takes at least 20 degree-applica- 10 ble, non-remedial credits in a given aca- 11 demic year; and 12 (iv) is— 13 (I) a first-time undergraduate 14 student; or 15 (II) a continuing or transfer stu- 16 dent with not more than 24 credits 17 and a minimum grade point average 18 of 2.0 (or its equivalent); 19 (B) if the student is eligible for financial 20 aid under title IV of the Higher Education Act 21 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.)— 22 (i) has completed the Free Application 23 for Federal Student Aid or other common 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 2237 IS financial reporting form under section 1 483(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1090(a)); or 2 (ii) demonstrates eligibility for a Fed- 3 eral Pell Grant through institutional finan- 4 cial aid eligibility forms or State financial 5 aid eligibility forms; and 6 (C) meets any other requirements estab- 7 lished by the institution. 8 (3) FULL-TIME ACADEMIC WORKLOAD.—The 9 term ‘‘full-time academic workload’’, when used with 10 respect to a semester or equivalent term, means at 11 least 12 credits (or the equivalent). 12 SEC. 102. COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS GRANT 13 PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 14 From the amounts appropriated under section 110, 15 the Secretary of Education shall establish and carry out 16 the community college student success grant program to 17 award grants under sections 103 and 104, on a competi- 18 tive basis, to eligible institutions to plan and implement 19 community college student success programs or to improve 20 or expand evidence-based comprehensive student success 21 programs designed to increase— 22 (1) the rate at which program participants from 23 a program of study at such eligible institution grad- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 2237 IS uate within 150 percent of the normal time for grad- 1 uation; 2 (2) transfer rates of program participants to 4- 3 year institutions; and 4 (3) the number of credits that a program par- 5 ticipant takes that can be applied to a degree in the 6 participant’s desired major. 7 SEC. 103. GRANTS TO PLAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE STU- 8 DENT SUCCESS PROGRAMS. 9 (a) PLANNING GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—From the 10 amounts appropriated to carry out this section under sec- 11 tion 109 for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall award plan- 12 ning grants for such fiscal year, on a competitive basis, 13 to eligible institutions to develop plans for community col- 14 lege student success programs. 15 (b) DURATION.—A grant awarded under this section 16 shall be for a 1-year period. 17 (c) PEER REVIEW PROCESS; PRIORITY.—In award- 18 ing grants under this section for a fiscal year, the Sec- 19 retary shall— 20 (1) carry out a peer review process that— 21 (A) requires that each application sub- 22 mitted under subsection (d) be peer reviewed by 23 a panel of readers composed of individuals se- 24 lected by the Secretary, which shall include— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 2237 IS (i) not less than 50 percent of read- 1 ers— 2 (I) who are not employees of the 3 Federal Government; and 4 (II) who have relevant research 5 or practical experience with respect to 6 student support programs designed to 7 increase graduation rates and transfer 8 rates at public 2-year institutions of 9 higher education; and 10 (ii) to the maximum extent prac- 11 ticable, individuals who are members of 12 groups underrepresented in higher edu- 13 cation, including African Americans, His- 14 panics, Native Americans (including Amer- 15 ican Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native 16 Hawaiians), Asian Americans, Pacific Is- 17 landers, and individuals with disabilities in 18 a manner that reflects the national, State, 19 or local population demographics; and 20 (B) ensures that no individual assigned 21 under subparagraph (A) to review an applica- 22 tion has any conflict of interest with regard to 23 that application that may make the individual 24 unable to impartially conduct such review; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2237.IS S2237 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •S 2237 IS (2) give priority to eligible institutions that are 1 eligible to receive funding under title III or V of the 2 Higher Education Act [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]