§6303b Direct Student Services

Summary

States may set aside up to 3 percent of the money they get under subpart 2 of part A each year to fund direct student services. The State education agency must talk with a mix of local school districts (urban, suburban, and rural) before doing this. Up to 1 percent of the set-aside can be used to run the program. The State gives grants to diverse districts and gives priority to districts that serve the highest share of schools the State has labeled for comprehensive support or that are using targeted support plans (see sections 6311(c)(4)(D)(i) and 6311(d)(2)). A district that gets a grant can spend no more than 1 percent on parent outreach and no more than 2 percent on administration. The rest must pay for services like access to classes not offered at a student’s school (advanced courses and career/technical classes that meet standards and lead to industry credentials under section 3153(a) of title 29), credit recovery and graduation support, help with college-level classes and exam fees (AP/IB), personalized learning including high-quality tutoring, and, in some cases, transportation for students moving out of schools in comprehensive support. Funds must be used first for students in schools identified for comprehensive support, then for low-achieving students in targeted schools, then for other low-achieving students. Districts must apply and explain outreach, timing, seat availability for school choice, how they will prioritize lowest-achieving students, which providers they will use, how they will monitor services, and how they will report results to parents. The State must keep a vetted list of approved tutoring providers, ensure enough choices for parents, monitor quality, and remove providers that do not improve student outcomes.