20 U.S.C. § 6471: Program evaluations

§6471 Program Evaluations

Title 20 › CHAPTER 70 — STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS › SUBCHAPTER I — IMPROVING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF THE DISADVANTAGED › Part D — Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk › subpart 3 — general provisions › § 6471

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

State and local agencies that run programs under subpart 1 or 2 must check how well those programs work at least once every three years. They must break down participation data by gender, race, ethnicity, and age while protecting student privacy, unless there are too few students or the data would identify someone. The review looks at whether participants can keep or raise their school performance and graduate on time, earn the credits the State needs, move into regular schools (including Bureau of Indian Education schools), finish high school or an equivalency and get a job after leaving correctional facilities, and, when appropriate, enter college or job training. Agencies must use several suitable ways to measure progress, send the results to the State educational agency and the Secretary, and use what they learn to improve future programs.

Title 20, §6471

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Scope of evaluation

Each State agency or local educational agency that conducts a program under subpart 1 or 2 of this part shall evaluate the program, disaggregating data on participation by gender, race, ethnicity, and age while protecting individual student privacy,, not less than once every 3 years, to determine the program’s impact on the ability of participants—

(1)to maintain and improve educational achievement and to graduate from high school in the number of years established by the State under either the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate or the extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, if applicable;

(2)to accrue school credits that meet State requirements for grade promotion and high school graduation;

(3)to make the transition to a regular program or other education program operated by a local educational agency or school operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian Education;

(4)to complete high school (or high school equivalency requirements) and obtain employment after leaving the correctional facility or institution for neglected or delinquent children and youth; and

(5)as appropriate, to participate in postsecondary education and job training programs.

(b)Exception

The disaggregation required under subsection (a) shall not be required in a case in which the number of students in a category is insufficient to yield statistically reliable information or the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student.

(c)Evaluation measures

In conducting each evaluation under subsection (a), a State agency or local educational agency shall use multiple and appropriate measures of student progress.

(d)Evaluation results

Each State agency and local educational agency shall—

(1)submit evaluation results to the State educational agency and the Secretary; and

(2)use the results of evaluations under this section to plan and improve subsequent programs for participating children and youth.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 6471, Pub. L. 89–10, title I, § 1431, as added Pub. L. 103–382, title I, § 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3600, related to program evaluations, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 107–110. A prior section 1431 of Pub. L. 89–10 was classified to section 2831 of this title, prior to the general amendment of Pub. L. 89–10 by Pub. L. 103–382.

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–95, § 1401(14)(A), (B), inserted “while protecting individual student privacy,” after “age” in introductory provisions and substituted “high school” for “secondary school” wherever appearing. Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 114–95, § 1401(14)(C), inserted “and to graduate from high school in the number of years established by the State under either the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate or the extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, if applicable” after “educational achievement”. Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 114–95, § 1401(14)(D), inserted “or school operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian Education” after “local educational agency”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment 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.