SF 897

1st Engrossment - 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014) Posted on 03/15/2013 10:25am

A bill for an act
relating to education; modifying the Online and Digital Learning Advisory
Council; amending Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.095, subdivision 10.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.095, subdivision 10, is amended to
read:

Subd. 10.

Online new text begin and Digital new text end Learning Advisory Council.

(a) An Online new text begin and
Digital new text end Learning Advisory Council is established. The term for each council member shall
be three years. The advisory council is composed of deleted text begin 12 deleted text end new text begin 14 new text end members from throughout the
state who have demonstrated experience with or interest in online learning. new text begin Two members
of the council must represent technology business. The remaining membership must
represent the following interests:
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new text begin (1) superintendents;
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new text begin (2) special education specialists;
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new text begin (3) technology directors;
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new text begin (4) teachers;
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new text begin (5) rural, urban, and suburban school districts;
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new text begin (6) supplemental programs;
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new text begin (7) full-time programs;
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new text begin (8) consortia;
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new text begin (9) charter schools;
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new text begin (10) Board of Teaching-approved teacher preparation programs; and
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new text begin (11) parents.
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The members of the council shall be appointed by the commissioner.

new text begin (b) new text end The advisory council shall bring to the attention of the commissioner new text begin and the
legislature new text end any matters related to online new text begin and digital new text end learning deleted text begin and deleted text end new text begin . The advisory council
shall new text end provide input to the department new text begin and the legislature new text end in new text begin online learning new text end matters related,
but not restricted, to:

(1) quality assurance;

(2) teacher qualifications;

(3) program approval;

(4) special education;

(5) attendance;

(6) program design and requirements; and

(7) fair and equal access to programs.

deleted text begin (b) By June 30, 2013, deleted text end new text begin (c) new text end The deleted text begin Online Learning deleted text end advisory council with the support of
the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Learning Commons shall:

(1) oversee the development and maintenance of a catalog of publicly available
digital learning content currently aligned to Minnesota academic standards to include:

(i) indexing of Minnesota academic standards with which curriculum is aligned;

(ii) a method for student and teacher users to provide evaluative feedback; and

(iii) a plan for ongoing maintenance; and

(2) recommend methods for including student performance data on the digital
learning content within the catalog.

new text begin (d) The advisory council shall also consider and provide input to the department and
legislature on digital learning matters including, but not limited to:
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new text begin (1) methods to maximize the effectiveness of technology and related instructional
strategies in teaching and learning to improve student outcomes and identify methods
for measuring the impact of using various forms of digital learning in and outside of
the classroom;
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new text begin (2) the effective use of technology to advance a student's ability to learn 21st
century skills and knowledge and to involve parents in an education system that is more
transparent in terms of outcomes and processes by providing toolkits to help parents,
students, and schools make good decisions in the environment of choice;
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new text begin (3) the use of technology for schools to personalize or differentiate learning to
the needs, abilities, and learning styles of each student and guide them towards greater
ownership of their learning, so that all students are digital learners and have access to
high-quality digital curriculum in every class and level;
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new text begin (4) methods to prepare current and future educators, education leaders, and staff,
to provide professional development and collaboration around best practices to use, and
to evaluate the effectiveness of digital tools and instructional strategies to personalize or
differentiate education and focus on competency-based learning and advancement, so that
all teachers have a digital presence and use high-quality digital curriculum;
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new text begin (5) methods to support collaborative efforts to leverage resources among districts or
at regional levels to provide digital resources, content, and curriculum;
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new text begin (6) the barriers to improving the use of technology in the classroom, and methods
to ensure that each student has access to a digital device and high-speed Internet at
school and at home; and
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new text begin (7) the current disparities in digital education across the state.
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new text begin (e) The advisory council shall make policy recommendations to the commissioner
and committees of the legislature having jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 12
education annually by December 15 of each year, including implementation plans based
on recommendations from previous councils and task forces related to online and digital
learning.
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deleted text begin (c) deleted text end new text begin (f) new text end The Online new text begin and Digital new text end Learning Advisory Council under this subdivision
expires June 30, deleted text begin 2013 deleted text end new text begin 2016 new text end .