HF 4180

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; providing for the destruction 
  1.3             of the January 26, 2000, state test of the basic 
  1.4             requirement for written composition; exempting student 
  1.5             responses to the January 26, 2000, test for written 
  1.6             composition from mandatory reporting requirements; 
  1.7             limiting test prompts for future tests of the basic 
  1.8             requirement for written composition. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  [TESTING FOR BASIC REQUIREMENT OF WRITTEN 
  1.11  COMPOSITION.] 
  1.12     Subdivision 1.  [JANUARY 26, 2000, WRITTEN COMPOSITION TEST 
  1.13  RESULTS.] (a) Notwithstanding any law or rule to the contrary, 
  1.14  within seven days of the effective date of this section, every 
  1.15  school district, the department of children, families, and 
  1.16  learning, every independent vendor contracted to score the state 
  1.17  test of the basic requirement for written composition under the 
  1.18  graduation rule in Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.02, and 
  1.19  administered on January 26, 2000, or any other persons or 
  1.20  entities that have in their possession the test booklets or test 
  1.21  prompt for the basic requirement for written composition 
  1.22  administered to students on January 26, 2000, must destroy the 
  1.23  test booklets, test prompt, and associated materials.  No report 
  1.24  on a student's response may be made other than reporting the 
  1.25  test score.  If a report has been made based on the January 26, 
  1.26  2000, written composition test, it must be destroyed.  The test 
  1.27  prompt for the basic requirement for written composition 
  2.1   administered on January 26, 2000, may no longer be administered 
  2.2   to students.  The school district, department of children, 
  2.3   families, and learning, independent vendor, or any other persons 
  2.4   or entities that destroys the test booklets, test prompt, and 
  2.5   associated materials must confirm in writing to the chairs of 
  2.6   the house and senate education committees that the test 
  2.7   booklets, test prompt, and associated materials in their 
  2.8   possession were destroyed.  Only the test score for each student 
  2.9   shall be recorded and all other materials directly or indirectly 
  2.10  associated with this test must be destroyed. 
  2.11     (b) A student's response to the state test of the basic 
  2.12  requirement in written composition must not be included in 
  2.13  educational data on the student and is exempt from the 
  2.14  requirements of Minnesota Statutes, section 626.556.  For the 
  2.15  purposes of this subdivision, "educational data" is as defined 
  2.16  in Minnesota Statutes, section 13.32, subdivision 1. 
  2.17     (c) Reporting of test responses by students is exempt from 
  2.18  Minnesota Statutes, section 626.556, and no disciplinary action 
  2.19  may be imposed under that section. 
  2.20     Subd. 2.  [TEST PROMPTS.] Any test prompt developed or 
  2.21  administered for the state's basic skills test for written 
  2.22  composition under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.02, after the 
  2.23  effective date of this section must not pertain to a student's 
  2.24  personal characteristics, family, values, attitudes, or 
  2.25  conscientiously held beliefs.  The test instructions must 
  2.26  include notification that a student's written composition will 
  2.27  be returned to the student's school district after scoring is 
  2.28  completed so that schools, teachers, and students have the 
  2.29  opportunity to review them for diagnosis of student writing 
  2.30  proficiency and identification of needs for further instruction. 
  2.31     Subd. 3.  [CONFLICT OF LAW.] This section supersedes any 
  2.32  conflicting provision of law or rule to the contrary. 
  2.33     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.34     Section 1, subdivisions 1, paragraph (a), 2, and 3, are 
  2.35  effective the day following final enactment.  Section 1, 
  2.36  subdivision 1, paragraphs (b) and (c), are effective retroactive 
  3.1   to January 27, 2000.