1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; clarifying the distribution of 
  1.3             content standards under the profile of learning; 
  1.4             clarifying the time line for implementing the profile 
  1.5             of learning; determining scoring criteria and 
  1.6             recordkeeping practices; appropriating money; amending 
  1.7             Minnesota Statutes 1998, sections 120B.03, subdivision 
  1.8             1; and 120B.31, subdivision 3; Minnesota Statutes 1999 
  1.9             Supplement, section 120B.02. 
  1.10  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.11     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1999 Supplement, section 
  1.12  120B.02, is amended to read: 
  1.13     120B.02 [RESULTS-ORIENTED GRADUATION RULE; BASIC SKILLS 
  1.14  REQUIREMENTS; PROFILE OF LEARNING.] 
  1.15     (a) The legislature is committed to establishing a 
  1.16  rigorous, results-oriented graduation rule for Minnesota's 
  1.17  public school students.  To that end, the commissioner shall use 
  1.18  its rulemaking authority under section 127A.05, subdivision 4, 
  1.19  to adopt a statewide, results-oriented graduation rule to be 
  1.20  implemented starting with students beginning ninth grade in the 
  1.21  1996-1997 school year.  The commissioner shall not prescribe in 
  1.22  rule or otherwise the delivery system or form of instruction 
  1.23  that local sites must use to meet the requirements contained in 
  1.24  this rule. 
  1.25     (b) To successfully accomplish paragraph (a), the 
  1.26  commissioner shall set in rule high academic standards for all 
  1.27  students.  The standards must contain the foundational skills in 
  2.1   the three core curricular areas of reading, writing, and 
  2.2   mathematics while meeting requirements for high school 
  2.3   graduation.  The standards must also provide an opportunity for 
  2.4   students to excel by meeting higher academic standards through a 
  2.5   profile of learning that uses curricular requirements to allow 
  2.6   students to expand their knowledge and skills beyond the 
  2.7   foundational skills.  All commissioner actions regarding the 
  2.8   rule must be premised on the following:  
  2.9      (1) the rule is intended to raise academic expectations for 
  2.10  students, teachers, and schools; 
  2.11     (2) any state action regarding the rule must evidence 
  2.12  consideration of school district autonomy; and 
  2.13     (3) the department of children, families, and learning, 
  2.14  with the assistance of school districts, must make available 
  2.15  information about all state initiatives related to the rule to 
  2.16  students and parents, teachers, and the general public in a 
  2.17  timely format that is appropriate, comprehensive, and readily 
  2.18  understandable; 
  2.19     (4) distributed among the ten learning areas, high school 
  2.20  students in grades 9 to 12 must complete 18 content standards 
  2.21  including 12 required and six elective content standards, middle 
  2.22  school students in grades 6 to 8 must complete 18 content 
  2.23  standards, intermediate school students in grades 4 and 5 must 
  2.24  complete ten content standards, and primary school students in 
  2.25  kindergarten to grade 3 must complete eight content standards; 
  2.26  and 
  2.27     (5) a student who is participating in a rigorous course of 
  2.28  study, including an advanced placement or international 
  2.29  baccalaureate program, is not required to complete other 
  2.30  requirements of any content standards corresponding to the 
  2.31  student's rigorous course of study. 
  2.32     (c) For purposes of adopting the rule, the commissioner, in 
  2.33  consultation with the department, recognized psychometric 
  2.34  experts in assessment, and other interested and knowledgeable 
  2.35  educators, using the most current version of professional 
  2.36  standards for educational testing, shall evaluate the 
  3.1   alternative approaches to assessment.  
  3.2      (d) The content of the graduation rule must differentiate 
  3.3   between minimum competencies reflected in the basic requirements 
  3.4   assessment and rigorous profile of learning standards.  When 
  3.5   fully implemented, the requirements for high school graduation 
  3.6   in Minnesota must include both basic requirements and the 
  3.7   required profile of learning.  The profile of learning must 
  3.8   measure student performance using performance-based assessments 
  3.9   compiled over time that integrate higher academic standards, 
  3.10  higher order thinking skills, and application of knowledge from 
  3.11  a variety of content areas.  The profile of learning shall 
  3.12  include a broad range of academic experience and accomplishment 
  3.13  necessary to achieve the goal of preparing students to function 
  3.14  effectively as purposeful thinkers, effective communicators, 
  3.15  self-directed learners, productive group participants, and 
  3.16  responsible citizens.  The commissioner shall develop and 
  3.17  disseminate to school districts a uniform method for reporting 
  3.18  student performance on the profile of learning.  Districts may 
  3.19  use outstanding work from each grade level as exemplars for 
  3.20  measuring student work in that grade. 
  3.21     (e) The commissioner shall periodically review and report 
  3.22  on the assessment process and student achievement with the 
  3.23  expectation of raising the standards and expanding high school 
  3.24  graduation requirements. 
  3.25     (f) The commissioner shall report in writing to the 
  3.26  legislature annually by January 15 on its progress in developing 
  3.27  and implementing the graduation requirements according to the 
  3.28  requirements of this subdivision and section 120B.10 until such 
  3.29  time as all the graduation requirements are implemented. 
  3.30     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 120B.03, 
  3.31  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  3.32     Subdivision 1.  [DISTRICT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROFILE OF 
  3.33  LEARNING.] (a) A school district shall implement the profile of 
  3.34  learning of the graduation rule under paragraph (b), (c), or (d).
  3.35  School districts are not required to begin fully implementing 
  3.36  the profile of learning until districts' obligation to establish 
  4.1   and report school site and school district performance levels 
  4.2   arises under paragraph (f). 
  4.3      A district may implement the profile of learning under 
  4.4   paragraph (c) or (d) only after the commissioner approves the 
  4.5   district's request for a waiver and approves the local plan for 
  4.6   full implementation. 
  4.7      (b) A school district shall implement the profile of 
  4.8   learning for the 1998-1999 first school year after which 
  4.9   districts' obligation to establish and report school site and 
  4.10  school district performance levels arises under paragraph (f) 
  4.11  and later.  
  4.12     (c) A school district shall implement the profile of 
  4.13  learning as follows: 
  4.14     (1) for the 1998-1999 first school year after which 
  4.15  districts' obligation to establish and report school site and 
  4.16  school district performance levels arises under paragraph (f) 
  4.17  and later, the district shall implement all required standards 
  4.18  in learning areas at the preparatory level and implement for 
  4.19  ninth grade students a minimum of six learning areas under the 
  4.20  profile of learning with three from the areas of read, listen, 
  4.21  and view; write and speak; mathematical applications; scientific 
  4.22  applications; and people and cultures; and three from the areas 
  4.23  of literature and the arts; inquiry; decision making; resource 
  4.24  management; and world language; 
  4.25     (2) for the 1999-2000 second school year after which 
  4.26  districts' obligation to establish and report school site and 
  4.27  school district performance levels arises under paragraph (f) 
  4.28  and later, the district shall implement for ninth and tenth 
  4.29  grade students two learning areas in addition to those 
  4.30  implemented under clause (1).  The district shall complete the 
  4.31  four learning areas of read, listen, and view; write and speak; 
  4.32  mathematical applications; scientific applications; and people 
  4.33  and cultures if the four areas were not completed in clause (1); 
  4.34  and the remainder from the areas of literature and the arts; 
  4.35  inquiry; decision making; resource management; and world 
  4.36  language; and 
  5.1      (3) for the 2000-2001 third school year after which 
  5.2   districts' obligation to establish and report school site and 
  5.3   school district performance levels arises under paragraph (f) 
  5.4   and later, the district shall implement for ninth, tenth, and 
  5.5   eleventh grade students the two learning areas in the profile of 
  5.6   learning that were not implemented under clauses (1) and (2). 
  5.7      (d) A district shall develop a local plan to implement the 
  5.8   profile of learning and have all ten learning areas fully 
  5.9   implemented by the 2001-2002 fourth school year after which 
  5.10  districts' obligation to establish and report school site and 
  5.11  school district performance levels arises under paragraph (f).  
  5.12     (e) A district shall notify the commissioner by July 1, 
  5.13  1998, of the first school year preceding the school year in 
  5.14  which districts' obligation to establish and report school site 
  5.15  and school district performance levels arises under paragraph 
  5.16  (f) as to whether the district will implement the profile of 
  5.17  learning under paragraph (b), (c), or (d). 
  5.18     (f) An advisory committee of 11 members is established to 
  5.19  advise the governor and commissioner on the implementation of 
  5.20  the graduation rule under this section.  The commissioner shall 
  5.21  appoint 11 members with representatives from education 
  5.22  organizations, business, higher education, parents, and 
  5.23  organizations representing communities of color. 
  5.24     The committee shall review the implementation of the basic 
  5.25  requirements and the profile of learning standards. 
  5.26     The commissioner shall provide technical and other 
  5.27  assistance to the advisory committee.  The committee expires on 
  5.28  December 1, 1998 The commissioner shall convene an advisory 
  5.29  group composed of qualified experts and interested stakeholders 
  5.30  to recommend scoring criteria and recordkeeping practices under 
  5.31  the profile of learning.  After reviewing advisory group 
  5.32  recommendations, the commissioner must evaluate the software 
  5.33  available to implement scoring criteria and recordkeeping 
  5.34  practices under the profile of learning and certify to all 
  5.35  districts and the legislature that the software needed to record 
  5.36  and report performance levels is readily available to all 
  6.1   districts at minimal cost.  Districts' obligation to establish 
  6.2   and report school site and school district performance levels 
  6.3   under the profile of learning arises the first school year after 
  6.4   which the districts and the legislature receive notice of the 
  6.5   commissioner's certification. 
  6.6      (g) To meet the educational accountability and reporting 
  6.7   standards under this chapter, the commissioner shall work with 
  6.8   school districts to develop and implement a uniform system of 
  6.9   measuring and reporting student performances completed as 
  6.10  requirements under the profile of learning.  
  6.11     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 120B.31, 
  6.12  subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  6.13     Subd. 3.  [EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY.] (a) The independent 
  6.14  office of educational accountability, as authorized by Laws 
  6.15  1997, First Special Session chapter 4, article 5, section 28, 
  6.16  subdivision 2, is established.  The office shall advise the 
  6.17  education committees of the legislature and the commissioner of 
  6.18  children, families, and learning, at least on a biennial basis, 
  6.19  on the degree to which the statewide educational accountability 
  6.20  and reporting system includes a comprehensive assessment 
  6.21  framework that measures school accountability for students 
  6.22  achieving the goals described in the state's results-oriented 
  6.23  graduation rule.  The office shall consider whether the 
  6.24  statewide system of educational accountability utilizes multiple 
  6.25  indicators to provide valid and reliable comparative and 
  6.26  contextual data on students, schools, districts, and the state, 
  6.27  and if not, recommend ways to improve the accountability 
  6.28  reporting system. 
  6.29     (b) When the office reviews the statewide educational 
  6.30  accountability and reporting system, it shall also consider: 
  6.31     (1) the objectivity and neutrality of the state's 
  6.32  educational accountability system; and 
  6.33     (2) the impact of a testing program on school curriculum 
  6.34  and student learning. 
  6.35     (c) The office shall recommend to the legislature policies 
  6.36  for effectively meeting the needs of specific student 
  7.1   populations including, at least, special education students, 
  7.2   students with limited English proficiency, and students who meet 
  7.3   the eligibility criteria for the graduation incentives program 
  7.4   under section 124D.68. 
  7.5      Sec. 4.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  7.6      $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  7.7   commissioner of children, families, and learning in fiscal year 
  7.8   2001 for providing school districts and school sites with funds 
  7.9   for the resources and training needed to effectively implement 
  7.10  profile of learning content standards in the classroom under 
  7.11  sections 1 and 2.  The commissioner shall make the funds 
  7.12  available to school districts and school sites on an equitable 
  7.13  basis.  School districts and school sites receiving funds under 
  7.14  this section must use the funds to effectively implement profile 
  7.15  of learning content standards in the classroom under sections 1 
  7.16  and 2.  Appropriate fund uses include: 
  7.17     (1) developing local performance packages that integrate 
  7.18  teachers' own curriculum and instructional practices, which 
  7.19  districts can use in place of state model performance packages; 
  7.20     (2) providing classroom teachers with immediate access to a 
  7.21  statewide assessments database containing valid and reliable 
  7.22  assessments of excellent quality; 
  7.23     (3) providing school personnel with sufficient access to 
  7.24  computers and related software needed to maintain student and 
  7.25  school records and communicate between schools and districts; 
  7.26     (4) reducing the amount of paperwork related to using, 
  7.27  assessing, and reporting students' record of work on performance 
  7.28  packages; 
  7.29     (5) evaluating the impact of profile of learning 
  7.30  requirements on students with special needs; 
  7.31     (6) developing means for appropriating recognizing the work 
  7.32  that students transferring into the district complete before 
  7.33  transferring to the district; and 
  7.34     (7) developing or implementing other efforts school 
  7.35  districts or school sites determine are needed to effectively 
  7.36  implement profile of learning content standards in the classroom.
  8.1      Sec. 5.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  8.2      Sections 1, 2, and 3 are effective the day following final 
  8.3   enactment.  Section 4 is effective July 1, 2000.