1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; establishing a task force to 
  1.3             oversee revision of the profile of learning and 
  1.4             develop statewide testing consistent with the revised 
  1.5             profile of learning; appropriating money. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [PROFILE OF LEARNING TASK FORCE.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT; MEMBERSHIP.] A task force 
  1.9   is established to provide oversight of the revision of the 
  1.10  content standards in the profile of learning of the graduation 
  1.11  rule and to develop statewide testing consistent with the 
  1.12  revised content standards.  The task force shall consist of ten 
  1.13  members with the speaker of the house of representatives and the 
  1.14  senate majority leader each appointing five members.  No more 
  1.15  than four members shall be current members of the legislature.  
  1.16  The speaker of the house and senate majority leader must jointly 
  1.17  appoint legislator members, if any, to the task force.  The 
  1.18  legislator members are considered as being appointed by the body 
  1.19  to which the member belongs.  The commissioner of children, 
  1.20  families, and learning shall provide necessary materials and 
  1.21  staff for the task force. 
  1.22     Subd. 2.  [CONTENT STANDARDS.] The commissioner of 
  1.23  administration, in consultation with the task force, shall 
  1.24  contract with the council for basic education (CBE) to develop 
  1.25  content standards in English, mathematics, science, history, and 
  2.1   geography that have the specificity, rigor, and measurability of 
  2.2   academic standards generally regarded as the best nationally or 
  2.3   internationally.  The task force shall be the primary state 
  2.4   contact for CBE.  
  2.5      Subd. 3.  [STATEWIDE TESTING.] (a) The task force shall 
  2.6   develop recommendations for comprehensive statewide student 
  2.7   testing aligned to the revised content standards and at least 
  2.8   consider the following: 
  2.9      (1) using a nationally norm-referenced test; 
  2.10     (2) testing in each of grades 3 through 9 in reading and 
  2.11  mathematics and in grade 10 in reading, mathematics, and 
  2.12  writing; 
  2.13     (3) requiring students to pass the tests in grade 10 to 
  2.14  graduate from high school; and 
  2.15     (4) determining the most effective time to test during the 
  2.16  school year. 
  2.17     (b) The task force may contract with a test development 
  2.18  company.  The task force must hold public information meetings 
  2.19  throughout the state. 
  2.20     Subd. 4.  [RECOMMENDATIONS; REPORT.] The task force must 
  2.21  report the recommendations for the revised content standards 
  2.22  developed by CBE and its recommendations for statewide student 
  2.23  testing to the education committees of the legislature by 
  2.24  January 1, 2002, for consideration as a complete standards and 
  2.25  assessment approach.  The commissioner of children, families, 
  2.26  and learning shall adopt rules to replace the profile of 
  2.27  learning of the graduation rule with content standards developed 
  2.28  by CBE by an expedited process and contract with a test 
  2.29  development company consistent with the task force report if 
  2.30  approved by the legislature.  
  2.31     Subd. 5.  [EXPIRATION.] The task force shall expire January 
  2.32  1, 2002. 
  2.33     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective the day 
  2.34  following final enactment. 
  2.35     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.36     (a) $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2002 from the 
  3.1   general fund to the commissioner of children, families, and 
  3.2   learning for the task force under section 1.  
  3.3      (b) $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2002 from the 
  3.4   general fund to the commissioner of administration to contract 
  3.5   with the council for basic education under section 1, 
  3.6   subdivision 2.  If the contract negotiated under section 1, 
  3.7   subdivision 2, is for an amount less than this appropriation, 
  3.8   any balance shall cancel.