1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; directing the education 
  1.3             commissioner to seek and report advisory task force 
  1.4             recommendations on adopting a uniform statewide 
  1.5             grading scale policy. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [ADVISORY TASK FORCE TO RECOMMEND A MINNESOTA 
  1.8   UNIFORM GRADING SCALE.] 
  1.9      The commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education 
  1.10  must establish an advisory task force under Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.11  section 15.059, subdivision 6, to make recommendations to the 
  1.12  commissioner about whether and how to develop and adopt in all 
  1.13  Minnesota public schools a uniform grading scale consistent with 
  1.14  state academic standards under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 
  1.15  120B.  The commissioner must convene the advisory task force by 
  1.16  June 30, 2004.  The advisory task force must include 
  1.17  superintendents, principals, teachers, school board members, 
  1.18  students, and representatives of public and private 
  1.19  postsecondary institutions throughout Minnesota.  The advisory 
  1.20  task force may hold public meetings throughout the state to 
  1.21  gather public input on a uniform grading scale.  The advisory 
  1.22  task force must present recommendations to the commissioner by 
  1.23  December 1, 2004, on at least the following topics: 
  1.24     (1) consistent numerical breaks for letter grades; 
  1.25     (2) standards to define an honors course; 
  2.1      (3) appropriate weighting of courses; and 
  2.2      (4) courses and weightings to be used in calculating 
  2.3   students' class rank. 
  2.4      The commissioner must report the recommendations of the 
  2.5   advisory task force to the chairs of the Education Policy and 
  2.6   Finance Committees in the house and senate by February 1, 2005.  
  2.7   The task force expires on February 1, 2005. 
  2.8      <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective the day 
  2.9   following final enactment.