1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; using school accountability 
  1.3             measures to recognize public schools that provide 
  1.4             excellent grades 3 through 8 language arts and 
  1.5             mathematics teaching; establishing an educational 
  1.6             excellence grant program and fund; appropriating 
  1.7             money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
  1.8             Statutes, chapter 120B. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  [120B.027] [RECOGNIZING PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH 
  1.11  EXCELLENT GRADES 3 THROUGH 8 LANGUAGE ARTS AND MATHEMATICS 
  1.12  TEACHING AND HIGH ATTENDANCE RATES; ANNUAL GRANTS.] 
  1.13     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] An annual grant program is 
  1.14  established to recognize public schools that provide excellent 
  1.15  grades 3 through 8 language arts and mathematics teaching.  
  1.16  Schools' recognition is based on: 
  1.17     (1) statewide grades 3 through 8 language arts and 
  1.18  mathematics assessments under section 120B.30, subdivision 1a, 
  1.19  that provide longitudinal comparisons showing individual 
  1.20  students' educational progress over time under section 120B.35, 
  1.21  subdivisions 1, and 3, paragraph (b); and 
  1.22     (2) student attendance rates. 
  1.23     Subd. 2.  [GRANT AWARD AND FUND.] An excellence in grades 3 
  1.24  through 8 language arts and mathematics teaching grant fund is 
  1.25  created to permit the commissioner to annually award grants to 
  1.26  up to ten public schools enrolling students in any grade 3 
  1.27  through 8 that demonstrate the highest measures of educational 
  2.1   progress under this section. 
  2.2      Subd. 3.  [ELIGIBILITY.] Grant applicants must be public 
  2.3   schools enrolling students in any grade 3 through 8 that show, 
  2.4   consistent with subdivision 1: 
  2.5      (1) increases in individual students' educational progress 
  2.6   from the preceding school year to the current school year; and 
  2.7      (2) high or improved attendance rates. 
  2.8      Subd. 4.  [APPLICATION PROCESS AND REVIEW.] (a) To obtain a 
  2.9   grant, an eligible public school must submit an application to 
  2.10  the commissioner in the form and manner established by the 
  2.11  commissioner that shows (1) increases in individual students' 
  2.12  educational progress, and (2) high or improved attendance rates, 
  2.13  consistent with subdivision 3.  
  2.14     (b) When reviewing applications, the commissioner must: 
  2.15     (1) determine whether an applicant has met all the 
  2.16  requirements of subdivision 3; 
  2.17     (2) give two-thirds weight to the increases in individual 
  2.18  students' educational progress an applicant shows under 
  2.19  subdivision 3, clause (1), and one-third weight to the 
  2.20  attendance rates under subdivision 3, clause (2); and 
  2.21     (3) determine in rank order which applicants show the 
  2.22  highest measures of educational progress. 
  2.23     Subd. 5.  [GRANT AWARDS; PROCEEDS.] (a) The commissioner 
  2.24  may award up to ten grants of $50,000 each, not to exceed the 
  2.25  amount of the annual grant appropriation, in rank order to those 
  2.26  public schools demonstrating the highest measures of educational 
  2.27  progress.  The teaching staff members employed at the school are 
  2.28  eligible to receive $40,000 of the grant amount, collectively 
  2.29  must decide to spend the grant on classroom and instructional 
  2.30  purposes related to required academic standards under section 
  2.31  120B.021, and must adequately document grant expenditures.  
  2.32  Grant proceeds must not be used to increase teachers' 
  2.33  compensation and must not supplant funds from any other source. 
  2.34     (b) A school employing the teaching staff members receiving 
  2.35  a grant under paragraph (a) is eligible to receive $10,000 of 
  2.36  the grant amount, which the school also must use for classroom 
  3.1   and instructional purposes related to required academic 
  3.2   standards under section 120B.021 and must adequately document 
  3.3   grant expenditures.  The school must not use the grant proceeds 
  3.4   to increase teachers' compensation nor to supplant funds from 
  3.5   any other source.  Receipt of the grant under this paragraph is 
  3.6   contingent upon the school obtaining an equal amount of funds or 
  3.7   in-kind contributions from local nonpublic sources.  
  3.8      Subd. 6.  [DISSEMINATION OF EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL 
  3.9   STRATEGIES.] The commissioner, with assistance from the grant 
  3.10  recipients, must make information available to schools and 
  3.11  school districts describing the effective instructional 
  3.12  strategies of the grant recipients. 
  3.13     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective for the 
  3.14  2004-2005 school year and later. 
  3.15     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.16     $500,000 is appropriated from the general fund in fiscal 
  3.17  year 2005 for the grant fund under Minnesota Statutes, section 
  3.18  120B.027. 
  3.19     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective July 1, 2004.