1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; making world languages a required academic standard; 
1.3 	appropriating money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 120B.021, 
1.4 	subdivision 1; 120B.022, subdivision 1; 122A.18, by adding a subdivision.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 120B.021, subdivision 1, is amended to 
1.7 	read:
1.8 		Subdivision 1.Required academic standards. The following subject areas are 
1.9 	required for statewide accountability:
1.10 	(1) language arts;
1.11 	(2) mathematics;
1.12 	(3) science;
1.13 	(4) social studies, including history, geography, economics, and government and 
1.14 	citizenship;
1.15 	(5) health and physical education, for which locally developed academic standards 
1.16 	apply; and
1.17 	(6) world languages for which locally developed academic standards apply; and
1.18 	(7) the arts, for which statewide or locally developed academic standards apply, as 
1.19 	determined by the school district. Public elementary and middle schools must offer at least 
1.20 	three and require at least two of the following four arts areas: dance; music; theater; and 
1.21 	visual arts. Public high schools must offer at least three and require at least one of the 
1.22 	following five arts areas: media arts; dance; music; theater; and visual arts.
1.23 	The commissioner must submit proposed standards in science and social studies to 
1.24 	the legislature by February 1, 2004.
2.1 	For purposes of applicable federal law, the academic standards for language arts, 
2.2 	mathematics, and science apply to all public school students, except the very few students 
2.3 	with extreme cognitive or physical impairments for whom an individualized education 
2.4 	plan team has determined that the required academic standards are inappropriate. 
2.5 	An individualized education plan team that makes this determination must establish 
2.6 	alternative standards.
2.7 	A school district, no later than the 2007-2008 school year, must adopt graduation 
2.8 	requirements that meet or exceed state graduation requirements established in law or 
2.9 	rule. A school district that incorporates these state graduation requirements before the 
2.10 	2007-2008 school year must provide students who enter the 9th grade in or before 
2.11 	the 2003-2004 school year the opportunity to earn a diploma based on existing locally 
2.12 	established graduation requirements in effect when the students entered the 9th grade. 
2.13 	District efforts to develop, implement, or improve instruction or curriculum as a result 
2.14 	of the provisions of this section must be consistent with sections 120B.10, 120B.11, 
2.15 	and 120B.20. 
2.16 	A school district, no later than the 2010-2011 school year, must adopt graduation 
2.17 	requirements for world languages that require a student to reach an intermediate low 
2.18 	level of proficiency on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages 
2.19 	performance guidelines for kindergarten through grade 12 learners. The standards apply to 
2.20 	students who enter 5th grade in or after the 2010-2011 school year.

2.21 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 120B.022, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
2.22 		Subdivision 1.Elective standards. A district must establish its own standards in 
2.23 	the following subject areas:
2.24 	(1) vocational and technical education; and
2.25 	(2) world languages.
2.26 	A school district must offer courses in all the elective subject areas area.

2.27 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for the 2010-2011 school year and 
2.28 	later.

2.29 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.18, is amended by adding a subdivision 
2.30 	to read:
2.31 		Subd. 2c.World languages. By the 2010-2011 school year, all colleges and 
2.32 	universities approved by the Board of Teaching to prepare persons for world languages 
2.33 	teacher licensure must implement the program standards for the preparation of foreign 
3.1 	language teachers of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the 
3.2 	National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

3.3 	Sec. 4. WORLD LANGUAGES ACADEMIC STANDARDS; 
3.4 	IMPLEMENTATION TIME LINE.
 3.5 	(a) The commissioner of education shall designate a full-time state coordinator for 
3.6 	world languages education within the department by July 1, 2007. The commissioner 
3.7 	shall seek input from the Quality Teaching Network before designating or hiring the 
3.8 	coordinator. The coordinator, at a minimum, shall:
3.9 	(1) assist districts in developing plans for phasing in world languages as a required 
3.10 	academic standard;
3.11 	(2) work in cooperation with Minnesota world languages professionals in developing 
3.12 	all aspects of the state's world languages program; 
3.13 	(3) survey school districts in the state in order to determine the types of existing 
3.14 	world languages programs, identify exemplary model world languages programs, and 
3.15 	identify and address staff development needs of current world languages teachers, 
3.16 	preservice teachers, and teacher preparation programs;
3.17 	(4) determine the timing of the first statewide evaluation of world languages as a 
3.18 	required academic standard;
3.19 	(5) identify successful world languages programs from other states; 
3.20 	(6) develop and implement a grant program for model pilot world languages 
3.21 	programs; and 
3.22 	(7) beginning February 1, 2008, until February 1, 2012, report annually to the 
3.23 	education committees of the legislature on the status of world languages in Minnesota, 
3.24 	the needs identified by the school district surveys, and make recommendations on how to 
3.25 	address these needs.
3.26 	(b) Beginning July 1, 2009, the commissioner shall initiate and guide efforts to 
3.27 	develop and adopt assessment tools for use by school districts to measure student progress 
3.28 	in world languages. The commissioner shall consider existing assessments in developing 
3.29 	and recommending statewide world languages assessments.
3.30 	(c) Beginning July 1, 2008, the department shall offer to teachers of world languages 
3.31 	and other school district staff, workshops and other consultation assisting districts in 
3.32 	developing and implementing their world languages programs. The department shall 
3.33 	consult with postsecondary institutions in developing the workshops. Each district shall 
3.34 	submit a plan describing how it will fully implement the required world languages 
3.35 	standards to the department by June 1, 2010.
4.1 	(d) Beginning July 1, 2010, the department shall evaluate district implementation 
4.2 	plans and continue to offer workshops and consultation assisting districts implementing 
4.3 	their world languages programs. The department shall also assist districts in selecting 
4.4 	assessment tools and monitoring local results of the assessments.
4.5 	(e) By July 1, 2008, the department shall establish an incentive plan to recruit 
4.6 	students into world languages teaching. 

4.7 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

4.8 	Sec. 5. GRANTS FOR PILOT WORLD LANGUAGES PROGRAMS.
 4.9 	(a) The commissioner of education shall award grants to school districts and charter 
4.10 	schools to develop model world languages programs and model plans for implementing 
4.11 	world languages as a required standard at various grade levels from kindergarten through 
4.12 	grade 12. The commissioner shall begin awarding grants in the 2008-2009 school year.
4.13 	(b) Grants shall be awarded for two categories of pilot programs:
4.14 	(1) school sites or districts that want to add world languages programs; and
4.15 	(2) school sites and districts that want to expand existing world languages programs.
4.16 	The commissioner shall award at least one grant for each category to a school site or 
4.17 	district in each of the state congressional districts.
4.18 	(c) Grant recipients must disseminate information about their model program to 
4.19 	other school sites or school districts.
4.20 	(d) The commissioner shall establish the form and manner of all other aspects of 
4.21 	the grant program.

4.22 	Sec. 6. APPROPRIATIONS.
 4.23 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section are 
4.24 	appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years 
4.25 	designated.
4.26 		Subd. 2.World languages teacher recruitment. For incentive programs to recruit 
4.27 	students into world languages teaching:

4.28		$
	50,000
	.....
	2008
	
4.29		$
	100,000
	.....
	2009
	
4.30 		Subd. 3.Pilot world languages programs. For world languages pilot program 
4.31 	grants:

4.32		$
	1,400,000
	.....
	2009