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. (a) The following subject areas 
1.9 	are 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 a statewide intermediate-low standard of proficiency 
1.18 	applies as determined by a statewide proficiency assessment; and
1.19 	(7) the arts, for which statewide or locally developed academic standards apply, as 
1.20 	determined by the school district. Public elementary and middle schools must offer at least 
1.21 	three and require at least two of the following four arts areas: dance; music; theater; and 
1.22 	visual arts. Public high schools must offer at least three and require at least one of the 
1.23 	following five arts areas: media arts; dance; music; theater; and visual arts.
2.1 	(b) The commissioner must submit proposed standards in science and social studies 
2.2 	to the legislature by February 1, 2004.
2.3 	For purposes of applicable federal law, the academic standards for language arts, 
2.4 	mathematics, and science apply to all public school students, except the very few students 
2.5 	with extreme cognitive or physical impairments for whom an individualized education 
2.6 	plan team has determined that the required academic standards are inappropriate. 
2.7 	An individualized education plan team that makes this determination must establish 
2.8 	alternative standards.
2.9 	(c) A school district, no later than the 2007-2008 school year, must adopt graduation 
2.10 	requirements that meet or exceed state graduation requirements established in law or 
2.11 	rule. A school district that incorporates these state graduation requirements before the 
2.12 	2007-2008 school year must provide students who enter the 9th grade in or before 
2.13 	the 2003-2004 school year the opportunity to earn a diploma based on existing locally 
2.14 	established graduation requirements in effect when the students entered the 9th grade. 
2.15 	District efforts to develop, implement, or improve instruction or curriculum as a result 
2.16 	of the provisions of this section must be consistent with sections 120B.10, 120B.11, 
2.17 	and 120B.20. 
2.18 	(d) A school district, no later than the 2010-2011 school year, must adopt graduation 
2.19 	requirements for world languages that require a student to reach an intermediate-low 
2.20 	level of proficiency on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages 
2.21 	performance guidelines for kindergarten through grade 12 learners. The standards apply 
2.22 	to students who enter 5th grade in or after the 2010-2011 school year. To comply with 
2.23 	the world languages requirement, a school district must offer students world languages 
2.24 	instruction. The district may designate the grade levels for the instruction, which 
2.25 	requires a district-selected high-quality, sustainable language acquisition program. To 
2.26 	determine whether students have achieved an intermediate-low standard of proficiency, 
2.27 	the commissioner must administer statewide an existing, nationally recognized, valid and 
2.28 	reliable proficiency assessment that appropriately accommodates the age differences in the 
2.29 	students taking the assessments. Students with limited English proficiency under section 
2.30 	124D.59, subdivision 2, satisfy the requirements of paragraph (a), clause (6), and this 
2.31 	paragraph by demonstrating an intermediate-low level of proficiency in the students' first 
2.32 	learned language, in English, or in another, third language.

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

2.34 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 120B.022, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
3.1 		Subdivision 1.Elective standards. A district must establish its own standards in 
3.2 	the following subject areas:
3.3 	(1) vocational and technical education; and
3.4 	(2) world languages.
3.5 	A school district must offer courses in all the elective subject areas area.

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

3.8 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.18, is amended by adding a subdivision 
3.9 	to read:
3.10 		Subd. 2c.World languages. By the 2010-2011 school year, all colleges and 
3.11 	universities approved by the Board of Teaching to prepare persons for world languages 
3.12 	teacher licensure must implement the foreign languages teacher preparation standards of 
3.13 	the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the National Council 
3.14 	for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

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

3.16 	Sec. 4. WORLD LANGUAGES ACADEMIC STANDARDS; 
3.17 	IMPLEMENTATION TIME LINE.
 3.18 	(a) The commissioner of education shall designate a full-time state coordinator for 
3.19 	world languages education within the department by July 1, 2007. The commissioner 
3.20 	shall seek input from the Quality Teaching Network before designating or hiring the 
3.21 	coordinator. The coordinator, at a minimum, shall:
3.22 	(1) assist districts in developing plans for phasing in world languages as a required 
3.23 	academic standard;
3.24 	(2) work in cooperation with Minnesota world languages professionals in developing 
3.25 	all aspects of the state's world languages program, consistent with applicable law 
3.26 	governing curriculum and assessments; 
3.27 	(3) survey school districts throughout the state to determine the types of existing 
3.28 	world languages programs, identify exemplary model world languages programs, and 
3.29 	identify and address staff development needs of current world languages teachers, 
3.30 	preservice teachers, and teacher preparation programs;
3.31 	(4) determine the timing of the first statewide evaluation of world languages as 
3.32 	a required academic standard, consistent with Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.021, 
3.33 	subdivision 1, paragraph (d);
4.1 	(5) identify successful world languages programs in other states; 
4.2 	(6) develop and implement a grant program for model pilot world languages 
4.3 	programs, consistent with section 5; 
4.4 	(7) consult with interested stakeholders to prepare a report for the education 
4.5 	commissioner to submit by February 15, 2008, to the education policy and finance 
4.6 	committees of the legislature recommending how best to structure a statewide world 
4.7 	languages graduation requirement under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.021, 
4.8 	subdivision 1; and 
4.9 	(8) beginning February 1, 2008, and until February 1, 2012, report annually to 
4.10 	the education policy and finance committees of the legislature on the status of world 
4.11 	languages in Minnesota and the needs identified by school district surveys, and make 
4.12 	recommendations on how to address district needs.
4.13 	(b) After carefully examining existing world languages assessments, the 
4.14 	commissioner, by July 1, 2009, shall adopt an assessment tool for school districts to use 
4.15 	in measuring student progress in world languages, consistent with section 120B.021, 
4.16 	subdivision 1, paragraph (d).
4.17 	(c) Beginning July 1, 2008, the department shall assist world languages teachers 
4.18 	and other school district staff in developing and implementing world languages programs. 
4.19 	The department shall consult with postsecondary institutions in developing related teacher 
4.20 	and staff workshops. Each district must submit a plan to the department by June 1, 2010, 
4.21 	describing how the district will fully implement required world languages standards.
4.22 	(d) Beginning July 1, 2010, the commissioner must evaluate districts' implementation 
4.23 	plans and continue to offer workshops and consultation to assist districts in implementing 
4.24 	world languages programs. The department shall assist districts in monitoring local 
4.25 	assessment results.
4.26 	(e) By July 1, 2008, the department shall establish an incentive plan to recruit 
4.27 	students into world languages teaching. 

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

4.29 	Sec. 5. WORLD LANGUAGES PILOT PROGRAM GRANTS.
 4.30 	(a) A pilot program awarding world languages grants to interested and qualified 
4.31 	school sites and school districts is established for fiscal year 2009 to develop and 
4.32 	implement sustainable, high-quality model world languages programs at various grade 
4.33 	levels from kindergarten through grade 12 and to enhance existing world languages 
4.34 	programs for students in kindergarten through grade 12.
5.1 	(b) Interested school sites and school districts must apply to the education 
5.2 	commissioner in the form and manner the commissioner determines.  The application 
5.3 	must indicate whether the applicant intends to develop a new world languages program 
5.4 	or expand an existing world languages program and whether the applicant intends to 
5.5 	offer more intensive programs or programs that are readily accessible to larger numbers 
5.6 	of students.  Applicants must agree to disseminate information about their programs to 
5.7 	interested school sites and school districts.
5.8 	(c) The commissioner must award grants to qualified applicants that satisfy the 
5.9 	requirements in paragraphs (a) and (b).  To the extent there are qualified applicants, the 
5.10 	commissioner must award a grant in each congressional district to a qualified applicant 
5.11 	that intends to develop a new world languages program and to a qualified applicant that 
5.12 	intends to expand an existing world languages program. The commissioner must award at 
5.13 	least one-half of all grants to K-8 sites. Grantees must expend the grant consistent with the 
5.14 	content of their application and this section.
5.15 	(d) The commissioner shall provide for an evaluation of the grantees to identify 
5.16 	exemplary model world languages programs and the staff development needs of world 
5.17 	languages teachers and report the findings of the evaluation to the education policy and 
5.18 	finance committees of the legislature by February 15, 2010.

5.19 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for the 2007-2008 school year.

5.20 	Sec. 6. APPROPRIATIONS.
 5.21 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section are 
5.22 	appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years 
5.23 	designated.
5.24 		Subd. 2.World languages teacher recruitment. For incentive programs to recruit 
5.25 	students into world languages teaching:

5.26		$
	50,000
	.....
	2008
	
5.27		$
	100,000
	.....
	2009
	
5.28 		Subd. 3.World languages pilot programs. For world languages pilot program 
5.29 	grants:

5.30		$
	1,400,000
	.....
	2009

5.31 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2007.