1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; establishing requirements for a standard adult high school 
1.3 	diploma;amending Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.52, by adding a 
1.4 	subdivision; Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.52, subdivision 
1.5 	8.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.52, subdivision 8, 
1.8 	is amended to read:
1.9 		Subd. 8.Standard high school diploma for adults. (a) Consistent with subdivision 
1.10 	8a, the commissioner shall adopt rules for providing provide for a standard adult high 
1.11 	school diploma to persons who:
1.12 	(1) are not eligible for kindergarten through grade 12 services;
1.13 	(2) do not have a high school diploma; and
1.14 	(3) successfully complete an adult basic education program of instruction approved 
1.15 	by the commissioner of education necessary to earn an adult high school diploma.
1.16 	(b) Persons participating in an approved adult basic education program of instruction 
1.17 	must demonstrate the competencies, knowledge, and skills sufficient to ensure that 
1.18 	postsecondary programs and institutions and potential employers regard persons with a 
1.19 	standard high school diploma and persons with a standard adult high school diploma as 
1.20 	equally well prepared and qualified graduates. Approved adult basic education programs 
1.21 	of instruction under this subdivision must issue a standard adult high school diploma to 
1.22 	persons who successfully demonstrate the competencies, knowledge, and skills required 
1.23 	by the program.

1.24 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective August 1, 2014.

2.1 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.52, is amended by adding a subdivision 
2.2 	to read:
2.3 		Subd. 8a.Standard adult high school diploma requirements. (a) The 
2.4 	commissioner must establish criteria and requirements for eligible adult basic education 
2.5 	consortia under section 124D.518, subdivision 2, to effectively operate and provide 
2.6 	instruction under this subdivision.
2.7 	(b) An eligible and interested adult basic education consortium must apply to the 
2.8 	commissioner, in the form and manner determined by the commissioner, for approval to 
2.9 	provide an adult high school diploma program to eligible students under subdivision 8, 
2.10 	paragraph (a). An approved consortium annually must submit to the commissioner the 
2.11 	longitudinal and evaluative data, identified in the consortium's application, to demonstrate 
2.12 	its compliance with applicable federal and state law and its approved application and 
2.13 	the efficacy of its adult high school diploma program. The commissioner must use the 
2.14 	data to evaluate whether or not to reapprove an eligible consortium every fifth year. The 
2.15 	commissioner, at the commissioner's discretion, may reevaluate the compliance or efficacy 
2.16 	of a program provider sooner than every fifth year. The commissioner may limit the 
2.17 	number or size of adult high school diploma programs based on identified community 
2.18 	needs, available funding, other available resources, or other relevant criteria identified by 
2.19 	the commissioner.
2.20 	(c) At the time a student applies for admission to an adult high school diploma 
2.21 	program, the program provider must work with the student applicant to:
2.22 	(1) identify the student's learning goals, skills and experiences, required 
2.23 	competencies already completed, and goals and options for viable career pathways;
2.24 	(2) assess the student's instructional needs; and
2.25 	(3) develop an individualized learning plan to guide the student in completing adult 
2.26 	high school diploma requirements and realizing career goals identified in the plan.
2.27 	To fully implement the learning plan, the provider must provide the student with ongoing 
2.28 	advising, monitor the student's progress toward completing program requirements and 
2.29 	receiving a diploma, and provide the student with additional academic support services 
2.30 	when needed. At the time a student satisfactorily completes all program requirements and 
2.31 	is eligible to receive a diploma, the provider must conduct a final student interview to 
2.32 	examine both student and program outcomes related to the student's ability to demonstrate 
2.33 	required competencies and complete program requirements and to assist the student with 
2.34 	the student's transition to training, a career, or postsecondary education.
2.35 	(d) Competencies and other program requirements must be rigorous, uniform 
2.36 	throughout the state, and align to Minnesota academic high school standards applicable 
3.1 	to adult learners and their career and college needs. The commissioner must establish 
3.2 	competencies, skills, and knowledge requirements in the following areas, consistent with 
3.3 	this paragraph:
3.4 	(1) language arts, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening;
3.5 	(2) mathematics;
3.6 	(3) career development and employment-related skills;
3.7 	(4) social studies; and
3.8 	(5) science.
3.9 	(e) Consistent with criteria established by the commissioner, students may 
3.10 	demonstrate satisfactory completion of program requirements through verification of 
3.11 	the student's:
3.12 	(1) prior experiences, including K-12 courses and programs, postsecondary courses 
3.13 	and programs, adult basic education instruction, and other approved experiences aligned 
3.14 	with the Minnesota academic high school standards applicable to adult learners and their 
3.15 	career and college needs;
3.16 	(2) knowledge and skills as measured or demonstrated by valid and reliable 
3.17 	high school assessments, secondary credentials, adult basic education programs, and 
3.18 	postsecondary entrance exams;
3.19 	(3) adult basic education instruction and course completion; and
3.20 	(4) applied and experiential learning acquired via contextualized projects and other 
3.21 	approved learning opportunities.
3.22 	(f) Program providers must transmit a student's record of work to another approved 
3.23 	consortium for any student who transfers between approved programs under this 
3.24 	subdivision. The commissioner must establish a uniform format and transcript to record a 
3.25 	student's record of work and also the manner under which approved consortia maintain 
3.26 	permanent student records and transmit transferred student records. At a student's request, 
3.27 	a program provider must transmit the student's record of work to other entities such as 
3.28 	a postsecondary institution or employer.
3.29 	(g) The commissioner may issue a standard adult high school diploma and transmit 
3.30 	the transcript and record of work of the student who receives the diploma. Alternatively, a 
3.31 	school district that is a member of an approved consortium providing a program under 
3.32 	this subdivision may issue a district diploma to a student who satisfactorily completes the 
3.33 	requirements for a standard adult high school diploma under this subdivision.
3.34 	(h) The commissioner must identify best practices for adult basic education 
3.35 	programs and develop adult basic education recommendations consistent with this 
3.36 	subdivision to assist approved consortia in providing an adult high school diploma 
4.1 	program. The commissioner must provide assistance to consortia providing an approved 
4.2 	adult high school diploma program.
4.3 	(i) The commissioner must consult with practitioners from throughout Minnesota, 
4.4 	including educators, school board members, and school administrators, among others, 
4.5 	who are familiar with adult basic education students and programs, on establishing the 
4.6 	standards, requirements, and other criteria needed to ensure, consistent with subdivision 8, 
4.7 	that persons with a standard adult high school diploma are as equally well prepared and 
4.8 	qualified graduates as persons with a standard high school diploma. The commissioner, 
4.9 	in consultation with the practitioners, shall regularly review program requirements and 
4.10 	diploma standards. 

4.11 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective August 1, 2014.