2E Providing policy for early childhood and kindergarten through grade 12 education

ARTICLE 1 - GENERAL EDUCATION

Modifying, clarifying, and updating certain education funding formulas relating to operating capital levy, general education aid, referendum allowance and limit, and taconite levy reductions; extending the date for establishment of the student achievement rate; repealing the retired employee health insurance benefits levy

ARTICLE 2 - EDUCATION EXCELLENCE

Modifying the definition of directory information to conform to federal changes; allowing for school board approval of a four-day week school schedule; modifying certain mathematics academic standards revision and review requirements; Modifying and updating certain academic standards provisions relating foreign language and culture proficiency certificates, state bilingual and multilingual seals, and credit equivalencies; requiring school districts to include a grade promotion or retention policy in their strategic plan; modifying local literacy plan requirements; modifying requirements for curriculum personal learning plans; modifying the statewide testing and reporting system provision and providing for special and extenuating circumstances, specifying certain state assessment results requirements, and establishing the usage of statewide assessment data by districts; prescribing certain time limits on standardized tests; clarifying and modifying certain teacher licensure candidates requirements and rules provisions; specifying certain duties of the board of teaching; removing language excluding retired principals who serve as a substitute principal from continuing education requirements; authorizing the issuance of limited provisional licenses under certain conditions; expanding the list of offenses that authorizes the board of teaching or board of school administrators to deny or revoke a teaching license; modifying alternative teacher licensure; placing licensure via portfolio under the board of teaching; allowing for teacher license reciprocity; clarifying the exemption for technical education instructors; modifying certain employment contract provisions; modifying and clarifying certain placement requirements for practice or student teachers; allowing ninth and tenth grade high school students to enroll in world language concurrent enrollment course; modifying authorization for career or technical education and enrollment priority requirements under the postsecondary enrollment options act; modifying certain charter school provisions relating to authorizers, formation of school, federal, state and local requirements, admission requirements, pupil performance, pupils with disability, annual public reporting requirements, and merger authorization; modifying the learning year program; modifying and conforming certain provisions under the American Indian education act relating to policy, establishment of the tribal nations education committee, participating schools, education programs, language and culture education licenses, community coordinators, Indian home/school liaisons and paraprofessionals, parent and community participation and involvement, technical assistance, and education director powers and duties; modifying literacy incentive aid requirements, defining dyslexia, expanding use of basic skills revenue; modifying 2015 teacher development and evaluation revenue; allowing a school district to begin the 2015-2016 school year on September 1; requiring a legislative report on assessing students' proficiency in foreign languages when American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) assessments are unavailable; requiring the education department to convene a group of stakeholders to review the current status of career and technical educator licenses; allowing board of teaching recommendations on service learning; making certain technical and conforming changes; repealing certain provisions relating to improving graduation rates for students with emotional or behavioral disorders, resource centers for the deaf or head of hearing and blind or visually impaired, and learning and development revenue amount and use annual reporting

ARTICLE 3 - SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Modifying certain student discipline provisions; modifying, updating and conforming certain special programs provisions relating to American sign language/English interpreters, independent school districts transportation, coordinated interagency special education services, local agency coordination responsibilities, and individualized education programs; requiring school districts to contract with student information system vendors able to seamlessly transfer the records of students with disabilities; modifying special education third-party payments references; modifying certain duties of the state interagency coordinating council, the resource center for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and the academies for the deaf and hard-of-hearing and the blind and visually impaired advisory committees; defining district for special education revenue; clarifying special education aid; establishing target reading level for certain special education forms; repealing a certain resource centers provision relating to transfers

ARTICLE 4 - FACILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY

Eliminating the reporting requirement for districts receiving telecommunications and internet access equity aid (E-rates)

ARTICLE 5 - EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Modifying certain early learning scholarship provisions; expanding family eligibility requirements; modifying certain duties of the commission relating to factors for prioritizing scholarship applications; modifying early childhood program eligibility requirements and specifying scholarship record keeping for children participating in the program; specifying use of scholarship funds requirements

ARTICLE 6 - STATE AGENCIES

Expanding certain reporting requirements for reading proficiently no later than the end of grade 3, alternative teacher pay professional pay systems reporting, and staff development reporting; modifying distribution of assets and liabilities for district withdrawing from cooperative unit; modifying certain reporting requirements for district financial data, special education litigation costs annual report, and survey of districts; specifying certain combined annual reporting requirements to legislative committees; modifying state aid payments omissions requirements; modifying membership requirements for the P-20 education partnership

ARTICLE 7 - CHARTER SCHOOL STATUTES RECODIFICATION

Providing for technical corrections and recodification of certain charter school statutes
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