HF 543

as introduced - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; directing the department of 
  1.3             children, families, and learning to assist in 
  1.4             establishing an accountability mechanism that measures 
  1.5             program outcomes and impact; establishing a working 
  1.6             group; requiring a report; appropriating money. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [CREATING ACCOUNTABILITY BY UNIFYING SYSTEMS 
  1.9   AND IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMMATIC CHANGE.] 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [ISSUES AFFECTING ACCOUNTABILITY.] The 
  1.11  legislature is interested in establishing accountability systems 
  1.12  to ensure the effectiveness of the state's education-related 
  1.13  programs from earliest childhood through grade 12.  
  1.14  Community-based accountability from which to draw local, 
  1.15  regional, and statewide conclusions about the short-term and 
  1.16  long-term effectiveness of programs for children and families is 
  1.17  a critical aspect of accountability if local communities and the 
  1.18  state are to successfully serve children and families.  To best 
  1.19  serve children and familes and understanding that the programs' 
  1.20  focus will determine the design of the accountability model, the 
  1.21  legislature wishes to evaluate community-based programs serving 
  1.22  children and families by addressing at least the following: 
  1.23     (1) the difference between outcomes for programs and 
  1.24  outcomes for children and families and how and when the outcomes 
  1.25  are defined and reviewed and by whom; 
  1.26     (2) the relationship between program standards and 
  2.1   progress; 
  2.2      (3) areas of collaboration that exist or can be created; 
  2.3      (4) the short-term and long-term collective impact of 
  2.4   community-based and statewide programs serving children and 
  2.5   families; 
  2.6      (5) multiple reporting requirements that can be coordinated 
  2.7   or reduced; 
  2.8      (6) the consequences of a program that fails to achieve its 
  2.9   outcomes; 
  2.10     (7) the directions in which information flows and how 
  2.11  communities and the state can use information; 
  2.12     (8) program components that can and cannot change; 
  2.13     (9) statutory and programmatic responsibilities of agencies 
  2.14  and organizations serving children and families; and 
  2.15     (10) the feasibility of adopting a common framework among 
  2.16  programs for purposes of long-range planning and service. 
  2.17     Subd. 2.  [DESIGN PRINCIPLES.] In contracting to develop a 
  2.18  model for system accountability of community-based and statewide 
  2.19  programs serving children and families, the following design 
  2.20  principles must guide the development of the model: 
  2.21     (1) public reporting on the programs should include 
  2.22  multiple indicators essential to describing and understanding 
  2.23  the needs of all children and families; 
  2.24     (2) a core set of indicators that are comparable and 
  2.25  capable of being aggregated across programs throughout the state 
  2.26  and across time; 
  2.27     (3) reporting of the condition of programs should support 
  2.28  the direction of local and state policies; 
  2.29     (4) a public reporting system should be feasible and permit 
  2.30  measures to be added, modified, or deleted as policies and 
  2.31  circumstances change; 
  2.32     (5) a public reporting system should align conceptually and 
  2.33  in practice with the information needs of community-based 
  2.34  programs; 
  2.35     (6) any reporting should assure the privacy and 
  2.36  confidentiality of all children and families; 
  3.1      (7) performance indicators should include clearly 
  3.2   articulated standards of program performance that have broad 
  3.3   community support; 
  3.4      (8) program performance reports should reflect current 
  3.5   results and trends over time; and 
  3.6      (9) the program reporting system must be managed in a 
  3.7   nonpartisan and highly competent manner and address the issue of 
  3.8   multiple reporting forms. 
  3.9      Subd. 3.  [WORKING GROUP.] The commissioner of children, 
  3.10  families, and learning shall convene a working group to 
  3.11  recommend to the commissioner a design for an accountability 
  3.12  model for community-based and statewide programs serving 
  3.13  children and families consistent with the parameters established 
  3.14  in this section.  The working group must at least include one 
  3.15  representative from each of the following organizations: 
  3.16  children's mental health collaboratives; community health 
  3.17  services board; school and community-based prevention programs; 
  3.18  Part H; first-grade preparedness program; family services and 
  3.19  community-based collaboratives; Head Start programs; pilot 
  3.20  after-school enrichment programs; learning readiness programs; 
  3.21  early childhood family education programs; communities in 
  3.22  transition interagency committee; and family preservation and 
  3.23  family support.  By February 15, 1998, the group shall submit 
  3.24  its recommendations concerning the design for an accountability 
  3.25  model for community-based and statewide programs serving 
  3.26  children and families to the commissioner. 
  3.27     Subd. 4.  [CONTRACT FOR SERVICES.] Subject to the 
  3.28  requirements of Minnesota Statutes, section 16B.17, the 
  3.29  commissioner shall contract with one or more parties to develop 
  3.30  a system accountability model and corresponding method of 
  3.31  evaluation based upon the working group's recommendations under 
  3.32  subdivision 3.  The accountability model must encompass an 
  3.33  evaluation of the organizations listed in subdivision 3.  The 
  3.34  commissioner shall report on the accountability model and system 
  3.35  of evaluation to the education committees of the legislature by 
  3.36  February 15, 2000. 
  4.1      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  4.2      $1,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  4.3   commissioner of children, families, and learning for fiscal year 
  4.4   1999 for the purpose of contracting to develop a system 
  4.5   accountability model and corresponding method of evaluation 
  4.6   based upon the working group's recommendations under section 1, 
  4.7   subdivision 4.