HF 1497

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 03/08/2016 03:45pm

A bill for an act
relating to education; amending state high school graduation requirements;
requiring students to demonstrate their knowledge of civics as a condition of
receiving a high school diploma; amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, sections
120B.02, subdivision 2, by adding a subdivision; 120B.021, subdivision 1;
120B.024, subdivision 1; 120B.36, subdivision 1.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 120B.02, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Graduation requirements.

To graduate from high school, students must
demonstrate to their enrolling school district or school their satisfactory completion of
the credit requirements under section 120B.024 and, their understanding of academic
standards on a nationally normed college entrance exam, and their knowledge and
understanding of the fundamentals of United States history and government, including
civics, under subdivision 3. A school district must adopt graduation requirements that
meet or exceed state graduation requirements established in law or rule.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 120B.02, is amended by adding a subdivision
to read:

Subd. 3.

Required knowledge and understanding of civics.

(a) For purposes of
this subdivision, "civics test" means the 100 questions that, as of January 1, 2015, United
States citizenship and immigration services officers use to select the questions they pose
to applicants for naturalization so the applicants can demonstrate their knowledge and
understanding of the fundamentals of United States history and government, as required
by United States Code, title 8, section 1423.

(b) To receive a high school diploma, a student enrolled in a school under section
120A.22, subdivision 4, or a student enrolled in an adult basic education program under
section 124D.52 who is pursuing a high school diploma or equivalency certificate, must
correctly answer at least 60 of the 100 civics test questions. A school or district must
record on a student's transcript that the student passed the civics test. A home-school
student is subject to this requirement if the student receives a diploma from a school other
than a home school. A school or district may exempt a student with disabilities from
this requirement if the student's individualized education program team determines the
requirement is inappropriate and establishes an alternative requirement. A school or
district may administer the civics test in a language other than English to students who
qualify for English learner services.

(c) Schools and districts: (1) must determine the form and manner in which to
administer the civics test as part of the social studies curriculum; and (2) may allow
a secondary school student to take the test in whole or in part beginning in grade 7 and
to retake the test or any part of the test until the student correctly answers 60 of 100
test questions.

(d) The commissioner and public schools and school districts must not charge
students any fees related to this subdivision.

EFFECTIVE DATE.

This section is effective for students graduating in the
2016-2017 school year and later.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 120B.021, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Required academic standards.

(a) The following subject areas
are required for statewide accountability:

(1) language arts;

(2) mathematics;

(3) science;

(4) social studies, including history, geography, economics, and government and
citizenship that includes civics consistent with section 120B.02, subdivision 3;

(5) physical education;

(6) health, for which locally developed academic standards apply; and

(7) the arts, for which statewide or locally developed academic standards apply, as
determined by the school district. Public elementary and middle schools must offer at least
three and require at least two of the following four arts areas: dance; music; theater; and
visual arts. Public high schools must offer at least three and require at least one of the
following five arts areas: media arts; dance; music; theater; and visual arts.

(b) For purposes of applicable federal law, the academic standards for language arts,
mathematics, and science apply to all public school students, except the very few students
with extreme cognitive or physical impairments for whom an individualized education
program team has determined that the required academic standards are inappropriate. An
individualized education program team that makes this determination must establish
alternative standards.

(c) District efforts to develop, implement, or improve instruction or curriculum
as a result of the provisions of this section must be consistent with sections 120B.10,
120B.11, and 120B.20.

EFFECTIVE DATE.

This section is effective the day following final enactment.

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 120B.024, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Graduation requirements.

Students beginning 9th grade in the
2011-2012 school year and later must successfully complete the following high school
level credits for graduation:

(1) four credits of language arts sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards
in English language arts;

(2) three credits of mathematics, including an algebra II credit or its equivalent,
sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in mathematics;

(3) an algebra I credit by the end of 8th grade sufficient to satisfy all of the 8th
grade standards in mathematics;

(4) three credits of science, including at least one credit of biology, one credit of
chemistry or physics, and one elective credit of science. The combination of credits under
this clause must be sufficient to satisfy (i) all of the academic standards in either chemistry
or physics and (ii) all other academic standards in science;

(5) three and one-half credits of social studies, encompassing at least United States
history, geography, government and citizenship that includes civics consistent with section
120B.02, subdivision 3, world history, and economics sufficient to satisfy all of the
academic standards in social studies;

(6) one credit of the arts sufficient to satisfy all of the state or local academic
standards in the arts; and

(7) a minimum of seven elective credits.

EFFECTIVE DATE.

This section is effective the day following final enactment.

Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 120B.36, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

School performance reports.

(a) The commissioner shall report
student academic performance under section 120B.35, subdivision 2; the percentages of
students showing low, medium, and high growth under section 120B.35, subdivision
3, paragraph (b); school safety and student engagement and connection under section
120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (d); rigorous coursework under section 120B.35,
subdivision 3, paragraph (c); the percentage of students under section 120B.35,
subdivision 3, paragraph (b), clause (2), whose progress and performance levels are
meeting career and college readiness benchmarks under sections 120B.30, subdivision 1,
and 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (e); longitudinal data on the progress of eligible
districts in reducing disparities in students' academic achievement and realizing racial and
economic integration under section 124D.861; the acquisition of English, and where
practicable, native language academic literacy, including oral academic language, and the
academic progress of English learners under section 124D.59, subdivisions 2 and 2a; the
total number of students by grade taking the civics test under section 120B.02, subdivision
3, and the number of students by grade who correctly answered at least 60 questions; two
separate student-to-teacher ratios that clearly indicate the definition of teacher consistent
with sections 122A.06 and 122A.15 for purposes of determining these ratios; staff
characteristics excluding salaries; student enrollment demographics; district mobility; and
extracurricular activities. The report also must indicate a school's adequate yearly progress
status under applicable federal law, and must not set any designations applicable to high-
and low-performing schools due solely to adequate yearly progress status.

(b) The commissioner shall develop, annually update, and post on the department
Web site school performance reports.

(c) The commissioner must make available performance reports by the beginning
of each school year.

(d) A school or district may appeal its adequate yearly progress status in writing to
the commissioner within 30 days of receiving the notice of its status. The commissioner's
decision to uphold or deny an appeal is final.

(e) School performance data are nonpublic data under section 13.02, subdivision 9,
until the commissioner publicly releases the data. The commissioner shall annually post
school performance reports to the department's public Web site no later than September 1,
except that in years when the reports reflect new performance standards, the commissioner
shall post the school performance reports no later than October 1.

EFFECTIVE DATE.

This section is effective the day following final enactment.