HF 1639

as introduced - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 02/25/2019 02:53pm

A bill for an act
relating to education; modifying student performance data collection; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2018, sections 120B.31, subdivision 4; 120B.35, subdivision
3.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 120B.31, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4.

Student performance data.

In developing policies and assessment processes
to hold schools and districts accountable for high levels of academic standards under section
120B.021, the commissioner shall aggregate and disaggregate student data over time to
report summary student performance and growth levels and, under section 120B.11,
subdivision 2, clause (2), student learning and outcome data measured at the school, school
district, and statewide level. The commissioner shall use the student categories identified
under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as most recently reauthorized,
and student categories of:

(1) homelessness;

deleted text begin (2) ethnicity under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (a), clause (2);
deleted text end

deleted text begin (3) race under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (a), clause (2);
deleted text end

deleted text begin (4) deleted text end new text begin (2) new text end home language;

deleted text begin (5) deleted text end new text begin (3) new text end English learners under section 124D.59;

deleted text begin (6) deleted text end new text begin (4) new text end free or reduced-price lunch; and

deleted text begin (7) deleted text end new text begin (5) new text end other categories designated by federal law to organize and report the data so that
state and local policy makers can understand the educational implications of changes in
districts' demographic profiles over time as data are available.

Any report the commissioner disseminates containing summary data on student performance
must integrate student performance and the demographic factors that strongly correlate with
that performance.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 120B.35, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3.

State growth target; other state measures.

(a)(1) The state's educational
assessment system measuring individual students' educational growth is based on indicators
of achievement growth that show an individual student's prior achievement. Indicators of
achievement and prior achievement must be based on highly reliable statewide or districtwide
assessments.

(2) For purposes of paragraphs (b), (c), and (d), the commissioner must analyze and
report separate categories of information using the student categories identified under the
federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as most recently reauthorized deleted text begin , and, in
addition to "other" for each race and ethnicity, and the Karen community, seven of the most
populous Asian and Pacific Islander groups, three of the most populous Native groups,
seven of the most populous Hispanic/Latino groups, and five of the most populous Black
and African Heritage groups as determined by the total Minnesota population based on the
most recent American Community Survey; deleted text end new text begin . Categories include new text end English learners under
section 124D.59; home language; free or reduced-price lunch; and all students enrolled in
a Minnesota public school who are currently or were previously in foster care, except that
such disaggregation and cross tabulation is not required if the number of students in a
category is insufficient to yield statistically reliable information or the results would reveal
personally identifiable information about an individual student.

(b) The commissioner, in consultation with a stakeholder group that includes assessment
and evaluation directors, district staff, experts in culturally responsive teaching, and
researchers, must implement a model that uses a value-added growth indicator and includes
criteria for identifying schools and school districts that demonstrate medium and high growth
under section 120B.299, subdivisions 8 and 9, and may recommend other value-added
measures under section 120B.299, subdivision 3. The model may be used to advance
educators' professional development and replicate programs that succeed in meeting students'
diverse learning needs. Data on individual teachers generated under the model are personnel
data under section 13.43. The model must allow users to:

(1) report student growth consistent with this paragraph; and

(2) for all student categories, report and compare aggregated and disaggregated state
student growth and, under section 120B.11, subdivision 2, clause (2), student learning and
outcome data using the student categories identified under the federal Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, as most recently reauthorized, and other student categories under
paragraph (a), clause (2).

The commissioner must report measures of student growth and, under section 120B.11,
subdivision 2, clause (2), student learning and outcome data, consistent with this paragraph,
including the English language development, academic progress, and oral academic
development of English learners and their native language development if the native language
is used as a language of instruction, and include data on all pupils enrolled in a Minnesota
public school course or program who are currently or were previously counted as an English
learner under section 124D.59.

(c) When reporting student performance under section 120B.36, subdivision 1, the
commissioner annually, beginning July 1, 2011, must report two core measures indicating
the extent to which current high school graduates are being prepared for postsecondary
academic and career opportunities:

(1) a preparation measure indicating the number and percentage of high school graduates
in the most recent school year who completed course work important to preparing them for
postsecondary academic and career opportunities, consistent with the core academic subjects
required for admission to Minnesota's public colleges and universities as determined by the
Office of Higher Education under chapter 136A; and

(2) a rigorous coursework measure indicating the number and percentage of high school
graduates in the most recent school year who successfully completed one or more
college-level advanced placement, international baccalaureate, postsecondary enrollment
options including concurrent enrollment, other rigorous courses of study under section
120B.021, subdivision 1a, or industry certification courses or programs.

When reporting the core measures under clauses (1) and (2), the commissioner must also
analyze and report separate categories of information using the student categories identified
under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as most recently reauthorized,
and other student categories under paragraph (a), clause (2).

(d) When reporting student performance under section 120B.36, subdivision 1, the
commissioner annually, beginning July 1, 2014, must report summary data on school safety
and students' engagement and connection at school, consistent with the student categories
identified under paragraph (a), clause (2). The summary data under this paragraph are
separate from and must not be used for any purpose related to measuring or evaluating the
performance of classroom teachers. The commissioner, in consultation with qualified experts
on student engagement and connection and classroom teachers, must identify highly reliable
variables that generate summary data under this paragraph. The summary data may be used
at school, district, and state levels only. Any data on individuals received, collected, or
created that are used to generate the summary data under this paragraph are nonpublic data
under section 13.02, subdivision 9.

(e) For purposes of statewide educational accountability, the commissioner must identify
and report measures that demonstrate the success of learning year program providers under
sections 123A.05 and 124D.68, among other such providers, in improving students'
graduation outcomes. The commissioner, beginning July 1, 2015, must annually report
summary data on:

(1) the four- and six-year graduation rates of students under this paragraph;

(2) the percent of students under this paragraph whose progress and performance levels
are meeting career and college readiness benchmarks under section 120B.30, subdivision
1; and

(3) the success that learning year program providers experience in:

(i) identifying at-risk and off-track student populations by grade;

(ii) providing successful prevention and intervention strategies for at-risk students;

(iii) providing successful recuperative and recovery or reenrollment strategies for off-track
students; and

(iv) improving the graduation outcomes of at-risk and off-track students.

The commissioner may include in the annual report summary data on other education
providers serving a majority of students eligible to participate in a learning year program.

(f) The commissioner, in consultation with recognized experts with knowledge and
experience in assessing the language proficiency and academic performance of all English
learners enrolled in a Minnesota public school course or program who are currently or were
previously counted as an English learner under section 124D.59, must identify and report
appropriate and effective measures to improve current categories of language difficulty and
assessments, and monitor and report data on students' English proficiency levels, program
placement, and academic language development, including oral academic language.

(g) When reporting four- and six-year graduation rates, the commissioner or school
district must disaggregate the data by student categories according to paragraph (a), clause
(2).

(h) A school district must inform parents and guardians that volunteering information
on student categories not required by the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act is optional and will not violate the privacy of students or their
families, parents, or guardians. The notice must state the purpose for collecting the student
data.