HF 2169

as introduced - 79th Legislature (1995 - 1996) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; further clarifying the process 
  1.3             for adopting a graduation rule; amending Minnesota 
  1.4             Statutes 1995 Supplement, sections 121.11, subdivision 
  1.5             7c; and 124A.29, subdivision 1; Laws 1993, chapter 
  1.6             224, article 12, section 32; proposing coding for new 
  1.7             law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 121. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1995 Supplement, section 
  1.10  121.11, subdivision 7c, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subd. 7c.  [RESULTS-ORIENTED GRADUATION RULE.] (a) The 
  1.12  legislature is committed to establishing a rigorous, 
  1.13  results-oriented graduation rule for Minnesota's public school 
  1.14  students.  To that end, the state board shall use its rulemaking 
  1.15  authority under subdivision 7b to adopt a statewide, 
  1.16  results-oriented graduation rule to be implemented starting with 
  1.17  students beginning ninth grade in the 1996-1997 school year.  
  1.18  The board shall not prescribe in rule or otherwise the delivery 
  1.19  system, or form of instruction, or a single statewide form of 
  1.20  assessment that local sites must use to meet the requirements 
  1.21  contained in this rule. 
  1.22     (b) To successfully accomplish paragraph (a), the state 
  1.23  board shall set in rule high academic standards for all 
  1.24  students.  The standards must contain the foundational skills 
  1.25  defining what every adult in Minnesota should know and be able 
  1.26  to do, and establish a requirement that students pass a basic 
  2.1   requirements assessment in the three core curricular areas of 
  2.2   reading, writing, and mathematics while accumulating credits for 
  2.3   high school graduation.  The standards must also provide an 
  2.4   opportunity for students to excel by meeting higher academic 
  2.5   standards through a profile of learning that uses curricular 
  2.6   requirements in science, health, government, and geography, and 
  2.7   may use curricular requirements in a foreign language, to allow 
  2.8   students to expand their knowledge and skills beyond the 
  2.9   foundational skills.  All state board actions regarding the rule 
  2.10  must be premised on the following:  
  2.11     (1) the rule is intended to raise academic expectations for 
  2.12  students, teachers, and schools; 
  2.13     (2) any state action regarding the rule must evidence 
  2.14  consideration of school district autonomy; 
  2.15     (3) the department of children, families, and learning, 
  2.16  with the assistance of school districts, must make available 
  2.17  information about all state initiatives related to the rule to 
  2.18  students and parents, teachers, and the general public in a 
  2.19  timely format that is appropriate, comprehensive, and readily 
  2.20  understandable; 
  2.21     (4) the department and school districts must jointly use 
  2.22  and expand existing resources, including reserved revenue for 
  2.23  staff development under section 124A.29, subdivision 1, to 
  2.24  develop efficient strategies for implementing the rule; and 
  2.25     (5) school sites and school districts must be able to 
  2.26  implement the major components of the graduation standards at a 
  2.27  reasonable cost and within existing resources. 
  2.28     (c) The basic requirements testing program must focus on 
  2.29  the three core curricular areas of reading, writing, and 
  2.30  mathematics and measure students' foundational academic 
  2.31  competency.  For purposes of adopting the rule, the state board, 
  2.32  in consultation with the department, recognized psychometric 
  2.33  experts in assessment and other interested and knowledgeable 
  2.34  educators, shall evaluate the alternative approaches to 
  2.35  assessing writing for the basic requirements testing program, 
  2.36  and outline the instructional changes required by the testing 
  3.1   program generally.  Assessments used to measure knowledge 
  3.2   required by all students for graduation must be developed 
  3.3   according to the most current version of professional standards 
  3.4   for educational testing and the requirements of this subdivision 
  3.5   and section 121.1115. 
  3.6      (c) (d) The content of the graduation rule must 
  3.7   differentiate between minimum competencies reflected in the 
  3.8   basic requirements assessment and rigorous profile of learning 
  3.9   standards.  When fully implemented, the requirements for high 
  3.10  school graduation in Minnesota, including must include both 
  3.11  basic requirements and the required profile of learning,.  As a 
  3.12  basis for genuine state educational reform, the profile of 
  3.13  learning must measure student performance using 
  3.14  performance-based assessments compiled over time that integrate 
  3.15  higher academic standards, higher order thinking skills and 
  3.16  knowledge from a variety of content areas, including science, 
  3.17  health, government, and geography.  The profile of learning 
  3.18  shall include a broad range of academic experience and 
  3.19  accomplishment necessary to achieve the goal of preparing 
  3.20  students to function effectively as purposeful thinkers, 
  3.21  effective communicators, self-directed learners, productive 
  3.22  group participants, and responsible citizens.  To fully 
  3.23  implement profile of learning requirements, the state board 
  3.24  rulemaking process must anticipate the following:  
  3.25     (1) the state and school districts develop essential 
  3.26  performance packages, conduct adequate field testing of 
  3.27  assessments, and have the necessary training and technical 
  3.28  assistance available; 
  3.29     (2) appropriate strategies to conduct ongoing formative 
  3.30  evaluations of the profile of learning as it is developed and 
  3.31  implemented; 
  3.32     (3) school districts decide the rate and sequence for 
  3.33  making elements of the profile of learning a graduation 
  3.34  requirement; 
  3.35     (4) a representative and manageably sized technical quality 
  3.36  review panel of experts that include higher education faculty, 
  4.1   psychometric experts in performance assessments, and department 
  4.2   staff, among others, determine the criteria that constitute a 
  4.3   model performance package that is reliable and valid and approve 
  4.4   packages that meet the criteria; 
  4.5      (5) pilot sites receive continuing conceptual and financial 
  4.6   support for field-testing approved assessments in an 
  4.7   instructional setting, sharing implementation experiences, and 
  4.8   assisting in training; 
  4.9      (6) nonpilot site teachers receiving assessment packages 
  4.10  are monitored for technical, quality control purposes; 
  4.11     (7) a simplified scoring system for the profile of learning 
  4.12  is based on student performances scored as basic, proficient, or 
  4.13  advanced within the profile of learning assessment packages; 
  4.14     (8) student performance is evaluated within existing and 
  4.15  new forms of organizing courses and curriculum; 
  4.16     (9) certain performance standards are used to measure 
  4.17  system accountability; 
  4.18     (10) field studies determine how performance assessments 
  4.19  affect student achievement and teacher behavior; and 
  4.20     (11) a timeline and work plan exist to develop and 
  4.21  implement the graduation standards consistent with this 
  4.22  paragraph. 
  4.23     (d) (e) The state board shall periodically review and 
  4.24  report on the assessment process and student achievement with 
  4.25  the expectation of raising the standards and expanding high 
  4.26  school graduation requirements. 
  4.27     (e) (f) The state board shall report in writing to the 
  4.28  legislature annually by January 15 on its progress in developing 
  4.29  and implementing the graduation requirements according to the 
  4.30  requirements of this subdivision and section 121.1115 until such 
  4.31  time as all the graduation requirements are implemented. 
  4.32     (g) The rule must require the department to submit an 
  4.33  annual report to the state board and the education committees of 
  4.34  the legislature that describes, measures, and evaluates the 
  4.35  condition of education in the state as defined by student 
  4.36  characteristics and performance. 
  5.1      Sec. 2.  [121.1115] [SYSTEM ACCOUNTABILITY.] 
  5.2      Subdivision 1.  [EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND PUBLIC 
  5.3   REPORTING.] Consistent with the state board of education process 
  5.4   to adopt a results-oriented graduation rule under section 
  5.5   121.11, subdivision 7c, the department of children, families, 
  5.6   and learning, in consultation with pilot site directors, 
  5.7   teachers, and superintendents developing and directing profile 
  5.8   of learning performance packages, higher education faculty, 
  5.9   psychometric experts in performance assessments, and other 
  5.10  interested and qualified individuals, shall conceptualize and 
  5.11  implement a coordinated and comprehensive system of educational 
  5.12  accountability and public reporting that promotes higher 
  5.13  academic achievement and broad understanding of the performance 
  5.14  of the state's public schools.  The key indicators of the system 
  5.15  should include data on inputs such as fiscal and other 
  5.16  resources, teacher quality, student background and school 
  5.17  quality, data on processes such as curriculum quality, teaching 
  5.18  quality, and instructional quality, and data on outcomes such as 
  5.19  participation rates, student achievement, and postschool 
  5.20  indicators of employment, education, and training.  The key 
  5.21  indicators should characterize the nature and performance of a 
  5.22  system and show how system components are related and change 
  5.23  over time.  One important effect of the accountability system 
  5.24  should be to more strongly link family and community support 
  5.25  systems and resources with education programs. 
  5.26     Subd. 2.  [PER.] To advance the goal of developing higher 
  5.27  educational standards and more positive student outcomes and to 
  5.28  implement an educational accountability system, the department, 
  5.29  the individuals consulting with the department under subdivision 
  5.30  1, and other interested and qualified individuals shall develop 
  5.31  and present to the state board a plan to integrate the 
  5.32  graduation standards with an amended planning, evaluating, and 
  5.33  reporting process (PER) under sections 126.662 to 126.68.  Among 
  5.34  other things, the plan must require publication of meaningful 
  5.35  student achievement data, measures of opportunities-to-learn, 
  5.36  and an annual performance report.  The report must be made 
  6.1   readily available to local communities and the information 
  6.2   contained in the report must be consistent among all districts.  
  6.3   The state board must present the plan, including proposals for 
  6.4   amending the PER process, to the education committees of the 
  6.5   legislature.  The state board must integrate the plan into its 
  6.6   rule. 
  6.7      Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1995 Supplement, section 
  6.8   124A.29, subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  6.9      Subdivision 1.  [STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 
  6.10  REVENUE.] A district is encouraged to reserve general education 
  6.11  revenue for in-service education for programs under section 
  6.12  126.77, subdivision 2, for staff development plans, including 
  6.13  plans for challenging instructional activities and experiences 
  6.14  under section 126.70, for raising academic expectations related 
  6.15  to high school graduation standards consistent with section 
  6.16  121.11, subdivision 7c, and for curriculum development and 
  6.17  programs, other in-service education, teachers' workshops, 
  6.18  teacher conferences, the cost of substitute teachers staff 
  6.19  development purposes, and other related costs for staff 
  6.20  development efforts.  Districts may expend an additional amount 
  6.21  of basic revenue for staff development based on their needs.  
  6.22  The school board shall initially allocate 50 percent of the 
  6.23  revenue to each school site in the district on a per teacher 
  6.24  basis, which shall be retained by the school site until used.  
  6.25  The board may retain 25 percent to be used for district wide 
  6.26  staff development efforts.  The remaining 25 percent of the 
  6.27  revenue shall be used to make grants to school sites that 
  6.28  demonstrate exemplary use of allocated staff development 
  6.29  revenue.  A grant may be used for any purpose authorized under 
  6.30  section 126.70, 126.77, subdivision 2, or for the costs of 
  6.31  curriculum development and programs, other in-service education, 
  6.32  teachers' workshops, teacher conferences, substitute teachers 
  6.33  for staff development purposes, and other staff development 
  6.34  efforts, and determined by the site decision-making team.  The 
  6.35  site decision-making team must demonstrate to the school board 
  6.36  the extent to which staff at the site have met the outcomes of 
  7.1   the program.  The board may withhold a portion of initial 
  7.2   allocation of revenue if the staff development outcomes are not 
  7.3   being met. 
  7.4      Sec. 4.  [PUBLIC EDUCATION STRATEGY.] 
  7.5      Periodically, using timely, effective, and efficient 
  7.6   mechanisms, the department of children, families, and learning 
  7.7   must target and inform affected groups about the goals for each 
  7.8   component of the graduation standards, whether the goals are 
  7.9   being met, the process and timeline for making design decisions 
  7.10  affecting each component, the issues resulting from implementing 
  7.11  the standards, and the impact the standards will have on each 
  7.12  affected group. 
  7.13     Sec. 5.  [CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND LEARNING ROLE IN 
  7.14  EFFECTING GRADUATION STANDARDS.] 
  7.15     The department of children, families, and learning, to 
  7.16  further develop and implement the graduation standards, must: 
  7.17     (1) develop a networking structure and organizing 
  7.18  strategies to facilitate the high quality professional 
  7.19  development and long-term support for teachers that are needed 
  7.20  to implement the state's graduation standards; 
  7.21     (2) coordinate the planning and evaluating of technical 
  7.22  assistance, consultation, and professional development 
  7.23  activities with school districts using existing resources 
  7.24  including staff development programs and educational 
  7.25  effectiveness programs; and 
  7.26     (3) develop a focused strategic plan and accompanying 
  7.27  timeline. 
  7.28     Sec. 6.  Laws 1993, chapter 224, article 12, section 32, is 
  7.29  amended to read: 
  7.30     Sec. 32.  [REPEALER.] 
  7.31     (a) Minnesota Statutes 1992, sections 120.095; 120.101, 
  7.32  subdivision 5a; 120.75, subdivision 2; 120.80, subdivision 2; 
  7.33  121.11, subdivisions 6 and 13; 121.165; 121.19; 121.49; 121.883; 
  7.34  121.90; 121.901; 121.902; 121.904, subdivisions 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 
  7.35  11a, and 11c; 121.908, subdivision 4; 121.9121, subdivisions 3 
  7.36  and 5; 121.931, subdivisions 6, 6a, 7, and 8; 121.934; 121.936 
  8.1   subdivisions 1, 2, and 3; 121.937; 121.94; 121.941; 121.942; 
  8.2   121.943; 123.33, subdivisions 10, 14, 15, and 16; 123.35, 
  8.3   subdivision 14; 123.352; 123.36, subdivisions 2, 3, 4, 4a, 6, 8, 
  8.4   9, and 12; 123.40, subdivisions 4 and 6; 123.61; 123.67; 
  8.5   123.709; 123.744; 124.615; 124.62; 124.64; 124.645; 124.67; 
  8.6   124.68; 124.69; 124.79; 125.12, subdivisions 3a and 4a; 125.17, 
  8.7   subdivisions 2a and 3a; 126.09; 126.111; 126.112; 126.20, 
  8.8   subdivision 4; 126.24; and 126.268, are repealed. 
  8.9      (b) Minnesota Statutes 1992, section 121.11, subdivision 
  8.10  15, is repealed. 
  8.11     (c) Minnesota Statutes 1992, sections 120.101, subdivision 
  8.12  5b; 121.11, subdivision 16; 121.585, subdivision 3; 124.19, 
  8.13  subdivisions 1, 1b, 6, and 7; 126.02; 126.025; 126.031; 126.06; 
  8.14  126.08; 126.12, subdivision 2; 126.662; 126.663; 126.664; 
  8.15  126.665; 126.666; 126.67; 126.68; 126A.01; 126A.02; 126A.04; 
  8.16  126A.05; 126A.07; 126A.08; 126A.09; 126A.10; 126A.11; and 
  8.17  126A.12, are repealed. 
  8.18     Sec. 7.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  8.19     Sections 1 to 6 are effective the day following final 
  8.20  enactment.