HF 3554

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; requiring the content of the 
  1.3             graduation rule to ensure that students satisfactorily 
  1.4             complete applicable requirements; establishing a task 
  1.5             force to examine social promotion; appropriating 
  1.6             money; amending Minnesota Statutes 1997 Supplement; 
  1.7             section 121.11, subdivision 7c. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1997 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 that local sites must use to meet 
  1.20  the requirements contained in this rule. 
  1.21     (b) To successfully accomplish paragraph (a), the state 
  1.22  board shall set in rule high academic standards for all 
  1.23  students.  The standards must contain the foundational skills in 
  1.24  the three core curricular areas of reading, writing, and 
  1.25  mathematics while meeting requirements for high school 
  1.26  graduation.  The standards must also provide an opportunity for 
  2.1   students to excel by meeting higher academic standards through a 
  2.2   profile of learning that uses curricular requirements to allow 
  2.3   students to expand their knowledge and skills beyond the 
  2.4   foundational skills.  All state board actions regarding the rule 
  2.5   must be premised on the following:  
  2.6      (1) the rule is intended to raise academic expectations for 
  2.7   students, teachers, and schools; 
  2.8      (2) any state action regarding the rule must evidence 
  2.9   consideration of school district autonomy; and 
  2.10     (3) the department of children, families, and learning, 
  2.11  with the assistance of school districts, must make available 
  2.12  information about all state initiatives related to the rule to 
  2.13  students and parents, teachers, and the general public in a 
  2.14  timely format that is appropriate, comprehensive, and readily 
  2.15  understandable. 
  2.16     (c) For purposes of adopting the rule, the state board, in 
  2.17  consultation with the department, recognized psychometric 
  2.18  experts in assessment, and other interested and knowledgeable 
  2.19  educators, using the most current version of professional 
  2.20  standards for educational testing, shall evaluate the 
  2.21  alternative approaches to assessment.  
  2.22     (d) The content of the graduation rule must differentiate 
  2.23  between minimum competencies reflected in the basic requirements 
  2.24  assessment and rigorous profile of learning standards.  When 
  2.25  fully implemented, the requirements for high school graduation 
  2.26  in Minnesota must include both basic requirements and the 
  2.27  required profile of learning.  The profile of learning must 
  2.28  measure student performance using performance-based assessments 
  2.29  compiled over time that integrate higher academic standards, 
  2.30  higher order thinking skills, and application of knowledge from 
  2.31  a variety of content areas.  The profile of learning shall 
  2.32  include a broad range of academic experience and accomplishment 
  2.33  necessary to achieve the goal of preparing students to function 
  2.34  effectively as purposeful thinkers, effective communicators, 
  2.35  self-directed learners, productive group participants, and 
  2.36  responsible citizens. 
  3.1      (e) The state board shall periodically review and report on 
  3.2   the assessment process and student achievement with the 
  3.3   expectation of raising the standards and expanding high school 
  3.4   graduation requirements. 
  3.5      (f) The state board shall report in writing to the 
  3.6   legislature annually by January 15 on its progress in developing 
  3.7   and implementing the graduation requirements according to the 
  3.8   requirements of this subdivision and section 123.97 until such 
  3.9   time as all the graduation requirements are implemented. 
  3.10     (g) The content of the graduation rule must be designed to 
  3.11  ensure that students satisfactorily complete grade or age 
  3.12  appropriate graduation requirements under this subdivision and 
  3.13  related local school district graduation requirements before 
  3.14  proceeding to subsequent graduation requirements.  School 
  3.15  districts must provide timely and appropriate remediation 
  3.16  throughout the year to students who fail to meet state or local 
  3.17  grade or age appropriate graduation requirements in order to 
  3.18  effectively assist students in satisfactorily completing those 
  3.19  requirements.  School districts are strongly encouraged to 
  3.20  provide students with remediation during those times when school 
  3.21  is not in session. 
  3.22     Sec. 2.  [TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE SOCIAL PROMOTION OF 
  3.23  STUDENTS.] 
  3.24     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT; DUTIES.] A task force is 
  3.25  established to study the social promotion of students.  Task 
  3.26  force members shall examine the causes of social promotion and 
  3.27  its prevalence among public school students by number of 
  3.28  students and grade level, and recommend ways to ensure that 
  3.29  students advance to subsequent graduation requirements based 
  3.30  upon students satisfactory completion of grade or age 
  3.31  appropriate graduation requirements.  The commissioner of 
  3.32  children, families, and learning shall appoint a ten-member task 
  3.33  force composed of equal numbers of interested parents and 
  3.34  interested and qualified educators.  The commissioner shall 
  3.35  convene the task force by May 15, 1998, which shall meet on a 
  3.36  regular basis to examine the issue of social promotion of 
  4.1   students.  The terms and compensation of members shall be as 
  4.2   described in Minnesota Statutes, section 15.059, subdivision 6. 
  4.3      Subd. 2.  [REPORT.] The task force shall submit by February 
  4.4   1, 1999, a written report to the education committees of the 
  4.5   legislature that recommends ways to ensure that students advance 
  4.6   to subsequent graduation requirements based upon students 
  4.7   satisfactory completion of grade or age appropriate state and 
  4.8   local graduation requirements.  The task force expires upon 
  4.9   submitting the report. 
  4.10     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  4.11     $5,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  4.12  commissioner of children, families, and learning in fiscal year 
  4.13  1999 for the purpose of section 2. 
  4.14     Sec. 4.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  4.15     Section 1 is effective for the 1999-2000 school year.  
  4.16  Sections 2 and 3 are effective July 1, 1998.