HF 3628

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; excluding assessments 
  1.3             pertaining to a student's personal characteristics and 
  1.4             beliefs from the graduation rule; amending Minnesota 
  1.5             Statutes 1999 Supplement, section 120B.02. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1999 Supplement, section 
  1.8   120B.02, is amended to read: 
  1.9      120B.02 [RESULTS-ORIENTED GRADUATION RULE; BASIC SKILLS 
  1.10  REQUIREMENTS; PROFILE OF LEARNING.] 
  1.11     (a) The legislature is committed to establishing a 
  1.12  rigorous, results-oriented graduation rule for Minnesota's 
  1.13  public school students.  To that end, the commissioner shall use 
  1.14  its rulemaking authority under section 127A.05, subdivision 4, 
  1.15  to adopt a statewide, results-oriented graduation rule to be 
  1.16  implemented starting with students beginning ninth grade in the 
  1.17  1996-1997 school year.  The commissioner shall not prescribe in 
  1.18  rule or otherwise the delivery system or form of instruction 
  1.19  that local sites must use to meet the requirements contained in 
  1.20  this rule. 
  1.21     (b) To successfully accomplish paragraph (a), the 
  1.22  commissioner 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 
  2.1   graduation.  The standards must also provide an opportunity for 
  2.2   students to excel by meeting higher academic standards through a 
  2.3   profile of learning that uses curricular requirements to allow 
  2.4   students to expand their knowledge and skills beyond the 
  2.5   foundational skills.  All commissioner actions regarding the 
  2.6   rule must be premised on the following:  
  2.7      (1) the rule is intended to raise academic expectations for 
  2.8   students, teachers, and schools; 
  2.9      (2) any state action regarding the rule must evidence 
  2.10  consideration of school district autonomy; and 
  2.11     (3) the department of children, families, and learning, 
  2.12  with the assistance of school districts, must make available 
  2.13  information about all state initiatives related to the rule to 
  2.14  students and parents, teachers, and the general public in a 
  2.15  timely format that is appropriate, comprehensive, and readily 
  2.16  understandable. 
  2.17     (c) For purposes of adopting the rule, the commissioner, in 
  2.18  consultation with the department, recognized psychometric 
  2.19  experts in assessment, and other interested and knowledgeable 
  2.20  educators, using the most current version of professional 
  2.21  standards for educational testing, shall evaluate the 
  2.22  alternative approaches to assessment.  
  2.23     (d) The content of the graduation rule must differentiate 
  2.24  between minimum competencies reflected in the basic requirements 
  2.25  assessment and rigorous profile of learning standards.  When 
  2.26  fully implemented, the requirements for high school graduation 
  2.27  in Minnesota must include both basic requirements and the 
  2.28  required profile of learning.  Assessments under this section 
  2.29  must not pertain to the personal characteristics, values, 
  2.30  attitudes, or conscientiously held beliefs of students.  The 
  2.31  profile of learning must measure student performance using 
  2.32  performance-based assessments compiled over time that integrate 
  2.33  higher academic standards, higher order thinking skills, and 
  2.34  application of knowledge from a variety of content areas.  The 
  2.35  profile of learning shall include a broad range of academic 
  2.36  experience and accomplishment necessary to achieve the goal of 
  3.1   preparing students to function effectively as purposeful 
  3.2   thinkers, effective communicators, self-directed learners, 
  3.3   productive group participants, and responsible citizens.  The 
  3.4   commissioner shall develop and disseminate to school districts a 
  3.5   uniform method for reporting student performance on the profile 
  3.6   of learning. 
  3.7      (e) The commissioner shall periodically review and report 
  3.8   on the assessment process and student achievement with the 
  3.9   expectation of raising the standards and expanding high school 
  3.10  graduation requirements. 
  3.11     (f) The commissioner shall report in writing to the 
  3.12  legislature annually by January 15 on its progress in developing 
  3.13  and implementing the graduation requirements according to the 
  3.14  requirements of this subdivision and section 120B.10 until such 
  3.15  time as all the graduation requirements are implemented.