HF 3702

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 04/06/2016 01:03pm

A bill for an act
relating to higher education; broadening the intervention for college attendance
grant program; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, section
136A.861, subdivisions 3, 5, 6, 7; Minnesota Statutes 2015 Supplement, section
136A.861, subdivision 1.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2015 Supplement, section 136A.861, subdivision 1,
is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Grants.

(a) The commissioner shall award grants to foster
postsecondary attendance and retention by providing outreach services to historically
underserved students in grades deleted text begin six deleted text end new text begin 9 new text end through 12 and historically underrepresented college
students. Grants must be awarded to programs that provide precollege new text begin or college new text end services,
including, but not limited to:

(1) academic new text begin and nonacademic new text end counseling new text begin or advising new text end ;

(2) mentoring;

(3) fostering and improving parental involvement in planning for and facilitating a
college education;

(4) services for students with English as a second language;

(5) academic enrichment activities;

(6) new text begin structured new text end tutoring;

(7) career awareness and exploration;

(8) orientation to college life;

(9) assistance with high school course selection and information about college
admission requirements; deleted text begin and
deleted text end

(10) financial aid counseling deleted text begin . deleted text end new text begin ;
new text end

new text begin (11) academic instruction programs in core curricular areas of mathematics and
language arts;
new text end

new text begin (12) supplemental instruction programs for college courses with high failure and
withdrawal rates; and
new text end

new text begin (13) co-requisite college course models for delivery of academic support.
new text end

deleted text begin (b) To the extent there are sufficient applications, the commissioner shall award
an approximate equal amount of grants for program-eligible students who are from
communities located outside the metropolitan area, as defined in section 473.121,
subdivision 2, as for students from communities within the metropolitan area. If necessary
to achieve the approximately equal metropolitan area and nonmetropolitan area allocation,
the commissioner may award a preference to a nonmetropolitan area application in the
form of five points on a one hundred point application review scale.
deleted text end

deleted text begin (c) deleted text end new text begin (b) new text end Grants shall be awarded to postsecondary institutions, professional
organizations, community-based organizations, or deleted text begin others deleted text end new text begin other service providers new text end deemed
appropriate by the commissioner.

deleted text begin (d) deleted text end new text begin (c) new text end Grants shall be awarded for one year and may be renewed for a second year
with documentation to the office of successful program outcomes.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 136A.861, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3.

Application process.

(a) The commissioner shall develop a grant
application process. The commissioner shall attempt to support projects in a manner that
ensures that eligible students throughout the state have access to program services.

(b) The grant application must include, at a minimum, the following information:

(1) a description of the characteristics of the students to be served reflective of the
need for services listed in subdivision 1;

(2) a description of the services to be provided and a timeline for implementation of
the activities;

(3) a description of how the services provided will foster postsecondary new text begin readiness
and new text end attendance and support postsecondary retention new text begin and completion new text end ;

(4) a description of how the services will be evaluated to determine whether the
program goals were met; and

(5) other information as identified by the commissioner.

Grant recipients must specify both program and student outcome goals, and performance
measures for each goal.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 136A.861, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

deleted text begin Review deleted text end new text begin Advisory new text end committee.

The commissioner must establish and
convene deleted text begin a grant selection deleted text end new text begin an advisory new text end committee to deleted text begin review deleted text end new text begin assist the commissioner in
reviewing new text end applications and deleted text begin award grants deleted text end new text begin advise the commissioner on grantees and grant
amounts new text end . The members of the committee may include representatives of postsecondary
institutions, school districts, organizations providing precollege outreach services, and
others deemed appropriate by the commissioner.

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 136A.861, subdivision 6, is amended to read:

Subd. 6.

deleted text begin Program evaluation deleted text end new text begin Outcome report new text end .

Each grant recipient must annually
submit a report to the Office new text begin of Higher Education new text end delineating its program and student
deleted text begin outcome deleted text end goals deleted text begin , deleted text end and activities implemented deleted text begin to achieve the stated outcomes. The goals must
be clearly stated and measurable. Grant recipients are required to collect, analyze, and
report on participation and outcome data that enable the office to verify that the program
goals were met. The office shall maintain: deleted text end new text begin . The report's description of impacts must
include, but not be limited to, information on:
new text end

(1) deleted text begin information about successful precollege program and undergraduate student
retention program activities for dissemination to individuals throughout the state interested
in adopting or replicating successful program practices; and deleted text end new text begin number of students served;
new text end

(2) deleted text begin data on the success of the funded projects in increasing the high school
graduation, college participation, and college graduation rates of students served by the
grant recipients. The office may convene meetings of the grant recipients, as needed, to
discuss issues pertaining to the implementation of precollege services and undergraduate
retention programs. deleted text end new text begin course taking and grade point average of participating students;
new text end

new text begin (3) persistence and retention rates of participating students;
new text end

new text begin (4) high school and postsecondary graduation rates of participating students; and
new text end

new text begin (5) the number of students who required postsecondary academic remediation and
number of remedial courses for each of those students and in the aggregate.
new text end

Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 136A.861, subdivision 7, is amended to read:

Subd. 7.

Report.

By January 15 of each odd-numbered year, the office shall submit
a report to the committees in the legislature with jurisdiction over higher education finance
regarding the grant recipients and their activities. The report shall include information
about the students served, the organizations providing services, program activities,
program goals and outcomes, and program revenue sources and funding levels. new text begin The report
must include recommendations, if any, for legislation to improve program outcomes.
new text end

Sec. 6. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2017, from the general fund to the commissioner
of the Office of Higher Education for the purpose of Minnesota Statutes, section 136A.861.
This appropriation is in addition to appropriations for the same purpose made in Laws
2015, chapter 69, article 1, section 3, subdivision 9. This is a onetime appropriation and
is available until June 30, 2020.
new text end