SF 1286

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to education; providing for computer-based
adaptive assessments; establishing a student portfolio
demonstration project.

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

Section 1. new text begin TESTING BASED ON A GROWTH MODEL.
new text end

new text begin (a) For the purposes of the No Child Left Behind Act,
Public Law 107-110, and the statewide testing and reporting
system under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.30, the
commissioner of education must select computer-based adaptive
assessments that accurately measure student achievement and
student growth across time. The selected assessments must be
aligned with Minnesota standards, use a common scale score over
multiple grades or ages, have been used by Minnesota school
districts educating at least five percent of Minnesota
kindergarten through grade 12 students, and be capable of being
used for source data for a growth or value-added model of school
evaluation. An assessment selected under this section
administered at the high school level must be aligned with
college entrance requirements. In addition to reporting
requirements in Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.30, the
commissioner must report assessment result data in a way that
shows the growth trends over time for students in four groups:
new text end

new text begin (1) performing above grade level;
new text end

new text begin (2) performing at grade level;
new text end

new text begin (3) approaching grade-level performance; and
new text end

new text begin (4) performing significantly below grade level.
new text end

new text begin If the federal Department of Education does not approve the use
of the computer-adaptive assessments selected under this
section, the commissioner must notify the federal Department of
Education that Minnesota is opting out of the provisions of the
No Child Left Behind Act.
new text end

new text begin (b) The Department of Education must assist school
districts that are eligible to receive Microsoft settlement cy
pres program vouchers in using the vouchers to acquire equipment
and software necessary to administer the assessment selected
under this section.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin STUDENT PORTFOLIO DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Assessment. new text end

new text begin The commissioner of education
shall select up to three school districts to participate in a
student portfolio demonstration project. Demonstration project
participants must use a portfolio assessment that has
demonstrated content validity with respect to the required
academic standards under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.021,
and are aligned with appropriate benchmarks established under
Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.023. Districts that are part
of the demonstration project may use the student portfolio to
comply with the assessment portion of the No Child Left Behind
Act.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Application. new text end

new text begin A school district must submit an
application in the form and manner prescribed by the
commissioner in order to participate in the demonstration
project. A school district's application must include a plan
indicating the grade level and content area in which student
portfolios will be used.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Commissioner. new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner shall
determine the technical soundness of the portfolio assessment
selected by a school district. In addition, the commissioner
shall determine comparability of the chosen assessment to the
state-administered tests used in other grade levels.
new text end

new text begin (b) The commissioner shall submit a request to the federal
Department of Education to use a local assessment model that
uses student portfolios for compliance with the assessment
portion of the No Child Left Behind Act.
new text end