SF 1710

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; establishing the partners for 
  1.3             quality school improvement pilot training program; 
  1.4             appropriating money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [PARTNERS FOR QUALITY SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PILOT 
  1.7   TRAINING PROGRAM.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] The school improvement 
  1.9   training and performance pilot program is established to 
  1.10  accelerate school quality and performance improvement 
  1.11  initiatives that lead to improved student achievement in both 
  1.12  high-performing and under-performing schools. 
  1.13     Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBILITY.] A school district is eligible to 
  1.14  apply for a grant to establish one or more school improvement 
  1.15  training and performance sites.  The application and selection 
  1.16  process must be developed and implemented by the Minnesota 
  1.17  academic excellence foundation and reviewed by the commissioner 
  1.18  of children, families, and learning.  Priority for participation 
  1.19  must be given to school districts in which: 
  1.20     (1) the district has received an educational performance 
  1.21  improvement grant under Laws 1994, chapter 647, article 7, 
  1.22  section 18, and has demonstrated improvement in student learning 
  1.23  as a result of the grant; 
  1.24     (2) one school or the district has completed training in a 
  1.25  statewide quality improvement initiative; 
  2.1      (3) the district has demonstrated accountability by 
  2.2   developing and communicating an agenda to increase student 
  2.3   learning; 
  2.4      (4) there are significant numbers of students with critical 
  2.5   learning needs and gaps in learning between these students and 
  2.6   other groups of students; and 
  2.7      (5) site-based management is being implemented. 
  2.8      Subd. 3.  [PROGRAM SERVICES.] The Minnesota academic 
  2.9   excellence foundation must provide training and technical 
  2.10  assistance to selected districts to: 
  2.11     (1) create plans for the district-wide deployment of 
  2.12  quality improvement training to all staff; 
  2.13     (2) create a means for identifying and providing remedial, 
  2.14  interventive, or preventive assistance to schools in the 
  2.15  district, based upon the schools' performances against state and 
  2.16  local goals and standards; 
  2.17     (3) accelerate school performance and student learning in 
  2.18  high-performing and under-performing schools; and 
  2.19     (4) train quality program trainers at each site. 
  2.20     Subd. 4.  [SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTICIPANTS.] Selected 
  2.21  districts must enter into a contract to achieve increases in 
  2.22  student learning, staff development and performance, and 
  2.23  administrative support services to schools within the district.  
  2.24  Additionally, each selected district must: 
  2.25     (1) plan and deploy quality improvement and other training 
  2.26  to all staff in the district; 
  2.27     (2) establish quality and performance goals and measure 
  2.28  results and report the achieved results at the selected school 
  2.29  sites; and 
  2.30     (3) assist in duplicating successful programs in other 
  2.31  districts by providing training to other school districts for a 
  2.32  period of up to four years, in collaboration with the Minnesota 
  2.33  academic excellence foundation. 
  2.34     Subd. 5.  [REPORT.] The Minnesota academic excellence 
  2.35  foundation must report to the commissioner of children, 
  2.36  families, and learning on the progress of the project and 
  3.1   annually on the results of the project. 
  3.2      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.3      The following amounts are appropriated from the general 
  3.4   fund to the commissioner of children, families, and learning in 
  3.5   the fiscal years indicated for the school improvement pilot 
  3.6   training program: 
  3.7        $2,000,000     .....     1998 
  3.8        $2,000,000     .....     1999 
  3.9      Up to $200,000 may be used by the Minnesota academic 
  3.10  excellence foundation to deliver training, coaching, technical 
  3.11  assistance, and other services to selected districts.  Contracts 
  3.12  shall be awarded to at least six districts, two each to rural, 
  3.13  suburban, and urban school districts.  Any portion of the 
  3.14  appropriation not expended in the first year shall not cancel 
  3.15  but shall be available in the second year of the biennium. 
  3.16     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.17     Sections 1 and 2 are effective July 1, 1997.