SF 1722

as introduced - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; directing the education 
  1.3             commissioner to seek and report advisory task force 
  1.4             recommendations on adopting a uniform statewide 
  1.5             grading scale policy. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [ADVISORY TASK FORCE TO RECOMMEND A MINNESOTA 
  1.8   UNIFORM GRADING SCALE.] 
  1.9      The commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education 
  1.10  must establish an advisory task force under Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.11  section 15.059, subdivision 6, to make recommendations to the 
  1.12  commissioner about developing and adopting in all Minnesota 
  1.13  public schools a uniform grading scale consistent with state 
  1.14  academic standards under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 120B.  The 
  1.15  commissioner must convene the advisory task force by June 30, 
  1.16  2004.  The advisory task force must include superintendents, 
  1.17  principals, teachers, school board members, students, and 
  1.18  representatives of public and private postsecondary institutions 
  1.19  throughout Minnesota.  The advisory task force may hold public 
  1.20  meetings throughout the state to gather public input on a 
  1.21  uniform grading scale.  The advisory task force must present 
  1.22  recommendations to the commissioner by December 1, 2004, on at 
  1.23  least the following topics: 
  1.24     (1) consistent numerical breaks for letter grades; 
  1.25     (2) standards to define an honors course; 
  2.1      (3) appropriate weighting of courses; and 
  2.2      (4) courses and weightings to be used in calculating 
  2.3   students' class rank. 
  2.4      The commissioner must report the recommendations of the 
  2.5   advisory task force to the chairs of the Education Policy and 
  2.6   Finance Committees in the house and senate by February 1, 2005.  
  2.7   The task force expires on February 1, 2005. 
  2.8      [EFFECTIVE DATE.] This section is effective the day 
  2.9   following final enactment.