SF 654

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to education; making world languages a required academic standard;
appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 120B.021,
subdivision 1; 120B.022, subdivision 1; 122A.18, by adding a subdivision.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 120B.021, subdivision 1, is amended to
read:

Subdivision 1.

Required academic standards.

The following subject areas are
required for statewide accountability:

(1) language arts;

(2) mathematics;

(3) science;

(4) social studies, including history, geography, economics, and government and
citizenship;

(5) health and physical education, for which locally developed academic standards
apply; deleted text begin and
deleted text end

(6) new text begin world languages for which locally developed academic standards apply; and
new text end

new text begin (7) new text end the arts, for which statewide or locally developed academic standards apply, as
determined by the school district. Public elementary and middle schools must offer at least
three and require at least two of the following four arts areas: dance; music; theater; and
visual arts. Public high schools must offer at least three and require at least one of the
following five arts areas: media arts; dance; music; theater; and visual arts.

The commissioner must submit proposed standards in science and social studies to
the legislature by February 1, 2004.

For purposes of applicable federal law, the academic standards for language arts,
mathematics, and science apply to all public school students, except the very few students
with extreme cognitive or physical impairments for whom an individualized education
plan team has determined that the required academic standards are inappropriate.
An individualized education plan team that makes this determination must establish
alternative standards.

A school district, no later than the 2007-2008 school year, must adopt graduation
requirements that meet or exceed state graduation requirements established in law or
rule. A school district that incorporates these state graduation requirements before the
2007-2008 school year must provide students who enter the 9th grade in or before
the 2003-2004 school year the opportunity to earn a diploma based on existing locally
established graduation requirements in effect when the students entered the 9th grade.
District efforts to develop, implement, or improve instruction or curriculum as a result
of the provisions of this section must be consistent with sections 120B.10, 120B.11,
and 120B.20.

new text begin A school district, no later than the 2010-2011 school year, must adopt graduation
requirements for world languages that require a student to reach an intermediate low
level of proficiency on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
performance guidelines for kindergarten through grade 12 learners. The standards apply to
students who enter 5th grade in or after the 2010-2011 school year.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 120B.022, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Elective standards.

A district must establish its own standards in
deleted text begin the following subject areas:
deleted text end

deleted text begin (1) deleted text end vocational and technical education deleted text begin ; and
deleted text end

deleted text begin (2) world languages deleted text end .

A school district must offer courses in deleted text begin all deleted text end new text begin the new text end elective subject deleted text begin areas deleted text end new text begin area new text end .

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for the 2010-2011 school year and
later.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.18, is amended by adding a subdivision
to read:

new text begin Subd. 2c. new text end

new text begin World languages. new text end

new text begin By the 2010-2011 school year, all colleges and
universities approved by the Board of Teaching to prepare persons for world languages
teacher licensure must implement the program standards for the preparation of foreign
language teachers of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
new text end

Sec. 4. new text begin WORLD LANGUAGES ACADEMIC STANDARDS;
IMPLEMENTATION TIME LINE.
new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of education shall designate a full-time state coordinator for
world languages education within the department by July 1, 2007. The commissioner
shall seek input from the Quality Teaching Network before designating or hiring the
coordinator. The coordinator, at a minimum, shall:
new text end

new text begin (1) assist districts in developing plans for phasing in world languages as a required
academic standard;
new text end

new text begin (2) work in cooperation with Minnesota world languages professionals in developing
all aspects of the state's world languages program;
new text end

new text begin (3) survey school districts in the state in order to determine the types of existing
world languages programs, identify exemplary model world languages programs, and
identify and address staff development needs of current world languages teachers,
preservice teachers, and teacher preparation programs;
new text end

new text begin (4) determine the timing of the first statewide evaluation of world languages as a
required academic standard;
new text end

new text begin (5) identify successful world languages programs from other states;
new text end

new text begin (6) develop and implement a grant program for model pilot world languages
programs; and
new text end

new text begin (7) beginning February 1, 2008, until February 1, 2012, report annually to the
education committees of the legislature on the status of world languages in Minnesota,
the needs identified by the school district surveys, and make recommendations on how to
address these needs.
new text end

new text begin (b) Beginning July 1, 2009, the commissioner shall initiate and guide efforts to
develop and adopt assessment tools for use by school districts to measure student progress
in world languages. The commissioner shall consider existing assessments in developing
and recommending statewide world languages assessments.
new text end

new text begin (c) Beginning July 1, 2008, the department shall offer to teachers of world languages
and other school district staff, workshops and other consultation assisting districts in
developing and implementing their world languages programs. The department shall
consult with postsecondary institutions in developing the workshops. Each district shall
submit a plan describing how it will fully implement the required world languages
standards to the department by June 1, 2010.
new text end

new text begin (d) Beginning July 1, 2010, the department shall evaluate district implementation
plans and continue to offer workshops and consultation assisting districts implementing
their world languages programs. The department shall also assist districts in selecting
assessment tools and monitoring local results of the assessments.
new text end

new text begin (e) By July 1, 2008, the department shall establish an incentive plan to recruit
students into world languages teaching.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 5. new text begin GRANTS FOR PILOT WORLD LANGUAGES PROGRAMS.
new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of education shall award grants to school districts and charter
schools to develop model world languages programs and model plans for implementing
world languages as a required standard at various grade levels from kindergarten through
grade 12. The commissioner shall begin awarding grants in the 2008-2009 school year.
new text end

new text begin (b) Grants shall be awarded for two categories of pilot programs:
new text end

new text begin (1) school sites or districts that want to add world languages programs; and
new text end

new text begin (2) school sites and districts that want to expand existing world languages programs.
new text end

new text begin The commissioner shall award at least one grant for each category to a school site or
district in each of the state congressional districts.
new text end

new text begin (c) Grant recipients must disseminate information about their model program to
other school sites or school districts.
new text end

new text begin (d) The commissioner shall establish the form and manner of all other aspects of
the grant program.
new text end

Sec. 6. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Department of Education. new text end

new text begin The sums indicated in this section are
appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years
designated.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin World languages teacher recruitment. new text end

new text begin For incentive programs to recruit
students into world languages teaching:
new text end

	new text begin $ new text end	new text begin 50,000 new text end	new text begin ..... new text end	new text begin 2008 new text end
	new text begin $ new text end	new text begin 100,000 new text end	new text begin ..... new text end	new text begin 2009 new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Pilot world languages programs. new text end

new text begin For world languages pilot program
grants:
new text end

new text begin $ new text end

new text begin 1,400,000 new text end

new text begin ..... new text end

new text begin 2009 new text end