1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; providing for an elementary and middle school years 
1.3 	international baccalaureate pilot program; appropriating money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS EDUCATION 
1.6 	INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB) PILOT PROGRAM.
 1.7 		Subdivision 1.Definitions. The definitions in this subdivision apply to this section.
1.8 	(a) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the Department of Education.
1.9 	(b) "Instructional year" is one year of full-time instruction under the IB program 
1.10 	for a given grade level.
1.11 	(c) "International baccalaureate" or "IB" means an academic curriculum for 
1.12 	elementary and middle school years approved by the International Baccalaureate 
1.13 	Organization.
1.14 	(d) "Pilot program" means a research and evaluation project introducing the 
1.15 	elementary and middle school years IB program and measuring the effect of this integrated 
1.16 	curriculum on student learning.
1.17 	(e) "School district" means Special School District No. 6, South St. Paul.
1.18 		Subd. 2.Five-year program. This section provides funding for a five-year pilot 
1.19 	program in a district with an established IB program to assess the benefits of implementing 
1.20 	IB primary-level and intermediate-level programs across an entire district and to measure 
1.21 	its effectiveness in improving student performance and academic achievement.
1.22 		Subd. 3.Pilot program plan. (a) The school district must file a plan with the 
1.23 	commissioner for introducing the elementary and middle school years IB programs into 
1.24 	general use in the district, including a detailed cost analysis, schedule of preparatory 
2.1 	activities, in-service for teachers, and curriculum and instructional materials.  The plan 
2.2 	must include the costs for startup and annual operation, instructional goals, implementation 
2.3 	plan, learning outcomes, and timelines for achieving this implementation.
2.4 	(b) Upon approval of the implementation and evaluation plan and budget by the 
2.5 	school board of the school district and the commissioner, the commissioner shall authorize 
2.6 	payment of funds to the district in an amount up to the annual limit of the appropriation.
2.7 	(c) Funds received under this section from any source must be used for the purposes 
2.8 	of this section and may not be used for unrelated curriculum, instruction or operating 
2.9 	expense purposes, or capital improvements.
2.10 	(d) The pilot program must begin no later than the beginning of the 2007-2008 
2.11 	school year and be completed by the end of the 2011-2012 school year.
2.12 		Subd. 4.Reporting requirements. (a) By September 1 of each instructional year 
2.13 	following introduction of the curriculum and for the duration of the pilot program, the 
2.14 	school district must report to the commissioner and the public on the funds expended, 
2.15 	performance level achieved by students in the program, and overall progress made toward 
2.16 	accomplishing the goals of the program.
2.17 	(b) At the completion of the final year of the pilot program, a comprehensive 
2.18 	assessment of the success of the project will be prepared with the assistance of the 
2.19 	Department of Education and provided to the house of representatives and senate 
2.20 	committees having jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 12 education.

2.21 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.22 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section are 
2.23 	appropriated to the Department of Education for the fiscal years indicated.
2.24 		Subd. 2.Elementary and middle school years international baccalaureate (IB) 
2.25 	pilot program. For the elementary and middle school years IB pilot program:

2.26		$
	750,000
	.....
	2008
	
2.27		$
	400,000
	.....
	2009
	
2.28 	Of this amount, up to $750,000 may be used for preinstructional startup costs, 
2.29 	including staff, training, curriculum materials, and preparation costs.
2.30 	Up to $400,000 may be used for operating costs for school instructional years one 
2.31 	through five.
2.32 	Any balance remaining in the first year does not cancel but is available in the second 
2.33 	year.
3.1 	Costs for testing, other assessment, and preparation of the annual report must be 
3.2 	paid from school district funds.
3.3 	At the conclusion of the pilot program, the school district must decide whether to 
3.4 	continue the IB program and to pay all costs for continuing the curriculum.