1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; requiring phonics to be taught 
  1.3             in elementary school; providing for staff development; 
  1.4             requiring phonics instruction for teacher licensure; 
  1.5             amending Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 122A.18, 
  1.6             subdivision 2; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.7             Minnesota Statutes, chapter 120B. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  [120B.17] [PHONICS INSTRUCTION.] 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS.] School 
  1.11  districts must provide a systematic, intensive, and direct 
  1.12  phonics and word analysis and decoding method of reading 
  1.13  instruction to all elementary school students. 
  1.14     Subd. 2.  [STAFF DEVELOPMENT.] School districts must 
  1.15  provide in-service training for elementary teachers that have 
  1.16  not previously received training in systematic, intensive, and 
  1.17  direct phonics and word analysis and decoding instruction.  
  1.18  Phonics in-service training provided in this section must be 
  1.19  included in the district's staff development program under 
  1.20  section 122A.60. 
  1.21     Sec. 2.  [120B.301] [READING SKILLS MASTERY.] 
  1.22     (a) The commissioner of children, families, and learning 
  1.23  shall establish a minimum passing score for reading skills 
  1.24  mastery that will enable every child to be functionally literate 
  1.25  as determined by a nationally recognized and commonly accepted 
  1.26  norm-referenced, criterion-referenced reading achievement 
  2.1   subtest or diagnostic reading test.  A child with a disability 
  2.2   as defined by section 125A.02 must be given an opportunity to 
  2.3   develop reading skills mastery within the limits of the child's 
  2.4   disability. 
  2.5      (b) A school board may establish a higher level of reading 
  2.6   mastery score than the state minimum established by the 
  2.7   commissioner of children, families, and learning. 
  2.8      (c) A student in grades 1 through 3 who fails to achieve 
  2.9   the minimum score in reading for the student's specific grade 
  2.10  level must be retained in that grade level or receive additional 
  2.11  reading instruction until the student's reading skills increase 
  2.12  beyond the minimal requirement. 
  2.13     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 122A.18, 
  2.14  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  2.15     Subd. 2.  [TEACHER AND SUPPORT PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS.] 
  2.16  (a) The board of teaching must issue licenses under its 
  2.17  jurisdiction to persons the board finds to be qualified and 
  2.18  competent for their respective positions. 
  2.19     (b) The board must require a person to successfully 
  2.20  complete an examination of skills in reading, writing, and 
  2.21  mathematics before being granted an initial teaching license to 
  2.22  provide direct instruction to pupils in prekindergarten, 
  2.23  elementary, secondary, or special education programs.  The board 
  2.24  must require colleges and universities offering a board approved 
  2.25  teacher preparation program to provide remedial assistance that 
  2.26  includes a formal diagnostic component to persons enrolled in 
  2.27  their institution who did not achieve a qualifying score on the 
  2.28  skills examination, including those for whom English is a second 
  2.29  language.  The colleges and universities must provide assistance 
  2.30  in the specific academic areas of deficiency in which the person 
  2.31  did not achieve a qualifying score.  School districts must 
  2.32  provide similar, appropriate, and timely remedial assistance 
  2.33  that includes a formal diagnostic component and mentoring to 
  2.34  those persons employed by the district who completed their 
  2.35  teacher education program outside the state of Minnesota, 
  2.36  received a one-year license to teach in Minnesota and did not 
  3.1   achieve a qualifying score on the skills examination, including 
  3.2   those persons for whom English is a second language. 
  3.3      (c) A person who has completed an approved teacher 
  3.4   preparation program and obtained a one-year license to teach, 
  3.5   but has not successfully completed the skills examination, may 
  3.6   renew the one-year license for two additional one-year periods.  
  3.7   Each renewal of the one-year license is contingent upon the 
  3.8   licensee: 
  3.9      (1) providing evidence of participating in an approved 
  3.10  remedial assistance program provided by a school district or 
  3.11  post-secondary institution that includes a formal diagnostic 
  3.12  component in the specific areas in which the licensee did not 
  3.13  obtain qualifying scores; and 
  3.14     (2) attempting to successfully complete the skills 
  3.15  examination during the period of each one-year license. 
  3.16     (d) The board of teaching must grant continuing licenses 
  3.17  only to those persons who have met board criteria for granting a 
  3.18  continuing license, which includes successfully completing the 
  3.19  skills examination in reading, writing, and mathematics. 
  3.20     (e) All colleges and universities approved by the board of 
  3.21  teaching to prepare persons for teacher licensure must include 
  3.22  in their teacher preparation programs a common core of teaching 
  3.23  knowledge and skills to be acquired by all persons recommended 
  3.24  for teacher licensure.  This common core shall meet the 
  3.25  standards developed by the interstate new teacher assessment and 
  3.26  support consortium in its 1992 "model standards for beginning 
  3.27  teacher licensing and development."  Amendments to standards 
  3.28  adopted under this paragraph are covered by chapter 14. 
  3.29     (f) The board must adopt rules requiring a person to 
  3.30  successfully complete training in systematic, intensive, and 
  3.31  direct phonics and word analysis and decoding instruction as a 
  3.32  requirement for a license to teach in grades kindergarten 
  3.33  through 3.  These rules must require colleges and universities 
  3.34  offering a board-approved teacher preparation program to provide 
  3.35  instruction in systematic, intensive, and direct phonics and 
  3.36  word analysis and decoding method of reading as part of their 
  4.1   teacher preparation program. 
  4.2      Sec. 4.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  4.3      Sections 1 to 3 are effective for the 1999-2000 school year 
  4.4   and thereafter.