1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education finance; establishing an academic acceleration pilot program; 
1.3 	requiring a report; appropriating money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. ACADEMIC ACCELERATION PILOT PROGRAM.
 1.6 		Subdivision 1.Pilot program established. The commissioner of education must establish 
1.7 	a pilot program to increase access to advanced coursework in six school districts or charter 
1.8 	schools during the 2025-2026 to 2027-2028 school years.
1.9 		Subd. 2.Definitions. (a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the 
1.10 	meanings given.
1.11 	(b) "Advanced coursework" means an advanced placement, postsecondary enrollment 
1.12 	options including concurrent enrollment, or honors course.
1.13 	(c) "Participant" means a school district or charter school selected to participate in the 
1.14 	pilot program.
1.15 		Subd. 3.Automatic enrollment. (a) A participant must adopt an automatic enrollment 
1.16 	policy that meets the minimum requirements of this subdivision at one or more school sites. 
1.17 	A participant may adopt additional eligibility criteria for students to participate in the 
1.18 	academic acceleration pilot program so long as the criteria does not create inequities among 
1.19 	student groups in the advanced coursework.
1.20 	(b) The policy must require automatic enrollment in advanced coursework in language 
1.21 	arts, mathematics, or science if the student meets eligibility criteria. A student is eligible 
1.22 	for automatic enrollment if the student meets or exceeds the state standard on the applicable 
2.1 	eighth grade or high school statewide assessment, or earns the highest grade attainable in 
2.2 	a course in the applicable subject matter in the preceding school year. The subject matter 
2.3 	of the advanced coursework in which a student is automatically enrolled depends on the 
2.4 	content area or areas of assessment where the student has met or exceeded the state standard.
2.5 	(c) The policy must allow a parent or guardian of a student automatically enrolled in a 
2.6 	course the opportunity to opt the student out of the academic acceleration pilot program 
2.7 	and enroll the student in an alternative course or program.
2.8 		Subd. 4.Participation requirements. A participant must:
2.9 	(1) prioritize recruiting teachers of color with the training necessary to teach advanced 
2.10 	coursework or graduate credits necessary to teach secondary school courses for postsecondary 
2.11 	credit, or provide teachers of color with opportunities to obtain the necessary training or 
2.12 	graduate credits at no cost;
2.13 	(2) notify a parent or guardian, at least two weeks before the start of the school year, 
2.14 	that a student has been automatically enrolled in advanced coursework for that school term 
2.15 	under the district policy. The notice must include information about the benefits of advanced 
2.16 	coursework, the district's automatic enrollment policy, and the courses available to students 
2.17 	leading to dual credit and advanced placement. The information must be available in the 
2.18 	three most common languages in the district;
2.19 	(3) identify tutoring and other academic supports available to students having difficulty 
2.20 	in advanced coursework; and
2.21 	(4) collect and report to the commissioner, in the form and manner determined by the 
2.22 	commissioner, disaggregated data on the number of students eligible for automatic enrollment 
2.23 	and the number of students who opt out or drop an advanced course, complete an advanced 
2.24 	placement course but do not take the assessment, take an advanced placement assessment 
2.25 	but do not pass, and who pass an advanced placement assessment.
2.26 		Subd. 5.Application process. (a) A district applying to participate in the pilot program 
2.27 	must submit an application to the commissioner in the form and manner determined by the 
2.28 	commissioner. The application must identify how the district will use state grant funds to 
2.29 	increase access to advanced coursework.
2.30 	(b) The commissioner must notify participants of their selection by January 1, 2025. At 
2.31 	least one participant must have a high percentage of American Indian students. When 
2.32 	selecting the remaining five participants, the commissioner must, to the extent practicable, 
3.1 	ensure the rollout sites represent urban school districts, suburban school districts, nonurban 
3.2 	school districts, and charter schools. The commissioner may also consider:
3.3 	(1) the availability of advanced coursework to current students;
3.4 	(2) the number of enrolled students currently participating in advanced coursework; and
3.5 	(3) the number of enrolled students eligible for free and reduced-price meals.
3.6 		Subd. 6.Grant uses. Participants must use grant funds to pay for advanced placement 
3.7 	fees for all students automatically enrolled in an advanced placement course. A district may 
3.8 	use grant funds for the following eligible expenses:
3.9 	(1) training for teachers to teach advanced placement courses or secondary school courses 
3.10 	for postsecondary credit;
3.11 	(2) textbooks and other instructional materials;
3.12 	(3) tutoring for students enrolled in advanced coursework;
3.13 	(4) administrative expenses, including expenses related to data collection and reporting 
3.14 	and family engagement; and
3.15 	(5) notwithstanding any law to the contrary, bonuses for teachers based on the number 
3.16 	of students who pass advanced placement exams.
3.17 		Subd. 7.State report. (a) By January 1, 2029, the commissioner of education must 
3.18 	submit a report to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over kindergarten through 
3.19 	grade 12 education on the pilot program.
3.20 	(b) The report must include:
3.21 	(1) the number of students who were eligible for advanced coursework under the pilot 
3.22 	program, and of those students, the number of students that did and did not enroll in or 
3.23 	complete advanced coursework. The data must be disaggregated by race and ethnicity, 
3.24 	eligibility for free or reduced-price meals, and special education status;
3.25 	(2) the number of teachers providing instruction in advanced coursework, including the 
3.26 	number of teachers recruited to teach advanced coursework. The data must be disaggregated 
3.27 	by race and ethnicity;
3.28 	(3) the advanced coursework in which students were automatically enrolled; and
3.29 	(4) feedback provided by participating districts on the implementation of the pilot 
3.30 	program.
4.1 	(c) The report must include recommendations to the legislature on the implementation 
4.2 	of a statewide academic acceleration program.

4.3 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

4.4 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATIONS.
 4.5 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sum indicated in this section is 
4.6 	appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal year 
4.7 	designated.
4.8 		Subd. 2.Academic acceleration pilot program. (a) For the academic acceleration pilot 
4.9 	program:

4.10 | | $ | ....... | ..... | 2025
4.11 	(b) The department may retain up to 15 percent of the appropriation to create an 
4.12 	application for the pilot program, administer the grant, and report to the legislature on the 
4.13 	pilot program.
4.14 	(c) This appropriation does not cancel but is available until June 30, 2028.