1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; creating a standardized assessment task force; requiring a 
1.3 	report.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT TASK FORCE.
 1.6 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. The Standardized Assessment Task Force is established 
1.7 	to recommend to the Minnesota legislature changes to make Minnesota's standardized 
1.8 	assessment system more meaningful, reliable, and useful for schools, students, and families.
1.9 		Subd. 2.Duties. (a) The task force must review statewide assessments, state and federal 
1.10 	academic accountability requirements, assessments used in other states, and Department of 
1.11 	Education practices and procedures related to standardized testing to make recommendations 
1.12 	for changes to Minnesota's standardized assessments requirements.
1.13 	(b) In making recommendations, the task force must consider:
1.14 	(1) the number of students who do not participate in statewide assessments and the effect 
1.15 	on standardized assessment performance reports;
1.16 	(2) the time, financial costs, and other resources school districts expend on administering 
1.17 	standardized assessments;
1.18 	(3) how standardized assessment data is used at the school site, school district, and state 
1.19 	level; and
1.20 	(4) how standardized assessments may be used to identify achievement gaps among 
1.21 	groups of students, increase proficiency, or close achievement gaps.
2.1 	(c) The task force must reach out to, and actively seek input from, parents and students 
2.2 	throughout Minnesota.
2.3 		Subd. 3.Membership. (a) The Standardized Assessment Task Force must have the 
2.4 	following 16 members appointed by the commissioner of education:
2.5 	(1) four teachers consisting of a special education teacher, a teacher of English as a 
2.6 	second language, an elementary school teacher, and a secondary school teacher;
2.7 	(2) one elementary school principal and one secondary school principal;
2.8 	(3) two school testing coordinators;
2.9 	(4) two superintendents or their designees;
2.10 	(5) two school board members or their designees;
2.11 	(6) two members of the assessment committee established by the Department of Education 
2.12 	to make recommendations on the state plan required under the Every Student Succeeds Act;
2.13 	(7) one member of the business community; and
2.14 	(8) one mental health professional.
2.15 	(b) The commissioner of education must establish an application process for membership 
2.16 	in the Standardized Assessment Task Force and must appoint members to the task force no 
2.17 	later than July 15, 2021. The commissioner must consider applicants' qualifications and 
2.18 	backgrounds and appoint task force members that represent Minnesota's racial, ethnic, 
2.19 	gender, and geographic diversity.
2.20 		Subd. 4.Meetings. The commissioner of education must convene the first meeting of 
2.21 	the task force by August 1, 2021. The meetings of the task force are subject to Minnesota 
2.22 	Statutes, chapter 13D.
2.23 		Subd. 5.Chair. The chair of the task force must be elected by the task force membership 
2.24 	and, unless replaced by a vote of the task force membership, must serve until the task force 
2.25 	expires.
2.26 		Subd. 6.Commissioner assistance. The commissioner of education, upon request, must 
2.27 	provide technical assistance and support to task force members, including identifying past 
2.28 	reports related to standardized assessments and providing meeting space and administrative 
2.29 	assistance, as necessary.
2.30 		Subd. 7.Report. By January 15, 2022, the task force must report its recommendations 
2.31 	to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees having jurisdiction 
3.1 	over kindergarten through grade 12 education in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 
3.2 	3.195. The report must make recommendations for changes to Minnesota's standardized 
3.3 	assessment system.
3.4 		Subd. 8.Expiration. The task force expires the day after submitting the report under 
3.5 	subdivision 7.

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