1999 Minnesota Statutes

     120B.13 Advanced placement and international 
  baccalaureate programs. 

    Subdivision 1.    Training programs for teachers.  A 
 secondary teacher assigned by a district to teach an advanced 
 placement or international baccalaureate course may participate 
 in a training program offered by the college board or 
 International Baccalaureate North America, Inc.  The state may 
 pay a portion of the tuition, room, and board costs a teacher 
 incurs in participating in a training program.  The commissioner 
 shall determine application procedures and deadlines, and select 
 teachers to participate in the training program.  The procedures 
 determined by the commissioner shall, to the extent possible, 
 ensure that advanced placement and international baccalaureate 
 courses become available in all parts of the state and that a 
 variety of course offerings are available in school districts.  
 This subdivision does not prevent teacher participation in 
 training programs offered by the college board or International 
 Baccalaureate North America, Inc., when tuition is paid by a 
 source other than the state. 

    Subd. 2.    Support programs.  The commissioner shall 
 provide support programs during the school year for teachers who 
 attended the training programs and teachers experienced in 
 teaching advanced placement or international baccalaureate 
 courses.  The support programs shall provide teachers with 
 opportunities to share instructional ideas with other teachers.  
 The state may pay the costs of participating in the support 
 programs, including substitute teachers, if necessary, and 
 program affiliation costs. 

    Subd. 3.    Subsidy for examination fees.  The state may 
 pay all or part of the fee for advanced placement or 
 international baccalaureate examinations for pupils in public 
 and nonpublic schools.  The commissioner shall adopt a schedule 
 for fee subsidies that may allow payment of the entire fee for 
 low-income families, as defined by the commissioner.  The 
 commissioner may also determine the circumstances under which 
 the fee is subsidized, in whole or in part.  The commissioner 
 shall determine procedures for state payments of fees. 

    Subd. 4.    Information.  The commissioner shall submit 
 the following information to the education committees of the 
 legislature each year by January 1: 

    (1) the number of pupils enrolled in advanced placement and 
 international baccalaureate courses in each school district; 

    (2) the number of teachers in each district attending 
 training programs offered by the college board or International 
 Baccalaureate North America, Inc.; 

    (3) the number of teachers in each district participating 
 in support programs; 

    (4) recent trends in the field of advanced placement and 
 international baccalaureate programs; 

    (5) expenditures for each category in this section; and 

    (6) other recommendations for the state program. 

    HIST: 1992 c 499 art 7 s 10; 1993 c 224 art 13 s 46; 1994 c 
 647 art 7 s 9; 1Sp1995 c 3 art 16 s 13; 1998 c 397 art 2 s 
 129,164