2014 Minnesota Statutes

120B.022 ELECTIVE STANDARDS.

Subdivision 1.Elective standards.

A district must establish its own standards in the following subject areas:

(1) career and technical education; and

(2) world languages.

A school district must offer courses in all elective subject areas.

Subd. 1a.Foreign language and culture; proficiency certificates.

(a) World languages teachers and other school staff should develop and implement world languages programs that acknowledge and reinforce the language proficiency and cultural awareness that non-English language speakers already possess, and encourage students' proficiency in multiple world languages. Programs under this section must encompass indigenous American Indian languages and cultures, among other world languages and cultures. The department shall consult with postsecondary institutions in developing related professional development opportunities for purposes of this section.

(b) Any Minnesota public, charter, or nonpublic school may award Minnesota World Language Proficiency Certificates or Minnesota World Language Proficiency High Achievement Certificates, consistent with this subdivision.

(c) The Minnesota World Language Proficiency Certificate recognizes students who demonstrate listening, speaking, reading, and writing language skills at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' Intermediate-Low level on a valid and reliable assessment tool. For languages listed as Category 3 by the United States Foreign Service Institute or Category 4 by the United States Defense Language Institute, the standard is Intermediate-Low for listening and speaking and Novice-High for reading and writing.

(d) The Minnesota World Language Proficiency High Achievement Certificate recognizes students who demonstrate listening, speaking, reading, and writing language skills at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' Pre-Advanced level for K-12 learners on a valid and reliable assessment tool. For languages listed as Category 3 by the United States Foreign Service Institute or Category 4 by the United States Defense Language Institute, the standard is Pre-Advanced for listening and speaking and Intermediate-Mid for reading and writing.

Subd. 1b.State bilingual and multilingual seals.

(a) Consistent with efforts to strive for the world's best workforce under sections 120B.11 and 124D.10, subdivision 8, paragraph (u), and close the academic achievement and opportunity gap under sections 124D.861 and 124D.862, voluntary state bilingual and multilingual seals are established to recognize high school graduates who demonstrate level 3 functional native proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing on either the Foreign Services Institute language proficiency tests or on equivalent valid and reliable assessments in one or more languages in addition to English. American Sign Language is a language other than English for purposes of this subdivision and a world language for purposes of subdivision 1a.

(b) In addition to paragraph (a), to be eligible to receive a seal:

(1) students must satisfactorily complete all required English language arts credits; and

(2) students whose primary language is other than English must demonstrate mastery of Minnesota's English language proficiency standards.

(c) Consistent with this subdivision, a high school graduate who demonstrates functional native proficiency in one language in addition to English is eligible to receive the state bilingual seal. A high school graduate who demonstrates functional native proficiency in more than one language in addition to English is eligible to receive the state multilingual seal.

(d) School districts and charter schools, in consultation with regional centers of excellence under section 120B.115, must give students periodic opportunities to demonstrate their level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in a language in addition to English. Where valid and reliable assessments are unavailable, a school district or charter school may rely on a licensed foreign language immersion teacher or a nonlicensed community expert under section 122A.25 to assess a student's level of foreign, heritage, or indigenous language proficiency under this section. School districts and charter schools must maintain appropriate records to identify high school graduates eligible to receive the state bilingual or multilingual seal. The school district or charter school must affix the appropriate seal to the transcript of each high school graduate who meets the requirements of this subdivision and may affix the seal to the student's diploma. A school district or charter school must not charge the high school graduate a fee for this seal.

(e) A school district or charter school may award elective course credits in world languages to a student who demonstrates the requisite proficiency in a language other than English under this section.

(f) A school district or charter school may award community service credit to a student who demonstrates level 3 functional native proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in a language other than English and who participates in community service activities that are integrated into the curriculum, involve the participation of teachers, and support biliteracy in the school or local community.

(g) The commissioner must develop a Web page for the electronic delivery of these seals. The commissioner must list on the Web page those assessments that are equivalent to the Foreign Services Institute language proficiency tests.

(h) The colleges and universities of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system must award foreign language credits to a student who receives a state bilingual seal or a state multilingual seal under this subdivision and may award foreign language credits to a student who receives a Minnesota World Language Proficiency Certificate or a Minnesota World Language Proficiency High Achievement Certificate under subdivision 1a.

[See Note.]

Subd. 2.Local assessments.

A district must use a locally selected assessment to determine if a student has achieved an elective standard.

History:

2003 c 129 art 1 s 4; 2004 c 294 art 2 s 3; 2007 c 146 art 2 s 4; 2009 c 96 art 2 s 4; 2011 c 76 art 1 s 11; 2014 c 272 art 1 s 3

NOTE: Subdivision 1b, paragraph (h), as added by Laws 2014, chapter 272, article 1, section 3, is effective for students enrolling in a MnSCU system college or university in the 2015-2016 school year or later. Laws 2014, chapter 272, article 1, section 3, the effective date.