Journal of the House - 96th Day part 1

A quorum was present.

Magnus was excused 7:35 p.m.

The Chief Clerk proceeded to read the Journal of the preceding day. Scalze moved that further reading of the Journal be dispensed with and that the Journal be approved as corrected by the Chief Clerk. The motion prevailed.

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Sertich moved that the House recess subject to the call of the Chair. The motion prevailed.

RECESS

RECONVENED

The House reconvened and was called to order by the Speaker.

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE COMMITTEE ON

RULES AND LEGISLATIVE ADMINISTRATION

Pursuant to rules 1.21 and 1.22, the Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration specified Monday, May 3, 2010, as the date after which the 5:00 p.m. deadlines no longer apply to the designation of bills to be placed on the Calendar for the Day and to the announcement of the intention to request that bills be considered by the House on the Fiscal Calendar.

Pursuant to rule 3.14, the Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration specified Monday, May 3, 2010, as the date after which notice of intent to move to reconsider must not be given.

REPORTS OF CHIEF CLERK

S. F. No. 3055 and H. F. No. 3467, which had been referred to the Chief Clerk for comparison, were examined and found to be identical with certain exceptions.

SUSPENSION OF RULES

Davnie moved that the rules be so far suspended that S. F. No. 3055 be substituted for H. F. No. 3467 and that the House File be indefinitely postponed. The motion prevailed.

PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS

The following communication was received:

STATE OF MINNESOTA

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

SAINT PAUL 55155

April 30, 2010

The Honorable Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Speaker of the House of Representatives

The State of Minnesota

Dear Speaker Kelliher:

I have vetoed and am returning House File No. 3164, Chapter No. 284.

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This bill is unnecessary because the credit transfer issues identified by the Legislative Auditor, MnSCU staff, and students are already being addressed through internal actions and policy changes.

Sincerely,

Tim Pawlenty

Governor

REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES AND DIVISIONS

Carlson from the Committee on Finance to which was referred:

H. F. No. 2431, A bill for an act relating to education finance; modifying the school finance system; creating a new education funding framework; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 123B.53, subdivision 5; 124D.4531, as amended; 124D.59, subdivision 2; 124D.65, subdivision 5; 125A.76, subdivision 5; 125A.79, subdivision 7; 126C.01, by adding subdivisions; 126C.05, subdivisions 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 16, 17; 126C.10, subdivisions 1, 2, 2a, 3, 4, 6, 13, 14, 18, by adding subdivisions; 126C.13, subdivisions 4, 5; 126C.17, subdivisions 1, 5, 6; 126C.20; 126C.40, subdivision 1; 127A.51; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapters 123B; 126C; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 123B.54; 123B.57, subdivisions 3, 4, 5; 123B.591; 125A.76, subdivision 4; 125A.79, subdivision 6; 126C.10, subdivisions 2b, 13a, 13b, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 31a, 31b, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36; 126C.12; 126C.126; 127A.50.

Reported the same back with the following amendments:

Delete everything after the enacting clause and insert:

"ARTICLE 1

GENERAL EDUCATION

Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 11A.16, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

Subd. 5. Calculation of income. As of the end of each fiscal year, the state board shall calculate the investment income earned by the permanent school fund. The investment income earned by the fund shall equal the amount of interest on debt securities ~~and~~, dividends on equity securities, and interest earned on certified monthly earnings prior to the transfer to the Department of Education. Gains and losses arising from the sale of securities shall be apportioned as follows:

(a) If the sale of securities results in a net gain during a fiscal year, the gain shall be apportioned in equal installments over the next ten fiscal years to offset net losses in those years. If any portion of an installment is not needed to recover subsequent losses identified in paragraph (b) it shall be added to the principal of the fund.

(b) If the sale of securities results in a net loss during a fiscal year, the net loss shall be recovered first from the gains in paragraph (a) apportioned to that fiscal year. If these gains are insufficient, any remaining net loss shall be recovered from interest and dividend income in equal installments over the following ten fiscal years.

Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 120B.07, is amended to read:

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120B.07 EARLY GRADUATION.

(a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, any secondary school student who has completed all required courses or standards may, with the approval of the student, the student's parent or guardian, and local school officials, graduate before the completion of the school year.

(b) General education revenue attributable to the student must be paid as though the student was in attendance for the entire year unless the student participates in the early graduation achievement scholarship program under section 120B.08.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2010.

Sec. 3. [120B.08] EARLY GRADUATION ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

Subdivision 1. Participation. A student who qualifies for early graduation under section 120B.07 is eligible to participate in the early graduation achievement scholarship program.

Subd. 2. Scholarship amounts. A student who participates in the early graduation achievement scholarship program is eligible for a scholarship of $2,500 if the student qualifies for graduation one semester early, $5,000 if the student qualifies for graduation two semesters early, or $7,500 if the student qualifies for graduation three or more semesters early.

Subd. 3. Scholarship uses. An early graduation achievement scholarship may be used at any accredited institution of higher education.

Subd. 4. Application. A qualifying student may apply to the commissioner of education for an early graduation achievement scholarship. The application must be in the form and manner specified by the commissioner. Upon verification of the qualifying student's course completion necessary for graduation, the department must issue the student a certificate showing the student's scholarship amount.

Subd. 5. Enrollment verification. A student who qualifies under this section and enrolls in an accredited higher education institution must submit a form to the commissioner verifying the student's enrollment in the higher education institution and the tuition charges for that semester. Within 15 days of receipt of a student's enrollment and tuition verification form, the commissioner must issue a scholarship check to the student in the lesser of the tuition amount for that semester or the maximum amount of the student's early graduation achievement scholarship. A student may continue to submit enrollment verification forms to the commissioner until the student has used the full amount of the student's graduation achievement scholarship.

Subd. 6. General education money transferred. The commissioner must transfer the amounts necessary to fund the early graduation achievement scholarships from the general education aid appropriation for that year.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for fiscal years 2011 and later.

Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 123B.63, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3. Capital project levy referendum. (a) A district may levy the local tax rate approved by a majority of the electors voting on the question to provide funds for an approved project. The election must take place no more than five years before the estimated date of commencement of the project. The referendum must be held on a date set by the board. A referendum for a project not receiving a positive review and comment by the commissioner under section 123B.71 must be approved by at least 60 percent of the voters at the election.

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(b) The referendum may be called by the school board and may be held:

(1) separately, before an election for the issuance of obligations for the project under chapter 475; or

(2) in conjunction with an election for the issuance of obligations for the project under chapter 475; or

(3) notwithstanding section 475.59, as a conjunctive question authorizing both the capital project levy and the issuance of obligations for the project under chapter 475. Any obligations authorized for a project may be issued within five years of the date of the election.

(c) The ballot must provide a general description of the proposed project, state the estimated total cost of the project, state whether the project has received a positive or negative review and comment from the commissioner, state the maximum amount of the capital project levy as a percentage of net tax capacity, state the amount that will be raised by that local tax rate in the first year it is to be levied, and state the maximum number of years that the levy authorization will apply.

The ballot must contain a textual portion with the information required in this section and a question stating substantially the following:

"Shall the capital project levy proposed by the board of .......... School District No. .......... be approved?"

If approved, the amount provided by the approved local tax rate applied to the net tax capacity for the year preceding the year the levy is certified may be certified for the number of years, not to exceed ten, approved.

(d) If the authority for an existing project is expiring and the district is proposing a new project at the same maximum tax rate, the general description on the ballot may state that the capital project levy is being renewed and that the tax rate is not being increased from the previous year's rate and the notice required under section 276.60, may be modified to read: "BY VOTING YES ON THIS BALLOT QUESTION, YOU ARE VOTING TO EXTEND THE AUTHORITY FOR AN EXPIRING CAPITAL PROJECT AT THE SAME TAX RATE."

(e) In the event a conjunctive question proposes to authorize both the capital project levy and the issuance of obligations for the project, appropriate language authorizing the issuance of obligations must also be included in the question.

(f) The district must notify the commissioner of the results of the referendum.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for referenda conducted on or after July 1, 2010.

Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 124D.09, subdivision 20, is amended to read:

Subd. 20. Textbooks; materials. All textbooks and equipment provided to a pupil, and paid for under subdivision 13, are the property of the pupil's postsecondary institution. Each pupil is required to return all textbooks and equipment to the postsecondary institution after the course has ended. The postsecondary institution may bill the pupil for any textbooks and equipment that are not promptly returned by the student.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2010.

Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 125A.79, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the definitions in this subdivision apply.

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(a) "Unreimbursed special education cost" means the sum of the following:

(1) expenditures for teachers' salaries, contracted services, supplies, equipment, and transportation services eligible for revenue under section 125A.76; plus

(2) expenditures for tuition bills received under sections 125A.03 to 125A.24 and 125A.65 for services eligible for revenue under section 125A.76, subdivision 2; minus

(3) revenue for teachers' salaries, contracted services, supplies, equipment, and transportation services under section 125A.76; minus

(4) tuition receipts under sections 125A.03 to 125A.24 and 125A.65 for services eligible for revenue under section 125A.76, subdivision 2.

(b) "General revenue" for a school district means the sum of the general education revenue according to section 126C.10, subdivision 1, excluding alternative teacher compensation revenue, ~~plus the total qualifying referendum revenue specified in paragraph (e)~~ minus transportation sparsity revenue minus total operating capital revenue. "General revenue" for a charter school means the sum of the general education revenue according to section 124D.11, subdivision 1, and transportation revenue according to section 124D.11, subdivision 2, excluding alternative teacher compensation revenue, minus referendum equalization aid minus transportation sparsity revenue minus operating capital revenue.

(d) "Program growth factor" means 1.02 for fiscal year 2012 and later.

(e) "Total qualifying referendum revenue" means two-thirds of the district's total referendum revenue as adjusted according to section 127A.47, subdivision 7, paragraphs (a) to (c), for fiscal year 2006, one-third of the district's total referendum revenue for fiscal year 2007, and none of the district's total referendum revenue for fiscal year 2008 and later.

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

Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 126C.10, subdivision 2a, is amended to read:

Subd. 2a. Extended time revenue. (a) A school district's extended time revenue is equal to the product of ~~$4,601~~ (1) the formula allowance for that year minus $523, and (2) the sum of the adjusted marginal cost pupil units of the district for each pupil in average daily membership in excess of 1.0 and less than 1.2 according to section 126C.05, subdivision 8, if the district has extended time average daily membership in the current year.

(b) A school district's extended time revenue may be used for extended day programs, extended week programs, summer school, and other programming authorized under the learning year program.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for revenue for fiscal years 2011 and later.

Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 126C.10, subdivision 13a, is amended to read:

Subd. 13a. Operating capital levy. To obtain operating capital revenue ~~for fiscal year 2007 and later~~, a district may levy an amount not more than the product of its operating capital revenue for the fiscal year times the lesser of one or the ratio of its adjusted net tax capacity per adjusted marginal cost pupil unit to the operating capital equalizing factor. The operating capital equalizing factor equals ~~$22,222 for fiscal year 2006, and~~ $10,700 for fiscal ~~year~~ years 2007 through 2011, $10,915 for fiscal year 2012, and $11,029 for fiscal years 2013 and later.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for fiscal years 2012 and later.

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Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 126C.10, subdivision 14, is amended to read:

Subd. 14. Uses of total operating capital revenue. Total operating capital revenue may be used only for the following purposes:

(1) to acquire land for school purposes;

(2) to acquire or construct buildings for school purposes;

(3) to rent or lease buildings, including the costs of building repair or improvement that are part of a lease agreement;

(4) to improve and repair school sites and buildings, and equip or reequip school buildings with permanent attached fixtures, including library media centers;

(5) for a surplus school building that is used substantially for a public nonschool purpose;

(6) to eliminate barriers or increase access to school buildings by individuals with a disability;

(7) to bring school buildings into compliance with the State Fire Code adopted according to chapter 299F;

(8) to remove asbestos from school buildings, encapsulate asbestos, or make asbestos-related repairs;

(9) to clean up and dispose of polychlorinated biphenyls found in school buildings;

(10) to clean up, remove, dispose of, and make repairs related to storing heating fuel or transportation fuels such as alcohol, gasoline, fuel oil, and special fuel, as defined in section 296A.01;

(11) for energy audits for school buildings and to modify buildings if the audit indicates the cost of the modification can be recovered within ten years;

(12) to improve buildings that are leased according to section 123B.51, subdivision 4;

(13) to pay special assessments levied against school property but not to pay assessments for service charges;

(14) to pay principal and interest on state loans for energy conservation according to section 216C.37 or loans made under the Douglas J. Johnson Economic Protection Trust Fund Act according to sections 298.292 to 298.298;

(15) to purchase or lease interactive telecommunications equipment;

(16) by board resolution, to transfer money into the debt redemption fund to: (i) pay the amounts needed to meet, when due, principal and interest payments on certain obligations issued according to chapter 475; or (ii) pay principal and interest on debt service loans or capital loans according to section 126C.70;

(17) to pay operating capital-related assessments of any entity formed under a cooperative agreement between two or more districts;

(18) to purchase or lease computers and related materials, copying machines, telecommunications equipment, and other noninstructional equipment;

(19) to purchase or lease assistive technology or equipment for instructional programs;

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(20) to purchase textbooks;

(21) to purchase new and replacement library media resources or technology;

(22) to purchase vehicles;

(23) to purchase or lease telecommunications equipment, computers, and related equipment for integrated information management systems for:

(i) managing and reporting learner outcome information for all students under a results-oriented graduation rule;

(ii) managing student assessment, services, and achievement information required for students with individual education plans; and

(iii) other classroom information management needs; ~~and~~

(24) to pay personnel costs directly related to the acquisition, operation, and maintenance of telecommunications systems, computers, related equipment, and network and applications software; and

(25) to pay the costs directly associated with closing a school facility, including moving and storage costs.

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

Sec. 10. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 126C.126, is amended to read:

126C.126 REALLOCATING GENERAL EDUCATION REVENUE FOR ALL-DAY KINDERGARTEN AND PREKINDERGARTEN.

(a) In order to provide additional revenue for an optional all-day kindergarten program, a district may reallocate general education revenue attributable to 12th grade students who have graduated early under section 120B.07 and who do not participate in the early graduation achievement scholarship program under section 120B.08.

(b) A school district may spend general education revenue on extended time kindergarten and prekindergarten programs.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for fiscal years 2011 and later.

Sec. 11. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 126C.17, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

Subd. 9a. Renewal by school board. Notwithstanding the election requirements of subdivision 9, a school board may renew an expiring referendum by board action if:

(1) the per pupil amount of the referendum is the same as the amount expiring;

(2) the term of the renewed referendum is no longer than the initial term approved by the voters; and

(3) the school board has adopted a written resolution authorizing the renewal after holding a meeting and allowing public testimony on the proposed renewal.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2010.

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Sec. 12. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 126C.20, is amended to read:

126C.20 ANNUAL GENERAL EDUCATION AID APPROPRIATION.

There is annually appropriated from the general fund to the department the amount necessary for general education aid under section 126C.13 and the early graduation achievement scholarship program under section 120B.08. This amount must be reduced by the amount of any money specifically appropriated for the same purpose in any year from any state fund.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for fiscal years 2011 and later.

Sec. 13. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 126C.41, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2. Retired employee health benefits. (a) A district may levy an amount up to the amount the district is required by the collective bargaining agreement in effect on March 30, 1992, to pay for health insurance or unreimbursed medical expenses for licensed and nonlicensed employees who have terminated services in the employing district and withdrawn from active teaching service or other active service, as applicable, before July 1, 1992, and to pay for health insurance or unreimbursed medical expenses for licensed and nonlicensed employees who have terminated services in the employing district and withdrawn from active teaching service or other active service, as applicable before July 1, 1998, only if a sunset clause is in effect for the current collective bargaining agreement. The total amount of the levy each year may not exceed $600,000.

(b) In addition to the levy authority granted under paragraph (a), a school district may levy for other postemployment benefits expenses actually paid during the previous fiscal year. For purposes of this subdivision, "postemployment benefits" means benefits giving rise to a liability under Statement No. 45 of the Government Accounting Standards Board. A district seeking levy authority under this subdivision must:

(1) create or have created an actuarial liability to pay postemployment benefits to employees or officers after their termination of service;

(2) have a sunset clause in effect for the current collective bargaining agreement as required by paragraph (a); and

(3) apply for the authority in the form and manner required by the commissioner of education.

If the total levy authority requested under this paragraph exceeds the amount established in paragraph (c), the commissioner must proportionately reduce each district's maximum levy authority under this subdivision. The commissioner may subsequently adjust each district's levy authority under this subdivision so long as the total levy authority does not exceed the maximum levy authority for that year.

(1) $9,242,000 for taxes payable in 2010;

(2) $29,863,000 for taxes payable in 2011; and

(3) for taxes payable in 2012 and later, the maximum levy authority must not exceed the sum of the previous year's authority and $14,000,000.

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Sec. 14. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 126C.44, is amended to read:

126C.44 SAFE SCHOOLS LEVY.

(a) Each district may make a levy on all taxable property located within the district for the purposes specified in this section. The maximum amount which may be levied for all costs under this section shall be equal to $30 multiplied by the district's adjusted marginal cost pupil units for the school year. The proceeds of the levy must be reserved and used for directly funding the following purposes or for reimbursing the cities and counties who contract with the district for the following purposes: (1) to pay the costs incurred for the salaries, benefits, and transportation costs of peace officers and sheriffs for liaison in services in the district's schools; (2) to pay the costs for a drug abuse prevention program as defined in section 609.101, subdivision 3, paragraph (e), in the elementary schools; (3) to pay the costs for a gang resistance education training curriculum in the district's schools; (4) to pay the costs for security in the district's schools and on school property; (5) to pay the costs for other crime prevention, drug abuse, student and staff safety, voluntary opt-in suicide prevention tools, and violence prevention measures taken by the school district; or (6) to pay costs for licensed school counselors, licensed school nurses, licensed school social workers, licensed school psychologists, and licensed alcohol and chemical dependency counselors to help provide early responses to problems. For expenditures under clause (1), the district must initially attempt to contract for services to be provided by peace officers or sheriffs with the police department of each city or the sheriff's department of the county within the district containing the school receiving the services. If a local police department or a county sheriff's department does not wish to provide the necessary services, the district may contract for these services with any other police or sheriff's department located entirely or partially within the school district's boundaries.

(b) A school district that is a member of an intermediate school district may include in its authority under this section the costs associated with safe schools activities authorized under paragraph (a) for intermediate school district programs. This authority must not exceed $10 times the adjusted marginal cost pupil units of the member districts. This authority is in addition to any other authority authorized under this section. Revenue raised under this paragraph must be transferred to the intermediate school district.

(c) A school district must set aside at least $3 per adjusted marginal cost pupil unit of the safe schools levy proceeds for the purposes authorized under paragraph (a), clause (6). The district must annually certify either that: (1) its total spending on services provided by the employees listed in paragraph (a), clause (6), is not less than the sum of its expenditures for these purposes, excluding amounts spent under this section, in the previous year plus the amount spent under this section; or (2) that the district's full-time equivalent number of employees listed in paragraph (a), clause (6), is not less than the number for the previous year; or (3) that the district's full-time equivalent number of employees listed in paragraph (a), clause (6), including those provided through a special education cooperative, intermediate school district, or education district, is not less than the number for the previous year.

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

ARTICLE 2

EDUCATION EXCELLENCE

Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 120A.41, is amended to read:

120A.41 LENGTH OF SCHOOL YEAR; DAYS OF INSTRUCTION.

A school board's annual school calendar must include at least ~~the number of days~~ ~~of student instruction the board formally adopted as its school calendar at the beginning of the 1996-1997 school year~~ 425 hours of instruction for a kindergarten student without a disability, 935 hours of instruction for a student in grades 1 through 6, and 1,020 hours of instruction for a student in grades 7 through 12, not including summer school.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for the 2010-2011 school year and later.

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Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 120B.021, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1. Required academic standards. The following subject areas are required for statewide accountability:

(1) language arts;

(2) mathematics;

(3) science;

(4) social studies, including history, geography, economics, and government and citizenship;

(5) physical education;

(6) health ~~and physical education~~, for which locally developed academic standards apply; and

~~(6)~~ (7) the arts, for which statewide or locally developed academic standards apply, as determined by the school district. Public elementary and middle schools must offer at least three and require at least two of the following four arts areas: dance; music; theater; and visual arts. Public high schools must offer at least three and require at least one of the following five arts areas: media arts; dance; music; theater; and visual arts.

The commissioner must submit proposed standards in science and social studies to the legislature by February 1, 2004.

For purposes of applicable federal law, the academic standards for language arts, mathematics, and science apply to all public school students, except the very few students with extreme cognitive or physical impairments for whom an individualized education plan team has determined that the required academic standards are inappropriate. An individualized education plan team that makes this determination must establish alternative standards.

A school district, no later than the 2007-2008 school year, must adopt graduation requirements that meet or exceed state graduation requirements established in law or rule. A school district that incorporates these state graduation requirements before the 2007-2008 school year must provide students who enter the 9th grade in or before the 2003-2004 school year the opportunity to earn a diploma based on existing locally established graduation requirements in effect when the students entered the 9th grade. District efforts to develop, implement, or improve instruction or curriculum as a result of the provisions of this section must be consistent with sections 120B.10, 120B.11, and 120B.20.

The commissioner must include the contributions of Minnesota American Indian tribes and communities as they relate to the academic standards during the review and revision of the required academic standards.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment and applies to all school districts and charter schools beginning in the 2012-2013 school year and later. A school district or charter school is strongly encouraged to implement state physical education standards in an earlier school year than the 2012-2013 school year if it has adopted physical education standards equivalent to the standards developed by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education under section 38 on the effective date of this act, or if it is scheduled to undertake the periodic review of its local physical education standards under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.023, subdivision 2, paragraph (g), in a school year before the 2012-2013 school year, it is strongly encouraged to implement state physical education standards consistent with section 38 in an earlier school year.

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Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 120B.023, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2. Revisions and reviews required. (a) The commissioner of education must revise and appropriately embed technology and information literacy standards consistent with recommendations from school media specialists into the state's academic standards and graduation requirements and implement a review cycle for state academic standards and related benchmarks, consistent with this subdivision. During each review cycle, the commissioner also must examine the alignment of each required academic standard and related benchmark with the knowledge and skills students need for college readiness and advanced work in the particular subject area.

(b) The commissioner in the 2006-2007 school year must revise and align the state's academic standards and high school graduation requirements in mathematics to require that students satisfactorily complete the revised mathematics standards, beginning in the 2010-2011 school year. Under the revised standards:

(1) students must satisfactorily complete an algebra I credit by the end of eighth grade; and

(2) students scheduled to graduate in the 2014-2015 school year or later must satisfactorily complete an algebra II credit or its equivalent.

The commissioner also must ensure that the statewide mathematics assessments administered to students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 are aligned with the state academic standards in mathematics, consistent with section 120B.30, subdivision 1, paragraph (b). The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in mathematics beginning in the 2015-2016 school year.

(c) The commissioner in the 2007-2008 school year must revise and align the state's academic standards and high school graduation requirements in the arts to require that students satisfactorily complete the revised arts standards beginning in the 2010-2011 school year. The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in arts beginning in the 2016-2017 school year.

(d) The commissioner in the 2008-2009 school year must revise and align the state's academic standards and high school graduation requirements in science to require that students satisfactorily complete the revised science standards, beginning in the 2011-2012 school year. Under the revised standards, students scheduled to graduate in the 2014-2015 school year or later must satisfactorily complete a chemistry or physics credit. The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in science beginning in the 2017-2018 school year.

(e) The commissioner in the 2009-2010 school year must revise and align the state's academic standards and high school graduation requirements in language arts to require that students satisfactorily complete the revised language arts standards beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in language arts beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.

(f) The commissioner in the 2010-2011 school year must revise and align the state's academic standards and high school graduation requirements in social studies to require that students satisfactorily complete the revised social studies standards beginning in the 2013-2014 school year. The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in social studies beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.

(g) School districts and charter schools must revise and align local academic standards and high school graduation requirements in health, ~~physical education,~~ world languages, and career and technical education to require students to complete the revised standards beginning in a school year determined by the school district or charter school. School districts and charter schools must formally establish a periodic review cycle for the academic standards and related benchmarks in health, ~~physical education,~~ world languages, and career and technical education.

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(h) The commissioner in the 2013-2014 school year and later must use the good cause exemption under section 14.388, subdivision 1, clause (3), to amend the rules governing state physical education standards to conform the state standards to changes in the standards developed by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Directions to the commissioner to embed technology and information literacy standards under paragraph (a) and other requirements related to state academic standards under this chapter do not apply.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment and applies to all school districts and charter schools beginning in the 2012-2013 school year and later, except that paragraph (h) applies beginning in the 2013-2014 school year and later. A school district or charter school is strongly encouraged to implement state physical education standards in an earlier school year than the 2012-2013 school year if it has adopted physical education standards equivalent to the standards developed by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education under section 38 on the effective date of this act, or if it is scheduled to undertake the periodic review of its local physical education standards under paragraph (g) in a school year before the 2012-2013 school year, it is strongly encouraged to implement state physical education standards consistent with section 38 in an earlier school year.

Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 120B.15, is amended to read:

120B.15 GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS PROGRAMS.

(a) School districts and charter schools may identify students, locally develop programs addressing instructional and affective needs, provide staff development, and evaluate programs to provide gifted and talented students with challenging and appropriate educational programs.

(b) School districts and charter schools may adopt guidelines for assessing and identifying students for participation in gifted and talented programs. The guidelines should include the use of:

(1) multiple and objective criteria; and

(2) assessments and procedures that are valid and reliable, fair, and based on current theory and research addressing the use of tools and methods that are sensitive to underrepresented groups, including, but not limited to, students who are low income, minority, gifted and learning disabled, and English language learners.

(c) School districts and charter schools must adopt procedures for the academic acceleration of gifted and talented students. These procedures must include how the district will:

(1) assess a student's readiness and motivation for acceleration; and

(2) match the level, complexity, and pace of the curriculum to a student to achieve the best type of academic acceleration for that student.

Sec. 5. [120B.21] MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION.

The legislature encourages districts to provide instruction in mental health for students in grades 7 through 12. Instruction must be aligned with local health standards and integrated into a district's existing programs, curriculum, or the general school environment. The commissioner of education, in consultation with mental health organizations, shall provide assistance to districts including:

(1) age-appropriate model learning activities for grades 7 through 12 that address mental health components of the National Health Education Standards and the benchmarks developed by the department's quality teaching network in health and best practices in mental health education; and

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(2) a directory of resources for planning and implementing age-appropriate mental health curriculum and instruction in grades 7 through 12.

Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 120B.30, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1. Statewide testing. (a) The commissioner, with advice from experts with appropriate technical qualifications and experience and stakeholders, consistent with subdivision 1a, shall include in the comprehensive assessment system, for each grade level to be tested, state-constructed tests developed ~~from and~~ to be computer-adaptive reading and mathematics assessments for general education students that are aligned with the state's required academic standards under section 120B.021, include multiple choice questions, and be administered annually to all students in grades 3 through 8. State-developed high school tests aligned with the state's required academic standards under section 120B.021 and administered to all high school students in a subject other than writing must include multiple choice questions. The commissioner shall establish one or more months during which schools shall administer the tests to students each school year. For students enrolled in grade 8 before the 2005-2006 school year, Minnesota basic skills tests in reading, mathematics, and writing shall fulfill students' basic skills testing requirements for a passing state notation. The passing scores of basic skills tests in reading and mathematics are the equivalent of 75 percent correct for students entering grade 9 based on the first uniform test administered in February 1998. Students who have not successfully passed a Minnesota basic skills test by the end of the 2011-2012 school year must pass the graduation-required assessments for diploma under paragraph (b).

(b) The state assessment system must be aligned to the most recent revision of academic standards as described in section 120B.023 in the following manner:

(1) mathematics;

(i) grades 3 through 8 beginning in the 2010-2011 school year; and

(ii) high school level beginning in the ~~2013-2014~~ 2014-2015 school year;

(2) science; grades 5 and 8 and at the high school level beginning in the 2011-2012 school year; and

(3) language arts and reading; grades 3 through 8 and high school level beginning in the 2012-2013 school year.

(c) For students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2005-2006 school year and later, only the following options shall fulfill students' state graduation test requirements:

(1) for reading and mathematics:

(i) obtaining an achievement level equivalent to or greater than proficient as determined through a standard setting process on the Minnesota comprehensive assessments in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics or achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process on the graduation-required assessment for diploma in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics or subsequent retests;

(ii) achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process on the state-identified language proficiency test in reading and the mathematics test for English language learners or the graduation-required assessment for diploma equivalent of those assessments for students designated as English language learners;

(iii) achieving an individual passing score on the graduation-required assessment for diploma as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an individual education plan or 504 plan;

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(iv) obtaining achievement level equivalent to or greater than proficient as determined through a standard setting process on the state-identified alternate assessment or assessments in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics for students with an individual education plan; or

(v) achieving an individual passing score on the state-identified alternate assessment or assessments as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an individual education plan; and

(2) for writing:

(i) achieving a passing score on the graduation-required assessment for diploma;

(ii) achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process on the state-identified language proficiency test in writing for students designated as English language learners;

(iii) achieving an individual passing score on the graduation-required assessment for diploma as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an individual education plan or 504 plan; or

(iv) achieving an individual passing score on the state-identified alternate assessment or assessments as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an individual education plan.

(d) Students enrolled in grade 8 in any school year from the 2005-2006 school year to the 2009-2010 school year who do not pass the mathematics graduation-required assessment for diploma under paragraph (b) are eligible to receive a high school diploma ~~with a passing state notation~~ if they:

(1) complete with a passing score or grade all state and local coursework and credits required for graduation by the school board granting the students their diploma;

(2) participate in district-prescribed academic remediation in mathematics; and

(3) fully participate in at least two retests of the mathematics GRAD test or until they pass the mathematics GRAD test, whichever comes first. A school, district, or charter school must place on the high school transcript a student's ~~highest~~ current pass status for each subject that has a required graduation assessment score for each of the following assessments on the student's high school transcript: the mathematics Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, reading Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, and writing Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma, and when applicable, the mathematics Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma and reading Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma.

In addition, the school board granting the students their diplomas may formally decide to include a notation of high achievement on the high school diplomas of those graduating seniors who, according to established school board criteria, demonstrate exemplary academic achievement during high school.

(e) The 3rd through 8th grade computer-adaptive assessments and high school test results shall be available to districts for diagnostic purposes affecting student learning and district instruction and curriculum, and for establishing educational accountability. The commissioner must disseminate to the public the computer-adaptive assessments and high school test results upon receiving those results.

(f) The 3rd through 8th grade computer-adaptive assessments and high school tests must be aligned with state academic standards. The commissioner shall determine the testing process and the order of administration. The statewide results shall be aggregated at the site and district level, consistent with subdivision 1a.

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(g) In addition to the testing and reporting requirements under this section, the commissioner shall include the following components in the statewide public reporting system:

(1) uniform statewide testing of all students in grades 3 through 8 and at the high school level that provides appropriate, technically sound accommodations or alternate assessments;

(2) educational indicators that can be aggregated and compared across school districts and across time on a statewide basis, including average daily attendance, high school graduation rates, and high school drop-out rates by age and grade level;

(3) state results on the American College Test; and

(4) state results from participation in the National Assessment of Educational Progress so that the state can benchmark its performance against the nation and other states, and, where possible, against other countries, and contribute to the national effort to monitor achievement.

(h) Notwithstanding other law to the contrary, the commissioner must not sign a memorandum of understanding, agree to participate in a consortium or partnership, or enter into any other agreement with any other state to develop shared common assessments of K-12 academic standards without first receiving specific legislative authorization.

EFFECTIVE DATE. Paragraph (h) is effective the day following final enactment, and applies to agreements entered into after the effective date of this act. Requirements for using computer-adaptive mathematics assessments for grades 3 through 8 apply in the 2011-2012 school year and later and requirements for using computer-adaptive reading assessments for grades 3 through 8 apply in the 2013-2014 school year and later.

Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 120B.30, subdivision 1a, is amended to read:

Subd. 1a. Statewide and local assessments; results. (a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions have the meanings given them.

(1) "Computer-adaptive assessments" means fully adaptive assessments or partially adaptive assessments.

(2) "Fully adaptive assessments" include test items that are on-grade level and items that may be above or below a student's grade level.

(3) "Partially adaptive assessments" include two portions of test items, where one portion is limited to on-grade level test items and a second portion includes test items that are on-grade level or above or below a student's grade level.

(4) "On-grade level" test items contain subject area content that is aligned to state academic standards for the grade level of the student taking the assessment.

(5) "Above-grade level" test items contain subject area content that is above the grade level of the student taking the assessment and are considered aligned with state academic standards to the extent they are aligned with content represented in state academic standards above the grade level of the student taking the assessment. Notwithstanding the student's grade level, administering above-grade level test items to a student does not violate the requirement that state assessments must be aligned with state standards.

(6) "Below-grade level" test items contain subject area content that is below the grade level of the student taking the test and are considered aligned with state academic standards to the extent they are aligned with content represented in state academic standards below the student's current grade level. Notwithstanding the student's grade level, administering below-grade level test items to a student does not violate the requirement that state assessments must be aligned with state standards.

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(b) The commissioner must use fully adaptive assessments to the extent no net loss of federal and state funds occurs as a result of using these assessments. If a net loss of federal and state funds were to occur under this subdivision, then the commissioner must use partially adaptive assessments to meet existing federal educational accountability requirements.

(c) For purposes of conforming with existing federal educational accountability requirements, the commissioner must develop and implement computer-adaptive reading and mathematics assessments for grades 3 through 8, state-developed high school reading and mathematics tests aligned with state academic standards, and science assessments under clause (2) that districts and sites must use to monitor student growth toward achieving those standards. In developing and implementing computer-adaptive assessments, the commissioner must allow for paper-and-pencil tests that are the equivalent of computer-adaptive assessments under this section to the extent these tests are needed to accommodate the technology capacity of individual school districts. The commissioner must not develop statewide assessments for academic standards in social studies, health and physical education, and the arts. The commissioner must require:

(1) annual computer-adaptive reading and mathematics assessments in grades 3 through 8, and high school reading and mathematics tests; and

(2) annual science assessments in one grade in the grades 3 through 5 span, the grades 6 through 8 span, and a life sciences assessment in the grades 9 through 12 span, and the commissioner must not require students to achieve a passing score on high school science assessments as a condition of receiving a high school diploma.

(d) The commissioner must ensure that for annual computer-adaptive assessments:

(1) individual student performance data and achievement and summary reports are available to all schools within three school days of when students take an assessment;

(2) growth information is available for each student from the student's first assessment to each proximate assessment using a constant measurement scale;

(3) parents, teachers, and school administrators are able to use elementary and middle school student performance data to project student achievement in high school;

(4) teachers and school administrators are able to use formative information about students' academic strengths and weaknesses, to the extent it is available, to improve student instruction and indicate specific skills and knowledge that should be introduced and developed for students at given score levels, organized by strands within subject areas, and aligned to state academic standards; and

(5) the maximum number of school districts have the opportunity to replace district-purchased computer-adaptive assessments with state-developed and state-funded computer-adaptive assessments.

~~(b)~~ (e) The commissioner must ensure that all statewide tests administered to elementary and secondary students measure students' academic knowledge and skills and not students' values, attitudes, and beliefs.

~~(c)~~ (f) Reporting of assessment results must:

(1) provide timely, useful, and understandable information on the performance of individual students, schools, school districts, and the state;

(2) include a value-added growth indicator of student achievement under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (b); and

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(3)(i) for students enrolled in grade 8 before the 2005-2006 school year, determine whether students have met the state's basic skills requirements; and

(ii) for students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2005-2006 school year and later, determine whether students have met the state's academic standards.

~~(d)~~ (g) Consistent with applicable federal law and subdivision 1, paragraph (d), clause (1), the commissioner must include appropriate, technically sound accommodations or alternative assessments for the very few students with disabilities for whom statewide assessments are inappropriate and for students with limited English proficiency.

~~(e)~~ (h) A school, school district, and charter school must administer statewide assessments under this section, as the assessments become available, to evaluate student proficiency in the context of the state's grade level academic standards. If a state assessment is not available, a school, school district, and charter school must determine locally if a student has met the required academic standards. A school, school district, or charter school may use a student's performance on a statewide assessment as one of multiple criteria to determine grade promotion or retention. A school, school district, or charter school may use a high school student's performance on a statewide assessment as a percentage of the student's final grade in a course, or place a student's assessment score on the student's transcript.

EFFECTIVE DATE. Requirements for using computer-adaptive mathematics assessments for grades 3 through 8 apply in the 2011-2012 school year and later and requirements for using computer-adaptive reading assessments for grades 3 through 8 apply in the 2013-2014 school year and later.

Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 120B.30, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

Subd. 1b. High school algebra end-of-course assessment. (a) Notwithstanding subdivision 1, the commissioner shall establish a statewide high school algebra end-of-course assessment for students entering grade 8 in the 2010-2011 school year and later that provides information on the college and career readiness of Minnesota students and fulfills federal accountability requirements, consistent with this subdivision and related rules. For purposes of this subdivision, "college and career readiness" means the knowledge and skills that a high school graduate needs to do either credit-bearing coursework at a two-year or four-year college or university or career-track employment that pays a living wage, provides employment benefits, and offers clear pathways for advancement through further education and training.

(b) This statewide high school algebra end-of-course assessment must conform with the following:

(1) align with the most recently revised academic content standards under section 120B.023, subdivision 2;

(2) include both multiple-choice and open-ended items that assess the appropriate algebra knowledge and skills contained in the state's academic content standards;

(3) be designed for computer administration and scoring so that, beginning the second year a computerized test is administered and as soon as practicable during the first year a computerized test is administered, the exam results of students who take computerized tests are available to the school or district within three full school days after the exam is administered, among other design characteristics;

(4) be administered at regular intervals that align with the most common high school schedules in Minnesota;

(5) generate achievement levels established through a professionally recognized methodology;

(6) use achievement level descriptors that define a student's college and career readiness;

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(7) comprise 20 percent of the student's overall course grade in the corresponding course;

(8) require a student who does not pass a high school algebra course to (i) retake the course or complete a district-authorized credit recovery class, (ii) opt, at the student's election, to retake the end-of-course assessment within a regularly scheduled administration window, and (iii) have the student select the exam score on the initial test or the retest to count as the equivalent of 20 percent of the student's overall course grade;

(9) allow an eligible student to meet this requirement through an alternative method that demonstrates the student's college and career readiness:

(i) for high school students who transfer into Minnesota from another state where the algebra course content, as applicable, is of equal or greater rigor, pass that state's high school course and graduation requirements in algebra, as applicable;

(ii) allow a student who has an active individualized education program to achieve a passing status at an individual level as prescribed by the commissioner;

(iii) waive the required exam for a high school student who is an English language learner under section 124D.59 and who has been enrolled for four or fewer years in a school in which English is the primary language of instruction; or

(iv) other alternative methods recommended by the Assessment Advisory Committee, if subsequently specifically authorized by law to allow other alternative methods;

(10) use three consecutive school years of research and analysis through the 2014-2015 school year, as prescribed by the commissioner, to calculate and report an alignment index that compares students' final grades in this course with their end-of-course assessment scores;

(11) subsequent to calculating and reporting the alignment index under clause (10), require schools that are highly misaligned for two or more consecutive school years to transmit written notice of the misalignment to all parents of students enrolled in the school, as prescribed by the commissioner; and

(12) when schools are highly misaligned for two or more consecutive years under clause (11), use school district funds under section 122A.60, subdivision 1a, paragraph (a), to correct the misalignment.

(c) The requirements of this subdivision apply to students in public schools, including charter schools, who enter grade 8 in the 2010-2011 school year or later. The commissioner may establish a transition period where students who enter grade 8 in the 2010-2011 or 2011-2012 school year graduate either under the Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma requirements under section 120B.30, subdivision 1, or this subdivision. The commissioner may seek authority from the legislature to adjust the time line under this paragraph if circumstances such as changes in federal law governing educational accountability and assessment warrant such an adjustment.

(d) To fully implement this subdivision and enable school districts to provide intervention and support to struggling students and improve instruction for all students, the commissioner must provide districts with (1) a benchmark assessment aligned with the high school algebra end-of-course assessment, and as funding allows, may provide districts with (2) an item bank available to teachers for creating formative assessments to help students prepare for the high school algebra end-of-course assessment.

(e) The commissioner shall expand the membership and purpose of the Assessment Advisory Committee established under section 120B.365 to include assessment experts and practitioners from both secondary and postsecondary education systems and other appropriate stakeholders to monitor the implementation of and student

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outcomes based on the algebra end-of-course assessment and policies and the state support available to districts, including small or rural districts, under this subdivision. This committee shall report annually by February 15 to the commissioner and the legislature on the implementation of and student outcomes based on the assessment and policies under this subdivision. Notwithstanding section 15.059, subdivision 3, committee members shall not receive compensation, per diem payments, or reimbursement for expenses.

(f) Using a solicitation process that includes a "request for proposal" process and multiple responses, the commissioner shall contract for at least two independent studies at two-year intervals to evaluate (1) the implementation of the requirements and (2) the availability and efficacy of resources to support and improve student outcomes based on student achievement data under this subdivision. The commissioner must submit the results of the first study to the education policy and finance committees of the legislature by February 15, 2015. The commissioner must submit the results of the second study to the legislature by February 15, 2017.

(g) The commissioner must not begin to develop additional statewide end-of-course exams in geometry, chemistry, or physics until specifically authorized in law to do so.

(h) A district or charter school must indicate on a student's transcript the student's level of college and career readiness in algebra under this subdivision after the levels have been established through a professionally recognized methodology.

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

Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 120B.30, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3. Reporting. The commissioner shall report test ~~data~~ results publicly and to stakeholders, including the performance achievement levels developed from students' unweighted test scores in each tested subject and a listing of demographic factors that strongly correlate with student performance. The test results must not include personally identifiable information as defined in Code of Federal Regulations, title 34, section 99.3. The commissioner shall also report data that compares performance results among school sites, school districts, Minnesota and other states, and Minnesota and other nations. The commissioner shall disseminate to schools and school districts a more comprehensive report containing testing information that meets local needs for evaluating instruction and curriculum.

Sec. 10. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 120B.30, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4. Access to tests. Consistent with section 13.34, the commissioner must adopt and publish a policy to provide public and parental access for review of basic skills tests, Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, or any other such statewide test and assessment which would not compromise the objectivity or fairness of the testing or examination process. Upon receiving a written request, the commissioner must make available to parents or guardians a copy of their student's actual responses to the test questions for their review.

Sec. 11. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 120B.35, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3. State growth target; other state measures. (a) The state's educational assessment system measuring individual students' educational growth is based on indicators of achievement growth that show an individual student's prior achievement. Indicators of achievement and prior achievement must be based on highly reliable statewide or districtwide assessments.

(b) The commissioner, in consultation with a stakeholder group that includes assessment and evaluation directors and staff and researchers must implement a model that uses a value-added growth indicator and includes criteria for identifying schools and school districts that demonstrate medium and high growth under section 120B.299,

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subdivisions 8 and 9, and may recommend other value-added measures under section 120B.299, subdivision 3. The model may be used to advance educators' professional development and replicate programs that succeed in meeting students' diverse learning needs. Data on individual teachers generated under the model are personnel data under section 13.43. The model must allow users to:

(1) report student growth consistent with this paragraph; and

(2) for all student categories, report and compare aggregated and disaggregated state growth data using the nine student categories identified under the federal 2001 No Child Left Behind Act and two student gender categories of male and female, respectively, following appropriate reporting practices to protect nonpublic student data.

The commissioner must report separate measures of student growth and proficiency, consistent with this paragraph.

(c) When reporting student performance under section 120B.36, subdivision 1, the commissioner annually, beginning July 1, 2011, must report two core measures indicating the extent to which current high school graduates are being prepared for postsecondary academic and career opportunities:

(1) a preparation measure indicating the number and percentage of high school graduates in the most recent school year who completed course work important to preparing them for postsecondary academic and career opportunities, consistent with the core academic subjects required for admission to Minnesota's public colleges and universities as determined by the Office of Higher Education under chapter 136A; and

(2) a rigorous coursework measure indicating the number and percentage of high school graduates in the most recent school year who successfully completed one or more college-level advanced placement, international baccalaureate, postsecondary enrollment options including concurrent enrollment, other rigorous courses of study under section 120B.021, subdivision 1a, or industry certification courses or programs.

When reporting the core measures under clauses (1) and (2), the commissioner must also analyze and report separate categories of information using the nine student categories identified under the federal 2001 No Child Left Behind Act and two student gender categories of male and female, respectively, following appropriate reporting practices to protect nonpublic student data.

(d) When reporting student performance under section 120B.36, subdivision 1, the commissioner annually, beginning July 1, 2014, must report summary data on school safety and students' engagement and connection at school. The summary data under this paragraph are separate from and must not be used for any purpose related to measuring or evaluating the performance of classroom teachers. The commissioner, in consultation with qualified experts on student engagement and connection and classroom teachers, must identify highly reliable variables that generate summary data under this paragraph. The summary data may be used at school, district, and state levels only. Any data on individuals received, collected, or created that are used to generate the summary data under this paragraph are nonpublic data under section 13.02, subdivision 9.

(e) For purposes of statewide educational accountability, the commissioner must identify and report measures that demonstrate the success of school districts, school sites, charter schools, and alternative program providers in improving the graduation outcomes of students under this paragraph. When reporting student performance under section 120B.36, subdivision 1, the commissioner, beginning July 1, 2013, must annually report summary data on (i) the four- and six-year graduation rates of students throughout the state who are identified as at risk of not graduating or off track to graduate, including students who are eligible to participate in a program under section 123A.05 or 124D.68, among other students, and (ii) the success that school districts, school sites, charter schools, and alternative program providers experience in:

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(1) identifying at-risk and off-track student populations by grade;

(2) providing successful prevention and intervention strategies for at-risk students;

(3) providing successful recuperative and recovery or reenrollment strategies for off-track students; and

(4) improving the graduation outcomes of at-risk and off-track students.

For purposes of this paragraph, a student who is at risk of not graduating is a student in eighth or ninth grade who meets one or more of the following criteria: first enrolled in an English language learners program in eighth or ninth grade and may be older than other students enrolled in the same grade; as an eighth grader, is absent from school for at least 20 percent of the days of instruction during the school year, is two or more years older than other students enrolled in the same grade, or fails multiple core academic courses; or as a ninth grader, fails multiple ninth grade core academic courses in English language arts, math, science, or social studies.

For purposes of this paragraph, a student who is off track to graduate is a student who meets one or more of the following criteria: first enrolled in an English language learners program in high school and is older than other students enrolled in the same grade; is a returning dropout; is 16 or 17 years old and two or more academic years off track to graduate; is 18 years or older and two or more academic years off track to graduate; or is 18 years or older and may graduate within one school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE. Paragraph (e) applies to data that are collected in the 2012-2013 school year and later and reported annually beginning July 1, 2013, consistent with the recommendations the commissioner receives from recognized and qualified experts on improving differentiated graduation rates, and establishing alternative routes to a standard high school diploma for at-risk and off-track students.

Sec. 12. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 120B.36, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1. School performance report cards. (a) The commissioner shall report student academic performance under section 120B.35, subdivision 2; the percentages of students showing low, medium, and high growth under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (b); school safety and student engagement and connection under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (d); rigorous coursework under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (c); the four- and six-year graduation rates of at-risk and off-track students throughout the state under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (e), and the success that school districts, school sites, charter schools, and alternative program providers experience in their efforts to improve the graduation outcomes of those students; two separate student-to-teacher ratios that clearly indicate the definition of teacher consistent with sections 122A.06 and 122A.15 for purposes of determining these ratios; staff characteristics excluding salaries; student enrollment demographics; district mobility; and extracurricular activities. The report also must indicate a school's adequate yearly progress status, and must not set any designations applicable to high- and low-performing schools due solely to adequate yearly progress status.

(b) The commissioner shall develop, annually update, and post on the department Web site school performance report cards.

(d) A school or district may appeal its adequate yearly progress status in writing to the commissioner within 30 days of receiving the notice of its status. The commissioner's decision to uphold or deny an appeal is final.

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(e) School performance report card data are nonpublic data under section 13.02, subdivision 9, until not later than ten days after the appeal procedure described in paragraph (d) concludes. The department shall annually post school performance report cards to its public Web site no later than September 1.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment and applies to annual reports beginning July 1, 2013.

Sec. 13. [121A.215] LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT WELLNESS POLICIES; WEB SITE.

Where available, a school district must post its current local school wellness policy on its Web site.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective August 1, 2010.

Sec. 14. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 122A.09, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4. License and rules. (a) The board ~~must~~ may adopt new rules and amend any existing rules to license public school teachers and interns ~~subject to~~ only under specific legislative authority and consistent with the requirements of chapter 14. This paragraph does not prohibit the board from making technical changes or corrections to rules or repealing rules adopted by the board.

(b) The board must adopt rules requiring a person to successfully complete a skills examination in reading, writing, and mathematics as a requirement for initial teacher licensure. Such rules must require college and universities offering a board-approved teacher preparation program to provide remedial assistance to persons who did not achieve a qualifying score on the skills examination, including those for whom English is a second language.

(c) The board must adopt rules to approve teacher preparation programs. The board, upon the request of a postsecondary student preparing for teacher licensure or a licensed graduate of a teacher preparation program, shall assist in resolving a dispute between the person and a postsecondary institution providing a teacher preparation program when the dispute involves an institution's recommendation for licensure affecting the person or the person's credentials. At the board's discretion, assistance may include the application of chapter 14.

(d) The board must provide the leadership and shall adopt rules for the redesign of teacher education programs to implement a research based, results-oriented curriculum that focuses on the skills teachers need in order to be effective. The board shall implement new systems of teacher preparation program evaluation to assure program effectiveness based on proficiency of graduates in demonstrating attainment of program outcomes.

(e) The board must adopt rules requiring candidates for initial licenses to ~~successfully complete~~ pass an examination of general pedagogical knowledge and examinations of licensure-specific teaching skills. The rules shall be effective by September 1, 2001. The rules under this paragraph also must require candidates for initial licenses to teach prekindergarten or elementary students to successfully complete, as part of the examination of licensure-specific teaching skills, test items assessing the candidates' knowledge, skill, and ability in comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction under section 122A.06, subdivision 4, and their knowledge and understanding of the foundations of reading development, the development of reading comprehension, and reading assessment and instruction, and their ability to integrate that knowledge and understanding. The rules under this paragraph also must require general education candidates for initial licenses to teach prekindergarten or elementary students to pass, as part of the examination of licensure-specific teaching skills, test items assessing the candidates' knowledge, skill, and ability in mathematics.

(f) The board must adopt rules requiring teacher educators to work directly with elementary or secondary school teachers in elementary or secondary schools to obtain periodic exposure to the elementary or secondary teaching environment.

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(g) The board must grant licenses to interns and to candidates for initial licenses.

(h) The board must design and implement an assessment system which requires a candidate for an initial license and first continuing license to demonstrate the abilities necessary to perform selected, representative teaching tasks at appropriate levels.

(i) The board must receive recommendations from local committees as established by the board for the renewal of teaching licenses. Committee recommendations must be consistent with section 122A.18, subdivision 4, paragraph (b).

(j) The board must grant life licenses to those who qualify according to requirements established by the board, and suspend or revoke licenses pursuant to sections 122A.20 and 214.10. The board must not establish any expiration date for application for life licenses.

(k) The board must adopt rules that require all licensed teachers who are renewing their continuing license to include in their renewal requirements further preparation in the areas of using positive behavior interventions and in accommodating, modifying, and adapting curricula, materials, and strategies to appropriately meet the needs of individual students and ensure adequate progress toward the state's graduation rule.

(l) In adopting rules to license public school teachers who provide health-related services for disabled children, the board shall adopt rules consistent with license or registration requirements of the commissioner of health and the health-related boards who license personnel who perform similar services outside of the school.

(m) The board must adopt rules that require all licensed teachers who are renewing their continuing license to include in their renewal requirements further reading preparation, consistent with section 122A.06, subdivision 4. The rules do not take effect until they are approved by law. Teachers who do not provide direct instruction including, at least, counselors, school psychologists, school nurses, school social workers, audiovisual directors and coordinators, and recreation personnel are exempt from this section.

(n) The board must adopt rules that require all licensed teachers who are renewing their continuing license to include in their renewal requirements further preparation in understanding the key warning signs of early-onset mental illness in children and adolescents.

(o) The board, consistent with section 122A.18, subdivision 4, paragraph (b), must amend its licensure renewal rules to include professional reflection and growth in best teaching practices in the preparation requirements for relicensure under this paragraph and paragraphs (i), (k), (m), and (n), and any other preparation requirements applicable to teachers seeking to renew their continuing license from the board.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment and applies to all new and amended rules proposed by the Board of Teaching, including all new and amended rules that are not yet formally adopted, except that the amendments to paragraphs (i) and (o) apply to licensees seeking relicensure beginning June 30, 2012. This section does not affect the requirement that the Board of Teaching continue to finally adopt rules initially proposed before the effective date of this section, to implement the requirement of Laws 2003, chapter 129, article 1, section 10, and Laws 2007, chapter 146, article 2, section 34, that the board adopt rules relating to credentials for education paraprofessionals.

Sec. 15. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 122A.16, is amended to read:

122A.16 HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHER DEFINED.

(a) A qualified teacher is one holding a valid license, under this chapter, to perform the particular service for which the teacher is employed in a public school.

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(b) For the purposes of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, a highly qualified teacher is one who holds a valid license under this chapter to perform the particular service for which the teacher is employed in a public school or who meets the requirements of a highly objective uniform state standard of evaluation (HOUSSE).

All Minnesota teachers teaching in a core academic subject area, as defined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, in which they are not fully licensed may complete the following HOUSSE process in the core subject area for which the teacher is requesting highly qualified status by completing an application, in the form and manner described by the commissioner, that includes:

(1) documentation of student achievement as evidenced by norm-referenced test results that are objective and psychometrically valid and reliable;

(2) evidence of local, state, or national activities, recognition, or awards for professional contribution to achievement;

(3) description of teaching experience in the teachers' core subject area in a public school under a waiver, variance, limited license or other exception; nonpublic school; and postsecondary institution;

(4) test results from the ~~Praxis II~~ subject area content test;

(5) evidence of advanced certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards;

(6) evidence of the successful completion of course work or pedagogy courses; and

(7) evidence of the successful completion of high quality professional development activities.

Districts must assign a school administrator to serve as a HOUSSE reviewer to meet with teachers under this paragraph and, where appropriate, certify the teachers' applications. Teachers satisfy the definition of highly qualified when the teachers receive at least 100 of the total number of points used to measure the teachers' content expertise under clauses (1) to (7). Teachers may acquire up to 50 points only in any one clause (1) to (7). Teachers may use the HOUSSE process to satisfy the definition of highly qualified for more than one subject area.

(c) Achievement of the HOUSSE criteria is not equivalent to a license. A teacher must obtain permission from the Board of Teaching in order to teach in a public school.

Sec. 16. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 122A.18, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1. Authority to license. (a) The Board of Teaching must license teachers, as defined in section 122A.15, subdivision 1, except for supervisory personnel, as defined in section 122A.15, subdivision 2.

(b) The Board of School Administrators must license supervisory personnel as defined in section 122A.15, subdivision 2, except for athletic coaches.

(c) Licenses under the jurisdiction of the Board of Teaching, the Board of School Administrators, and the commissioner of education must be issued through the licensing section of the department.

(d) The Board of Teaching may approve only those teacher preparation programs that target and address identified concerns affecting students in kindergarten through grade 12. The Board of Teaching and the Department of Education, consistent with the requirements of chapter 13, must enter into an agreement to share kindergarten through grade 12 educational data solely for approving and improving teacher education programs. The Board of Teaching must ensure that this information remains confidential and is used only for this purpose. Any unauthorized disclosure is subject to a penalty under section 13.09.

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(e) The Board of School Administrators may approve only those administrator preparation programs that target and address identified concerns affecting students in kindergarten through grade 12. The Board of School Administrators and the Department of Education, consistent with the requirements of chapter 13, must enter into an agreement to share kindergarten through grade 12 educational data solely for approving and improving education administration programs. The Board of School Administrators must ensure that this information remains confidential and is used only for this purpose. Any unauthorized disclosure is subject to a penalty under section 13.09.

Sec. 17. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 122A.18, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2. Teacher and support personnel qualifications. (a) The Board of Teaching must issue licenses under its jurisdiction to persons the board finds to be qualified and competent for their respective positions.

(b) The board must require a person to ~~successfully complete~~ pass an examination of skills in reading, writing, and mathematics before being granted an initial teaching license to provide direct instruction to pupils in prekindergarten, elementary, secondary, or special education programs. The board must require colleges and universities offering a board approved teacher preparation program to provide remedial assistance that includes a formal diagnostic component to persons enrolled in their institution who did not achieve a qualifying score on the skills examination, including those for whom English is a second language. The colleges and universities must provide assistance in the specific academic areas of deficiency in which the person did not achieve a qualifying score. School districts must provide similar, appropriate, and timely remedial assistance that includes a formal diagnostic component and mentoring to those persons employed by the district who completed their teacher education program outside the state of Minnesota, received a one-year license to teach in Minnesota and did not achieve a qualifying score on the skills examination, including those persons for whom English is a second language. The Board of Teaching shall report annually to the education committees of the legislature on the total number of teacher candidates during the most recent school year taking the skills examination, the number who achieve a qualifying score on the examination, the number who do not achieve a qualifying score on the examination, the distribution of all candidates' scores, the number of candidates who have taken the examination at least once before, and the number of candidates who have taken the examination at least once before and achieve a qualifying score.

(c) A person who has completed an approved teacher preparation program and obtained a one-year license to teach, but has not successfully completed the skills examination, may renew the one-year license for two additional one-year periods. Each renewal of the one-year license is contingent upon the licensee:

(1) providing evidence of participating in an approved remedial assistance program provided by a school district or postsecondary institution that includes a formal diagnostic component in the specific areas in which the licensee did not obtain qualifying scores; and

~~(2) attempting to successfully complete the skills examination during the period of each one-year license.~~

~~(d)~~ (c) The Board of Teaching must grant continuing licenses only to those persons who have met board criteria for granting a continuing license, which includes ~~successfully completing~~ passing the skills examination in reading, writing, and mathematics.

~~(e)~~ (d) All colleges and universities approved by the board of teaching to prepare persons for teacher licensure must include in their teacher preparation programs a common core of teaching knowledge and skills to be acquired by all persons recommended for teacher licensure. This common core shall meet the standards developed by the interstate new teacher assessment and support consortium in its 1992 "model standards for beginning teacher licensing and development." Amendments to standards adopted under this paragraph are covered by chapter 14. The board of teaching shall report annually to the education committees of the legislature on the performance of teacher candidates on common core assessments of knowledge and skills under this paragraph during the most recent school year.

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(e) The Board of Teaching must:

(1) ensure that kindergarten through grade 12 teacher licensing standards are highly aligned with the state's kindergarten through grade 12 academic standards;

(2) adopt a review cycle that is consistent with the kindergarten through grade 12 academic standards review cycle under section 120B.023, subdivision 2; and

(3) review and align the teacher licensure standards with the kindergarten through grade 12 academic standards within one school year after the commissioner reviews and adopts revised kindergarten through grade 12 academic standards in a particular subject area.

(f) All teacher preparation programs approved by the Board of Teaching must require teacher candidates to complete at least one online course.

Sec. 18. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 122A.23, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2. Applicants licensed in other states. (a) Subject to the requirements of sections 122A.18, subdivision 8, and 123B.03, the Board of Teaching must issue a teaching license or a temporary teaching license under paragraphs (b) to (e) to an applicant who holds at least a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and holds or held a similar out-of-state teaching license that requires the applicant to successfully complete a teacher preparation program approved by the issuing state, which includes field-specific teaching methods and student teaching or essentially equivalent experience.

(b) The Board of Teaching must issue a teaching license to an applicant who:

(1) ~~successfully completed~~ passed all exams and successfully completed human relations preparation components required by the Board of Teaching; and

(2) holds or held an out-of-state teaching license to teach the same content field and grade levels if the scope of the out-of-state license is no more than one grade level less than a similar Minnesota license.

(c) The Board of Teaching, consistent with board rules, must issue up to three one-year temporary teaching licenses to an applicant who holds or held an out-of-state teaching license to teach the same content field and grade levels, where the scope of the out-of-state license is no more than one grade level less than a similar Minnesota license, but has not ~~successfully completed~~ passed all exams and successfully completed human relations preparation components required by the Board of Teaching.

(d) The Board of Teaching, consistent with board rules, must issue up to three one-year temporary teaching licenses to an applicant who:

(1) ~~successfully completed~~ passed all exams and successfully completed human relations preparation components required by the Board of Teaching; and

(2) holds or held an out-of-state teaching license to teach the same content field and grade levels, where the scope of the out-of-state license is no more than one grade level less than a similar Minnesota license, but has not completed field-specific teaching methods or student teaching or equivalent experience.

The applicant may complete field-specific teaching methods and student teaching or equivalent experience by successfully participating in a one-year school district mentorship program consistent with board-adopted standards of effective practice and Minnesota graduation requirements.

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(e) The Board of Teaching must issue a temporary teaching license for a term of up to three years only in the content field or grade levels specified in the out-of-state license to an applicant who:

(1) ~~successfully completed~~ passed all exams and successfully completed human relations preparation components required by the Board of Teaching; and

(2) holds or held an out-of-state teaching license where the out-of-state license is more limited in the content field or grade levels than a similar Minnesota license.

(f) The Board of Teaching must not issue to an applicant more than three one-year temporary teaching licenses under this subdivision.

(g) The Board of Teaching must not issue a license under this subdivision if the applicant has not attained the additional degrees, credentials, or licenses required in a particular licensure field.

Sec. 19. [122A.245] ALTERNATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM AND LIMITED-TERM TEACHER LICENSE.

Subdivision 1. Requirements. (a) The Board of Teaching must approve qualified teacher preparation programs under this section that are a means to acquire a two-year limited-term license and to prepare for acquiring a standard entrance license. Partnerships composed of school districts or charter schools and either:

(1) a college or university with a board-approved alternative teacher preparation program; or

(2) a nonprofit corporation formed for an education-related purpose and subject to chapter 317A and a college or university with a board-approved alternative teacher preparation program may offer this program if:

(i) a need for teachers exists based on the determination by a participating school district or charter school that in the previous school year too few qualified candidates applied for its posted, available teaching positions;

(ii) the teaching staff does not reflect the racial and cultural diversity of the student population of the district or charter school; or

(iii) the school district or charter school identifies a need to reduce or eliminate a student achievement gap based on school performance report card data under section 120B.36.

(b) To participate in this program, a candidate must:

(1) have a bachelor's degree with a minimum 3.0 grade point average, or have a bachelor's degree and meet other board-adopted criteria;

(2) pass the reading, writing, and mathematics skills examination under section 122A.18; and

(3) pass the board-approved content area and pedagogy tests.

Subd. 2. Characteristics. An alternative teacher preparation program under this section must include:

(1) a minimum 200-hour instructional phase that provides intensive preparation before that person assumes classroom responsibilities;

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(2) a research-based and results-oriented approach focused on best teaching practices to increase student proficiency and growth measured against state academic standards;

(3) strategies to combine pedagogy and best teaching practices to better inform teachers' classroom instruction;

(4) assessment, supervision, and evaluation of the program participant to determine the participant's specific needs throughout the program and to support the participant in successfully completing the program;

(5) formal instruction and intensive peer coaching throughout the school year that provide structured guidance and regular ongoing support;

(6) high quality, sustained, intensive, and classroom-embedded staff development opportunities conducted by a mentor or by a mentorship team that may include school administrators, teachers, and postsecondary faculty members and are directed at improving student learning and achievement; and

(7) a requirement that program participants demonstrate to the local site team under subdivision 5 that they are making satisfactory progress toward acquiring a standard entrance license from the Board of Teaching.

Subd. 3. Program approval. The Board of Teaching must approve alternative teacher preparation programs under this section based on board-adopted criteria that reflect best practices for alternative teacher preparation programs consistent with this section. The board must permit licensure candidates to demonstrate licensure competencies in school-based settings and through other nontraditional means.

Subd. 4. Employment conditions. Where applicable, teachers with a limited-term license under this section are subject to the terms of the local collective bargaining agreement between the local representative of the teachers and the school board.

Subd. 5. Approval for standard entrance license. A local site team that may include teachers, school administrators, postsecondary faculty, and nonprofit staff must evaluate the performance of the teacher candidate using the Minnesota State Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers established in rule and submit to the board an evaluation report recommending whether or not to issue the teacher candidate a standard entrance license.

Subd. 6. Standard entrance license. The Board of Teaching must issue a standard entrance license to a teacher candidate under this section who successfully performs throughout the program and is recommended for licensure under subdivision 5.

Subd. 7. Qualified teacher. A person with a valid limited-term license under this section is the teacher of record and a qualified teacher within the meaning of section 122A.16.

Subd. 8. Reports. The Board of Teaching must submit an interim report on the efficacy of this program to the K-12 Education Policy and Finance committees of the legislature by February 15, 2012, and a final report by February 15, 2014.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for the 2010-2011 school year and later.

Sec. 20. [122A.246] ALTERNATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM AND LIMITED-TERM TEACHER LICENSE FOR MID-CAREER PROFESSIONALS.

Subdivision 1. Requirements. (a) The Board of Teaching annually must approve qualified teacher preparation programs under this section that are a means for mid-career professionals to acquire a two-year limited-term license and to prepare for acquiring a standard entrance license. Partnerships composed of school districts or charter schools and either:

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(1) a college or university with a board-approved alternative teacher preparation program; or

(i) a need for teachers exists in a subject area identified by the department as a shortage area;

(ii) the teaching staff does not reflect the racial and cultural diversity of the student population of the district or charter school; and

(iii) the district or charter school identifies a need to reduce or eliminate a student achievement gap based on school performance report card data under section 120B.36.

(b) To participate in this program, a candidate must:

(1) have a bachelor's degree and at least ten years of professional experience in a field related to the license being sought; or

(2) hold a valid teaching license and have at least five years of classroom teaching experience.

(1) pass the reading, writing, and mathematics skills examination under section 122A.18;

(2) obtain qualifying scores on board-approved content area and pedagogy tests; and

(3) before receiving a limited term license under this section, complete a minimum 200-hour instructional phase that provides intensive preparation and a full-time student teaching experience that places the candidate in the classroom under the direct supervision of a fully licensed classroom teacher for at least 12 weeks. A candidate under paragraph (b), clause (1), is declared to have met the requirements of this paragraph through the licensing process and previous classroom experience.

Subd. 2. Characteristics. An alternative teacher preparation program under this section must include:

(1) a research-based and results-oriented approach focused on best teaching practices to increase student proficiency and growth measured against state academic standards;

(2) strategies to combine pedagogy and best teaching practices to better inform teachers' classroom instruction;

(3) assessment, supervision, and evaluation of the program participant to determine the participant's specific needs throughout the program and to support the participant in successfully completing the program;

(4) formal instruction and intensive peer coaching throughout the school year that provide structured guidance and regular ongoing support;

(5) high quality, sustained, intensive, and classroom-embedded staff development opportunities conducted by a mentor or by a mentorship team that may include school administrators, teachers, and postsecondary faculty members and are directed at improving student learning and achievement; and

(6) a requirement that program participants demonstrate to the local site team under subdivision 5 that they are making satisfactory progress toward acquiring a standard entrance license from the Board of Teaching.

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Subd. 4. Employment conditions. (a) Each full school year that a teacher with a limited-term license teaches in a Minnesota school is one year of the teacher's first probationary employment period.

(b) Where applicable, teachers with a limited-term license under this section are subject to the terms of the local collective bargaining agreement between the local representative of the teachers and the school board.

(c) A school district or charter school must not prospectively promise to employ a teacher candidate who receives a standard entrance license under this section.

Subd. 5. Approval for standard entrance license. Postsecondary faculty, the supervising teacher, and other qualified staff must evaluate the performance of the teacher candidate using the Minnesota state standards of effective practice for teachers and content standards by licensure area established in rule and submit to the board an evaluation report recommending whether or not to issue the teacher candidate a standard entrance license.

Subd. 6. Standard entrance license. The Board of Teaching may issue a standard entrance license to a teacher candidate under this section who successfully performs under the two-year limited license and is recommended for licensure under subdivision 5.

Subd. 7. Qualified teacher. A person with a valid limited-term license under this section is the teacher of record and a qualified teacher within the meaning of section 122A.16.

Subd. 8. Reports. (a) The Board of Teaching annually must collect and report to the K-12 Education Policy and Finance Committees of the legislature alternative teacher preparation program provider data on cumulative teacher retention rates, number of licenses issued by licensure area, the locations where teachers are placed, the number of programs approved, and the demographic characteristics of the teacher candidates, among other data. The board may use these data to approve program providers under this section.

(b) The Board of Teaching must submit a report on the efficacy of this program to the K-12 Education Policy and Finance committees of the legislature by February 15, 2014.

Sec. 21. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 122A.40, subdivision 8, is amended to read:

Subd. 8. Annual evaluations and peer coaching for continuing contract teachers. (a) To improve student learning and success, a school board and an exclusive representative of the teachers in the district, consistent with paragraph (b), shall develop a an annual teacher evaluation and peer review process for continuing contract teachers through joint agreement. The peer review process ~~may~~ must include having trained observers serve as peer coaches or having teachers participate in professional learning communities.

(b) To develop, improve, and support qualified teachers and effective teaching practices and improve student learning and success, the annual evaluation process for continuing contract teachers must:

(1) be a collaborative effort between teachers and school administrators to develop and implement a teacher evaluation process that is based on professional teaching standards and includes both formative assessments to improve instruction through identifying teachers' strengths and weaknesses and summative assessments conducted at least once every three school years and used to make personnel decisions, consistent with clause (2);

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(2) coordinate staff development activities under section 122A.60 with this evaluation process and teachers' evaluation outcomes and give teachers not meeting standards of effective practice sufficient support to improve;

(3) include in-class observations by both licensed mentor teachers and school administrators who are trained evaluators, use a valid observation framework or protocol, and periodically undergo a reliability review;

(4) provide peer coaching or have teachers participate in professional learning communities, consistent with paragraph (a);

(5) require teachers to develop and present a portfolio demonstrating evidence of reflection and professional growth, consistent with section 122A.18, subdivision 4, paragraph (b), using criteria developed by the Board of Teaching to reliably assess portfolio content, and include teachers' own performance assessment based on student work samples, student and family surveys, and videotapes of teachers' work, among other activities;

(6) demonstrate teachers' content knowledge and teaching skills; and

(7) use longitudinal data on student academic growth, student attendance, student engagement and connection, and other outcome measures as evaluation components.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment and applies beginning when a district next enters into or modifies a collective bargaining agreement or by the 2011-2012 school year, whichever comes first.

Sec. 22. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 122A.41, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

Subd. 5. Annual evaluations and peer coaching for continuing contract teachers. (a) To improve student learning and success, a school board and an exclusive representative of the teachers in the district, consistent with paragraph (b), must develop a an annual teacher evaluation and peer review process for nonprobationary teachers through joint agreement. The peer review process ~~may~~ must include having trained observers serve as peer coaches or having teachers participate in professional learning communities.

(b) To develop, improve, and support qualified teachers and effective teaching practices and improve student learning and success, the annual evaluation process for continuing contract teachers must:

(4) provide peer coaching or have teachers participate in professional learning communities, consistent with paragraph (a);

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(6) demonstrate teachers' content knowledge and teaching skills; and

(7) use longitudinal data on student academic growth, student attendance, student engagement and connection, and other outcome measures as evaluation components.

Sec. 23. [123A.29] EFFICIENCY PLUS ACCESS TASK FORCES.

Subdivision 1. Purpose. The purpose of the efficiency plus access task forces is to facilitate greater efficiency and reduce education costs through collaboration and cooperation across school districts and other governmental agencies while maintaining or improving the learning results for students. The legislative intent is to reduce the administrative costs of education without resorting to a policy of required consolidation that reduces the number of districts or school boards and without creating fewer larger schools that require longer bus rides for students.

Subd. 2. Required district participation. Each district with an enrollment of fewer than 5,000 pupils in K-12 for fiscal year 2010 shall participate in an efficiency plus access task force.

Subd. 3. Optional district and other public entity participation. School districts with more than 5,000 pupils, charter schools, cities, townships, counties, public higher education institutions, Head Start agencies, public libraries, and other public entities are encouraged to participate in the efficiency plus access task forces.

Subd. 4. Task force membership. (a) Participating districts may organize the task forces using an existing education district, intermediate district, or other cooperative model. Districts may request that a service cooperative assist in establishing task forces for their service area. Districts do not need to be contiguous to form an efficiency plus access task force. Each task force shall consist of one member appointed by each district board included in the task force and one member from each entity defined in subdivision 3 that choose to participate. Districts and other public entities may decide to become members of more than one efficiency plus access task force. These appointments shall be made by August 15, 2010.

(b) Each school board shall develop a process within the district allowing teachers, students, parents, and the community to have access and opportunities to review and make recommendations to be brought forward to the efficiency plus access task force.

(c) The initial meeting of each task force shall not be later than September 30, 2010. At the initial meeting, each task force shall elect a chair and other officers it considers necessary to coordinate the work of the task force.

Subd. 5. Task force; powers. (a) Each task force shall review and make recommendations to the boards of the participating districts and public entities regarding how the purpose of this section can be met in the following areas:

(1) administrative services including but not limited to superintendent services, principal services, financial management, human services, facilities and grounds maintenance, food and nutrition services, research and evaluation services, transportation services, health services, information technology services, and other administrative services. Cooperation with other public agencies for the provision of administrative services should be considered;

(2) instructional and learning services including but not limited to creating a common calendar; low-attendance elective secondary courses; use of technology to replace or supplement courses currently being provided; use of technology to provide new learning opportunities through technology with an emphasis on using low-cost or no-cost

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learning opportunities available online; coordination with higher education so that advanced courses are provided college credit to avoid duplication between high school and postsecondary; determine how certain students can complete select high school credit requirements while in middle school; and exploring ways to utilize the learning opportunities in the community through programs such as parks and recreation, arts, libraries, and other community providers; and

(3) cooperative arrangements for shared extracurricular activities, including having the activities become the responsibility of the community recreational program.

(b) The task force shall consider creating new models of schools including project-based learning schools, online learning schools in cooperation with other education districts, service cooperatives or chartered schools, new grade 11 postsecondary models in partnership with colleges and universities, prekindergarten through primary grades in partnership with early childhood providers, and other models of schooling.

Subd. 6. Reporting. Each efficiency plus access task force shall file its initial planning report with the commissioner no later than October 15, 2010. The report shall include the basic information about the composition of the task force, including how input to the task force will be obtained consistent with subdivision 4, paragraph (b). Each task force shall complete its recommendations and file its report with the member school boards and commissioner no later than December 1, 2011. The report shall include recommendations pursuant to subdivision 5 and identify the financial impact of those recommendations for at least fiscal years 2013 and 2014. Each school board shall file a report with the commissioner regarding the actions it will take in response to the report no later than March 15, 2012. The report shall also include the impact on other agencies included in the task force planning.

Sec. 24. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 123B.143, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1. Contract; duties. All districts maintaining a classified secondary school must employ a superintendent who shall be an ex officio nonvoting member of the school board. The authority for selection and employment of a superintendent must be vested in the board in all cases. An individual employed by a board as a superintendent shall have an initial employment contract for a period of time no longer than three years from the date of employment. Any subsequent employment contract must not exceed a period of three years. A board, at its discretion, may or may not renew an employment contract. A board must not, by action or inaction, extend the duration of an existing employment contract. Beginning 365 days prior to the expiration date of an existing employment contract, a board may negotiate and enter into a subsequent employment contract to take effect upon the expiration of the existing contract. A subsequent contract must be contingent upon the employee completing the terms of an existing contract. If a contract between a board and a superintendent is terminated prior to the date specified in the contract, the board may not enter into another superintendent contract with that same individual that has a term that extends beyond the date specified in the terminated contract. A board may terminate a superintendent during the term of an employment contract for any of the grounds specified in section 122A.40, subdivision 9 or 13. A superintendent shall not rely upon an employment contract with a board to assert any other continuing contract rights in the position of superintendent under section 122A.40. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 122A.40, subdivision 10 or 11, 123A.32, 123A.75, or any other law to the contrary, no individual shall have a right to employment as a superintendent based on order of employment in any district. If two or more districts enter into an agreement for the purchase or sharing of the services of a superintendent, the contracting districts have the absolute right to select one of the individuals employed to serve as superintendent in one of the contracting districts and no individual has a right to employment as the superintendent to provide all or part of the services based on order of employment in a contracting district. The superintendent of a district shall perform the following:

(1) visit and supervise the schools in the district, report and make recommendations about their condition when advisable or on request by the board;

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(2) recommend to the board employment and dismissal of teachers;

(3) annually evaluate each school principal and assistant principal assigned responsibility for supervising a school building within the district, consistent with section 123B.147, subdivision 3, paragraph (b);

(4) superintend school grading practices and examinations for promotions;

~~(4)~~ (5) make reports required by the commissioner; and

~~(5)~~ (6) perform other duties prescribed by the board.

Sec. 25. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 123B.147, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3. Duties; evaluation. (a) The principal shall provide administrative, supervisory, and instructional leadership services, under the supervision of the superintendent of schools of the district and ~~in accordance with~~ according to the policies, rules, and regulations of the school board ~~of education~~, for the planning, management, operation, and evaluation of the education program of the building or buildings to which the principal is assigned.

(b) To enhance principals' leadership skills and support and improve teachers' teaching practices, the school board and the exclusive representative of the school principals of the district must negotiate a plan for an annual evaluation of the school principals and assistant principals assigned responsibility for supervising a school building within the district. The annual evaluation process must:

(1) be designed to support and improve principals' instructional leadership defined in the plan, organizational management, and professional development, and strengthen principals' capacity in the areas of instruction, supervision, evaluation, and the development of teachers and highly effective school organizations;

(2) include formative and summative evaluations;

(3) be consistent with the principals' job description, district long-term plans and goals, and principals' own professional multiyear growth plans and goals;

(4) include on-the-job observations, team assessments and evaluations, and verbal and written feedback on performance;

(5) require feedback from teachers, support staff, students, and parents;

(6) use longitudinal data on student academic growth as an evaluation component; and

(7) be linked to professional development.

Sec. 26. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3. Authorizer. (a) For purposes of this section, the terms defined in this subdivision have the meanings given them.

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"Application" to receive approval as an authorizer means the proposal an eligible authorizer submits to the commissioner under paragraph (c) before that authorizer is able to submit any affidavit to charter to a school.

"Application" under subdivision 4 means the charter school business plan a school developer submits to an authorizer for approval to establish a charter school that documents the school developer's mission statement, school purposes, program design, financial plan, governance and management structure, and background and experience, plus any other information the authorizer requests. The application also shall include a "statement of assurances" of legal compliance prescribed by the commissioner.

"Affidavit" means a written statement the authorizer submits to the commissioner for approval to establish a charter school under subdivision 4 attesting to its review and approval process before chartering a school.

"Affidavit" means the form an authorizer submits to the commissioner that is a precondition to a charter school organizing an affiliated nonprofit building corporation under subdivision 17a.

(b) The following organizations may authorize one or more charter schools:

(1) a school board; intermediate school district school board; education district organized under sections 123A.15 to 123A.19;

(2) a charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, excluding a nonpublic sectarian or religious institution, without an approved affidavit by the commissioner prior to July 1, 2009, and any person other than a natural person that directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the nonpublic sectarian or religious institution, and any other charitable organization under this clause that in the federal IRS Form 1023, Part IV, describes activities indicating a religious purpose, that:

(i) is a member of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits or the Minnesota Council on Foundations;

(ii) is registered with the attorney general's office;

(iii) reports an end-of-year fund balance of at least $2,000,000; and

(iv) is incorporated in the state of Minnesota;

(3) a Minnesota private college, notwithstanding clause (2), that grants two- or four-year degrees and is registered with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education under chapter 136A; community college, state university, or technical college governed by the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities; or the University of Minnesota; or

(4) a nonprofit corporation subject to chapter 317A, described in section 317A.905, and exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, may authorize one or more charter schools if the charter school has operated for at least three years under a different authorizer and if the nonprofit corporation has existed for at least 25 years.

(5) no more than three single-purpose sponsors that are charitable, nonsectarian organizations formed under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and incorporated in the state of Minnesota whose sole purpose is to charter schools. Eligible organizations interested in being approved as a sponsor under this paragraph must submit a proposal to the commissioner that includes the provisions of paragraph (c) and a five-year financial plan. Such authorizers shall consider and approve applications using the criteria provided in subdivision 4 and shall not limit the applications it solicits, considers, or approves to any single curriculum, learning program, or method.

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(c) An eligible authorizer under this subdivision must apply to the commissioner for approval as an authorizer before submitting any affidavit to the commissioner to charter a school. The application for approval as a charter school authorizer must demonstrate the applicant's ability to implement the procedures and satisfy the criteria for chartering a school under this section. The commissioner must approve or disapprove an application within 60 business days of the application deadline. If the commissioner disapproves the application, the commissioner must notify the applicant of the deficiencies and the applicant then has 20 business days to address the deficiencies to the commissioner's satisfaction. Failing to address the deficiencies to the commissioner's satisfaction makes an applicant ineligible to be an authorizer. The commissioner, in establishing criteria for approval, must consider the applicant's:

(1) capacity and infrastructure;

(2) application criteria and process;

(3) contracting process;

(4) ongoing oversight and evaluation processes; and

(5) renewal criteria and processes.

(d) The ~~affidavit~~ application for approval to be submitted to and evaluated by the commissioner must include at least the following:

(1) how chartering schools is a way for the organization to carry out its mission;

(2) a description of the capacity of the organization to serve as a sponsor, including the personnel who will perform the sponsoring duties, their qualifications, the amount of time they will be assigned to this responsibility, and the financial resources allocated by the organization to this responsibility;

(3) a description of the application and review process the authorizer will use to make decisions regarding the granting of charters, which will include at least the following:

(i) how the statutory purposes defined in subdivision 1 are addressed;

(ii) the mission, goals, program model, and student performance expectations;

(iii) an evaluation plan for the school that includes criteria for evaluating educational, organizational, and fiscal plans;

(iv) the school's governance plan;

(v) the financial management plan; and

(vi) the administration and operations plan;

(4) a description of the type of contract it will arrange with the schools it charters that meets the provisions of subdivision 6 and defines the rights and responsibilities of the charter school for governing its educational program, controlling its funds, and making school management decisions;

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(5) the process to be used for providing ongoing oversight of the school consistent with the contract expectations specified in clause (4) that assures that the schools chartered are complying with both the provisions of applicable law and rules, and with the contract;

(6) the process for making decisions regarding the renewal or termination of the school's charter based on evidence that demonstrates the academic, organizational, and financial competency of the school, including its success in increasing student achievement and meeting the goals of the charter school agreement; and

(7) an assurance specifying that the organization is committed to serving as a sponsor for the full five-year term.

A disapproved applicant under this paragraph may resubmit an application during a future application period.

(e) The authorizer must participate in department-approved training.

(f) An authorizer that chartered a school before August 1, 2009, must apply by June 30, 2011, to the commissioner for approval, under paragraph (c), to continue as an authorizer under this section. For purposes of this paragraph, an authorizer that fails to submit a timely application is ineligible to charter a school.

(g) The commissioner shall review an authorizer's performance every five years in a manner and form determined by the commissioner and may review an authorizer's performance more frequently at the commissioner's own initiative or at the request of a charter school operator, charter school board member, or other interested party. The commissioner, after completing the review, shall transmit a report with findings to the authorizer. If, consistent with this section, the commissioner finds that an authorizer has not fulfilled the requirements of this section, the commissioner may subject the authorizer to corrective action, which may include terminating the contract with the charter school board of directors of a school it chartered. The commissioner must notify the authorizer in writing of any findings that may subject the authorizer to corrective action and the authorizer then has 15 business days to request an informal hearing before the commissioner takes corrective action.

(h) The commissioner may at any time take corrective action against an authorizer, including terminating an authorizer's ability to charter a school for:

(1) failing to demonstrate the criteria under paragraph (c) under which the commissioner approved the authorizer;

(2) violating a term of the chartering contract between the authorizer and the charter school board of directors; or

(3) unsatisfactory performance as an approved authorizer.

Sec. 27. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4. Formation of school. (a) An authorizer, after receiving an application from a school developer, may charter a licensed teacher under section 122A.18, subdivision 1, or a group of individuals that includes one or more licensed teachers under section 122A.18, subdivision 1, to operate a school subject to the commissioner's approval of the authorizer's affidavit under paragraph (b). The school must be organized and operated as a cooperative under chapter 308A or nonprofit corporation under chapter 317A and the provisions under the applicable chapter shall apply to the school except as provided in this section.

Notwithstanding sections 465.717 and 465.719, a school district, subject to this section and section 124D.11, may create a corporation for the purpose of establishing a charter school.

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(b) Before the operators may establish and operate a school, the authorizer must file an affidavit with the commissioner stating its intent to charter a school. An authorizer must file a separate affidavit for each school it intends to charter. The affidavit must state the terms and conditions under which the authorizer would charter a school and how the authorizer intends to oversee the fiscal and student performance of the charter school and to comply with the terms of the written contract between the authorizer and the charter school board of directors under subdivision 6. The commissioner must approve or disapprove the authorizer's affidavit within 60 business days of receipt of the affidavit. If the commissioner disapproves the affidavit, the commissioner shall notify the authorizer of the deficiencies in the affidavit and the authorizer then has 20 business days to address the deficiencies. If the authorizer does not address deficiencies to the commissioner's satisfaction, the commissioner's disapproval is final. Failure to obtain commissioner approval precludes an authorizer from chartering the school that is the subject of this affidavit.

(c) The authorizer may prevent an approved charter school from opening for operation if, among other grounds, the charter school violates this section or does not meet the ready-to-open standards that are part of the authorizer's oversight and evaluation process or are stipulated in the charter school contract.

(d) The operators authorized to organize and operate a school, before entering into a contract or other agreement for professional or other services, goods, or facilities, must incorporate as a cooperative under chapter 308A or as a nonprofit corporation under chapter 317A and must establish a board of directors composed of at least five members who are not related parties until a timely election for members of the ongoing charter school board of directors is held according to the school's articles and bylaws under paragraph (f). A charter school board of directors must be composed of at least five members who are not related parties. Staff members employed at the school, including teachers providing instruction under a contract with a cooperative, and all parents or legal guardians of children enrolled in the school are the voters eligible to elect the members of the school's board of directors. A charter school must notify eligible voters of the school board election dates at least 30 days before the election. Board of director meetings must comply with chapter 13D.

(e) Upon the request of an individual, the charter school must make available in a timely fashion the minutes of meetings of the board of directors, and of members and committees having any board-delegated authority; financial statements showing all operations and transactions affecting income, surplus, and deficit during the school's last annual accounting period; and a balance sheet summarizing assets and liabilities on the closing date of the accounting period. A charter school also must post on its official Web site information identifying its authorizer and indicate how to contact that authorizer and include that same information about its authorizer in other school materials that it makes available to the public.

(f) Every charter school board member shall attend department-approved training on board governance, the board's role and responsibilities, employment policies and practices, and financial management. A board member who does not begin the required training within six months of being seated and complete the required training within 12 months of being seated on the board is ineligible to continue to serve as a board member.

(g) The ongoing board must be elected before the school completes its third year of operation. Board elections must be held during a time when school is in session. The charter school board of directors shall be composed of at least five nonrelated members and include: (i) at least one licensed teacher employed and serving as a teacher at the school or a licensed teacher providing instruction under a ~~contact~~ contract between the charter school and a cooperative; (ii) the parent or legal guardian of a student enrolled in the charter school who is not employed by the charter school; and (iii) an interested community member who is not employed by the charter school and does not have a child enrolled in the school. The board may be a teacher majority board composed of teachers described in this paragraph. The chief financial officer and the chief administrator ~~are~~ may only serve as ex-officio nonvoting board members and shall not serve as a voting member of the board. Charter school employees shall not serve on the board unless item (i) applies. Contractors providing facilities, goods, or services to a charter school shall not serve on the board of directors of the charter school. Board bylaws shall outline the process and procedures for changing the board's governance model, consistent with chapter 317A. A board may change its governance model only:

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(1) by a majority vote of the board of directors and the licensed teachers employed by the school, including licensed teachers providing instruction under a contract between the school and a cooperative; and

(2) with the authorizer's approval.

Any change in board governance must conform with the board structure established under this paragraph.

(h) The granting or renewal of a charter by an authorizer must not be conditioned upon the bargaining unit status of the employees of the school.

(i) The granting or renewal of a charter school by an authorizer must not be contingent on the charter school being required to contract, lease, or purchase services from the authorizer. Any potential contract, lease, or purchase of service from an authorizer must be disclosed to the commissioner, accepted through an open bidding process, and be a separate contract from the charter contract. The school must document the open bidding process. An authorizer must not enter into a contract to provide management and financial services for a school that it authorizes, unless the school documents that it received at least two competitive bids.

(j) An authorizer may permit the board of directors of a charter school to expand the operation of the charter school to additional sites or to add additional grades at the school beyond those described in the authorizer's original affidavit as approved by the commissioner only after submitting a supplemental affidavit for approval to the commissioner in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner. The supplemental affidavit must show that:

(1) the expansion proposed by the charter school is supported by need and projected enrollment;

(2) the charter school expansion is warranted, at a minimum, by longitudinal data demonstrating students' improved academic performance and growth on statewide assessments under chapter 120B;

(3) the charter school is fiscally sound and has the financial capacity to implement the proposed expansion; and

(4) the authorizer finds that the charter school has the management capacity to carry out its expansion.

(k) The commissioner shall have 30 business days to review and comment on the supplemental affidavit. The commissioner shall notify the authorizer of any deficiencies in the supplemental affidavit and the authorizer then has 30 business days to address, to the commissioner's satisfaction, any deficiencies in the supplemental affidavit. The school may not expand grades or add sites until the commissioner has approved the supplemental affidavit. The commissioner's approval or disapproval of a supplemental affidavit is final.

Sec. 28. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 4a, is amended to read:

Subd. 4a. Conflict of interest. (a) An individual ~~is prohibited from serving~~ must not serve as a member of the charter school board of directors if ~~the~~ that individual, an immediate family member, or the individual's partner is an owner, an employee or agent of, or a contractor who contracts with a for-profit or nonprofit entity, or an individual, and with whom the charter school contracts, directly or indirectly, for professional services, goods, or facilities. A violation of this prohibition renders a contract voidable at the option of the commissioner or the charter school board of directors. A member of a charter school board of directors who violates this prohibition is individually liable to the charter school for any damage caused by the violation.

(b) No member of the board of directors, employee, officer, or agent of a charter school shall participate in selecting, awarding, or administering a contract if a conflict of interest exists. A conflict exists when:

(1) the board member, employee, officer, or agent;

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(2) the immediate family of the board member, employee, officer, or agent;

(3) the partner of the board member, employee, officer, or agent; or

(4) an organization that employs, or is about to employ any individual in clauses (1) to (3),

has a financial or other interest in the entity with which the charter school is contracting. A violation of this prohibition renders the contract void.

(c) Any employee, agent, or board member of the authorizer who participates in the initial review, approval, ongoing oversight, evaluation, or the charter renewal or nonrenewal process or decision is ineligible to serve on the board of directors of a school chartered by that authorizer.

(d) An individual may serve as a member of the board of directors if no conflict of interest under paragraph (a) exists.

(e) A charter school board member or employee may receive remuneration such as a fee-for-service as part of a financial transaction involving a charter school only if the remuneration is payment for services rendered that are in addition to the services the board member or employee already agreed to provide to the charter school and the board of directors formally approves the remuneration.

(f) The conflict of interest provisions under this subdivision do not apply to compensation paid to a teacher employed by the charter school who also serves as a member of the board of directors.

~~(f)~~ (g) The conflict of interest provisions under this subdivision do not apply to a teacher who provides services to a charter school through a cooperative formed under chapter 308A when the teacher also serves on the charter school board of directors.

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

Sec. 29. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 6a, is amended to read:

Subd. 6a. Audit report. (a) The charter school must submit an audit report to the commissioner and its authorizer by December 31 each year.

(b) The charter school, with the assistance of the auditor conducting the audit, must include with the report a copy of all charter school agreements for corporate management services. If the entity that provides the professional services to the charter school is exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, that entity must file with the commissioner by February 15 a copy of the annual return required under section 6033 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

(c) If the commissioner receives an audit report indicating that a material weakness exists in the financial reporting systems of a charter school, the charter school must submit a written report to the commissioner explaining how the material weakness will be resolved. An entity, as a condition of providing financial services to a charter school, must agree to make available information about a charter school's financial audit to the commissioner upon request.

Sec. 30. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 11, is amended to read:

Subd. 11. Employment and other operating matters. (a) A charter school must employ or contract with necessary teachers, as defined by section 122A.15, subdivision 1, who hold valid licenses to perform the particular service for which they are employed in the school. The charter school's state aid may be reduced under section 127A.43 if the school employs a teacher who is not appropriately licensed or approved by the board of teaching.

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The school may employ necessary employees who are not required to hold teaching licenses to perform duties other than teaching and may contract for other services. The school may discharge teachers and nonlicensed employees. The charter school board is subject to section 181.932. When offering employment to a prospective employee, a charter school must give that employee a written description of the terms and conditions of employment and the school's personnel policies. The terms and conditions of employment must include an annual teacher evaluation that is substantively consistent with section 122A.40, subdivision 8, paragraph (b). Teacher evaluations do not create an expectation of continuing employment.

(b) A person, without holding a valid administrator's license, may perform administrative, supervisory, or instructional leadership duties. The board of directors shall establish qualifications for persons that hold administrative, supervisory, or instructional leadership roles. The qualifications shall include at least the following areas: instruction and assessment; human resource and personnel management; financial management; legal and compliance management; effective communication; and board, authorizer, and community relationships. The board of directors shall use those qualifications as the basis for job descriptions, hiring, and performance evaluations, substantively consistent with section 123B.147, subdivision 3, paragraph (b), of those who hold administrative, supervisory, or instructional leadership roles. Performance evaluations do not create an expectation of continuing employment. The board of directors and an individual who does not hold a valid administrative license and who serves in an administrative, supervisory, or instructional leadership position shall develop a professional development plan. Documentation of the implementation of the professional development plan of these persons shall be included in the school's annual report.

(c) The board of directors also shall decide matters related to the operation of the school, including budgeting, curriculum and operating procedures.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for the 2011-2012 school year and later.

Sec. 31. Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 23, is amended to read:

Subd. 23. Causes for nonrenewal or termination of charter school contract. (a) The duration of the contract with an authorizer must be for the term contained in the contract according to subdivision 6. The authorizer may or may not renew a contract at the end of the term for any ground listed in paragraph (b). An authorizer may unilaterally terminate a contract during the term of the contract for any ground listed in paragraph (b). At least 60 days before not renewing or terminating a contract, the authorizer shall notify the board of directors of the charter school of the proposed action in writing. The notice shall state the grounds for the proposed action in reasonable detail and that the charter school's board of directors may request in writing an informal hearing before the authorizer within 15 business days of receiving notice of nonrenewal or termination of the contract. Failure by the board of directors to make a written request for a hearing within the 15-business-day period shall be treated as acquiescence to the proposed action. Upon receiving a timely written request for a hearing, the authorizer shall give ten business days' notice to the charter school's board of directors of the hearing date. The authorizer shall conduct an informal hearing before taking final action. The authorizer shall take final action to renew or not renew a contract no later than 20 business days before the proposed date for terminating the contract or the end date of the contract.

(b) A contract may be terminated or not renewed upon any of the following grounds:

(1) failure to meet the requirements for pupil performance contained in the contract;

(2) failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management;

(3) violations of law; or

(4) other good cause shown.

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If a contract is terminated or not renewed under this paragraph, the school must be dissolved according to the applicable provisions of chapter 308A or 317A.

(c) If the sponsor and the charter school board of directors mutually agree to terminate or not renew the contract, a change in sponsors is allowed if the commissioner approves the transfer to a different eligible authorizer to authorize the charter school. Both parties must jointly submit their intent in writing to the commissioner to mutually terminate the contract. The sponsor that is a party to the existing contract at least must inform the approved different eligible sponsor about the fiscal and operational status and student performance of the school. Before the commissioner determines whether to approve a transfer of authorizer, the commissioner first must determine whether the charter school and prospective new authorizer can identify and effectively resolve those circumstances causing the previous authorizer and the charter school to mutually agree to terminate the contract. If no transfer of sponsor is approved, the school must be dissolved according to applicable law and the terms of the contract.

(d) The commissioner, after providing reasonable notice to the board of directors of a charter school and the existing authorizer, and after providing an opportunity for a public hearing under chapter 14, may terminate the existing contract between the authorizer and the charter school board if the charter school has a history of:

(1) failure to meet pupil performance requirements ~~contained in the contract~~ consistent with state law;

(2) financial mismanagement or failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management; or

(3) ~~repeated or major~~ violations of the law.

(e) If the commissioner terminates a charter school contract under subdivision 3, paragraph (g), the commissioner shall provide the charter school with information about other eligible authorizers.

Sec. 32. [124D.101] VACANT BUILDING INVENTORY.

The Department of Administration and the Department of Education annually shall publish a list of state and district-owned buildings and parts of buildings that are vacant and unused and that may be suitable for operating a charter school. The Department of Education shall make the list available to charter school applicants and operators. The list shall include the building address, a brief building description, and building name. Nothing in this section requires a building owner to sell or lease a listed building or a part of a building to a charter school, any other school, or any other prospective buyer or tenant. School districts, upon request, must provide the Department of Education with the information it needs to compile the vacant building list under this section.

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

Sec. 33. Laws 2009, chapter 96, article 2, section 64, is amended to read:

Sec. 64. RESERVED REVENUE FOR STAFF DEVELOPMENT; TEMPORARY SUSPENSION.

(a) Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section 122A.61, subdivision 1, for fiscal years 2010 and 2011 only, a school district or charter school may use revenue reserved for staff development under Minnesota Statutes, section 122A.61, subdivision 1, according to the requirements of general education revenue under Minnesota Statutes, section 126C.13, subdivision 5.

(b) On June 30, 2010, a school district may permanently transfer any balance from the reserved account for staff development to the undesignated general fund balance.

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Sec. 34. Laws 2009, chapter 96, article 2, section 67, subdivision 14, is amended to read:

Subd. 14. Collaborative urban educator. For the collaborative urban educator grant program:

$528,000 . . . . . 2010

$528,000 . . . . . 2011

$210,000 each year is for the Southeast Asian teacher program at Concordia University, St. Paul; $159,000 each year is for the collaborative urban educator program at the University of St. Thomas; and $159,000 each year is for the Center for Excellence in Urban Teaching at Hamline University. Grant recipients must collaborate with urban and nonurban school districts. Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available in the second year.

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

Sec. 35. Laws 2009, chapter 96, article 2, section 67, subdivision 17, is amended to read:

Subd. 17. Education Planning and Assessment System (EPAS) program. For the Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS) program under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.128:

$829,000 . . . . . 2010

$ ~~829,000~~ 638,000 . . . . . 2011

Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available in the second year.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2010.

Sec. 36. IMPLEMENTING DIFFERENTIATED GRADUATION RATE MEASURES AND EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE ROUTES TO A STANDARD DIPLOMA FOR AT-RISK AND OFF-TRACK STUDENTS.

(a) To implement the requirements of Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (e), the commissioner of education must convene a group of recognized and qualified experts on improving differentiated graduation rates and establishing alternative routes to a standard high school diploma for at-risk and off-track students throughout the state. The commissioner must assist the group, as requested, to explore and recommend to the commissioner and the legislature (i) research-based measures that demonstrate the relative success of school districts, school sites, charter schools, and alternative program providers in improving the graduation outcomes of at-risk and off-track students, and (ii) state options for establishing alternative routes to a standard diploma consistent with the educational accountability system under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 120B. When proposing alternative routes to a standard diploma, the group also must identify highly reliable variables that generate summary data to comply with Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (e), including: who initiates the request for an alternative route; who approves the request for an alternative route; the parameters of the alternative route process, including whether a student first must fail a regular, state-mandated exam; and the comparability of the academic and achievement criteria reflected in the alternative route and the standard route for a standard diploma. The group is also encouraged to identify the data, time lines, and methods needed to evaluate and report on the alternative routes to a standard diploma once they are implemented and the student outcomes that result from those routes.

(b) The commissioner must convene the first meeting of this group by September 15, 2010. Group members must include: one administrator of, one teacher from, and one parent of a student currently enrolled in a state-approved alternative program selected by the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs; one representative selected by the Minnesota Online Learning Alliance; one representative selected by the Metropolitan Federation of

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Alternative Schools; one representative selected by the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools; one representative selected by the Minnesota School Board Association; one representative selected by Education Minnesota; one representative selected by the Association of Metropolitan School Districts; one representative selected by the Minnesota Rural Education Association; two faculty members selected by the dean of the college of education at the University of Minnesota with expertise in serving and assessing at-risk and off-track students; two Minnesota State Colleges and Universities faculty members selected by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities chancellor with expertise in serving and assessing at-risk and off-track students; one currently serving superintendent from a school district selected by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators; one currently serving high school principal selected by the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals; and two public members selected by the commissioner. The group may seek input from representatives of other interested stakeholders and organizations with expertise to help inform the group's work. The group must meet at least quarterly. Group members do not receive compensation or reimbursement of expenses for participating in this group. The group expires February 16, 2012.

(c) The group, by February 15, 2012, must develop and submit to the commissioner and the education policy and finance committees of the legislature recommendations and legislation, consistent with this section and Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (e), for:

(1) measuring and reporting differentiated graduation rates for at-risk and off-track students throughout the state and the success and costs that school districts, school sites, charter schools, and alternative program providers experience in identifying and serving at-risk or off-track student populations; and

(2) establishing alternative routes to a standard diploma.

EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment and applies to school report cards beginning July 1, 2013.

Sec. 37. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY.

The commissioner of education shall adopt rules consistent with chapter 14 that provide English language proficiency standards for instruction of students identified as limited English proficient under Minnesota Statutes, sections 124D.58 to 124D.64. The English language proficiency standards must encompass the language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The English language proficiency standards must reflect social and academic dimensions of acquiring a second language that are accepted of English language learners in prekindergarten through grade 12. The English language proficiency standards must address the specific contexts for language acquisition in the areas of social and instructional settings as well as academic language encountered in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The English language proficiency standards must express the progression of language development through language proficiency levels. The English language proficiency standards must be implemented for all limited English proficient students beginning in the 2011-2012 school year and assessed beginning in the 2012-2013 school year.

Sec. 38. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.