Bill Text: MN HF655 | 2011-2012 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Mathematics GRAD exception removed, and high school assessments established to determine college and career readiness.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-02-24 - Introduction and first reading, referred to Education Reform [HF655 Detail]
Download: Minnesota-2011-HF655-Introduced.html
1.2relating to education; removing mathematics GRAD exception; establishing
1.3high school assessments to determine college and career readiness; requiring
1.4reports;amending Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 120B.30, subdivision 1, by
1.5adding a subdivision.
1.6BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.7 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 120B.30, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.8 Subdivision 1. Statewide testing. (a) The commissioner, with advice from experts
1.9with appropriate technical qualifications and experience and stakeholders, consistent with
1.10subdivision 1a, shall include in the comprehensive assessment system, for each grade
1.11level to be tested, state-constructed tests developed from and aligned with the state's
1.12required academic standards under section120B.021 , include multiple choice questions,
1.13and be administered annually to all students in grades 3 through 8. State-developed high
1.14school tests aligned with the state's required academic standards under section120B.021
1.15and administered to all high school students in a subject other than writing must include
1.16multiple choice questions. The commissioner shall establish one or more months during
1.17which schools shall administer the tests to students each school year. For students enrolled
1.18in grade 8 before the 2005-2006 school year, Minnesota basic skills tests in reading,
1.19mathematics, and writing shall fulfill students' basic skills testing requirements for a
1.20passing state notation. The passing scores of basic skills tests in reading and mathematics
1.21are the equivalent of 75 percent correct for students entering grade 9 based on the first
1.22uniform test administered in February 1998. Students who have not successfully passed
1.23a Minnesota basic skills test by the end of the 2011-2012 school year must pass the
1.24graduation-required assessments for diploma under paragraph (c).
2.1(b) The state assessment system must be aligned to the most recent revision of
2.2academic standards as described in section120B.023 in the following manner:
2.3(1) mathematics;
2.4(i) grades 3 through 8 beginning in the 2010-2011 school year; and
2.5(ii) high school level beginning in the 2013-2014 school year;
2.6(2) science; grades 5 and 8 and at the high school level beginning in the 2011-2012
2.7school year; and
2.8(3) language arts and reading; grades 3 through 8 and high school level beginning in
2.9the 2012-2013 school year.
2.10 (c) For students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2005-2006 school year and later, only the
2.11following options shall fulfill students' state graduation test requirements:
2.12 (1) for reading and mathematics:
2.13 (i) obtaining an achievement level equivalent to or greater than proficient as
2.14determined through a standard setting process on the Minnesota comprehensive
2.15assessments in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics or achieving a passing
2.16score as determined through a standard setting process on the graduation-required
2.17assessment for diploma in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics or
2.18subsequent retests;
2.19 (ii) achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process on the
2.20state-identified language proficiency test in reading and the mathematics test for English
2.21language learners or the graduation-required assessment for diploma equivalent of those
2.22assessments for students designated as English language learners;
2.23 (iii) achieving an individual passing score on the graduation-required assessment
2.24for diploma as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an individual
2.25education plan or 504 plan;
2.26 (iv) obtaining achievement level equivalent to or greater than proficient as
2.27determined through a standard setting process on the state-identified alternate assessment
2.28or assessments in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics for students with
2.29an individual education plan; or
2.30 (v) achieving an individual passing score on the state-identified alternate assessment
2.31or assessments as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an
2.32individual education plan; and
2.33 (2) for writing:
2.34 (i) achieving a passing score on the graduation-required assessment for diploma;
3.1 (ii) achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process on
3.2the state-identified language proficiency test in writing for students designated as English
3.3language learners;
3.4 (iii) achieving an individual passing score on the graduation-required assessment
3.5for diploma as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an individual
3.6education plan or 504 plan; or
3.7 (iv) achieving an individual passing score on the state-identified alternate assessment
3.8or assessments as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an
3.9individual education plan.
3.10 (d) Students enrolled in grade 8 in any school year from the 2005-2006 school
3.11year to the2009-2010 2008-2009 school year who do not pass the mathematics
3.12graduation-required assessment for diploma under paragraph (c) are eligible to receive a
3.13high school diploma if they:
3.14(1) complete with a passing score or grade all state and local coursework and credits
3.15required for graduation by the school board granting the students their diploma;
3.16(2) participate in district-prescribed academic remediation in mathematics; and
3.17 (3) fully participate in at least two retests of the mathematics GRAD test or until
3.18they pass the mathematics GRAD test, whichever comes first. A school, district, or
3.19charter school must place a student's highest assessment score for each of the following
3.20assessments on the student's high school transcript: the mathematics Minnesota
3.21Comprehensive Assessment, reading Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, and writing
3.22Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma, and when applicable, the mathematics
3.23Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma and reading Graduation-Required
3.24Assessment for Diploma.
3.25In addition, the school board granting the students their diplomas may formally
3.26decide to include a notation of high achievement on the high school diplomas of those
3.27graduating seniors who, according to established school board criteria, demonstrate
3.28exemplary academic achievement during high school.
3.29(e) The 3rd through 8th grade and high school test results shall be available to
3.30districts for diagnostic purposes affecting student learning and district instruction and
3.31curriculum, and for establishing educational accountability. The commissioner must
3.32disseminate to the public the high school test results upon receiving those results.
3.33 (f) The 3rd through 8th grade and high school tests must be aligned with state
3.34academic standards. The commissioner shall determine the testing process and the order
3.35of administration. The statewide results shall be aggregated at the site and district level,
3.36consistent with subdivision 1a.
4.1 (g) In addition to the testing and reporting requirements under this section, the
4.2commissioner shall include the following components in the statewide public reporting
4.3system:
4.4 (1) uniform statewide testing of all students in grades 3 through 8 and at the high
4.5school level that provides appropriate, technically sound accommodations or alternate
4.6assessments;
4.7 (2) educational indicators that can be aggregated and compared across school
4.8districts and across time on a statewide basis, including average daily attendance, high
4.9school graduation rates, and high school drop-out rates by age and grade level;
4.10 (3) state results on the American College Test; and
4.11 (4) state results from participation in the National Assessment of Educational
4.12Progress so that the state can benchmark its performance against the nation and other
4.13states, and, where possible, against other countries, and contribute to the national effort
4.14to monitor achievement.
4.15EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective July 1, 2011.
4.16 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 120B.30, is amended by adding a subdivision
4.17to read:
4.18 Subd. 1b. High school assessments. (a) Notwithstanding any other law to the
4.19contrary, the commissioner shall establish a system of high school assessments for students
4.20entering grade 8 in the 2012-2013 school year and later that provides information on the
4.21college and career readiness of Minnesota students and fulfills federal accountability
4.22requirements, consistent with this subdivision and related rules. For purposes of this
4.23subdivision, "college and career readiness" means the knowledge and skills that a high
4.24school graduate needs to undertake either credit-bearing coursework at a two-year or
4.25four-year college or university or career-track employment.
4.26(b) The commissioner shall establish and administer a high school reading and
4.27writing exam at the end of grade 10. The reading and writing exam must conform with
4.28the following:
4.29(1) align with the most recently revised academic content standards under section
4.30120B.023, subdivision 2;
4.31(2) produce independent scores for each content area;
4.32(3) include both multiple-choice and open-ended items on the reading portion of the
4.33exam to assess skills defined in the state's academic content standards;
4.34(4) be designed for computer administration and scoring so that, beginning the
4.35second year a computerized test is administered and as soon as practicable during the
5.1first year a computerized test is administered, the exam results of students who take
5.2computerized tests are available to the school or district within five full school days after
5.3the exam is administered, among other design characteristics;
5.4(5) allow for remediation and computer retests not sooner than six weeks after the
5.5previous administration of the reading and writing portions of the exam;
5.6(6) use achievement level descriptors in reading and writing that define a student's
5.7readiness for college or a career;
5.8(7) require all general education students, as a condition of graduating, to achieve
5.9passing scores indicating performance meets or exceeds grade-level standards in reading
5.10and writing and established through a professionally recognized methodology, consistent
5.11with this paragraph;
5.12(8) require general education students to participate in a locally developed
5.13remediation plan if they do not achieve a passing score;
5.14(9) provide a state-level student appeals process not to exceed two percent of
5.15students in each graduating class, that accommodates alternative measures to demonstrate
5.16students' college and career readiness and is available only to those limited number
5.17of students in the second semester of their senior year who are unable to demonstrate
5.18reading or writing proficiency on the assessment but can demonstrate equivalent levels of
5.19knowledge and skill based on the alternative measures; and
5.20(10) allow an eligible student to meet this exam requirement through an alternative
5.21method:
5.22(i) for high school students who transfer into Minnesota from another state where
5.23the high school reading and writing course and graduation requirements are of equal
5.24or greater rigor, meet that state's federal accountability exams requirements in reading
5.25or writing, as applicable;
5.26(ii) allow a student who has an active individualized education program to achieve a
5.27passing status at an individual level as prescribed by the commissioner; or
5.28(iii) waive the required exam for a high school student who is an English language
5.29learner under section 124D.59 and who has been enrolled for four or fewer school years in
5.30a school in which English is the primary language of instruction.
5.31(c) All general education students must receive a passing score in both reading
5.32and writing to graduate, consistent with paragraphs (b) and (e). The commissioner must
5.33establish the passing score that indicates performance that meets grade-level standards.
5.34(d) The commissioner shall establish statewide end-of-course exams in subjects
5.35equivalent to high school algebra and biology. These exams must conform with the
5.36following:
6.1(1) align with the most recently revised academic content standards under section
6.2120B.023, subdivision 2;
6.3(2) include both multiple-choice and open-ended items that assess the appropriate
6.4algebra and biology knowledge and skills contained in the state's academic content
6.5standards;
6.6(3) be designed for computer administration and scoring so that, beginning the
6.7second year a computerized test is administered and as soon as practicable during the
6.8first year a computerized test is administered, the exam results of students who take
6.9computerized tests are available to the school or district within five full school days after
6.10the exam is administered, among other design characteristics;
6.11(4) be administered at regular intervals that align with the most common high school
6.12schedules in Minnesota;
6.13(5) generate achievement levels established through a professionally recognized
6.14methodology;
6.15(6) use achievement level descriptors that define a student's college and career
6.16readiness;
6.17(7) require all general education students, as a condition of graduating, to achieve
6.18passing scores indicating performance meets or exceeds grade-level standards in algebra
6.19and biology and established through a professionally recognized methodology, consistent
6.20with this paragraph;
6.21(8) require a student who does not pass a high school algebra or biology course to:
6.22(i) retake the course or complete a district-authorized credit recovery class; and
6.23(ii) retake the end-of-course assessment within a regularly scheduled administration
6.24window; and
6.25(9) allow an eligible student to meet this requirement through an alternative method
6.26that demonstrates the student's college and career readiness:
6.27(i) for high school students who transfer into Minnesota from another state where
6.28the algebra or biology course content, as applicable, is of equal or greater rigor, pass that
6.29state's high school course and graduation requirements in algebra or biology, as applicable;
6.30(ii) allow a student who has an active individualized education program to achieve a
6.31passing status at an individual level as prescribed by the commissioner; or
6.32(iii) waive the required exam for a high school student who is an English language
6.33learner under section 124D.59 and who has been enrolled for four or fewer years in a
6.34school in which English is the primary language of instruction.
6.35(e) The requirements of this subdivision apply to students in public schools,
6.36including charter schools, who enter grade 8 in the 2012-2013 school year or later. The
7.1commissioner may establish a transition period where students who enter grade 8 in
7.2the 2012-2013 or 2013-2014 school year graduate either under the graduation-required
7.3assessment for diploma requirements under section 120B.30, subdivision 1, or through a
7.4staggered implementation of this subdivision. During the transition period, the proficiency
7.5of any federal or state-required interim passing score in reading or writing must be
7.6comparable in rigor to the passing scores currently required for reading and writing under
7.7the graduation-required assessment for diploma. The commissioner may seek authority
7.8from the legislature to adjust the timeline under this paragraph if circumstances such as
7.9changes in federal law governing educational accountability and assessment warrant
7.10such an adjustment.
7.11(f) To fully implement this subdivision and enable school districts to provide
7.12intervention and support to struggling students and improve instruction for all students,
7.13the commissioner must provide districts with:
7.14(i) benchmark assessments that are aligned with the high school reading and writing
7.15assessment and algebra and biology end-of-course exams; and
7.16(ii) an item bank available to teachers for creating formative assessments to help
7.17students prepare for the high school reading and writing assessment and algebra and
7.18biology end-of-course exams.
7.19(g) The commissioner shall expand the membership and purpose of the Assessment
7.20Advisory Committee established under section 120B.365 to include assessment experts
7.21and practitioners from both secondary and postsecondary education systems and other
7.22appropriate stakeholders to monitor the implementation of and student outcomes based on
7.23the end-of-course exams and policies and the state support available to districts, including
7.24small or rural districts, under this subdivision. This committee shall report annually by
7.25February 15 to the commissioner and the legislature on the implementation of and student
7.26outcomes based on the exams and policies under this subdivision. Notwithstanding
7.27section 15.059, subdivision 3, committee members shall not receive compensation, per
7.28diem payments, or reimbursement for expenses.
7.29(h) The commissioner must not begin to develop additional statewide end-of-course
7.30exams in geometry, chemistry, or physics until specifically authorized in law to do so.
7.31(i) A district or charter school must indicate on a student's transcript the student's
7.32level of college and career readiness in reading, writing, algebra, and biology under this
7.33subdivision after the levels have been established through a professionally recognized
7.34methodology.
7.35EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.
8.1 Sec. 3. ASSESSMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE; RECOMMENDATIONS.
8.2(a) The Assessment Advisory Committee under Minnesota Statutes, section
8.3120B.365, must develop recommendations for alternative methods by which students meet
8.4the reading and writing exam requirement under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.30,
8.5subdivision 1b, paragraph (b), clause (10). The Assessment Advisory Committee, among
8.6other alternative methods and if consistent with federal educational accountability law,
8.7must consider allowing students to:
8.8(1) achieve a college-credit score on a college-level examination program (CLEP)
8.9for reading and writing; or
8.10(2) achieve a college readiness score in the relevant subject area on the American
8.11college test (ACT) or scholastic aptitude test (SAT) exam.
8.12(b) The Assessment Advisory Committee must develop recommendations for
8.13alternative methods by which students satisfy the high school algebra and biology
8.14requirements under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.30, subdivision 1b, paragraph (d),
8.15clause (8), and demonstrate their college and career readiness. The Assessment Advisory
8.16Committee, among other alternative methods and if consistent with federal educational
8.17accountability law, must consider allowing students to:
8.18(1) achieve the mathematics or science college readiness score on the American
8.19college test (ACT) or scholastic aptitude test (SAT) exam;
8.20(2) achieve a college-credit score on a college-level examination program (CLEP)
8.21for algebra or biology; or
8.22(3) achieve a score on an equivalent advanced placement or international
8.23baccalaureate exam that would earn credit at a four-year college or university.
8.24(c) The Assessment Advisory Committee, for purposes of fully implementing the
8.25high school assessment system under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.30, subdivision
8.261b, also must develop recommendations for the administrative structure, criteria, and
8.27processes for implementing the state-level student appeals process.
8.28(d) By February 15, 2013, the Assessment Advisory Committee must submit its
8.29recommendations under this section to the education commissioner and the education
8.30policy and finance committees of the legislature.
8.31EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.
1.3high school assessments to determine college and career readiness; requiring
1.4reports;amending Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 120B.30, subdivision 1, by
1.5adding a subdivision.
1.6BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.7 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 120B.30, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.8 Subdivision 1. Statewide testing. (a) The commissioner, with advice from experts
1.9with appropriate technical qualifications and experience and stakeholders, consistent with
1.10subdivision 1a, shall include in the comprehensive assessment system, for each grade
1.11level to be tested, state-constructed tests developed from and aligned with the state's
1.12required academic standards under section
1.13and be administered annually to all students in grades 3 through 8. State-developed high
1.14school tests aligned with the state's required academic standards under section
1.16multiple choice questions. The commissioner shall establish one or more months during
1.17which schools shall administer the tests to students each school year. For students enrolled
1.18in grade 8 before the 2005-2006 school year, Minnesota basic skills tests in reading,
1.19mathematics, and writing shall fulfill students' basic skills testing requirements for a
1.20passing state notation. The passing scores of basic skills tests in reading and mathematics
1.21are the equivalent of 75 percent correct for students entering grade 9 based on the first
1.22uniform test administered in February 1998. Students who have not successfully passed
1.23a Minnesota basic skills test by the end of the 2011-2012 school year must pass the
1.24graduation-required assessments for diploma under paragraph (c).
2.1(b) The state assessment system must be aligned to the most recent revision of
2.2academic standards as described in section
2.3(1) mathematics;
2.4(i) grades 3 through 8 beginning in the 2010-2011 school year; and
2.5(ii) high school level beginning in the 2013-2014 school year;
2.6(2) science; grades 5 and 8 and at the high school level beginning in the 2011-2012
2.7school year; and
2.8(3) language arts and reading; grades 3 through 8 and high school level beginning in
2.9the 2012-2013 school year.
2.10 (c) For students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2005-2006 school year and later, only the
2.11following options shall fulfill students' state graduation test requirements:
2.12 (1) for reading and mathematics:
2.13 (i) obtaining an achievement level equivalent to or greater than proficient as
2.14determined through a standard setting process on the Minnesota comprehensive
2.15assessments in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics or achieving a passing
2.16score as determined through a standard setting process on the graduation-required
2.17assessment for diploma in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics or
2.18subsequent retests;
2.19 (ii) achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process on the
2.20state-identified language proficiency test in reading and the mathematics test for English
2.21language learners or the graduation-required assessment for diploma equivalent of those
2.22assessments for students designated as English language learners;
2.23 (iii) achieving an individual passing score on the graduation-required assessment
2.24for diploma as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an individual
2.25education plan or 504 plan;
2.26 (iv) obtaining achievement level equivalent to or greater than proficient as
2.27determined through a standard setting process on the state-identified alternate assessment
2.28or assessments in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics for students with
2.29an individual education plan; or
2.30 (v) achieving an individual passing score on the state-identified alternate assessment
2.31or assessments as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an
2.32individual education plan; and
2.33 (2) for writing:
2.34 (i) achieving a passing score on the graduation-required assessment for diploma;
3.1 (ii) achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process on
3.2the state-identified language proficiency test in writing for students designated as English
3.3language learners;
3.4 (iii) achieving an individual passing score on the graduation-required assessment
3.5for diploma as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an individual
3.6education plan or 504 plan; or
3.7 (iv) achieving an individual passing score on the state-identified alternate assessment
3.8or assessments as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an
3.9individual education plan.
3.10 (d) Students enrolled in grade 8 in any school year from the 2005-2006 school
3.11year to the
3.12graduation-required assessment for diploma under paragraph (c) are eligible to receive a
3.13high school diploma if they:
3.14(1) complete with a passing score or grade all state and local coursework and credits
3.15required for graduation by the school board granting the students their diploma;
3.16(2) participate in district-prescribed academic remediation in mathematics; and
3.17 (3) fully participate in at least two retests of the mathematics GRAD test or until
3.18they pass the mathematics GRAD test, whichever comes first. A school, district, or
3.19charter school must place a student's highest assessment score for each of the following
3.20assessments on the student's high school transcript: the mathematics Minnesota
3.21Comprehensive Assessment, reading Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, and writing
3.22Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma, and when applicable, the mathematics
3.23Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma and reading Graduation-Required
3.24Assessment for Diploma.
3.25In addition, the school board granting the students their diplomas may formally
3.26decide to include a notation of high achievement on the high school diplomas of those
3.27graduating seniors who, according to established school board criteria, demonstrate
3.28exemplary academic achievement during high school.
3.29(e) The 3rd through 8th grade and high school test results shall be available to
3.30districts for diagnostic purposes affecting student learning and district instruction and
3.31curriculum, and for establishing educational accountability. The commissioner must
3.32disseminate to the public the high school test results upon receiving those results.
3.33 (f) The 3rd through 8th grade and high school tests must be aligned with state
3.34academic standards. The commissioner shall determine the testing process and the order
3.35of administration. The statewide results shall be aggregated at the site and district level,
3.36consistent with subdivision 1a.
4.1 (g) In addition to the testing and reporting requirements under this section, the
4.2commissioner shall include the following components in the statewide public reporting
4.3system:
4.4 (1) uniform statewide testing of all students in grades 3 through 8 and at the high
4.5school level that provides appropriate, technically sound accommodations or alternate
4.6assessments;
4.7 (2) educational indicators that can be aggregated and compared across school
4.8districts and across time on a statewide basis, including average daily attendance, high
4.9school graduation rates, and high school drop-out rates by age and grade level;
4.10 (3) state results on the American College Test; and
4.11 (4) state results from participation in the National Assessment of Educational
4.12Progress so that the state can benchmark its performance against the nation and other
4.13states, and, where possible, against other countries, and contribute to the national effort
4.14to monitor achievement.
4.15EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective July 1, 2011.
4.16 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 120B.30, is amended by adding a subdivision
4.17to read:
4.18 Subd. 1b. High school assessments. (a) Notwithstanding any other law to the
4.19contrary, the commissioner shall establish a system of high school assessments for students
4.20entering grade 8 in the 2012-2013 school year and later that provides information on the
4.21college and career readiness of Minnesota students and fulfills federal accountability
4.22requirements, consistent with this subdivision and related rules. For purposes of this
4.23subdivision, "college and career readiness" means the knowledge and skills that a high
4.24school graduate needs to undertake either credit-bearing coursework at a two-year or
4.25four-year college or university or career-track employment.
4.26(b) The commissioner shall establish and administer a high school reading and
4.27writing exam at the end of grade 10. The reading and writing exam must conform with
4.28the following:
4.29(1) align with the most recently revised academic content standards under section
4.30120B.023, subdivision 2;
4.31(2) produce independent scores for each content area;
4.32(3) include both multiple-choice and open-ended items on the reading portion of the
4.33exam to assess skills defined in the state's academic content standards;
4.34(4) be designed for computer administration and scoring so that, beginning the
4.35second year a computerized test is administered and as soon as practicable during the
5.1first year a computerized test is administered, the exam results of students who take
5.2computerized tests are available to the school or district within five full school days after
5.3the exam is administered, among other design characteristics;
5.4(5) allow for remediation and computer retests not sooner than six weeks after the
5.5previous administration of the reading and writing portions of the exam;
5.6(6) use achievement level descriptors in reading and writing that define a student's
5.7readiness for college or a career;
5.8(7) require all general education students, as a condition of graduating, to achieve
5.9passing scores indicating performance meets or exceeds grade-level standards in reading
5.10and writing and established through a professionally recognized methodology, consistent
5.11with this paragraph;
5.12(8) require general education students to participate in a locally developed
5.13remediation plan if they do not achieve a passing score;
5.14(9) provide a state-level student appeals process not to exceed two percent of
5.15students in each graduating class, that accommodates alternative measures to demonstrate
5.16students' college and career readiness and is available only to those limited number
5.17of students in the second semester of their senior year who are unable to demonstrate
5.18reading or writing proficiency on the assessment but can demonstrate equivalent levels of
5.19knowledge and skill based on the alternative measures; and
5.20(10) allow an eligible student to meet this exam requirement through an alternative
5.21method:
5.22(i) for high school students who transfer into Minnesota from another state where
5.23the high school reading and writing course and graduation requirements are of equal
5.24or greater rigor, meet that state's federal accountability exams requirements in reading
5.25or writing, as applicable;
5.26(ii) allow a student who has an active individualized education program to achieve a
5.27passing status at an individual level as prescribed by the commissioner; or
5.28(iii) waive the required exam for a high school student who is an English language
5.29learner under section 124D.59 and who has been enrolled for four or fewer school years in
5.30a school in which English is the primary language of instruction.
5.31(c) All general education students must receive a passing score in both reading
5.32and writing to graduate, consistent with paragraphs (b) and (e). The commissioner must
5.33establish the passing score that indicates performance that meets grade-level standards.
5.34(d) The commissioner shall establish statewide end-of-course exams in subjects
5.35equivalent to high school algebra and biology. These exams must conform with the
5.36following:
6.1(1) align with the most recently revised academic content standards under section
6.2120B.023, subdivision 2;
6.3(2) include both multiple-choice and open-ended items that assess the appropriate
6.4algebra and biology knowledge and skills contained in the state's academic content
6.5standards;
6.6(3) be designed for computer administration and scoring so that, beginning the
6.7second year a computerized test is administered and as soon as practicable during the
6.8first year a computerized test is administered, the exam results of students who take
6.9computerized tests are available to the school or district within five full school days after
6.10the exam is administered, among other design characteristics;
6.11(4) be administered at regular intervals that align with the most common high school
6.12schedules in Minnesota;
6.13(5) generate achievement levels established through a professionally recognized
6.14methodology;
6.15(6) use achievement level descriptors that define a student's college and career
6.16readiness;
6.17(7) require all general education students, as a condition of graduating, to achieve
6.18passing scores indicating performance meets or exceeds grade-level standards in algebra
6.19and biology and established through a professionally recognized methodology, consistent
6.20with this paragraph;
6.21(8) require a student who does not pass a high school algebra or biology course to:
6.22(i) retake the course or complete a district-authorized credit recovery class; and
6.23(ii) retake the end-of-course assessment within a regularly scheduled administration
6.24window; and
6.25(9) allow an eligible student to meet this requirement through an alternative method
6.26that demonstrates the student's college and career readiness:
6.27(i) for high school students who transfer into Minnesota from another state where
6.28the algebra or biology course content, as applicable, is of equal or greater rigor, pass that
6.29state's high school course and graduation requirements in algebra or biology, as applicable;
6.30(ii) allow a student who has an active individualized education program to achieve a
6.31passing status at an individual level as prescribed by the commissioner; or
6.32(iii) waive the required exam for a high school student who is an English language
6.33learner under section 124D.59 and who has been enrolled for four or fewer years in a
6.34school in which English is the primary language of instruction.
6.35(e) The requirements of this subdivision apply to students in public schools,
6.36including charter schools, who enter grade 8 in the 2012-2013 school year or later. The
7.1commissioner may establish a transition period where students who enter grade 8 in
7.2the 2012-2013 or 2013-2014 school year graduate either under the graduation-required
7.3assessment for diploma requirements under section 120B.30, subdivision 1, or through a
7.4staggered implementation of this subdivision. During the transition period, the proficiency
7.5of any federal or state-required interim passing score in reading or writing must be
7.6comparable in rigor to the passing scores currently required for reading and writing under
7.7the graduation-required assessment for diploma. The commissioner may seek authority
7.8from the legislature to adjust the timeline under this paragraph if circumstances such as
7.9changes in federal law governing educational accountability and assessment warrant
7.10such an adjustment.
7.11(f) To fully implement this subdivision and enable school districts to provide
7.12intervention and support to struggling students and improve instruction for all students,
7.13the commissioner must provide districts with:
7.14(i) benchmark assessments that are aligned with the high school reading and writing
7.15assessment and algebra and biology end-of-course exams; and
7.16(ii) an item bank available to teachers for creating formative assessments to help
7.17students prepare for the high school reading and writing assessment and algebra and
7.18biology end-of-course exams.
7.19(g) The commissioner shall expand the membership and purpose of the Assessment
7.20Advisory Committee established under section 120B.365 to include assessment experts
7.21and practitioners from both secondary and postsecondary education systems and other
7.22appropriate stakeholders to monitor the implementation of and student outcomes based on
7.23the end-of-course exams and policies and the state support available to districts, including
7.24small or rural districts, under this subdivision. This committee shall report annually by
7.25February 15 to the commissioner and the legislature on the implementation of and student
7.26outcomes based on the exams and policies under this subdivision. Notwithstanding
7.27section 15.059, subdivision 3, committee members shall not receive compensation, per
7.28diem payments, or reimbursement for expenses.
7.29(h) The commissioner must not begin to develop additional statewide end-of-course
7.30exams in geometry, chemistry, or physics until specifically authorized in law to do so.
7.31(i) A district or charter school must indicate on a student's transcript the student's
7.32level of college and career readiness in reading, writing, algebra, and biology under this
7.33subdivision after the levels have been established through a professionally recognized
7.34methodology.
7.35EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.
8.1 Sec. 3. ASSESSMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE; RECOMMENDATIONS.
8.2(a) The Assessment Advisory Committee under Minnesota Statutes, section
8.3120B.365, must develop recommendations for alternative methods by which students meet
8.4the reading and writing exam requirement under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.30,
8.5subdivision 1b, paragraph (b), clause (10). The Assessment Advisory Committee, among
8.6other alternative methods and if consistent with federal educational accountability law,
8.7must consider allowing students to:
8.8(1) achieve a college-credit score on a college-level examination program (CLEP)
8.9for reading and writing; or
8.10(2) achieve a college readiness score in the relevant subject area on the American
8.11college test (ACT) or scholastic aptitude test (SAT) exam.
8.12(b) The Assessment Advisory Committee must develop recommendations for
8.13alternative methods by which students satisfy the high school algebra and biology
8.14requirements under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.30, subdivision 1b, paragraph (d),
8.15clause (8), and demonstrate their college and career readiness. The Assessment Advisory
8.16Committee, among other alternative methods and if consistent with federal educational
8.17accountability law, must consider allowing students to:
8.18(1) achieve the mathematics or science college readiness score on the American
8.19college test (ACT) or scholastic aptitude test (SAT) exam;
8.20(2) achieve a college-credit score on a college-level examination program (CLEP)
8.21for algebra or biology; or
8.22(3) achieve a score on an equivalent advanced placement or international
8.23baccalaureate exam that would earn credit at a four-year college or university.
8.24(c) The Assessment Advisory Committee, for purposes of fully implementing the
8.25high school assessment system under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.30, subdivision
8.261b, also must develop recommendations for the administrative structure, criteria, and
8.27processes for implementing the state-level student appeals process.
8.28(d) By February 15, 2013, the Assessment Advisory Committee must submit its
8.29recommendations under this section to the education commissioner and the education
8.30policy and finance committees of the legislature.
8.31EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.
