1.2relating to higher education; regulating the summer bridge program; amending
1.3Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 135A.61; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2012,
1.4section 136A.121, subdivision 9b.
1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 135A.61, is amended to read:
1.7135A.61 HIGH SCHOOL-TO-COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL TRANSITION
1.8PROGRAMS PROGRAM GRANTS.
1.9    Subdivision 1. High school-to-college developmental transition programs
1.10 program grants. All public higher education systems and other higher education
1.11institutions in Minnesota are encouraged to offer (a) The director of the Minnesota Office of
1.12Higher Education shall award competitive matching grants to Minnesota public and private
1.13postsecondary institutions offering research-based high school-to-college developmental
1.14transition programs to prepare students for college-level academic coursework. A program
1.15under this section must, at a minimum, include instruction to develop the skills and
1.16abilities necessary to be ready for college-level coursework when the student enrolls in a
1.17degree, diploma, or certificate program and must address the academic skills identified
1.18as needing improvement by a college readiness assessment completed by the student. A
1.19program Developmental courses offered under this section must not constitute more than
1.20the equivalent of one semester of full-time study occurring in the summer following
1.21high school graduation. The courses completed in a program under this section must be
1.22identified on the student's transcript with a unique identifier to distinguish it them from
1.23other developmental education courses or programs. Courses attended will not count
2.1towards the limit on postsecondary education used for state financial aid programs under
2.2sections 136A.121, subdivision 9, and 136A.125, subdivision 2, paragraph (a), clause (4).
2.3Grants must be awarded to programs that provide instruction and services including,
2.4but not limited to:
2.5(1) summer developmental courses in academic areas requiring remediation;
2.6(2) academic advising, mentoring, and tutoring during the summer program and
2.7throughout the student's first year of enrollment;
2.8(3) interaction with student support services, admissions and financial aid offices; and
2.9(4) orientation to college life, such as study skills or time management.
2.10(b) Grants shall be awarded to eligible postsecondary institutions as defined in
2.11section 136A.103.
2.12(c) Grants shall be awarded for one year and may be renewed for a second year
2.13with documentation to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education of successful program
2.14outcomes.
2.15    Subd. 1a. Eligible students. (a) Eligible students include students who earned a
2.16high school diploma or its equivalent during the academic year immediately preceding the
2.17summer program and who meet one or more of the following criteria:
2.18(1) are counted under section 1124(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education
2.19Act of 1965 (Title I);
2.20(2) are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch under the National School Lunch Act;
2.21(3) receive assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Law (Title
2.22I of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996); or
2.23(4) are a member of a group traditionally underrepresented in higher education.
2.24(b) Eligible students include those who met the student eligibility criteria in the
2.25student's final year of high school and plan to enroll in college the academic year following
2.26high school graduation or its equivalency.
2.27    Subd. 1b. Application process. (a) The director of the Minnesota Office of Higher
2.28Education shall develop a grant application process. The director shall attempt to support
2.29projects in a manner that ensures that eligible students throughout the state have access to
2.30program services.
2.31(b) The grant application must include, at a minimum, the following information:
2.32(1) a description of the characteristics of the students to be served reflective of the
2.33need for services listed in subdivision 1;
2.34(2) a description of the services to be provided and a timeline for implementation of
2.35the activities;
3.1(3) a description of how the services provided will improve postsecondary readiness
3.2and support postsecondary retention;
3.3(4) a description of how the services will be evaluated to determine whether the
3.4program goals were met; and
3.5(5) other information as identified by the director.
3.6Grant recipients must specify both program and student outcome goals, and
3.7performance measures for each goal.
3.8    Subd. 1c. Match required. Applicants are required to match the grant amount
3.9dollar-for-dollar. The match may be in cash or an in-kind contribution.
3.10    Subd. 1d. Review committee. The director must establish and convene a grant
3.11selection committee to review applications and award grants. The members of the
3.12committee may include representatives of postsecondary institutions, school districts,
3.13organizations providing college outreach services, and others deemed appropriate by the
3.14director.
3.15    Subd. 2. High school-to-college developmental transition programs evaluation
3.16report. (a) Institutions that offer a high school-to-college developmental transition
3.17program and enroll students that receive a grant under section 136A.121, subdivision 9b,
3.18must annually submit data and information about the services provided and program
3.19outcomes to the director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.
3.20(b) The director must establish and convene a data working group to develop: (1) the
3.21data methodology to be used in evaluating the effectiveness of the programs implemented
3.22to improve the academic performance of participants, including the identification of
3.23appropriate comparison groups; and (2) a timeline for institutions to submit data and
3.24information to the director. The data working group must develop procedures that
3.25ensure consistency in the data collected by each institution. Data group members must
3.26have expertise in data collection processes and the delivery of academic programs to
3.27students, and represent the types of institutions that offer a program under this section.
3.28The data group must assist the director in analyzing and synthesizing institutional data
3.29and information to be included in the evaluation report submitted to the legislature under
3.30subdivision 3.
3.31(c) Participating institutions must specify both program and student outcome goals
3.32and the activities implemented to achieve the goals. The goals must be clearly stated and
3.33measurable, and data collected must enable the director to verify the program has met the
3.34outcome goals established for the program.
3.35(d) The data and information submitted must include, at a minimum, the following:
3.36(1) demographic information about program participants;
4.1(2) names of the high schools from which the students graduated;
4.2(3) the college readiness test used to determine the student was not ready for
4.3college-level academic coursework;
4.4(4) the academic content areas assessed and the scores received by the students on
4.5the college readiness test;
4.6(5) a description of the services, including any supplemental noncredit academic
4.7support services, provided to students;
4.8(6) data on the registration load, courses completed, and grades received by students;
4.9(7) the retention of students from the term they participated in the program to the fall
4.10term immediately following graduation from high school;
4.11(8) information about the student's enrollment in subsequent terms; and
4.12(9) other information specified by the director or the data group that facilitates the
4.13evaluation process.
4.14    Subd. 3. Report to legislature. By March 15 of each year, beginning in 2011,
4.15the director shall submit a report to the committees of the legislature with jurisdiction
4.16over higher education finance and policy that evaluates the effectiveness of programs
4.17in improving the academic performance of students who participated in the transition
4.18programs.

4.19    Sec. 2. REPEALER.
4.20Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 136A.121, subdivision 9b, is repealed.