Bill Text: MN HF2397 | 2013-2014 | 88th Legislature | Engrossed

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Omnibus education policy bill.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-05-16 - Secretary of State Chapter 272 [HF2397 Detail]

Download: Minnesota-2013-HF2397-Engrossed.html

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A bill for an act

relating to education; providing for policy and technical modifications in early
childhood and family, kindergarten through grade 12, and adult education
including general education, education excellence, English learners and language
proficiency, special programs, nutrition, libraries, unsession and conforming
changes, and an interstate compact;amending Minnesota Statutes 2012,
sections 13.32, subdivision 6; 119A.535; 120A.22, subdivision 2; 120A.32;
120B.022; 120B.12; 120B.31, by adding a subdivision; 120B.35, subdivision
4; 121A.36; 121A.582, subdivision 1; 122A.06, subdivision 4; 122A.09,
subdivision 7; 122A.14, subdivisions 2, 3; 122A.18, subdivisions 2a, 4; 122A.19;
122A.40, subdivision 5; 122A.41, subdivision 2; 122A.413, subdivision 2;
122A.414, subdivision 2; 122A.48, subdivision 3; 122A.60, subdivisions 1a,
2, 3; 122A.68, subdivision 3; 122A.74; 123A.06, subdivision 2; 123B.04,
subdivision 4; 123B.147, subdivision 3; 124D.03, subdivisions 3, 4, 5, 6, by
adding a subdivision; 124D.08, by adding a subdivision; 124D.09, subdivision
9; 124D.111, subdivision 3; 124D.13, subdivision 2; 124D.141, subdivision
3; 124D.15, subdivision 3; 124D.49, subdivision 3; 124D.52, as amended;
124D.522; 124D.59, subdivision 2, by adding a subdivision; 124D.895;
124D.8955; 124D.896; 125A.023, subdivisions 3, 4; 125A.027, subdivisions 1,
4; 125A.03; 125A.08; 125A.22; 127A.065; 127A.41, subdivision 7; 127A.70,
subdivision 1, by adding a subdivision; 128C.02, subdivision 5; 134.355,
subdivision 8; 260D.06, subdivision 2; Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement,
sections 120A.22, subdivision 5; 120B.021, subdivision 4; 120B.11; 120B.115;
120B.125; 120B.30, subdivision 1; 120B.35, subdivision 3; 120B.36, subdivision
1; 122A.09, subdivision 4; 122A.18, subdivision 2; 122A.23, subdivision 2;
122A.40, subdivision 8; 122A.41, subdivision 5; 124D.10, subdivisions 1, 3,
4, 6, 6a, 8, 9, 17a, 17b; 124D.11, subdivision 4; 124D.165, subdivisions 2, 4;
124D.4531, subdivisions 1, 3, 3a; 124D.52, subdivision 8; 124D.861, subdivision
3; 125A.30; 127A.70, subdivision 2; 626.556, subdivision 2; Laws 2011, First
Special Session chapter 11, article 2, section 12; Laws 2012, chapter 263,
section 1; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapters 123A;
124D; 127A; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2012, sections 119A.04, subdivision
3; 119A.08; 120A.30; 120B.19; 120B.24; 121A.17, subdivision 9; 122A.19,
subdivision 3; 122A.52; 122A.53; 122A.61, subdivision 2; 123B.15; 123B.16;
123B.17; 123B.18; 123B.26; 123B.27; 124D.24; 124D.25; 124D.26; 124D.27;
124D.28; 124D.29; 124D.30; 124D.31; 125A.027, subdivision 3.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

ARTICLE 1

ENGLISH LEARNERS AND WORLD LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 119A.535, is amended to read:
119A.535 APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.
    Eligible Head Start organizations must submit a plan to the department for approval
on a form and in the manner prescribed by the commissioner. The plan must include:
    (1) the number of low-income children and families the program will be able to serve;
    (2) a description of the program design and service delivery area which meets the
needs of and encourages access by low-income working families;
    (3) a program design that ensures fair and equitable access to Head Start services for
all populations and parts of the service area;
    (4) a plan for providing Head Start services in conjunction with full-day child care
programs to minimize child transitions, increase program intensity and duration, and
improve child and family outcomes as required in section 119A.5411; and
    (5) identification of regular Head Start, early Head Start, full-day services identified
in section 119A.5411, and innovative services based upon demonstrated needs to be
provided; and
    (6) evidence parents of English learners are provided with oral or written information
to monitor the program's impact on their children's English language development, know
whether their children are progressing in developing their English proficiency, and, where
practicable, their native language proficiency, and actively engage with their children in
developing their English and native language proficiency.

    Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.022, is amended to read:
120B.022 ELECTIVE STANDARDS.
    Subdivision 1. Elective standards. (a) A district must establish its own standards in
the following subject areas:
    (1) career and technical education; and
    (2) world languages.
    A school district must offer courses in all elective subject areas.
    Subd. 1a. Foreign language and culture; proficiency certificates. (b) (a) World
languages teachers and other school staff should develop and implement world languages
programs that acknowledge and reinforce the language proficiency and cultural awareness
that non-English language speakers already possess, and encourage students' proficiency
in multiple world languages. Programs under this paragraph section must encompass
indigenous American Indian languages and cultures, among other world languages and
cultures. The department shall consult with postsecondary institutions in developing
related professional development opportunities for purposes of this section.
(c) (b) Any Minnesota public, charter, or nonpublic school may award Minnesota
World Language Proficiency Certificates or Minnesota World Language Proficiency High
Achievement Certificates, consistent with this subdivision.
(c) The Minnesota World Language Proficiency Certificate recognizes students who
demonstrate listening, speaking, reading, and writing language skills at the American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' Intermediate-Low level on a valid and
reliable assessment tool. For languages listed as Category 3 by the United States Foreign
Service Institute or Category 4 by the United States Defense Language Institute, the
standard is Intermediate-Low for listening and speaking and Novice-High for reading
and writing.
(d) The Minnesota World Language Proficiency High Achievement Certificate
recognizes students who demonstrate listening, speaking, reading, and writing language
skills at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' Pre-Advanced level
for K-12 learners on a valid and reliable assessment tool. For languages listed as Category
3 by the United States Foreign Service Institute or Category 4 by the United States
Defense Language Institute, the standard is Pre-Advanced for listening and speaking and
Intermediate-Mid for reading and writing.
    Subd. 1b. State bilingual and multilingual seals. (a) Consistent with efforts to
strive for the world's best workforce under sections 120B.11 and 124D.10, subdivision 8,
paragraph (u), and close the academic achievement and opportunity gap under sections
124D.861 and 124D.862, voluntary state bilingual and multilingual seals are established to
recognize high school graduates who demonstrate level 3 functional native proficiency in
listening, speaking, reading, and writing on either the Foreign Services Institute language
proficiency tests or on equivalent valid and reliable assessments in one or more languages
in addition to English. American Sign Language is a language other than English for
purposes of this subdivision and a world language for purposes of subdivision 1a.
(b) In addition to paragraph (a), to be eligible to receive a seal:
(1) students must satisfactorily complete all required English language arts credits;
and
(2) students whose primary language is other than English must demonstrate mastery
of Minnesota's English language proficiency standards.
(c) Consistent with this subdivision, a high school graduate who demonstrates
functional native proficiency in one language in addition to English is eligible to receive
the state bilingual seal. A high school graduate who demonstrates functional native
proficiency in more than one language in addition to English is eligible to receive the
state multilingual seal.
(d) School districts and charter schools, in consultation with regional centers
of excellence under section 120B.115, must give students periodic opportunities to
demonstrate their level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in a
language in addition to English. Where valid and reliable assessments are unavailable, a
school district or charter school may rely on a licensed foreign language immersion teacher
or a nonlicensed community expert under section 122A.25 to assess a student's level of
foreign, heritage, or indigenous language proficiency under this section. School districts
and charter schools must maintain appropriate records to identify high school graduates
eligible to receive the state bilingual or multilingual seal. The school district or charter
school must affix the appropriate seal to the transcript of each high school graduate who
meets the requirements of this subdivision and may affix the seal to the student's diploma. A
school district or charter school must not charge the high school graduate a fee for this seal.
(e) A school district or charter school may award elective course credits in world
languages to a student who demonstrates the requisite proficiency in a language other
than English under this section.
(f) A school district or charter school may award community service credit to a
student who demonstrates level 3 functional native proficiency in speaking and reading
in a language other than English and who participates in community service activities
that are integrated into the curriculum, involve the participation of teachers, and support
biliteracy in the school or local community.
(g) The commissioner must develop a Web page for the electronic delivery of these
seals. The commissioner must list on the Web page those assessments that are equivalent
to the Foreign Services Institute language proficiency tests and make language proficiency
tests and equivalent assessments under this section available to school districts and charter
schools at no more than actual cost.
(h) The colleges and universities of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
system must award foreign language credits to a student who receives a state bilingual seal
or a state multilingual seal under this subdivision and may award foreign language credits to
a student who receives a Minnesota World Language Proficiency Certificate or a Minnesota
World Language Proficiency High Achievement Certificate under subdivision 1a.
    Subd. 2. Local assessments. A district must use a locally selected assessment to
determine if a student has achieved an elective standard.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment
and applies to the 2014-2015 school year and later, except subdivision 1b, paragraph
(h), is effective for students enrolling in a MnSCU system college or university in the
2015-2016 school year or later.

    Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 120B.11, is amended to read:
120B.11 SCHOOL DISTRICT PROCESS FOR REVIEWING CURRICULUM,
INSTRUCTION, AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT; STRIVING FOR THE
WORLD'S BEST WORKFORCE.
    Subdivision 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this section and section 120B.10,
the following terms have the meanings given them.
    (a) "Instruction" means methods of providing learning experiences that enable a
student to meet state and district academic standards and graduation requirements.
    (b) "Curriculum" means district or school adopted programs and written plans for
providing students with learning experiences that lead to expected knowledge and skills
and career and college readiness.
    (c) "World's best workforce" means striving to: meet school readiness goals; have
all third grade students achieve grade-level literacy; close the academic achievement gap
among all racial and ethnic groups of students and between students living in poverty and
students not living in poverty; have all students attain career and college readiness before
graduating from high school; and have all students graduate from high school.
    Subd. 1a. Performance measures. Measures to determine school district and
school site progress in striving to create the world's best workforce must include at least:
(1) student performance on the National Association Assessment of Education
Progress;
(2) the size of the academic achievement gap, rigorous course taking under section
120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (c), clause (2), and enrichment experiences by student
subgroup;
(3) student performance on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments;
(4) high school graduation rates; and
(5) career and college readiness under section 120B.30, subdivision 1.
    Subd. 2. Adopting plans and budgets. A school board, at a public meeting, shall
adopt a comprehensive, long-term strategic plan to support and improve teaching and
learning that is aligned with creating the world's best workforce and includes:
    (1) clearly defined district and school site goals and benchmarks for instruction and
student achievement for all student subgroups identified in section 120B.35, subdivision 3,
paragraph (b), clause (2);
    (2) a process for assessing and evaluating each student's progress toward meeting state
and local academic standards and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of instruction
in pursuit of student and school success and curriculum affecting students' progress and
growth toward career and college readiness and leading to the world's best workforce;
    (3) a system to periodically review and evaluate the effectiveness of all instruction
and curriculum, taking into account strategies and best practices, student outcomes, school
principal evaluations under section 123B.147, subdivision 3, and teacher evaluations
under section 122A.40, subdivision 8, or 122A.41, subdivision 5;
    (4) strategies for improving instruction, curriculum, and student achievement,
including the English and, where practicable, the native language development and the
academic achievement of English learners;
    (5) education effectiveness practices that integrate high-quality instruction, rigorous
curriculum, technology, and a collaborative professional culture that develops and
supports teacher quality, performance, and effectiveness; and
    (6) an annual budget for continuing to implement the district plan.
    Subd. 3. District advisory committee. Each school board shall establish an
advisory committee to ensure active community participation in all phases of planning and
improving the instruction and curriculum affecting state and district academic standards,
consistent with subdivision 2. A district advisory committee, to the extent possible,
shall reflect the diversity of the district and its school sites, and shall include teachers,
parents, support staff, students, and other community residents, and provide translation
to the extent appropriate and practicable. The district advisory committee shall pursue
community support to accelerate the academic and native literacy and achievement of
English learners with varied needs, from young children to adults, consistent with section
124D.59, subdivisions 2 and 2a. The district may establish site teams as subcommittees
of the district advisory committee under subdivision 4. The district advisory committee
shall recommend to the school board rigorous academic standards, student achievement
goals and measures consistent with subdivision 1a and sections 120B.022, subdivision
1 , paragraphs (b) and (c) subdivisions 1a and 1b, and 120B.35, district assessments, and
program evaluations. School sites may expand upon district evaluations of instruction,
curriculum, assessments, or programs. Whenever possible, parents and other community
residents shall comprise at least two-thirds of advisory committee members.
    Subd. 4. Site team. A school may establish a site team to develop and implement
strategies and education effectiveness practices to improve instruction, curriculum,
cultural competencies, including cultural awareness and cross-cultural communication,
and student achievement at the school site, consistent with subdivision 2. The team advises
the board and the advisory committee about developing the annual budget and revising an
instruction and curriculum improvement plan that aligns curriculum, assessment of student
progress, and growth in meeting state and district academic standards and instruction.
    Subd. 5. Report. Consistent with requirements for school performance reports
under section 120B.36, subdivision 1, the school board shall publish a report in the local
newspaper with the largest circulation in the district, by mail, or by electronic means on
the district Web site. The school board shall hold an annual public meeting to review,
and revise where appropriate, student achievement goals, local assessment outcomes,
plans, strategies, and practices for improving curriculum and instruction and cultural
competency, and to review district success in realizing the previously adopted student
achievement goals and related benchmarks and the improvement plans leading to the
world's best workforce. The school board must transmit an electronic summary of its
report to the commissioner in the form and manner the commissioner determines.
    Subd. 7. Periodic report. Each school district shall periodically survey affected
constituencies, in their native languages where appropriate and practicable, about their
connection to and level of satisfaction with school. The district shall include the results of
this evaluation in the summary report required under subdivision 5.
    Subd. 9. Annual evaluation. (a) The commissioner must identify effective
strategies, practices, and use of resources by districts and school sites in striving for the
world's best workforce. The commissioner must assist districts and sites throughout the
state in implementing these effective strategies, practices, and use of resources.
(b) The commissioner must identify those districts in any consecutive three-year
period not making sufficient progress toward improving teaching and learning for all
students, including English learners with varied needs, consistent with section 124D.59,
subdivisions 2 and 2a, and striving for the world's best workforce. The commissioner, in
collaboration with the identified district, may require the district to use up to two percent
of its basic general education revenue per fiscal year during the proximate three school
years to implement commissioner-specified strategies and practices, consistent with
paragraph (a), to improve and accelerate its progress in realizing its goals under this
section. In implementing this section, the commissioner must consider districts' budget
constraints and legal obligations.

    Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 120B.115, is amended to read:
120B.115 REGIONAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.
(a) Regional centers of excellence are established to assist and support school
boards, school districts, school sites, and charter schools in implementing research-based
interventions and practices to increase the students' achievement within a region.
The centers must develop partnerships with local and regional service cooperatives,
postsecondary institutions, integrated school districts, the department, children's mental
health providers, or other local or regional entities interested in providing a cohesive
and consistent regional delivery system that serves all schools equitably. Centers must
assist school districts, school sites, and charter schools in developing similar partnerships.
Center support may include assisting school districts, school sites, and charter schools
with common principles of effective practice, including:
(1) defining measurable education goals under section sections 120B.11, subdivision
2, and 120B.22, subdivisions 1a and 1b ;
(2) implementing evidence-based practices;
(3) engaging in data-driven decision-making;
(4) providing multilayered levels of support;
(5) supporting culturally responsive teaching and learning aligning the development
of academic English proficiency, state and local academic standards, and career and
college readiness benchmarks; and
(6) engaging parents, families, youth, and local community members in programs
and activities at the school district, school site, or charter school that foster collaboration
and shared accountability for the achievement of all students; and
(7) translating district forms and other information such as a multilingual glossary of
commonly used education terms and phrases.
Centers must work with school site leadership teams to build capacity the expertise and
experience to implement programs that close the achievement gap, provide effective and
differentiated programs and instruction for different types of English learners, including
English learners with limited or interrupted formal schooling and long-term English
learners under section 124D.59, subdivisions 2 and 2a, increase students' progress and
growth toward career and college readiness, and increase student graduation rates.
(b) The department must assist the regional centers of excellence to meet staff,
facilities, and technical needs, provide the centers with programmatic support, and work
with the centers to establish a coherent statewide system of regional support, including
consulting, training, and technical support, to help school boards, school districts, school
sites, and charter schools effectively and efficiently implement the world's best workforce
goals under section 120B.11 and other state and federal education initiatives.

    Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.12, is amended to read:
120B.12 READING PROFICIENTLY NO LATER THAN THE END OF
GRADE 3.
    Subdivision 1. Literacy goal. The legislature seeks to have every child reading at or
above grade level no later than the end of grade 3, including English learners, and that
teachers provide comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction consistent with
section 122A.06, subdivision 4.
    Subd. 2. Identification; report. For the 2011-2012 school year and later, each
school district shall identify before the end of kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 students
who are not reading at grade level before the end of the current school year. Reading
assessments in English, and in the predominant languages of district students where
practicable, must identify and evaluate students' areas of academic need related to literacy.
The district also must monitor the progress and provide reading instruction appropriate
to the specific needs of English learners. The district must use a locally adopted,
developmentally appropriate, and culturally responsive assessment and annually report
summary assessment results to the commissioner by July 1.
    Subd. 2a. Parent notification and involvement. Schools, at least annually,
must give the parent of each student who is not reading at or above grade level timely
information about:
(1) student's reading proficiency as measured by a locally adopted assessment;
(2) reading-related services currently being provided to the student; and
(3) strategies for parents to use at home in helping their student succeed in becoming
grade-level proficient in reading in English and in their native language.
    Subd. 3. Intervention. For each student identified under subdivision 2, the district
shall provide reading intervention to accelerate student growth in order to and reach the
goal of reading at or above grade level by the end of the current grade and school year.
District intervention methods shall encourage parental involvement family engagement
and, where possible, collaboration with appropriate school and community programs.
Intervention methods may include, but are not limited to, requiring attendance in summer
school, intensified reading instruction that may require that the student be removed from
the regular classroom for part of the school day or, extended-day programs, or programs
that strengthen students' cultural connections.
    Subd. 4. Staff development. Each district shall use the data under subdivision 2 to
identify the staff development needs so that:
(1) elementary teachers are able to implement comprehensive, scientifically based
reading and oral language instruction in the five reading areas of phonemic awareness,
phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension as defined in section 122A.06,
subdivision 4 , and other literacy-related areas including writing until the student achieves
grade-level reading proficiency;
(2) elementary teachers have sufficient training to provide comprehensive,
scientifically based reading and oral language instruction that meets students'
developmental, linguistic, and literacy needs using the intervention methods or programs
selected by the district for the identified students;
(3) licensed teachers employed by the district have regular opportunities to improve
reading and writing instruction; and
(4) licensed teachers recognize students' diverse needs in cross-cultural settings
and are able to serve the oral language and linguistic needs of students who are English
learners by maximizing strengths in their native languages in order to cultivate students'
English language development, including oral academic language development, and
build academic literacy; and
(5) licensed teachers are well trained in culturally responsive pedagogy that enables
students to master content, develop skills to access content, and build relationships.
    Subd. 4a. Local literacy plan. Consistent with this section, a school district must
adopt a local literacy plan to have every child reading at or above grade level no later than
the end of grade 3, including English learners. The plan must include a process to assess
students' level of reading proficiency, notify and involve parents, intervene with students
who are not reading at or above grade level, and identify and meet staff development
needs. The district must post its literacy plan on the official school district Web site.
    Subd. 5. Commissioner. The commissioner shall recommend to districts multiple
assessment tools to assist districts and teachers with identifying students under subdivision
2. The commissioner shall also make available examples of nationally recognized and
research-based instructional methods or programs to districts to provide comprehensive,
scientifically based reading instruction and intervention under this section.

    Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 120B.125, is amended to read:
120B.125 PLANNING FOR STUDENTS' SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION
TO POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT; INVOLUNTARY
CAREER TRACKING PROHIBITED.
(a) Consistent with sections 120B.128, 120B.13, 120B.131, 120B.132, 120B.14,
120B.15 , 120B.30, subdivision 1, paragraph (c), 125A.08, and other related sections,
school districts, beginning in the 2013-2014 school year, must assist all students by no
later than grade 9 to explore their college and career interests and aspirations and develop
a plan for a smooth and successful transition to postsecondary education or employment.
All students' plans must be designed to:
(1) provide a comprehensive academic plan for completing a college and
career-ready curriculum premised on meeting state and local academic standards
and developing 21st century skills such as team work, collaboration, creativity,
communication, critical thinking, and good work habits;
(2) emphasize academic rigor and high expectations;
(3) help students identify personal learning styles that may affect their postsecondary
education and employment choices;
(4) help students gain access to postsecondary education and career options;
(5) integrate strong academic content into career-focused courses and integrate
relevant career-focused courses into strong academic content;
(6) help students and families identify and gain access to appropriate counseling
and other supports and assistance that enable students to complete required coursework,
prepare for postsecondary education and careers, and obtain information about
postsecondary education costs and eligibility for financial aid and scholarship;
(7) help students and families identify collaborative partnerships of kindergarten
prekindergarten through grade 12 schools, postsecondary institutions, economic
development agencies, and employers that support students' transition to postsecondary
education and employment and provide students with experiential learning opportunities;
and
(8) be reviewed and revised at least annually by the student, the student's parent or
guardian, and the school or district to ensure that the student's course-taking schedule
keeps the student making adequate progress to meet state and local high school graduation
requirements and with a reasonable chance to succeed with employment or postsecondary
education without the need to first complete remedial course work.
(b) A school district may develop grade-level curricula or provide instruction that
introduces students to various careers, but must not require any curriculum, instruction,
or employment-related activity that obligates an elementary or secondary student to
involuntarily select a career, career interest, employment goals, or related job training.
(c) Educators must possess the knowledge and skills to effectively teach all English
learners in their classrooms. School districts must provide appropriate curriculum,
targeted materials, professional development opportunities for educators, and sufficient
resources to enable English learners to become career- and college-ready.

    Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2013 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, district staff, experts in culturally responsive
teaching, 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, 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 measures of student growth, 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 learning year program
providers under sections 123A.05 and 124D.68, among other such providers, in improving
students' graduation outcomes. The commissioner, beginning July 1, 2015, must annually
report summary data on:
(1) the four- and six-year graduation rates of students under this paragraph;
(2) the percent of students under this paragraph whose progress and performance
levels are meeting career and college readiness benchmarks under section 120B.30,
subdivision 1; and
(3) the success that learning year program providers experience in:
(i) identifying at-risk and off-track student populations by grade;
(ii) providing successful prevention and intervention strategies for at-risk students;
(iii) providing successful recuperative and recovery or reenrollment strategies for
off-track students; and
(iv) improving the graduation outcomes of at-risk and off-track students.
The commissioner may include in the annual report summary data on other education
providers serving a majority of students eligible to participate in a learning year program.
(f) The commissioner, in consultation with recognized experts with knowledge and
experience in assessing the language proficiency and academic performance of English
learners, must identify and report appropriate and effective measures to improve current
categories of language difficulty and assessments, and monitor and report data on students'
English proficiency levels, program placement, and academic language development,
including oral academic language.

    Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 120B.36, subdivision 1, is
amended to read:
    Subdivision 1. School performance reports. (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 percentage of students under section 120B.35,
subdivision 3 , paragraph (b), clause (2), whose progress and performance levels are
meeting career and college readiness benchmarks under sections 120B.30, subdivision 1,
and 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (e); longitudinal data on the progress of eligible
districts in reducing disparities in students' academic achievement and realizing racial and
economic integration under section 124D.861; the acquisition of English, and where
practicable, native language academic literacy, including oral academic language, and
the academic progress of English learners under section 124D.59, subdivisions 2 and
2a; 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 under applicable federal law, 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 reports.
    (c) The commissioner must make available performance reports by the beginning
of each school year.
    (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.
    (e) School performance data are nonpublic data under section 13.02, subdivision 9,
until the commissioner publicly releases the data. The commissioner shall annually post
school performance reports to the department's public Web site no later than September 1,
except that in years when the reports reflect new performance standards, the commissioner
shall post the school performance reports no later than October 1.

    Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.06, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
    Subd. 4. Comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction. (a)
"Comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction" includes a program or collection
of instructional practices that is based on valid, replicable evidence showing that when
these programs or practices are used, students can be expected to achieve, at a minimum,
satisfactory reading progress. The program or collection of practices must include, at a
minimum, effective, balanced instruction in all five areas of reading: phonemic awareness,
phonics, fluency, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension.
Comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction also includes and integrates
instructional strategies for continuously assessing, evaluating, and communicating
the student's reading progress and needs in order to design and implement ongoing
interventions so that students of all ages and proficiency levels can read and comprehend
text, write, and apply higher level thinking skills. For English learners developing literacy
skills, districts are encouraged to use strategies that teach reading and writing in the
students' native language and English at the same time.
    (b) "Fluency" is the ability of students to read text with speed, accuracy, and proper
expression.
    (c) "Phonemic awareness" is the ability of students to notice, think about, and
manipulate individual sounds in spoken syllables and words.
    (d) "Phonics" is the understanding that there are systematic and predictable
relationships between written letters and spoken words. Phonics instruction is a way
of teaching reading that stresses learning how letters correspond to sounds and how to
apply this knowledge in reading and spelling.
    (e) "Reading comprehension" is an active process that requires intentional thinking
during which meaning is constructed through interactions between text and reader.
Comprehension skills are taught explicitly by demonstrating, explaining, modeling, and
implementing specific cognitive strategies to help beginning readers derive meaning
through intentional, problem-solving thinking processes.
    (f) "Vocabulary development" is the process of teaching vocabulary both directly
and indirectly, with repetition and multiple exposures to vocabulary items. Learning in
rich contexts, incidental learning, and use of computer technology enhance the acquiring
of vocabulary.
(g) Nothing in this subdivision limits the authority of a school district to select a
school's reading program or curriculum.

    Sec. 10. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 122A.09, subdivision 4, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 4. License and rules. (a) The board must adopt rules to license public school
teachers and interns subject to chapter 14.
(b) The board must adopt rules requiring a person to pass a skills examination in
reading, writing, and mathematics as a requirement for initial teacher licensure, except
that the board may issue up to two additional temporary, one-year teaching licenses to an
otherwise qualified candidate who has not yet passed the skills exam. 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 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. Teacher
preparation programs including alternative teacher preparation programs under section
122A.245 , among other programs, must include a content-specific, board-approved,
performance-based assessment that measures teacher candidates in three areas: planning
for instruction and assessment; engaging students and supporting learning; and assessing
student learning.
(e) The board must adopt rules requiring candidates for initial licenses to 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 pass, 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.
(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.
(g) The board must grant licenses to interns and to candidates for initial licenses
based on appropriate professional competencies that are aligned with the board's licensing
system and students' diverse learning needs. All teacher candidates must have preparation
in English language development and content instruction for English learners in order to be
able to effectively instruct the English learners in their classrooms. The board must include
these licenses in a statewide differentiated licensing system that creates new leadership
roles for successful experienced teachers premised on a collaborative professional culture
dedicated to meeting students' diverse learning needs in the 21st century, recognizes the
importance of cultural and linguistic competencies, including the ability to teach and
communicate in culturally competent and aware ways, and formalizes mentoring and
induction for newly licensed teachers that is provided through a teacher support framework.
(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. The board must require licensed teachers
who are renewing a continuing license to include in the renewal requirements further
preparation in English language development and specially designed content instruction
in English for English learners.
(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,
first, in understanding the key warning signs of early-onset mental illness in children
and adolescents and then, during subsequent licensure renewal periods, preparation may
include providing a more in-depth understanding of students' mental illness trauma,
accommodations for students' mental illness, parents' role in addressing students' mental
illness, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, autism, the requirements of section 125A.0942
governing restrictive procedures, and de-escalation methods, among other similar topics.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2015, and applies to
individuals entering a teacher preparation program after that date.

    Sec. 11. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.14, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Preparation programs. The board shall review and approve or
disapprove preparation programs for school administrators and alternative preparation
programs for administrators under section 122A.27, and must consider other alternative
competency-based preparation programs leading to licensure. Among other requirements,
preparation programs must include instruction on meeting the varied needs of English
learners, from young children to adults, in English and, where practicable, in students'
native language.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2015, and applies to
individuals entering a school administrator preparation program after that date.

    Sec. 12. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.14, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Rules for continuing education requirements. The board shall
adopt rules establishing continuing education requirements that promote continuous
improvement and acquisition of new and relevant skills by school administrators. The
board shall require school administrators to periodically receive information and training
about building coherent and effective English learner strategies that include relevant
professional development, accountability for student progress, students' access to the
general curriculum, and sufficient staff capacity to effect these strategies. A retired school
principal who serves as a substitute principal or assistant principal for the same person
on a day-to-day basis for no more than 15 consecutive school days is not subject to
continuing education requirements as a condition of serving as a substitute principal or
assistant principal.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2015, and applies to school
administrators renewing an administrator's license after that date.

    Sec. 13. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, 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 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, except that the board may issue up to two additional temporary, one-year
teaching licenses to an otherwise qualified candidate who has not yet passed the skills
exam. The board must require colleges and universities offering a board approved teacher
preparation program to make available upon request 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 make available assistance in the specific
academic areas of deficiency in which the person did not achieve a qualifying score.
School districts may make available upon request similar, appropriate, and timely remedial
assistance that includes a formal diagnostic component to those persons employed by the
district who completed their teacher education program, who did not achieve a qualifying
score on the skills examination, including those persons for whom English is a second
language and persons under section 122A.23, subdivision 2, paragraph (h), who completed
their teacher's education program outside the state of Minnesota, and who received a
temporary license to teach in Minnesota. 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) The Board of Teaching must grant continuing licenses only to those persons who
have met board criteria for granting a continuing license, which includes passing the
skills examination in reading, writing, and mathematics consistent with paragraph (b) and
section 122A.09, subdivision 4, paragraph (b).
(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. Among other requirements, teacher candidates must demonstrate the knowledge
and skills needed to provide appropriate instruction to English learners to support and
accelerate their academic literacy, including oral academic language, and achievement in
content areas in a regular classroom setting. 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.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2015, and applies to
individuals entering a teacher preparation program after that date.

    Sec. 14. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.18, subdivision 2a, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2a. Reading strategies. (a) All colleges and universities approved by the
Board of Teaching to prepare persons for classroom teacher licensure must include in
their teacher preparation programs research-based best practices in reading, consistent
with section 122A.06, subdivision 4, that enable the licensure candidate to know how to
teach reading in the candidate's content areas. Teacher candidates must be instructed in
how to use students' native languages as a resource in creating effective differentiated
instructional strategies for English learners developing literacy skills. These colleges and
universities also must prepare candidates for initial licenses to teach prekindergarten or
elementary students for the assessment of reading instruction portion of the examination
of licensure-specific teaching skills under section 122A.09, subdivision 4, paragraph (e).
(b) Board-approved teacher preparation programs for teachers of elementary
education must require instruction in the application of comprehensive, scientifically
based, and balanced reading instruction programs that:
(1) teach students to read using foundational knowledge, practices, and strategies
consistent with section 122A.06, subdivision 4, so that all students will achieve continuous
progress in reading; and
(2) teach specialized instruction in reading strategies, interventions, and remediations
that enable students of all ages and proficiency levels to become proficient readers.
(c) Nothing in this section limits the authority of a school district to select a school's
reading program or curriculum.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2015, and applies to
individuals entering a teacher preparation program after that date.

    Sec. 15. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.18, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
    Subd. 4. Expiration and renewal. (a) Each license the Department of Education
issues through its licensing section must bear the date of issue. Licenses must expire
and be renewed according to the respective rules the Board of Teaching, the Board
of School Administrators, or the commissioner of education adopts. Requirements for
renewing a license must include showing satisfactory evidence of successful teaching or
administrative experience for at least one school year during the period covered by the
license in grades or subjects for which the license is valid or completing such additional
preparation as the Board of Teaching prescribes. The Board of School Administrators
shall establish requirements for renewing the licenses of supervisory personnel except
athletic coaches. The State Board of Teaching shall establish requirements for renewing
the licenses of athletic coaches.
(b) Relicensure applicants who have been employed as a teacher during the renewal
period of their expiring license, as a condition of relicensure, must present to their local
continuing education and relicensure committee or other local relicensure committee
evidence of work that demonstrates professional reflection and growth in best teaching
practices, including among other things, practices in meeting the varied needs of English
learners, from young children to adults under section 124D.59, subdivisions 2 and 2a. The
applicant must include a reflective statement of professional accomplishment and the
applicant's own assessment of professional growth showing evidence of:
(1) support for student learning;
(2) use of best practices techniques and their applications to student learning;
(3) collaborative work with colleagues that includes examples of collegiality such as
attested-to committee work, collaborative staff development programs, and professional
learning community work; or
(4) continual professional development that may include (i) job-embedded or other
ongoing formal professional learning or (ii) for teachers employed for only part of the
renewal period of their expiring license, other similar professional development efforts
made during the relicensure period.
The Board of Teaching must ensure that its teacher relicensing requirements also include
this paragraph.
(c) The Board of Teaching shall offer alternative continuing relicensure options for
teachers who are accepted into and complete the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards certification process, and offer additional continuing relicensure options for
teachers who earn National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification.
Continuing relicensure requirements for teachers who do not maintain National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards certification are those the board prescribes, consistent
with this section.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2015, and applies to
licensed teachers renewing a teaching license after that date.

    Sec. 16. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.19, is amended to read:
122A.19 BILINGUAL AND ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
TEACHERS; LICENSES.
    Subdivision 1. Bilingual and English as a second language licenses. The Board of
Teaching, hereinafter the board, must grant teaching licenses in bilingual education and
English as a second language to persons who present satisfactory evidence that they:
(a) Possess competence and communicative skills in English and in another language;
(b) Possess a bachelor's degree or other academic degree approved by the board,
and meet such requirements as to course of study and training as the board may prescribe,
consistent with subdivision 4.
    Subd. 2. Persons holding general teaching licenses. The board may license a
person holding who holds a general teaching license and who presents the board with
satisfactory evidence of competence and communicative skills in a language other than
English may be licensed under this section.
    Subd. 3. Employment of teachers. Teachers employed in a bilingual education
or English as a second language program established pursuant to sections 124D.58 to
124D.64 shall not be employed to replace any presently employed teacher who otherwise
would not be replaced.
    Subd. 4. Teacher preparation programs. For the purpose of licensing bilingual
and English as a second language teachers, the board may approve programs at colleges
or universities designed for their training. These programs must provide instruction in
implementing research-based practices designed specifically for English learners. The
programs must focus on developing English learners' academic language proficiency in
English, including oral academic language, giving English learners meaningful access to
the full school curriculum, developing culturally relevant teaching practices appropriate
for immigrant students, and providing more intensive instruction and resources to English
learners with lower levels of academic English proficiency and varied needs, consistent
with section 124D.59, subdivisions 2 and 2a.
    Subd. 5. Persons eligible for employment. Any person licensed under this section
shall be is eligible for employment by a school board as a teacher in a bilingual education
or English as a second language program in which the language for which the person is
licensed is taught or used as a medium of instruction. A board may prescribe only those
additional qualifications for teachers licensed under this section as that are approved
by the board of teaching.
    Subd. 6. Affirmative efforts in hiring. In hiring for all positions in bilingual
education programs program positions, districts must give preference to and make
affirmative efforts to seek, recruit, and employ persons who (1) are (a) native speakers of the
language which is the medium of instruction in the bilingual education program or share a
native language with the majority of their students, and (b) who (2) share the culture of the
English learners who are enrolled in the program. The district shall provide procedures for
the involvement of involving the parent advisory committees in designing the procedures
for the recruitment recruiting, screening, and selection of selecting applicants. This section
must not be construed to limit the school board's authority to hire and discharge personnel.
EFFECTIVE DATE.Subdivisions 1, 2, 5, and 6 are effective August 1, 2015.
Subdivision 3 is effective the day following final enactment. Subdivision 4 is effective
August 1, 2015, and applies to an individual entering a teacher preparation program after
that date.

    Sec. 17. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 122A.40, subdivision 8, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 8. Development, evaluation, 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), may develop
a teacher evaluation and peer review process for probationary and continuing contract
teachers through joint agreement. If a school board and the exclusive representative of the
teachers do not agree to an annual teacher evaluation and peer review process, then the
school board and the exclusive representative of the teachers must implement the plan
for evaluation and review under paragraph (c). The process must include having trained
observers serve as peer coaches or having teachers participate in professional learning
communities, consistent with paragraph (b).
(b) To develop, improve, and support qualified teachers and effective teaching
practices and improve student learning and success, the annual evaluation process for
teachers:
(1) must, for probationary teachers, provide for all evaluations required under
subdivision 5;
(2) must establish a three-year professional review cycle for each teacher that
includes an individual growth and development plan, a peer review process, the
opportunity to participate in a professional learning community under paragraph (a), and
at least one summative evaluation performed by a qualified and trained evaluator such as a
school administrator. For the years when a tenured teacher is not evaluated by a qualified
and trained evaluator, the teacher must be evaluated by a peer review;
(3) must be based on professional teaching standards established in rule;
(4) must coordinate staff development activities under sections 122A.60 and
122A.61 with this evaluation process and teachers' evaluation outcomes;
(5) may provide time during the school day and school year for peer coaching and
teacher collaboration;
(6) may include mentoring and induction programs;
(7) must include an option for teachers to develop and present a portfolio
demonstrating evidence of reflection and professional growth, consistent with section
122A.18, subdivision 4 , paragraph (b), and include teachers' own performance assessment
based on student work samples and examples of teachers' work, which may include video
among other activities for the summative evaluation;
(8) must use data from valid and reliable assessments aligned to state and local
academic standards and must use state and local measures of student growth and literacy
that may include value-added models or student learning goals to determine 35 percent of
teacher evaluation results;
(9) must use longitudinal data on student engagement and connection, the academic
literacy, including oral academic language, and achievement of content areas of English
learners, and other student outcome measures explicitly aligned with the elements of
curriculum for which teachers are responsible;
(10) must require qualified and trained evaluators such as school administrators to
perform summative evaluations;
(11) must give teachers not meeting professional teaching standards under clauses
(3) through (10) support to improve through a teacher improvement process that includes
established goals and timelines; and
(12) must discipline a teacher for not making adequate progress in the teacher
improvement process under clause (11) that may include a last chance warning,
termination, discharge, nonrenewal, transfer to a different position, a leave of absence, or
other discipline a school administrator determines is appropriate.
Data on individual teachers generated under this subdivision are personnel data
under section 13.43.
(c) The department, in consultation with parents who may represent parent
organizations and teacher and administrator representatives appointed by their respective
organizations, representing the Board of Teaching, the Minnesota Association of School
Administrators, the Minnesota School Boards Association, the Minnesota Elementary
and Secondary Principals Associations, Education Minnesota, and representatives of
the Minnesota Assessment Group, the Minnesota Business Partnership, the Minnesota
Chamber of Commerce, and Minnesota postsecondary institutions with research expertise
in teacher evaluation, must create and publish a teacher evaluation process that complies
with the requirements in paragraph (b) and applies to all teachers under this section and
section 122A.41 for whom no agreement exists under paragraph (a) for an annual teacher
evaluation and peer review process. The teacher evaluation process created under this
subdivision does not create additional due process rights for probationary teachers under
subdivision 5.

    Sec. 18. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 122A.41, subdivision 5, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 5. Development, evaluation, 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), may develop an
annual teacher evaluation and peer review process for probationary and nonprobationary
teachers through joint agreement. If a school board and the exclusive representative of
the teachers in the district do not agree to an annual teacher evaluation and peer review
process, then the school board and the exclusive representative of the teachers must
implement the plan for evaluation and review developed under paragraph (c). The process
must include having trained observers serve as peer coaches or having teachers participate
in professional learning communities, consistent with paragraph (b).
(b) To develop, improve, and support qualified teachers and effective teaching
practices and improve student learning and success, the annual evaluation process for
teachers:
(1) must, for probationary teachers, provide for all evaluations required under
subdivision 2;
(2) must establish a three-year professional review cycle for each teacher that
includes an individual growth and development plan, a peer review process, the
opportunity to participate in a professional learning community under paragraph (a), and
at least one summative evaluation performed by a qualified and trained evaluator such
as a school administrator;
(3) must be based on professional teaching standards established in rule;
(4) must coordinate staff development activities under sections 122A.60 and
122A.61 with this evaluation process and teachers' evaluation outcomes;
(5) may provide time during the school day and school year for peer coaching and
teacher collaboration;
(6) may include mentoring and induction programs;
(7) must include an option for teachers to develop and present a portfolio
demonstrating evidence of reflection and professional growth, consistent with section
122A.18, subdivision 4 , paragraph (b), and include teachers' own performance assessment
based on student work samples and examples of teachers' work, which may include video
among other activities for the summative evaluation;
(8) must use data from valid and reliable assessments aligned to state and local
academic standards and must use state and local measures of student growth and literacy
that may include value-added models or student learning goals to determine 35 percent of
teacher evaluation results;
(9) must use longitudinal data on student engagement and connection, the academic
literacy, including oral academic language, and achievement of English learners, and
other student outcome measures explicitly aligned with the elements of curriculum for
which teachers are responsible;
(10) must require qualified and trained evaluators such as school administrators to
perform summative evaluations;
(11) must give teachers not meeting professional teaching standards under clauses
(3) through (10) support to improve through a teacher improvement process that includes
established goals and timelines; and
(12) must discipline a teacher for not making adequate progress in the teacher
improvement process under clause (11) that may include a last chance warning,
termination, discharge, nonrenewal, transfer to a different position, a leave of absence, or
other discipline a school administrator determines is appropriate.
Data on individual teachers generated under this subdivision are personnel data
under section 13.43.
(c) The department, in consultation with parents who may represent parent
organizations and teacher and administrator representatives appointed by their respective
organizations, representing the Board of Teaching, the Minnesota Association of School
Administrators, the Minnesota School Boards Association, the Minnesota Elementary
and Secondary Principals Associations, Education Minnesota, and representatives of
the Minnesota Assessment Group, the Minnesota Business Partnership, the Minnesota
Chamber of Commerce, and Minnesota postsecondary institutions with research expertise
in teacher evaluation, must create and publish a teacher evaluation process that complies
with the requirements in paragraph (b) and applies to all teachers under this section and
section 122A.40 for whom no agreement exists under paragraph (a) for an annual teacher
evaluation and peer review process. The teacher evaluation process created under this
subdivision does not create additional due process rights for probationary teachers under
subdivision 2.

    Sec. 19. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.413, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Plan components. The educational improvement plan must be approved
by the school board and have at least these elements:
(1) assessment and evaluation tools to measure student performance and progress,
including the academic literacy, oral academic language, and achievement of English
learners, among other measures;
(2) performance goals and benchmarks for improvement;
(3) measures of student attendance and completion rates;
(4) a rigorous research and practice-based professional development system, based
on national and state standards of effective teaching practice applicable to all students
including English learners with varied needs, and consistent with section 122A.60, that is
aligned with educational improvement and designed to achieve ongoing and schoolwide
progress and growth in teaching practice;
(5) measures of student, family, and community involvement and satisfaction;
(6) a data system about students and their academic progress that provides parents
and the public with understandable information;
(7) a teacher induction and mentoring program for probationary teachers that
provides continuous learning and sustained teacher support; and
(8) substantial participation by the exclusive representative of the teachers in
developing the plan.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2014, and applies to plans
approved after that date.

    Sec. 20. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.414, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Alternative teacher professional pay system. (a) To participate in this
program, a school district, intermediate school district, school site, or charter school must
have an educational improvement plan under section 122A.413 and an alternative teacher
professional pay system agreement under paragraph (b). A charter school participant also
must comply with subdivision 2a.
(b) The alternative teacher professional pay system agreement must:
(1) describe how teachers can achieve career advancement and additional
compensation;
(2) describe how the school district, intermediate school district, school site, or
charter school will provide teachers with career advancement options that allow teachers
to retain primary roles in student instruction and facilitate site-focused professional
development that helps other teachers improve their skills;
(3) reform the "steps and lanes" salary schedule, prevent any teacher's compensation
paid before implementing the pay system from being reduced as a result of participating
in this system, and base at least 60 percent of any compensation increase on teacher
performance using:
(i) schoolwide student achievement gains under section 120B.35 or locally selected
standardized assessment outcomes, or both;
(ii) measures of student achievement, including the academic literacy, oral academic
language, and achievement of English learners, among other measures; and
(iii) an objective evaluation program that includes:
(A) individual teacher evaluations aligned with the educational improvement plan
under section 122A.413 and the staff development plan under section 122A.60; and
(B) objective evaluations using multiple criteria conducted by a locally selected and
periodically trained evaluation team that understands teaching and learning;
(4) provide integrated ongoing site-based professional development activities to
improve instructional skills and learning that are aligned with student needs under section
122A.413 , consistent with the staff development plan under section 122A.60 and led
during the school day by trained teacher leaders such as master or mentor teachers;
(5) allow any teacher in a participating school district, intermediate school district,
school site, or charter school that implements an alternative pay system to participate in
that system without any quota or other limit; and
(6) encourage collaboration rather than competition among teachers.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2014, and applies to
agreements approved after that date.

    Sec. 21. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.60, subdivision 1a, is amended to read:
    Subd. 1a. Effective staff development activities. (a) Staff development activities
must:
(1) focus on the school classroom and research-based strategies that improve student
learning;
(2) provide opportunities for teachers to practice and improve their instructional
skills over time;
(3) provide opportunities for teachers to use student data as part of their daily work
to increase student achievement;
(4) enhance teacher content knowledge and instructional skills, including to
accommodate the delivery of digital and blended learning and curriculum and engage
students with technology;
(5) align with state and local academic standards;
(6) provide opportunities to build professional relationships, foster collaboration
among principals and staff who provide instruction, and provide opportunities for
teacher-to-teacher mentoring; and
(7) align with the plan of the district or site for an alternative teacher professional
pay system; and
(8) provide teachers of English learners, including English as a second language and
content teachers, with differentiated instructional strategies critical for ensuring students'
long-term academic success; the means to effectively use assessment data on the academic
literacy, oral academic language, and English language development of English learners;
and skills to support native and English language development across the curriculum.
Staff development activities may include curriculum development and curriculum training
programs, and activities that provide teachers and other members of site-based teams
training to enhance team performance. The school district also may implement other
staff development activities required by law and activities associated with professional
teacher compensation models.
(b) Release time provided for teachers to supervise students on field trips and school
activities, or independent tasks not associated with enhancing the teacher's knowledge
and instructional skills, such as preparing report cards, calculating grades, or organizing
classroom materials, may not be counted as staff development time that is financed with
staff development reserved revenue under section 122A.61.

    Sec. 22. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.60, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Contents of plan. The plan must include the staff development outcomes
under subdivision 3, the means to achieve the outcomes, and procedures for evaluating
progress at each school site toward meeting education outcomes, consistent with
relicensure requirements under section 122A.18, subdivision 4. The plan also must:
(1) support stable and productive professional communities achieved through
ongoing and schoolwide progress and growth in teaching practice;
(2) emphasize coaching, professional learning communities, classroom action
research, and other job-embedded models;
(3) maintain a strong subject matter focus premised on students' learning goals;
(4) ensure specialized preparation and learning about issues related to teaching
English learners and students with special needs by focusing on long-term systemic efforts
to improve educational services and opportunities and raise student achievement; and
(5) reinforce national and state standards of effective teaching practice.

    Sec. 23. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.60, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Staff development outcomes. The advisory staff development committee
must adopt a staff development plan for improving student achievement. The plan must
be consistent with education outcomes that the school board determines. The plan
must include ongoing staff development activities that contribute toward continuous
improvement in achievement of the following goals:
(1) improve student achievement of state and local education standards in all areas
of the curriculum by using research-based best practices methods;
(2) effectively meet the needs of a diverse student population, including at-risk
children, children with disabilities, English learners, and gifted children, within the
regular classroom and other settings;
(3) provide an inclusive curriculum for a racially, ethnically, linguistically, and
culturally diverse student population that is consistent with the state education diversity
rule and the district's education diversity plan;
(4) improve staff collaboration and develop mentoring and peer coaching programs
for teachers new to the school or district;
(5) effectively teach and model violence prevention policy and curriculum that
address early intervention alternatives, issues of harassment, and teach nonviolent
alternatives for conflict resolution;
(6) effectively deliver digital and blended learning and curriculum and engage
students with technology; and
(7) provide teachers and other members of site-based management teams with
appropriate management and financial management skills.

    Sec. 24. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.68, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Program components. In order to be approved by the Board of Teaching,
a school district's residency program must at minimum include:
(1) training to prepare teachers to serve as mentors to teaching residents;
(2) a team mentorship approach to expose teaching residents to a variety of
teaching methods, philosophies, and classroom environments that includes differentiated
instructional strategies, effective use of student achievement data, and support for native
and English language development across the curriculum and grade levels, among other
things;
(3) ongoing peer coaching and assessment;
(4) assistance to the teaching resident in preparing an individual professional
development plan that includes goals, activities, and assessment methodologies; and
(5) collaboration with one or more teacher education institutions, career teachers,
and other community experts to provide local or regional professional development
seminars or other structured learning experiences for teaching residents.
A teaching resident's direct classroom supervision responsibilities shall not exceed
80 percent of the instructional time required of a full-time equivalent teacher in the
district. During the time a resident does not supervise a class, the resident shall participate
in professional development activities according to the individual plan developed by the
resident in conjunction with the school's mentoring team. Examples of development
activities include observing other teachers, sharing experiences with other teaching
residents, and professional meetings and workshops.

    Sec. 25. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.74, is amended to read:
122A.74 PRINCIPALS' LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE.
    Subdivision 1. Establishment. (a) The commissioner of education may contract
with the Minnesota State University Mankato or the regents of the University of Minnesota
to establish a Principals' Leadership Institute to provide professional development to
school principals by:
(1) creating a network of leaders in the educational and business communities to
communicate current and future trends in leadership techniques;
(2) helping to create a vision for the school that is aligned with the community
and district priorities; and
(3) developing strategies to retain highly qualified teachers and ensure that diverse
student populations, including at-risk students, children with disabilities, English learners,
and gifted students, among others, have equal access to these highly qualified teachers; and
(4) providing training to analyze data using culturally competent tools.
(b) The University of Minnesota must cooperate with participating members of the
business community to provide funding and content for the institute.
(c) Participants must agree to attend the Principals' Leadership Institute for four
weeks during the academic summer.
(d) The Principals' Leadership Institute must incorporate program elements offered
by leadership programs at the University of Minnesota and program elements used by
the participating members of the business community to enhance leadership within their
businesses.
    Subd. 2. Method of selection and requirements. (a) The board of each school
district in the state may select a principal, upon the recommendation of the district's
superintendent and based on the principal's leadership potential, to attend the institute.
(b) The school board annually shall forward its list of recommended participants to
the commissioner of education by February 1 each year. In addition, a principal may submit
an application directly to the commissioner by February 1. The commissioner of education
shall notify the school board, the principal candidates, and the University of Minnesota of
the principals selected to participate in the Principals' Leadership Institute each year.

    Sec. 26. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 123A.06, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. People to be served. A state-approved alternative program shall provide
programs for secondary pupils and adults. A center may also provide programs and
services for elementary and secondary pupils who are not attending the state-approved
alternative program to assist them in being successful in school. A center shall use
research-based best practices for serving English learners and their parents, taking into
account the variations in students' backgrounds and needs and the amount of time and the
staff resources necessary for students to overcome gaps in their education and to develop
English proficiency and work-related skills. An individualized education program team
may identify a state-approved alternative program as an appropriate placement to the
extent a state-approved alternative program can provide the student with the appropriate
special education services described in the student's plan. Pupils eligible to be served are
those who qualify under the graduation incentives program in section 124D.68, subdivision
2 , those enrolled under section 124D.02, subdivision 2, or those pupils who are eligible to
receive special education services under sections 125A.03 to 125A.24, and 125A.65.

    Sec. 27. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 123B.04, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
    Subd. 4. Achievement contract. A school board may enter a written education site
achievement contract with each site decision-making team for: (1) setting individualized
learning and achievement measures and short- and long-term educational goals for each
student at that site that may include site-based strategies for English language instruction
targeting the teachers of English learners and all teachers and school administrators;
(2) recognizing each student's educational needs and aptitudes and levels of academic
attainment, whether on grade level or above or below grade level, so as to improve student
performance through such means as a cost-effective, research-based formative assessment
system designed to promote individualized learning and assessment; (3) using student
performance data to diagnose a student's academic strengths and weaknesses and indicate
to the student's teachers the specific skills and concepts that need to be introduced to
the student and developed through academic instruction or applied learning, organized
by strands within subject areas and linked to state and local academic standards during
the next year, consistent with the student's short- and long-term educational goals; and
(4) assisting the education site if progress in achieving student or contract goals or other
performance expectations or measures agreed to by the board and the site decision-making
team are not realized or implemented.

    Sec. 28. Minnesota Statutes 2012, 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 according to the policies, rules, and
regulations of the school board, 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 a principal's leadership skills and support and improve teaching
practices, school performance, and student achievement for diverse student populations,
including at-risk students, children with disabilities, English learners, and gifted students,
among others, a district must develop and implement a performance-based system for
annually evaluating school principals assigned to supervise a school building within the
district. The evaluation must be designed to improve teaching and learning by supporting
the principal in shaping the school's professional environment and developing teacher
quality, performance, and effectiveness. The annual evaluation must:
(1) support and improve a principal's instructional leadership, organizational
management, and professional development, and strengthen the principal's capacity in the
areas of instruction, supervision, evaluation, and teacher development;
(2) include formative and summative evaluations based on multiple measures of
student progress toward career and college readiness;
(3) be consistent with a principal's job description, a district's long-term plans and
goals, and the principal's own professional multiyear growth plans and goals, all of which
must support the principal's leadership behaviors and practices, rigorous curriculum,
school performance, and high-quality instruction;
(4) include on-the-job observations and previous evaluations;
(5) allow surveys to help identify a principal's effectiveness, leadership skills and
processes, and strengths and weaknesses in exercising leadership in pursuit of school
success;
(6) use longitudinal data on student academic growth as 35 percent of the evaluation
and incorporate district achievement goals and targets;
(7) be linked to professional development that emphasizes improved teaching and
learning, curriculum and instruction, student learning, and a collaborative professional
culture; and
(8) for principals not meeting standards of professional practice or other criteria
under this subdivision, implement a plan to improve the principal's performance and
specify the procedure and consequence if the principal's performance is not improved.
The provisions of this paragraph are intended to provide districts with sufficient
flexibility to accommodate district needs and goals related to developing, supporting,
and evaluating principals.

    Sec. 29. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.13, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Program requirements. (a) Early childhood family education programs
are programs for children in the period of life from birth to kindergarten, for the parents
and other relatives of these children, and for expectant parents. To the extent that funds
are insufficient to provide programs for all children, early childhood family education
programs should emphasize programming for a child from birth to age three and
encourage parents and other relatives to involve four- and five-year-old children in school
readiness programs, and other public and nonpublic early learning programs. A district
may not limit participation to school district residents. Early childhood family education
programs must provide:
    (1) programs to educate parents and other relatives about the physical, mental, and
emotional development of children and to enhance the skills of parents and other relatives
in providing for their children's learning and development;
    (2) structured learning activities requiring interaction between children and their
parents or relatives;
    (3) structured learning activities for children that promote children's development
and positive interaction with peers, which are held while parents or relatives attend parent
education classes;
    (4) information on related community resources;
    (5) information, materials, and activities that support the safety of children, including
prevention of child abuse and neglect; and
    (6) a community outreach plan to ensure participation by families who reflect the
racial, cultural, linguistic, and economic diversity of the school district.
Early childhood family education programs are encouraged to provide parents of
English learners with translated oral and written information to monitor the program's
impact on their children's English language development, to know whether their children
are progressing in developing their English and native language proficiency, and to
actively engage with and support their children in developing their English and native
language proficiency.
    The programs must include learning experiences for children, parents, and other
relatives that promote children's early literacy and, where practicable, their native
language skills. The program must not include and activities for children that do not
require substantial involvement of the children's parents or other relatives. Providers must
review the program must be reviewed periodically to assure the instruction and materials
are not racially, culturally, or sexually biased. The programs must encourage parents to be
aware of practices that may affect equitable development of children.
    (b) For the purposes of this section, "relative" or "relatives" means noncustodial
grandparents or other persons related to a child by blood, marriage, adoption, or foster
placement, excluding parents.

    Sec. 30. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.15, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Program requirements. A school readiness program provider must:
    (1) assess each child's cognitive and language skills with a comprehensive child
assessment instrument when the child enters and again before the child leaves the program
to inform improve program planning and implementation, communicate with parents, and
promote kindergarten readiness;
    (2) provide comprehensive program content and intentional instructional practice
aligned with the state early childhood learning guidelines and kindergarten standards and
based on early childhood research and professional practice that is focused on children's
cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills and development and prepares children
for the transition to kindergarten, including early literacy and language skills;
(3) coordinate appropriate kindergarten transition with parents and kindergarten
teachers;
    (4) involve parents in program planning and decision making;
    (5) coordinate with relevant community-based services;
    (6) cooperate with adult basic education programs and other adult literacy programs;
(7) ensure staff-child ratios of one-to-ten and maximum group size of 20 children
with the first staff required to be a teacher; and
(8) have teachers knowledgeable in early childhood curriculum content, assessment,
native and English language development programs, and instruction.

    Sec. 31. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.49, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Local education and employment transitions systems. A local education
and employment transitions partnership must assess the needs of employers, employees,
and learners, and develop a plan for implementing and achieving the objectives of a local
or regional education and employment transitions system. The plan must provide for a
comprehensive local system for assisting learners and workers in making the transition
from school to work or for retraining in a new vocational area. The objectives of a local
education and employment transitions system include:
(1) increasing the effectiveness of the educational programs and curriculum of
elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools and the work site in preparing students
in the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in the workplace;
(2) implementing learner outcomes for students in grades kindergarten through 12
designed to introduce the world of work and to explore career opportunities, including
nontraditional career opportunities;
(3) eliminating barriers to providing effective integrated applied learning,
service-learning, or work-based curriculum;
(4) increasing opportunities to apply academic knowledge and skills, including
skills needed in the workplace, in local settings which include the school, school-based
enterprises, postsecondary institutions, the workplace, and the community;
(5) increasing applied instruction in the attitudes and skills essential for success in
the workplace, including cooperative working, leadership, problem-solving, English
language proficiency, and respect for diversity;
(6) providing staff training for vocational guidance counselors, teachers, and other
appropriate staff in the importance of preparing learners for the transition to work, and in
methods of providing instruction that incorporate applied learning, work-based learning,
English language proficiency, and service-learning experiences;
(7) identifying and enlisting local and regional employers who can effectively
provide work-based or service-learning opportunities, including, but not limited to,
apprenticeships, internships, and mentorships;
(8) recruiting community and workplace mentors including peers, parents, employers
and employed individuals from the community, and employers of high school students;
(9) identifying current and emerging educational, training, native and English
language development, and employment needs of the area or region, especially within
industries with potential for job growth;
(10) improving the coordination and effectiveness of local vocational and job training
programs, including vocational education, adult basic education, tech prep, apprenticeship,
service-learning, youth entrepreneur, youth training and employment programs
administered by the commissioner of employment and economic development, and local
job training programs under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Public Law 105-220;
(11) identifying and applying for federal, state, local, and private sources of funding
for vocational or applied learning programs;
(12) providing students with current information and counseling about career
opportunities, potential employment, educational opportunities in postsecondary
institutions, workplaces, and the community, and the skills and knowledge necessary to
succeed;
(13) providing educational technology, including interactive television networks
and other distance learning methods, to ensure access to a broad variety of work-based
learning opportunities;
(14) including students with disabilities in a district's vocational or applied learning
program and ways to serve at-risk learners through collaboration with area learning
centers under sections 123A.05 to 123A.09, or other alternative programs; and
(15) providing a warranty to employers, postsecondary education programs, and
other postsecondary training programs, that learners successfully completing a high school
work-based or applied learning program will be able to apply the knowledge and work
skills included in the program outcomes or graduation requirements. The warranty shall
require education and training programs to continue to work with those learners that need
additional skill or English language development until they can demonstrate achievement
of the program outcomes or graduation requirements.

    Sec. 32. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.52, as amended by Laws 2013, chapter
116, article 2, section 7, is amended to read:
124D.52 ADULT BASIC EDUCATION.
    Subdivision 1. Program requirements. (a) An adult basic education program is a
day or evening program offered by a district that is for people over 16 years of age who do
not attend an elementary or secondary school. The program offers academic and English
language instruction necessary to earn a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.
(b) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a school board or the governing body of
a consortium offering an adult basic education program may adopt a sliding fee schedule
based on a family's income, but must waive the fee for participants who are under the age
of 21 or unable to pay. The fees charged must be designed to enable individuals of all
socioeconomic levels to participate in the program. A program may charge a security
deposit to assure return of materials, supplies, and equipment.
(c) Each approved adult basic education program must develop a memorandum of
understanding with the local workforce development centers located in the approved
program's service delivery area. The memorandum of understanding must describe how
the adult basic education program and the workforce development centers will cooperate
and coordinate services to provide unduplicated, efficient, and effective services to clients.
(d) Adult basic education aid must be spent for adult basic education purposes as
specified in sections 124D.518 to 124D.531.
(e) A state-approved adult basic education program must count and submit student
contact hours for a program that offers high school credit toward an adult high school
diploma according to student eligibility requirements and measures of student progress
toward work-based competency demonstration requirements and, where appropriate,
English language proficiency requirements established by the commissioner and posted on
the department Web site in a readily accessible location and format.
    Subd. 2. Program approval. (a) To receive aid under this section, a district, a
consortium of districts, the Department of Corrections, or a private nonprofit organization
must submit an application by June 1 describing the program, on a form provided by
the department. The program must be approved by the commissioner according to the
following criteria:
(1) how the needs of different levels of learning and English language proficiency
will be met;
(2) for continuing programs, an evaluation of results;
(3) anticipated number and education level of participants;
(4) coordination with other resources and services;
(5) participation in a consortium, if any, and money available from other participants;
(6) management and program design;
(7) volunteer training and use of volunteers;
(8) staff development services;
(9) program sites and schedules;
(10) program expenditures that qualify for aid;
(11) program ability to provide data related to learner outcomes as required by
law; and
(12) a copy of the memorandum of understanding described in subdivision 1
submitted to the commissioner.
(b) Adult basic education programs may be approved under this subdivision for
up to five years. Five-year program approval must be granted to an applicant who has
demonstrated the capacity to:
(1) offer comprehensive learning opportunities and support service choices
appropriate for and accessible to adults at all basic skill need and English language levels
of need;
(2) provide a participatory and experiential learning approach based on the strengths,
interests, and needs of each adult, that enables adults with basic skill needs to:
(i) identify, plan for, and evaluate their own progress toward achieving their defined
educational and occupational goals;
(ii) master the basic academic reading, writing, and computational skills, as well
as the problem-solving, decision making, interpersonal effectiveness, and other life and
learning skills they need to function effectively in a changing society;
(iii) locate and be able to use the health, governmental, and social services and
resources they need to improve their own and their families' lives; and
(iv) continue their education, if they desire, to at least the level of secondary school
completion, with the ability to secure and benefit from continuing education that will
enable them to become more employable, productive, and responsible citizens;
(3) plan, coordinate, and develop cooperative agreements with community resources
to address the needs that the adults have for support services, such as transportation, English
language learning, flexible course scheduling, convenient class locations, and child care;
(4) collaborate with business, industry, labor unions, and employment-training
agencies, as well as with family and occupational education providers, to arrange for
resources and services through which adults can attain economic self-sufficiency;
(5) provide sensitive and well trained adult education personnel who participate in
local, regional, and statewide adult basic education staff development events to master
effective adult learning and teaching techniques;
(6) participate in regional adult basic education peer program reviews and evaluations;
(7) submit accurate and timely performance and fiscal reports;
(8) submit accurate and timely reports related to program outcomes and learner
follow-up information; and
(9) spend adult basic education aid on adult basic education purposes only, which
are specified in sections 124D.518 to 124D.531.
(c) The commissioner shall require each district to provide notification by February
1, 2001, of its intent to apply for funds under this section as a single district or as part of
an identified consortium of districts. A district receiving funds under this section must
notify the commissioner by February 1 of its intent to change its application status for
applications due the following June 1.
    Subd. 3. Accounts; revenue; aid. (a) Each district, group of districts, or private
nonprofit organization providing adult basic education programs must establish and
maintain a reserve account within the community service fund for the receipt receiving
and disbursement of disbursing all funds related to these programs. All revenue received
pursuant to under this section must be utilized used solely for the purposes of adult basic
education programs. State aid must not equal more than 100 percent of the unreimbursed
expenses of providing these programs, excluding in-kind costs.
(b) For purposes of paragraph (a), an adult basic education program may include as
valid expenditures for the previous fiscal year program spending that occurs from July
1 to September 30 of the following year. A program may carry over a maximum of 20
percent of its adult basic education aid revenue into the next fiscal year. Program spending
may only be counted for one fiscal year.
(c) Notwithstanding section 123A.26 or any other law to the contrary, an adult basic
education consortium providing an approved adult basic education program may be its own
fiscal agent and is eligible to receive state-aid payments directly from the commissioner.
    Subd. 4. English as a second language programs. Persons may teach English
as a second language classes conducted at a worksite, if they meet the requirements
of section 122A.19, subdivision 1, clause (a), regardless of whether they are licensed
teachers. Persons teaching English as a second language for an approved adult basic
education program must possess a bachelor's or master's degree in English as a second
language, applied linguistics, or bilingual education, or a related degree as approved by
the commissioner.
    Subd. 5. Basic service level. A district, or a consortium of districts, with a program
approved by the commissioner under subdivision 2 must establish, in consultation with the
commissioner, a basic level of service for every adult basic education site in the district
or consortium. The basic service level must describe minimum levels of academic and
English language instruction and support services to be provided at each site. The program
must set a basic service level that promotes effective learning and student achievement
with measurable results. Each district or consortium of districts must submit its basic
service level to the commissioner for approval.
    Subd. 6. Cooperative English as a second language and adult basic education
programs. (a) A school district, or adult basic education consortium that receives revenue
under section 124D.531, may deliver English as a second language, citizenship, or other
adult education programming in collaboration with community-based and nonprofit
organizations located within its district or region, and with correctional institutions. The
organization or correctional institution must have the demonstrated capacity to offer
education programs for adults. Community-based or nonprofit organizations must meet
the criteria in paragraph (b), or have prior experience. A community-based or nonprofit
organization or a correctional institution may be reimbursed for unreimbursed expenses
as defined in section 124D.518, subdivision 5, for the administration of administering
English as a second language or adult basic education programs, not to exceed eight
percent of the total funds provided by a school district or adult basic education consortium.
The administrative reimbursement for a school district or adult basic education consortium
that delivers services cooperatively with a community-based or nonprofit organization
or correctional institution is limited to five percent of the program aid, not to exceed the
unreimbursed expenses of administering programs delivered by community-based or
nonprofit organizations or correctional institutions.
(b) A community-based organization or nonprofit organization that delivers education
services under this section must demonstrate that it has met the following criteria:
(1) be legally established as a nonprofit organization;
(2) have an established system for fiscal accounting and reporting that is consistent
with the Department of Education's department's adult basic education completion report
and reporting requirements under section 124D.531;
(3) require all instructional staff to complete a training course in teaching adult
learners; and
(4) develop a learning plan for each student that identifies defined educational and
occupational goals with measures to evaluate progress.
    Subd. 7. Performance tracking system. (a) By July 1, 2000, each approved adult
basic education program must develop and implement a performance tracking system to
provide information necessary to comply with federal law and serve as one means of
assessing the effectiveness of adult basic education programs. For required reporting,
longitudinal studies, and program improvement, the tracking system must be designed to
collect data on the following core outcomes for learners, including English learners, who
have completed participating in the adult basic education program:
(1) demonstrated improvements in literacy skill levels in reading, writing, speaking
the English language, numeracy, problem solving, English language acquisition, and
other literacy skills;
(2) placement in, retention in, or completion of postsecondary education, training,
unsubsidized employment, or career advancement;
(3) receipt of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent; and
(4) reduction in participation in the diversionary work program, Minnesota family
investment program, and food support education and training program.
(b) A district, group of districts, state agency, or private nonprofit organization
providing an adult basic education program may meet this requirement by developing a
tracking system based on either or both of the following methodologies:
(1) conducting a reliable follow-up survey; or
(2) submitting student information, including Social Security numbers for data
matching.
Data related to obtaining employment must be collected in the first quarter following
program completion or can be collected while the student is enrolled, if known. Data
related to employment retention must be collected in the third quarter following program
exit. Data related to any other specified outcome may be collected at any time during a
program year.
(c) When a student in a program is requested to provide the student's Social Security
number, the student must be notified in a written form easily understandable to the student
that:
(1) providing the Social Security number is optional and no adverse action may be
taken against the student if the student chooses not to provide the Social Security number;
(2) the request is made under section 124D.52, subdivision 7;
(3) if the student provides the Social Security number, it will be used to assess the
effectiveness of the program by tracking the student's subsequent career; and
(4) the Social Security number will be shared with the Department of Education;
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities; Office of Higher Education; Department of
Human Services; and Department of Employment and Economic Development in order
to accomplish the purposes described in paragraph (a) and will not be used for any other
purpose or reported to any other governmental entities.
(d) Annually a district, group of districts, state agency, or private nonprofit
organization providing programs under this section must forward the tracking data
collected to the Department of Education. For the purposes of longitudinal studies on the
employment status of former students under this section, the Department of Education
must forward the Social Security numbers to the Department of Employment and
Economic Development to electronically match the Social Security numbers of former
students with wage detail reports filed under section 268.044. The results of data matches
must, for purposes of this section and consistent with the requirements of the United
States Code, title 29, section 2871, of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, be compiled
in a longitudinal form by the Department of Employment and Economic Development
and released to the Department of Education in the form of summary data that does not
identify the individual students. The Department of Education may release this summary
data. State funding for adult basic education programs must not be based on the number or
percentage of students who decline to provide their Social Security numbers or on whether
the program is evaluated by means of a follow-up survey instead of data matching.
    Subd. 8. Standard high school diploma for adults. (a) The commissioner shall
adopt rules for providing a standard adult high school diploma to persons who:
(1) are not eligible for kindergarten through grade 12 services;
(2) do not have a high school diploma; and
(3) successfully complete an adult basic education program of instruction approved
by the commissioner of education necessary to earn an adult high school diploma.
(b) Persons participating in an approved adult basic education program of instruction
must demonstrate the competencies, knowledge, and skills and, where appropriate,
English language proficiency, sufficient to ensure that postsecondary programs and
institutions and potential employers regard persons with a standard high school diploma
and persons with a standard adult high school diploma as equally well prepared and
qualified graduates. Approved adult basic education programs of instruction under this
subdivision must issue a standard adult high school diploma to persons who successfully
demonstrate the competencies, knowledge, and skills required by the program.

    Sec. 33. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.522, is amended to read:
124D.522 ADULT BASIC EDUCATION SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICE
GRANTS.
(a) The commissioner, in consultation with the policy review task force under
section 124D.521, may make grants to nonprofit organizations to provide services that are
not offered by a district adult basic education program or that are supplemental to either
the statewide adult basic education program, or a district's adult basic education program.
The commissioner may make grants for: staff development for adult basic education
teachers and administrators; training for volunteer tutors; training, services, and materials
for serving disabled students through adult basic education programs; statewide promotion
of adult basic education services and programs; development and dissemination of
instructional and administrative technology for adult basic education programs; programs
which primarily serve communities of color; adult basic education distance learning
projects, including television instruction programs; initiatives to accelerate English
language acquisition and the achievement of career- and college-ready skills among
English learners; and other supplemental services to support the mission of adult basic
education and innovative delivery of adult basic education services.
(b) The commissioner must establish eligibility criteria and grant application
procedures. Grants under this section must support services throughout the state, focus
on educational results for adult learners, and promote outcome-based achievement
through adult basic education programs. Beginning in fiscal year 2002, the commissioner
may make grants under this section from the state total adult basic education aid set
aside for supplemental service grants under section 124D.531. Up to one-fourth of the
appropriation for supplemental service grants must be used for grants for adult basic
education programs to encourage and support innovations in adult basic education
instruction and service delivery. A grant to a single organization cannot exceed 20 percent
of the total supplemental services aid. Nothing in this section prevents an approved adult
basic education program from using state or federal aid to purchase supplemental services.

    Sec. 34. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.59, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. English learner. (a) "English learner" means a pupil in kindergarten through
grade 12 who meets the requirements under subdivision 2a or the following requirements:
(1) the pupil, as declared by a parent or guardian first learned a language other than
English, comes from a home where the language usually spoken is other than English, or
usually speaks a language other than English; and
(2) the pupil is determined by a valid assessment measuring the pupil's English
language proficiency and by developmentally appropriate measures, which might include
observations, teacher judgment, parent recommendations, or developmentally appropriate
assessment instruments, to lack the necessary English skills to participate fully in
academic classes taught in English.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), A pupil enrolled in a Minnesota public school
in grades any grade 4 through 12 who was enrolled in a Minnesota public school on
the dates during in the previous school year when a commissioner provided took a
commissioner-provided assessment that measures measuring the pupil's emerging
academic English was administered, shall not be counted as an English learner in
calculating English learner pupil units under section 126C.05, subdivision 17, and shall not
generate state English learner aid under section 124D.65, subdivision 5, unless if the pupil
scored below the state cutoff score or is otherwise counted as a nonproficient participant
on an the assessment measuring the pupil's emerging academic English provided by the
commissioner during the previous school year or in the judgment of the pupil's classroom
teachers, consistent with section 124D.61, clause (1), the pupil is unable to demonstrate
academic language proficiency in English, including oral academic language, sufficient to
successfully and fully participate in the general core curriculum in the regular classroom.
(c) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b), a pupil in kindergarten through grade
12 shall not be counted as an English learner in calculating English learner pupil units
under section 126C.05, subdivision 17, and shall not generate state English learner aid
under section 124D.65, subdivision 5, if:
(1) the pupil is not enrolled during the current fiscal year in an educational program
for English learners in accordance with under sections 124D.58 to 124D.64; or
(2) the pupil has generated five or more years of average daily membership in
Minnesota public schools since July 1, 1996.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for the 2015-2016 school year and
later.

    Sec. 35. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.59, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:
    Subd. 2a. English learner; interrupted formal education. Consistent with
subdivision 2, an English learner includes an English learner with an interrupted formal
education who:
(1) comes from a home where the language usually spoken is other than English, or
usually speaks a language other than English;
(2) enters school in the United States after grade 6;
(3) has at least two years less schooling than the English learner's peers;
(4) functions at least two years below expected grade level in reading and
mathematics; and
(5) may be preliterate in the English learner's native language.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for the 2015-2016 school year and
later.

    Sec. 36. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.861, subdivision 3,
is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Public engagement; progress report and budget process. (a) To
receive revenue under section 124D.862, the school board of an eligible district must
incorporate school and district plan components under section 120B.11 into the district's
comprehensive integration plan.
(b) A school board must hold at least one formal annual hearing to publicly report its
progress in realizing the goals identified in its plan. At the hearing, the board must provide
the public with longitudinal data demonstrating district and school progress in reducing
the disparities in student academic performance among the specified categories of students
and in realizing racial and economic integration, consistent with the district plan and the
measures in paragraph (a). At least 30 days before the formal hearing under this paragraph,
the board must post its plan, its preliminary analysis, relevant student performance data,
and other longitudinal data on the district's Web site. A district must hold one hearing to
meet the hearing requirements of both this section and section 120B.11.
(c) The district must submit a detailed budget to the commissioner by March 15 in
the year before it implements its plan. The commissioner must review, and approve or
disapprove the district's budget by June 1 of that year.
(d) The longitudinal data required under paragraph (a) must be based on student
growth and progress in reading and mathematics, as defined under section 120B.30,
subdivision 1, and student performance data and achievement reports from fully adaptive
reading and mathematics assessments for grades 3 through 7 beginning in the 2015-2016
school year under section 120B.30, subdivision 1a, and either (i) school enrollment
choices, (ii) the number of world language proficiency or high achievement certificates
awarded under section 120B.022, subdivision 1, paragraphs (b) and (c) 1a, or the number
of state bilingual and multilingual seals issued under section 120B.022, subdivision 1b,
or (iii) school safety and students' engagement and connection at school under section
120B.35, subdivision 3 , paragraph (d). Additional longitudinal data may be based on:
students' progress toward career and college readiness under section 120B.30, subdivision
1 ; or rigorous coursework completed under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph
(c), clause (2).
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for the 2014-2015 school year and
later.

    Sec. 37. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.895, is amended to read:
124D.895 PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT PROGRAMS.
    Subdivision 1. Program goals. The department, in consultation with the state
curriculum advisory committee, must develop guidelines and model plans for parental
involvement programs that will:
(1) engage the interests and talents of parents or guardians in recognizing and
meeting the emotional, intellectual, native and English language development, and
physical needs of their school-age children;
(2) promote healthy self-concepts among parents or guardians and other family
members;
(3) offer parents or guardians a chance to share and learn about educational skills,
techniques, and ideas;
(4) provide creative learning experiences for parents or guardians and their
school-age children, including involvement from parents or guardians of color;
(5) encourage parents to actively participate in their district's curriculum advisory
committee under section 120B.11 in order to assist the school board in improving
children's education programs; and
(6) encourage parents to help in promoting school desegregation/integration under
sections 124D.861 and 124D.862.
    Subd. 2. Plan contents. Model plans for a parental involvement program must
include at least the following:
(1) program goals;
(2) means for achieving program goals;
(3) methods for informing parents or guardians, in a timely way, about the program;
(4) strategies for ensuring the full participation of parents or guardians, including
those parents or guardians who lack literacy skills or whose native language is not English,
including the involvement from of parents or guardians of color;
(5) procedures for coordinating the program with kindergarten through grade 12
curriculum, with parental involvement programs currently available in the community,
with the process under sections 120B.10 to world's best workforce under section 120B.11,
and with other education facilities located in the community;
(6) strategies for training teachers and other school staff to work effectively with
parents and guardians;
(7) procedures for parents or guardians and educators to evaluate and report progress
toward program goals; and
(8) a mechanism for convening a local community advisory committee composed
primarily of parents or guardians to advise a district on implementing a parental
involvement program.
    Subd. 3. Plan activities. Activities contained in the model plans must include:
(1) educational opportunities for families that enhance children's learning and native
and English language development;
(2) educational programs for parents or guardians on families' educational
responsibilities and resources;
(3) the hiring, training, and use of parental involvement liaison workers to
coordinate family involvement activities and to foster linguistic and culturally competent
communication among families, educators, and students, consistent with the definition of
culturally competent under section 120B.30, subdivision 1, paragraph (l);
(4) curriculum materials and assistance in implementing home and community-based
learning activities that reinforce and extend classroom instruction and student motivation;
(5) technical assistance, including training to design and carry out family
involvement programs;
(6) parent resource centers;
(7) parent training programs and reasonable and necessary expenditures associated
with parents' attendance at training sessions;
(8) reports to parents on children's progress;
(9) use of parents as classroom volunteers, or as volunteers in before and after
school programs for school-age children, tutors, and aides;
(10) soliciting parents' suggestions in planning, developing, and implementing
school programs;
(11) educational programs and opportunities for parents or guardians that are
multicultural, multilingual, gender fair, and disability sensitive;
(12) involvement in a district's curriculum advisory committee or a school building
team under section 120B.11; and
(13) opportunities for parent involvement in developing, implementing, or evaluating
school and district desegregation/integration plans under sections 124D.861 and 124D.862.

    Sec. 38. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.8955, is amended to read:
124D.8955 PARENT AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT POLICY.
    (a) In order to promote and support student achievement, a local school board is
encouraged to formally adopt and implement a parent and family involvement policy that
promotes and supports:
    (1) oral and written communication between home and school that is regular,
two-way, and meaningful, and in families' native language;
    (2) parenting skills;
    (3) parents and caregivers who play an integral role in assisting student learning and
learn about fostering students' academic success and learning at home and school;
    (4) welcoming parents in the school and using networks that support families'
cultural connections, seeking their support and assistance;
    (5) partnerships with parents in the decisions that affect children and families
in the schools; and
    (6) providing community resources to strengthen schools, families, and student
learning.
    (b) A school board that implements a parent and family involvement policy under
paragraph (a) must convene an advisory committee composed of an equal number of
resident parents who are not district employees and school staff to make recommendations
to the board on developing and evaluating the board's parent and family involvement
policy. If possible, the advisory committee must represent the diversity of the district. The
advisory committee must consider the district's demographic diversity and barriers to
parent involvement when developing its recommendations. The advisory committee must
present its recommendations to the board for board consideration.
    (c) The board must consider research-based best practices when implementing
this policy.
    (d) The board periodically must review this policy to determine whether it is aligned
with the most current research findings on parent involvement policies and practices and
how effective the policy is in supporting increased student achievement.
    (e) Nothing in this section obligates a school district to exceed any parent or family
involvement requirement under federal law.

    Sec. 39. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 127A.70, subdivision 2, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Powers and duties; report. (a) The partnership shall develop
recommendations to the governor and the legislature designed to maximize the achievement
of all P-20 students while promoting the efficient use of state resources, thereby helping
the state realize the maximum value for its investment. These recommendations may
include, but are not limited to, strategies, policies, or other actions focused on:
    (1) improving the quality of and access to education at all points from preschool
through graduate education;
    (2) improving preparation for, and transitions to, postsecondary education and
work; and
    (3) ensuring educator quality by creating rigorous standards for teacher recruitment,
teacher preparation, induction and mentoring of beginning teachers, and continuous
professional development for career teachers.
    (b) Under the direction of the P-20 Education Partnership Statewide Longitudinal
Education Data System Governance Committee, the Office of Higher Education and the
Departments of Education and Employment and Economic Development shall improve
and expand the Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System (SLEDS) to provide
policymakers, education and workforce leaders, researchers, and members of the public
with data, research, and reports to:
(1) expand reporting on students' educational outcomes for diverse student
populations including at-risk students, children with disabilities, English learners, and
gifted students, among others, and include formative and summative evaluations based on
multiple measures of student progress toward career and college readiness;
(2) evaluate the effectiveness of educational and workforce programs; and
(3) evaluate the relationship between education and workforce outcomes, consistent
with section 124D.49.
To the extent possible under federal and state law, research and reports should be
accessible to the public on the Internet, and disaggregated by demographic characteristics,
organization or organization characteristics, and geography.
It is the intent of the legislature that the Statewide Longitudinal Education Data
System inform public policy and decision-making. The SLEDS governance committee,
with assistance from staff of the Office of Higher Education, the Department of Education,
and the Department of Employment and Economic Development, shall respond to
legislative committee and agency requests on topics utilizing data made available through
the Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System as resources permit. Any analysis of
or report on the data must contain only summary data.
    (c) By January 15 of each year, the partnership shall submit a report to the governor
and to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees and
divisions with jurisdiction over P-20 education policy and finance that summarizes the
partnership's progress in meeting its goals and identifies the need for any draft legislation
when necessary to further the goals of the partnership to maximize student achievement
while promoting efficient use of resources.

    Sec. 40. REVIEW OF WORLD LANGUAGE COMPETENCIES.
The commissioner of education and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
(MnSCU) chancellor, after consulting with the world language faculty at the University of
Minnesota and MnSCU, must review the specific competencies a K-12 student masters in
attaining a state bilingual seal, multilingual seal, Minnesota World Language Proficiency
Certificate, or Minnesota World Language Proficiency High Achievement Certificate
under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.22, subdivisions 1a and 1b, and determine credit
and course equivalencies for each seal or certificate. The commissioner and the chancellor,
or their designees, must report findings, determinations, and any recommendations to the
education policy and finance committees of the legislature by February 15, 2015.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

    Sec. 41. REPEALER.
Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.19, subdivision 3, is repealed effective the
day following final enactment.

ARTICLE 2

GENERAL EDUCATION

    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.08, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:
    Subd. 2b. Continued enrollment for students placed in foster care.
Notwithstanding subdivision 2, a pupil who has been enrolled in a district who is placed
in foster care in another district may continue to enroll in the prior district without the
approval of the board of the prior district. The approval of the board where the pupil's
foster home is located is not required.

    Sec. 2. Laws 2012, chapter 263, section 1, the effective date, is amended to read:
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment
and applies to the 2013-2014 through 2017-2018 school years.

    Sec. 3. REPEALER.
Minnesota Statutes 2012, sections 123B.15; 123B.16; 123B.17; 123B.18; 123B.26;
and 123B.27, are repealed.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

ARTICLE 3

EDUCATION EXCELLENCE

    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 13.32, subdivision 6, is amended to read:
    Subd. 6. Admissions forms; remedial instruction. (a) Minnesota postsecondary
education institutions, for purposes of reporting and research, may collect on the
1986-1987 admissions form, and disseminate to any public educational agency or
institution the following data on individuals: student sex, ethnic background, age, and
disabilities. The data shall not be required of any individual and shall not be used for
purposes of determining the person's admission to an institution.
(b) A school district that receives information under subdivision 3, paragraph
(h) from a postsecondary institution about an identifiable student shall maintain the
data as educational data and use that data to conduct studies to improve instruction.
Public postsecondary systems annually shall provide summary data to the Department
of Education indicating as part of their participation in the Statewide Longitudinal
Education Data System shall provide data on the extent and content of the remedial
instruction received in each system during the prior academic year by individual students,
and the results of assessment testing and the academic performance of, students who
graduated from a Minnesota school district within two years before receiving the remedial
instruction. The department Office of Higher Education, in collaboration with the
Department of Education, shall evaluate the data and annually report its findings to the
education committees of the legislature.
(c) This section supersedes any inconsistent provision of law.

    Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 120A.22, subdivision 5, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 5. Ages and terms. (a) Every child between seven and 17 years of age must
receive instruction unless the child has graduated. Every child under the age of seven who
is enrolled in a half-day kindergarten, or a full-day kindergarten program on alternate days,
or other kindergarten programs shall receive instruction. Except as provided in subdivision
6, a parent may withdraw a child under the age of seven from enrollment at any time.
(b) A school district by annual board action may require children subject to this
subdivision to receive instruction in summer school. A district that acts to require children
to receive instruction in summer school shall establish at the time of its action the criteria
for determining which children must receive instruction.
(c) A pupil 16 years of age or older who meets the criteria of section 124D.68,
subdivision 2, may be assigned to an area learning center. Such assignment may be made
only after consultation with the principal, area learning center director, and parent or
guardian.

    Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 120B.021, subdivision 4, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 4. 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 ten-year cycle to review and revise state
academic standards and related benchmarks, consistent with this subdivision. During each
ten-year review and revision cycle, the commissioner also must examine the alignment
of each required academic standard and related benchmark with the knowledge and
skills students need for career and college readiness and advanced work in the particular
subject area. The commissioner must include the contributions of Minnesota American
Indian tribes and communities as related to the academic standards during the review and
revision of the required academic standards.
    (b) The commissioner 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 and, consistent with the review, revise the
academic standards and related benchmarks in mathematics beginning in the 2015-2016
school year and every ten years thereafter.
(c) The commissioner must implement a review of and, consistent with the review,
revise the academic standards and related benchmarks in arts beginning in the 2016-2017
school year and every ten years thereafter.
(d) The commissioner must implement a review of and, consistent with the review,
revise the academic standards and related benchmarks in science beginning in the
2017-2018 school year and every ten years thereafter.
(e) The commissioner must implement a review of and, consistent with the review,
revise the academic standards and related benchmarks in language arts beginning in the
2018-2019 school year and every ten years thereafter.
(f) The commissioner must implement a review of and, consistent with the review,
revise the academic standards and related benchmarks in social studies beginning in the
2019-2020 school year and every ten years thereafter.
(g) School districts and charter schools must revise and align local academic
standards and high school graduation requirements in health, 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, world languages, and career and technical education.

    Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 120B.11, subdivision 1, is
amended to read:
    Subdivision 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this section and section 120B.10,
the following terms have the meanings given them.
    (a) "Instruction" means methods of providing learning experiences that enable
a student to meet state and district academic standards and graduation requirements
including applied and experiential learning.
    (b) "Curriculum" means district or school adopted programs and written plans for
providing students with learning experiences that lead to expected knowledge and skills
and career and college readiness.
    (c) "World's best workforce" means striving to: meet school readiness goals; have
all third grade students achieve grade-level literacy; close the academic achievement gap
among all racial and ethnic groups of students and between students living in poverty and
students not living in poverty; have all students attain career and college readiness before
graduating from high school; and have all students graduate from high school.
    (d) "Experiential learning" means learning for students that includes career
exploration through a specific class or course or through work-based experiences such as
job shadowing, mentoring, entrepreneurship, service learning, volunteering, internships,
other cooperative work experience, youth apprenticeship, or employment.

    Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 120B.11, subdivision 1a, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 1a. Performance measures. Measures to determine school district and
school site progress in striving to create the world's best workforce must include at least:
(1) student performance on the National Association Assessment of Education
Progress where applicable;
(2) the size of the academic achievement gap by student subgroup;
(3) student performance on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments;
(4) high school graduation rates; and
(5) career and college readiness under section 120B.30, subdivision 1.

    Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 120B.115, is amended to read:
120B.115 REGIONAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.
(a) Regional centers of excellence are established to assist and support school
boards, school districts, school sites, and charter schools in implementing research-based
interventions and practices to increase the students' achievement within a region.
The centers must develop partnerships with local and regional service cooperatives,
postsecondary institutions, integrated school districts, the department, children's mental
health providers, or other local or regional entities interested in providing a cohesive
and consistent regional delivery system that serves all schools equitably. Centers must
assist school districts, school sites, and charter schools in developing similar partnerships.
Center support may include assisting school districts, school sites, and charter schools
with common principles of effective practice, including:
(1) defining measurable education goals under section 120B.11, subdivision 2;
(2) implementing evidence-based practices, including applied and experiential
learning, contextualized learning, competency-based curricula and assessments, and other
nontraditional learning opportunities, among other practices;
(3) engaging in data-driven decision-making;
(4) providing multilayered levels of support;
(5) supporting culturally responsive teaching and learning aligning state and local
academic standards and career and college readiness benchmarks; and
(6) engaging parents, families, youth, and local community members in programs
and activities at the school district, school site, or charter school.
Centers must work with school site leadership teams to build capacity to implement
programs that close the achievement gap, increase students' progress and growth toward
career and college readiness, and increase student graduation rates.
(b) The department must assist the regional centers of excellence to meet staff,
facilities, and technical needs, provide the centers with programmatic support, and work
with the centers to establish a coherent statewide system of regional support, including
consulting, training, and technical support, to help school boards, school districts, school
sites, and charter schools effectively and efficiently implement the world's best workforce
goals under section 120B.11 and other state and federal education initiatives, including
secondary and postsecondary career pathways and technical education.

    Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 120B.125, is amended to read:
120B.125 PLANNING FOR STUDENTS' SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION
TO POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT; INVOLUNTARY
CAREER TRACKING PROHIBITED PERSONAL LEARNING PLANS.
(a) Consistent with sections 120B.128, 120B.13, 120B.131, 120B.132, 120B.14,
120B.15 , 120B.30, subdivision 1, paragraph (c), 125A.08, and other related sections,
school districts, beginning in the 2013-2014 school year, must assist all students by no
later than grade 9 to explore their educational, college, and career interests, aptitudes, and
aspirations and develop a plan for a smooth and successful transition to postsecondary
education or employment. All students' plans must be designed to:
(1) provide a comprehensive academic plan for completing to prepare for and
complete a college and career-ready career and college-ready curriculum premised on
by meeting state and local academic standards and developing 21st century career and
employment-related skills such as team work, collaboration, and good work habits;
(2) emphasize academic rigor and high expectations;
(3) help students identify interests, aptitudes, aspirations, and personal learning
styles that may affect their career and college-ready goals and postsecondary education
and employment choices;
(4) set appropriate career and college-ready goals with timelines that identify
effective means for achieving those goals;
(4) (5) help students gain access to postsecondary education and career options;
(5) (6) integrate strong academic content into career-focused courses and applied
and experiential learning opportunities and integrate relevant career-focused courses and
applied and experiential learning opportunities into strong academic content;
(6) (7) help students and families identify and gain access to appropriate counseling
and other supports and assistance that enable students to complete required coursework,
prepare for postsecondary education and careers, and obtain information about
postsecondary education costs and eligibility for financial aid and scholarship;
(7) (8) help students and families identify collaborative partnerships of among
kindergarten through grade 12 schools, postsecondary institutions, economic development
agencies, and local and regional employers that support students' transition to
postsecondary education and employment and provide students with applied and
experiential learning opportunities; and
(8) (9) be reviewed and revised at least annually by the student, the student's parent or
guardian, and the school or district to ensure that the student's course-taking schedule keeps
the student making adequate progress to meet state and local academic standards and high
school graduation requirements and with a reasonable chance to succeed with employment
or postsecondary education without the need to first complete remedial course work.
(b) A school district may develop grade-level curricula or provide instruction that
introduces students to various careers, but must not require any curriculum, instruction,
or employment-related activity that obligates an elementary or secondary student to
involuntarily select or pursue a career, career interest, employment goals, or related job
training.
(c) When assisting students in developing a plan for a smooth and successful
transition to postsecondary education and employment, districts must recognize the unique
possibilities of each student and ensure that the contents of each student's plan reflect the
student's unique talents, skills, and abilities as the student grows, develops, and learns.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

    Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2013 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 as computer-adaptive reading
and mathematics assessments for students that are aligned with the state's required
academic standards under section 120B.021, include multiple choice questions, and are
administered annually to all students in grades 3 through 7. Reading and mathematics
assessments for all students in grade 8 must be aligned with the state's required reading and
mathematics standards, be administered annually, and include multiple choice questions.
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.
(1) Students enrolled in grade 8 through the 2009-2010 school year are eligible
to be assessed under (i) the graduation-required assessment for diploma in reading,
mathematics, or writing under Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.30, subdivision 1,
paragraphs (c), clauses (1) and (2), and (d), (ii) the WorkKeys job skills assessment, (iii)
the Compass college placement test, (iv) the ACT assessment for college admission, or (v)
a nationally recognized armed services vocational aptitude test.
(2) Students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2010-2011 or 2011-2012 school year are
eligible to be assessed under (i) the graduation-required assessment for diploma in reading,
mathematics, or writing under Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.30, subdivision
1, paragraph (c), clauses (1) and (2), (ii) the WorkKeys job skills assessment, (iii) the
Compass college placement test, (iv) the ACT assessment for college admission, or (v) a
nationally recognized armed services vocational aptitude test.
(3) For students under clause (1) or (2), a school district may substitute a score from
an alternative, equivalent assessment to satisfy the requirements of this paragraph.
(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 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 2012-2013 school year and later, students'
state graduation requirements, based on a longitudinal, systematic approach to student
education and career planning, assessment, instructional support, and evaluation, include
the following:
    (1) demonstrate understanding of required academic standards on a nationally
normed college entrance exam;
    (2) achievement and career and college readiness tests in mathematics, reading, and
writing, consistent with paragraph (e) and to the extent available, to monitor students'
continuous development of and growth in requisite knowledge and skills; analyze
students' progress and performance levels, identifying students' academic strengths and
diagnosing areas where students require curriculum or instructional adjustments, targeted
interventions, or remediation; and, based on analysis of students' progress and performance
data, determine students' learning and instructional needs and the instructional tools and
best practices that support academic rigor for the student; and
    (3) consistent with this paragraph and section 120B.125, age-appropriate exploration
and planning activities and career assessments to encourage students to identify personally
relevant career interests and aptitudes and help students and their families develop a
regularly reexamined transition plan for postsecondary education or employment without
need for postsecondary remediation.
Based on appropriate state guidelines, students with an individualized education program
may satisfy state graduation requirements by achieving an individual score on the
state-identified alternative assessments.
Expectations of schools, districts, and the state for career or college readiness under
this subdivision must be comparable in rigor, clarity of purpose, and rates of student
completion. A student under clause (2) must receive targeted, relevant, academically
rigorous, and resourced instruction, which may include a targeted instruction and
intervention plan focused on improving the student's knowledge and skills in core subjects
so that the student has a reasonable chance to succeed in a career or college without need
for postsecondary remediation. Consistent with sections 120B.13, 124D.09, 124D.091,
124D.49 , and related sections, an enrolling school or district must actively encourage a
student in grade 11 or 12 who is identified as academically ready for a career or college
to participate in courses and programs awarding college credit to high school students.
Students are not required to achieve a specified score or level of proficiency on an
assessment under this subdivision to graduate from high school.
    (d) To improve the secondary and postsecondary outcomes of all students, the
alignment between secondary and postsecondary education programs and Minnesota's
workforce needs, and the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of secondary and postsecondary
programs, the commissioner, after consulting with the chancellor of the Minnesota State
Colleges and Universities and using a request for proposal process, shall contract for
a series of assessments that are consistent with this subdivision, aligned with state
academic standards, and include career and college readiness benchmarks. Mathematics,
reading, and writing assessments for students in grades 8 and 10 must be predictive of a
nationally normed assessment for career and college readiness. This nationally recognized
assessment must be a college entrance exam and given to students in grade 11. This
series of assessments must include a college placement diagnostic exam and contain
career exploration elements. The commissioner and the chancellor of the Minnesota
State Colleges and Universities must collaborate in aligning instruction and assessments
for adult basic education students and English learners to provide the students with
diagnostic information about any targeted interventions, accommodations, modifications,
and supports they need so that assessments and other performance measures are accessible
to them and they may seek postsecondary education or employment without need for
postsecondary remediation.
    (1) Districts and schools, on an annual basis, must use the career exploration
elements in these assessments to help students, beginning no later than grade 9, and their
families explore and plan for postsecondary education or careers based on the students'
interests, aptitudes, and aspirations. Districts and schools must use timely regional labor
market information and partnerships, among other resources, to help students and their
families successfully develop, pursue, review, and revise an individualized plan for
postsecondary education or a career. This process must help increase students' engagement
in and connection to school, improve students' knowledge and skills, and deepen students'
understanding of career pathways as a sequence of academic and career courses that lead
to an industry-recognized credential, an associate's degree, or a bachelor's degree and are
available to all students, whatever their interests and career goals.
(2) Students in grade 10 or 11 not yet academically ready for a career or college based
on their growth in academic achievement between grades 8 and 10 must take the college
placement diagnostic exam before taking the college entrance exam under clause (3).
Students, their families, the school, and the district can then use the results of the college
placement diagnostic exam for targeted instruction, intervention, or remediation and
improve students' knowledge and skills in core subjects sufficient for a student to graduate
and have a reasonable chance to succeed in a career or college without remediation.
(3) All students except those eligible for alternative assessments must be given the
college entrance part of these assessments in grade 11. A student under this clause who
demonstrates attainment of required state academic standards, which include career and
college readiness benchmarks, on these assessments is academically ready for a career or
college and is encouraged to participate in courses awarding college credit to high school
students. Such courses and programs may include sequential courses of study within
broad career areas and technical skill assessments that extend beyond course grades.
(4) As appropriate, students through grade 12 must continue to participate in targeted
instruction, intervention, or remediation and be encouraged to participate in courses
awarding college credit to high school students.
    (5) A study to determine the alignment between these assessments and state
academic standards under this chapter must be conducted. Where alignment exists, the
commissioner must seek federal approval to, and immediately upon receiving approval,
replace the federally required assessments referenced under subdivision 1a and section
120B.35, subdivision 2 , with assessments under this paragraph.
    (e) In developing, supporting, and improving students' academic readiness for a
career or college, schools, districts, and the state must have a continuum of empirically
derived, clearly defined benchmarks focused on students' attainment of knowledge and
skills so that students, their parents, and teachers know how well students must perform to
have a reasonable chance to succeed in a career or college without need for postsecondary
remediation. The commissioner, in consultation with local school officials and educators,
and Minnesota's public postsecondary institutions must ensure that the foundational
knowledge and skills for students' successful performance in postsecondary employment
or education and an articulated series of possible targeted interventions are clearly
identified and satisfy Minnesota's postsecondary admissions requirements.
    (f) For students in grade 8 in the 2012-2013 school year and later, a school, district,
or charter school must record on the high school transcript a student's progress toward
career and college readiness, and for other students as soon as practicable.
    (g) The school board granting 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.
(h) The 3rd through 7th grade computer-adaptive assessment results and grade 8
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 establish empirically derived benchmarks on
adaptive assessments in grades 3 through 7 that reveal a trajectory toward career and
college readiness. The commissioner must disseminate to the public the computer-adaptive
assessments, grade 8, and high school test results upon receiving those results.
    (i) The grades 3 through 7 computer-adaptive assessments and grade 8 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.
    (j) The commissioner shall include the following components in the statewide
public reporting system:
    (1) uniform statewide computer-adaptive assessments of all students in grades 3
through 7 and testing at the grade 8 and high school levels 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.
    (k) For purposes of statewide accountability, "career and college ready" means a
high school graduate has the knowledge, skills, and competencies to successfully pursue a
career pathway, including postsecondary credit leading to a degree, diploma, certificate, or
industry-recognized credential and employment. Students who are career and college ready
are able to successfully complete credit-bearing coursework at a two- or four-year college
or university or other credit-bearing postsecondary program without need for remediation.
    (l) For purposes of statewide accountability, "cultural competence," "cultural
competency," or "culturally competent" means the ability and will to interact effectively
with people of different cultures, native languages, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

    Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.31, is amended by adding a subdivision
to read:
    Subd. 5. Parent information. To ensure the effective involvement of parents and to
support a partnership between the school and parents, each district shall provide parents
a timely written summary, in an electronic or other format, of their student's current
and longitudinal performance and progress on the state's academic content standards
as measured by state assessments. Providing parents with a summary prepared by the
Department of Education fulfills the requirements of this subdivision.

    Sec. 10. Minnesota Statutes 2013 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,
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 measures of student growth, consistent with this
paragraph, including the English language development, academic progress, and oral
academic development of English learners and their native language development if the
native language is used as a language of instruction.
(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 learning year program
providers under sections 123A.05 and 124D.68, among other such providers, in improving
students' graduation outcomes. The commissioner, beginning July 1, 2015, must annually
report summary data on:
(1) the four- and six-year graduation rates of students under this paragraph;
(2) the percent of students under this paragraph whose progress and performance
levels are meeting career and college readiness benchmarks under section 120B.30,
subdivision 1; and
(3) the success that learning year program providers experience in:
(i) identifying at-risk and off-track student populations by grade;
(ii) providing successful prevention and intervention strategies for at-risk students;
(iii) providing successful recuperative and recovery or reenrollment strategies for
off-track students; and
(iv) improving the graduation outcomes of at-risk and off-track students.
The commissioner may include in the annual report summary data on other education
providers serving a majority of students eligible to participate in a learning year program.

    Sec. 11. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.35, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
    Subd. 4. Improving schools. Consistent with the requirements of this section,
beginning June 20, 2012, the commissioner of education must annually report to the public
and the legislature the organizational and curricular best practices implemented in those
schools that demonstrate medium and high growth compared to the state growth target.

    Sec. 12. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 122A.09, subdivision 4, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 4. License and rules. (a) The board must adopt rules to license public school
teachers and interns subject to chapter 14.
(b) The board must adopt rules requiring a person to pass a skills examination in
reading, writing, and mathematics or attain either a composite score composed of the
average of the scores in English and writing, reading, and mathematics on the ACT
Plus Writing recommended by the board, or an equivalent composite score composed
of the average of the scores in critical reading, mathematics, and writing on the SAT
recommended by the board, as a requirement for initial teacher licensure, except that
the board may issue up to two additional temporary, one-year teaching licenses to an
otherwise qualified candidate who has not yet passed the skills exam or attained the
requisite composite score on the ACT Plus Writing or SAT. 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 or attain the requisite composite score on the ACT Plus Writing or
SAT, including those for whom English is a second language. The requirement to pass
a reading, writing, and mathematics skills examination or attain the requisite composite
score on the ACT Plus Writing or SAT does not apply to nonnative English speakers, as
verified by qualified Minnesota school district personnel or Minnesota higher education
faculty, who, after meeting the content and pedagogy requirements under this subdivision,
apply for a teaching license to provide direct instruction in their native language or world
language instruction under section 120B.022, subdivision 1. A teacher candidate's official
ACT Plus Writing or SAT composite score report to the board must not be more than ten
years old at the time of licensure.
(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 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. Teacher
preparation programs including alternative teacher preparation programs under section
122A.245 , among other programs, must include a content-specific, board-approved,
performance-based assessment that measures teacher candidates in three areas: planning
for instruction and assessment; engaging students and supporting learning; and assessing
student learning. The board's redesign rules must include creating flexible, specialized
teaching licenses, credentials, and other endorsement forms to increase students'
participation in language immersion programs, world language instruction, career
development opportunities, work-based learning, early college courses and careers, career
and technical programs, Montessori schools, and project and place-based learning, among
other career and college ready learning offerings.
(e) The board must adopt rules requiring candidates for initial licenses to 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 pass, 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.
(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.
(g) The board must grant licenses to interns and to candidates for initial licenses
based on appropriate professional competencies that are aligned with the board's licensing
system and students' diverse learning needs. The board must include these licenses in a
statewide differentiated licensing system that creates new leadership roles for successful
experienced teachers premised on a collaborative professional culture dedicated to meeting
students' diverse learning needs in the 21st century and formalizes mentoring and induction
for newly licensed teachers that is provided through a teacher support framework.
(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.
(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,
first, in understanding the key warning signs of early-onset mental illness in children
and adolescents and then, during subsequent licensure renewal periods, preparation may
include providing a more in-depth understanding of students' mental illness trauma,
accommodations for students' mental illness, parents' role in addressing students' mental
illness, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, autism, the requirements of section 125A.0942
governing restrictive procedures, and de-escalation methods, among other similar topics.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section applies to persons applying to the Board of
Teaching for their initial teaching license July 1, 2014, or later.

    Sec. 13. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, 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 pass an examination of skills in reading,
writing, and mathematics or attain either a composite score composed of the average of
the scores in English and writing, reading, and mathematics on the ACT Plus Writing
recommended by the board, or an equivalent composite score composed of the average
of the scores in critical reading, mathematics, and writing on the SAT recommended by
the board, before being granted an initial teaching license to provide direct instruction to
pupils in prekindergarten, elementary, secondary, or special education programs, except
that the board may issue up to two additional temporary, one-year teaching licenses to
an otherwise qualified candidate who has not yet passed the skills exam or attained the
requisite composite score on the ACT Plus Writing or SAT. The board must require
colleges and universities offering a board approved teacher preparation program to make
available upon request 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 or attain the requisite composite ACT Plus Writing or SAT score,
including those for whom English is a second language. The colleges and universities
must make available assistance in the specific academic areas of candidates' deficiency
in which the person did not achieve a qualifying score. School districts may make
available upon request similar, appropriate, and timely remedial assistance that includes a
formal diagnostic component to those persons employed by the district who completed
their teacher education program, who did not achieve a qualifying score on the skills
examination, including those persons for whom English is a second language and persons
under section 122A.23, subdivision 2, paragraph (h), who completed their teacher's
education program outside the state of Minnesota or attain the requisite composite ACT
Plus Writing or SAT score, and who received a temporary license to teach in Minnesota.
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, and the candidates who have not attained the requisite
composite ACT Plus Writing or SAT score or have not passed a content or pedagogy
exam, disaggregated by categories of race, ethnicity, and eligibility for financial aid.
(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 passing the skills
examination in reading, writing, and mathematics or attaining the requisite composite
ACT Plus Writing or SAT score consistent with paragraph (b), and the exceptions in
section 122A.09, subdivision 4, paragraph (b)., that are consistent with this paragraph.
The requirement to pass a reading, writing, and mathematics skills examination, or attain
the requisite composite score on the ACT Plus Writing or SAT does not apply to nonnative
English speakers, as verified by qualified Minnesota school district personnel or Minnesota
higher education faculty, who, after meeting the content and pedagogy requirements under
this subdivision, apply for a teaching license to provide direct instruction in their native
language or world language instruction under section 120B.022, subdivision 1. A teacher
candidate's official ACT Plus Writing or SAT composite score report to the board must not
be more than ten years old at the time of licensure.
(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.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section applies to persons applying to the Board of
Teaching for their initial teaching license July 1, 2014, or later.

    Sec. 14. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, 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 all exams and 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 two grade level
levels less than a similar Minnesota license.
(c) The Board of Teaching, consistent with board rules and paragraph (h), 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 two grade level levels less than
a similar Minnesota license, but has not successfully completed all exams and 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 all exams and 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 two grade
level levels 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.
(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 all exams and 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.
(h) The Board of Teaching must require an applicant for a teaching license or a
temporary teaching license under this subdivision to pass a skills examination in reading,
writing, and mathematics or demonstrate, consistent with section 122A.09, subdivision
4, the applicant's attainment of either the requisite composite ACT Plus Writing or SAT
score before the board issues the license unless, notwithstanding other provisions of
this subdivision, an applicable board-approved National Association of State Directors
of Teacher Education interstate reciprocity agreement exists to allow fully certified
teachers from other states to transfer their certification to Minnesota. Consistent with
section 122A.18, subdivision 2, paragraph (b), and notwithstanding other provisions of
this subdivision, the board may issue up to two additional temporary, one-year teaching
licenses to an otherwise qualified applicant who has not yet passed the skills exam.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective July 1, 2014.

    Sec. 15. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.40, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
    Subd. 5. Probationary period. (a) The first three consecutive years of a teacher's
first teaching experience in Minnesota in a single district is deemed to be a probationary
period of employment, and, the probationary period in each district in which the teacher is
thereafter employed shall be one year. The school board must adopt a plan for written
evaluation of teachers during the probationary period that is consistent with subdivision 8.
Evaluation must occur at least three times periodically throughout each school year for a
teacher performing services during that school year; the first evaluation must occur within
the first 90 days of teaching service. Days devoted to parent-teacher conferences, teachers'
workshops, and other staff development opportunities and days on which a teacher is absent
from school must not be included in determining the number of school days on which a
teacher performs services. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b), during the
probationary period any annual contract with any teacher may or may not be renewed as the
school board shall see fit. However, the board must give any such teacher whose contract
it declines to renew for the following school year written notice to that effect before July 1.
If the teacher requests reasons for any nonrenewal of a teaching contract, the board must
give the teacher its reason in writing, including a statement that appropriate supervision
was furnished describing the nature and the extent of such supervision furnished the
teacher during the employment by the board, within ten days after receiving such request.
The school board may, after a hearing held upon due notice, discharge a teacher during the
probationary period for cause, effective immediately, under section 122A.44.
(b) A board must discharge a probationary teacher, effective immediately, upon
receipt of notice under section 122A.20, subdivision 1, paragraph (b), that the teacher's
license has been revoked due to a conviction for child abuse or sexual abuse.
(c) A probationary teacher whose first three years of consecutive employment are
interrupted for active military service and who promptly resumes teaching consistent with
federal reemployment timelines for uniformed service personnel under United States
Code, title 38, section 4312(e), is considered to have a consecutive teaching experience
for purposes of paragraph (a).
(d) A probationary teacher whose first three years of consecutive employment are
interrupted for maternity, paternity, or medical leave and who resumes teaching within 12
months of when the leave began is considered to have a consecutive teaching experience
for purposes of paragraph (a) if the probationary teacher completes a combined total of
three years of teaching service immediately before and after the leave.
(e) A probationary teacher must complete at least 120 days of teaching service each
year during the probationary period. Days devoted to parent-teacher conferences, teachers'
workshops, and other staff development opportunities and days on which a teacher is
absent from school do not count as days of teaching service under this paragraph.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective retroactively from July 1, 2013.

    Sec. 16. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 122A.40, subdivision 8, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 8. Development, evaluation, 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), may develop
a teacher evaluation and peer review process for probationary and continuing contract
teachers through joint agreement. If a school board and the exclusive representative of the
teachers do not agree to an annual teacher evaluation and peer review process, then the
school board and the exclusive representative of the teachers must implement the state
teacher evaluation plan for evaluation and review under paragraph (c). The process must
include having trained observers serve as peer coaches or having teachers participate in
professional learning communities, consistent with paragraph (b).
    (b) To develop, improve, and support qualified teachers and effective teaching
practices and improve student learning and success, the annual evaluation process for
teachers:
    (1) must, for probationary teachers, provide for all evaluations required under
subdivision 5;
    (2) must establish a three-year professional review cycle for each teacher that
includes an individual growth and development plan, a peer review process, the
opportunity to participate in a professional learning community under paragraph (a), and
at least one summative evaluation performed by a qualified and trained evaluator such as a
school administrator. For the years when a tenured teacher is not evaluated by a qualified
and trained evaluator, the teacher must be evaluated by a peer review;
    (3) must be based on professional teaching standards established in rule;
    (4) must coordinate staff development activities under sections 122A.60 and
122A.61 with this evaluation process and teachers' evaluation outcomes;
    (5) may provide time during the school day and school year for peer coaching and
teacher collaboration;
    (6) may include job-embedded learning opportunities such as professional learning
communities;
    (7) may include mentoring and induction programs;
    (7) (8) must include an option for teachers to develop and present a portfolio
demonstrating evidence of reflection and professional growth, consistent with section
122A.18, subdivision 4 , paragraph (b), and include teachers' own performance assessment
based on student work samples and examples of teachers' work, which may include video
among other activities for the summative evaluation;
    (8) (9) must use data from valid and reliable assessments aligned to state and local
academic standards and must use state and local measures of student growth that may
include value-added models or student learning goals to determine 35 percent of teacher
evaluation results;
    (9) (10) must use longitudinal data on student engagement and connection, and
other student outcome measures explicitly aligned with the elements of curriculum for
which teachers are responsible;
    (10) (11) must require qualified and trained evaluators such as school administrators
to perform summative evaluations and ensure school districts and charter schools provide
for effective evaluator training specific to teacher development and evaluation;
    (11) (12) must give teachers not meeting professional teaching standards under
clauses (3) through (10) (11) support to improve through a teacher improvement process
that includes established goals and timelines; and
    (12) (13) must discipline a teacher for not making adequate progress in the teacher
improvement process under clause (11) (12) that may include a last chance warning,
termination, discharge, nonrenewal, transfer to a different position, a leave of absence, or
other discipline a school administrator determines is appropriate.
    Data on individual teachers generated under this subdivision are personnel data
under section 13.43. The observation and interview notes of peer coaches may only be
disclosed to other school officials with the consent of the teacher being coached.
    (c) The department, in consultation with parents who may represent parent
organizations and teacher and administrator representatives appointed by their respective
organizations, representing the Board of Teaching, the Minnesota Association of School
Administrators, the Minnesota School Boards Association, the Minnesota Elementary
and Secondary Principals Associations, Education Minnesota, and representatives of
the Minnesota Assessment Group, the Minnesota Business Partnership, the Minnesota
Chamber of Commerce, and Minnesota postsecondary institutions with research expertise
in teacher evaluation, must create and publish a teacher evaluation process that complies
with the requirements in paragraph (b) and applies to all teachers under this section and
section 122A.41 for whom no agreement exists under paragraph (a) for an annual teacher
evaluation and peer review process. The teacher evaluation process created under this
subdivision does not create additional due process rights for probationary teachers under
subdivision 5.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for revenue for the 2014-2015 school
year and later.

    Sec. 17. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.41, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Probationary period; discharge or demotion. (a) All teachers in
the public schools in cities of the first class during the first three years of consecutive
employment shall be deemed to be in a probationary period of employment during which
period any annual contract with any teacher may, or may not, be renewed as the school
board, after consulting with the peer review committee charged with evaluating the
probationary teachers under subdivision 3, shall see fit. The school site management team
or the school board if there is no school site management team, shall adopt a plan for a
written evaluation of teachers during the probationary period according to subdivisions 3
and 5. Evaluation by the peer review committee charged with evaluating probationary
teachers under subdivision 3 shall occur at least three times periodically throughout each
school year for a teacher performing services during that school year; the first evaluation
must occur within the first 90 days of teaching service. Days devoted to parent-teacher
conferences, teachers' workshops, and other staff development opportunities and days on
which a teacher is absent from school shall not be included in determining the number of
school days on which a teacher performs services. The school board may, during such
probationary period, discharge or demote a teacher for any of the causes as specified in
this code. A written statement of the cause of such discharge or demotion shall be given to
the teacher by the school board at least 30 days before such removal or demotion shall
become effective, and the teacher so notified shall have no right of appeal therefrom.
(b) A probationary teacher whose first three years of consecutive employment are
interrupted for active military service and who promptly resumes teaching consistent with
federal reemployment timelines for uniformed service personnel under United States
Code, title 38, section 4312(e), is considered to have a consecutive teaching experience
for purposes of paragraph (a).
(c) A probationary teacher whose first three years of consecutive employment are
interrupted for maternity, paternity, or medical leave and who resumes teaching within 12
months of when the leave began is considered to have a consecutive teaching experience
for purposes of paragraph (a) if the probationary teacher completes a combined total of
three years of teaching service immediately before and after the leave.
(d) A probationary teacher must complete at least 120 days of teaching service each
year during the probationary period. Days devoted to parent-teacher conferences, teachers'
workshops, and other staff development opportunities and days on which a teacher is
absent from school do not count as days of teaching service under this paragraph.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective retroactively from July 1, 2013.

    Sec. 18. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 122A.41, subdivision 5, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 5. Development, evaluation, 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), may develop an
annual teacher evaluation and peer review process for probationary and nonprobationary
teachers through joint agreement. If a school board and the exclusive representative of the
teachers in the district do not agree to an annual teacher evaluation and peer review process,
then the school board and the exclusive representative of the teachers must implement
the state teacher evaluation plan for evaluation and review developed under paragraph
(c). The process must include having trained observers serve as peer coaches or having
teachers participate in professional learning communities, consistent with paragraph (b).
    (b) To develop, improve, and support qualified teachers and effective teaching
practices and improve student learning and success, the annual evaluation process for
teachers:
    (1) must, for probationary teachers, provide for all evaluations required under
subdivision 2;
    (2) must establish a three-year professional review cycle for each teacher that
includes an individual growth and development plan, a peer review process, the
opportunity to participate in a professional learning community under paragraph (a), and
at least one summative evaluation performed by a qualified and trained evaluator such
as a school administrator;
    (3) must be based on professional teaching standards established in rule;
    (4) must coordinate staff development activities under sections 122A.60 and
122A.61 with this evaluation process and teachers' evaluation outcomes;
    (5) may provide time during the school day and school year for peer coaching and
teacher collaboration;
    (6) may include job-embedded learning opportunities such as professional learning
communities;
    (7) may include mentoring and induction programs;
    (7) (8) must include an option for teachers to develop and present a portfolio
demonstrating evidence of reflection and professional growth, consistent with section
122A.18, subdivision 4 , paragraph (b), and include teachers' own performance assessment
based on student work samples and examples of teachers' work, which may include video
among other activities for the summative evaluation;
    (8) (9) must use data from valid and reliable assessments aligned to state and local
academic standards and must use state and local measures of student growth that may
include value-added models or student learning goals to determine 35 percent of teacher
evaluation results;
    (9) (10) must use longitudinal data on student engagement and connection and
other student outcome measures explicitly aligned with the elements of curriculum for
which teachers are responsible;
    (10) (11) must require qualified and trained evaluators such as school administrators
to perform summative evaluations and ensure school districts and charter schools provide
for effective evaluator training specific to teacher development and evaluation;
    (11) (12) must give teachers not meeting professional teaching standards under
clauses (3) through (10) (11) support to improve through a teacher improvement process
that includes established goals and timelines; and
    (12) (13) must discipline a teacher for not making adequate progress in the teacher
improvement process under clause (11) (12) that may include a last chance warning,
termination, discharge, nonrenewal, transfer to a different position, a leave of absence, or
other discipline a school administrator determines is appropriate.
    Data on individual teachers generated under this subdivision are personnel data
under section 13.43. The observation and interview notes of peer coaches may only be
disclosed to other school officials with the consent of the teacher being coached.
    (c) The department, in consultation with parents who may represent parent
organizations and teacher and administrator representatives appointed by their respective
organizations, representing the Board of Teaching, the Minnesota Association of School
Administrators, the Minnesota School Boards Association, the Minnesota Elementary
and Secondary Principals Associations, Education Minnesota, and representatives of
the Minnesota Assessment Group, the Minnesota Business Partnership, the Minnesota
Chamber of Commerce, and Minnesota postsecondary institutions with research expertise
in teacher evaluation, must create and publish a teacher evaluation process that complies
with the requirements in paragraph (b) and applies to all teachers under this section and
section 122A.40 for whom no agreement exists under paragraph (a) for an annual teacher
evaluation and peer review process. The teacher evaluation process created under this
subdivision does not create additional due process rights for probationary teachers under
subdivision 2.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for revenue for the 2014-2015 school
year and later.

    Sec. 19. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.414, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Alternative teacher professional pay system. (a) To participate in this
program, a school district, intermediate school district, school site, or charter school must
have an educational improvement plan under section 122A.413 and an alternative teacher
professional pay system agreement under paragraph (b). A charter school participant also
must comply with subdivision 2a.
    (b) The alternative teacher professional pay system agreement must:
    (1) describe how teachers can achieve career advancement and additional
compensation;
    (2) describe how the school district, intermediate school district, school site, or
charter school will provide teachers with career advancement options that allow teachers
to retain primary roles in student instruction and facilitate site-focused professional
development that helps other teachers improve their skills;
    (3) reform the "steps and lanes" salary schedule, prevent any teacher's compensation
paid before implementing the pay system from being reduced as a result of participating
in this system, and base at least 60 percent of any compensation increase on teacher
performance using:
    (i) schoolwide student achievement gains under section 120B.35 or locally selected
standardized assessment outcomes, or both;
    (ii) measures of student achievement growth that may include value-added models
or student learning goals, consistent with section 122A.40, subdivision 8, clause (9), or
122A.41, subdivision 5, clause (9); and
    (iii) an objective evaluation program that includes: under section 122A.40,
subdivision 8, paragraph (b), clause (2), or 122A.41, subdivision 5, paragraph (b), clause (2)
    (A) individual teacher evaluations aligned with the educational improvement plan
under section 122A.413 and the staff development plan under section 122A.60; and
    (B) objective evaluations using multiple criteria conducted by a locally selected and
periodically trained evaluation team that understands teaching and learning;
    (4) provide integrated ongoing site-based professional development activities for
participation in job-embedded learning opportunities such as professional learning
communities to improve instructional skills and learning that are aligned with student needs
under section 122A.413, consistent with the staff development plan under section 122A.60
and led during the school day by trained teacher leaders such as master or mentor teachers;
    (5) allow any teacher in a participating school district, intermediate school district,
school site, or charter school that implements an alternative pay system to participate in
that system without any quota or other limit; and
    (6) encourage collaboration rather than competition among teachers.

    Sec. 20. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.48, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Employment as substitute exemptions for retired teachers.
Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision 2, a teacher who has entered into an
agreement for termination of services and withdrawal from active teaching service with
an early retirement incentive may be employed as a substitute teacher, behind-the-wheel
instructor, or coach after retirement.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

    Sec. 21. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.60, subdivision 1a, is amended to read:
    Subd. 1a. Effective staff development activities. (a) Staff development activities
must:
(1) focus on the school classroom and research-based strategies that improve student
learning;
(2) provide opportunities for teachers to practice and improve their instructional
skills over time;
(3) provide opportunities for teachers to use student data as part of their daily work
to increase student achievement;
(4) enhance teacher content knowledge and instructional skills, including to
accommodate the delivery of digital and blended learning and curriculum and engage
students with technology;
(5) align with state and local academic standards;
(6) provide opportunities to build professional relationships, foster collaboration
among principals and staff who provide instruction, and provide opportunities for
teacher-to-teacher mentoring; and
(7) align with the plan of the district or site for an alternative teacher professional
pay system; and
(8) provide opportunities for staff to learn about current workforce trends, the
connections between workforce trends and postsecondary education, and training options,
including career and technical education options.
Staff development activities may include curriculum development and curriculum training
programs, and activities that provide teachers and other members of site-based teams
training to enhance team performance. The school district also may implement other
staff development activities required by law and activities associated with professional
teacher compensation models.
(b) Release time provided for teachers to supervise students on field trips and school
activities, or independent tasks not associated with enhancing the teacher's knowledge
and instructional skills, such as preparing report cards, calculating grades, or organizing
classroom materials, may not be counted as staff development time that is financed with
staff development reserved revenue under section 122A.61.

    Sec. 22. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.60, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Contents of plan. The plan must include the staff development outcomes
under subdivision 3, the means to achieve the outcomes, and procedures for evaluating
progress at each school site toward meeting education outcomes, consistent with
relicensure requirements under section 122A.18, subdivision 4. The plan also must:
(1) support stable and productive professional communities achieved through
ongoing and schoolwide progress and growth in teaching practice;
(2) emphasize coaching, professional learning communities, classroom action
research, and other job-embedded models;
(3) maintain a strong subject matter focus premised on students' learning goals,
consistent with section 120B.125;
(4) ensure specialized preparation and learning about issues related to teaching
English learners and students with special needs; and
(5) reinforce national and state standards of effective teaching practice.

    Sec. 23. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.60, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Staff development outcomes. The advisory staff development committee
must adopt a staff development plan for improving student achievement. The plan must
be consistent with education outcomes that the school board determines. The plan
must include ongoing staff development activities that contribute toward continuous
improvement in achievement of the following goals:
(1) improve student achievement of state and local education standards in all areas of
the curriculum, including areas of regular academic and applied and experiential learning,
by using best practices methods;
(2) effectively meet the needs of a diverse student population, including at-risk
children, children with disabilities, and gifted children, within the regular classroom,
applied and experiential learning settings, and other settings;
(3) provide an inclusive curriculum for a racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse
student population that is consistent with the state education diversity rule and the district's
education diversity plan;
(4) improve staff collaboration and develop mentoring and peer coaching programs
for teachers new to the school or district;
(5) effectively teach and model violence prevention policy and curriculum that
address early intervention alternatives, issues of harassment, and teach nonviolent
alternatives for conflict resolution;
(6) effectively deliver digital and blended learning and curriculum and engage
students with technology; and
(7) provide teachers and other members of site-based management teams with
appropriate management and financial management skills.

    Sec. 24. [123A.215] INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY COOPERATIVE.
    Subdivision 1. Establishment and organization. (a) Two or more independent
school districts may enter into an agreement to establish an innovative cooperative center
to provide for technology and other educational services upon the vote of a majority of the
full membership of each of the boards of the districts entering into the agreement. The
agreement may also provide for membership by a Minnesota state college or university
under section 136F.01. When a resolution approving this action has been adopted by
the board of a district, the resolution shall be published once in a newspaper of general
circulation in the district.
(b) The agreement may provide for the center to be organized into up to four regions.
A region may consist of only school districts, only higher education institutions, or a
combination of both.
    Subd. 2. Name. A public corporation so created shall be known as ....(insert
name).... Cooperative Center No. ..... and shall have an identification number assigned
according to section 123A.56.
    Subd. 3. Governing board. (a) The center must be operated by a center board
consisting of 12 members. Membership on the center board must be established under
the agreement in subdivision 1, paragraph (a), consistent with the requirements of this
paragraph. If organized into regions, each region shall have equal representation on the
center board. No more than four board members of the center board may represent higher
education institutions. Center board membership for individual school districts or a region
including school districts must include one superintendent with the remaining school
district positions filled by school board members. When possible, no school district may
have more than one representative.
(b) The terms of office of the first members of the center board must be determined
by lot as follows: one-third of the members for one year, one-third of the members for two
years, and the remainder of the members for three years, all terms to expire on June 30 of
the appropriate year. Thereafter, the terms shall be for three years commencing on July 1
of each year. If a vacancy occurs on the center board, it must be filled by the district, by
the members of the appropriate region, or by the higher education members, within 90
days. A person appointed to the center board shall qualify as a center board member by
filing with the chair a written certificate of appointment from the appointing school board.
(c) The first meeting of a center board must be at a time mutually agreed upon by
center board members. At this meeting, the center board must choose its officers and
conduct any other necessary organizational business. Thereafter, the center board must
meet on July 1 of each year or as soon thereafter as practicable pursuant to notice sent to
all center board members by the chief executive officer of the center.
(d) The officers of the center board shall be a chair, vice-chair, clerk, and treasurer,
no two of whom when possible shall be from the same school district. The chair shall
preside at all meetings of the center board, except that in the chair's absence the vice-chair
shall preside. The clerk shall keep a complete record of the minutes of each meeting
and the treasurer shall be the custodian of the funds of the center. Insofar as applicable,
sections 123B.09, 123B.14, 123B.143, and 123B.147, shall apply to the board and officers
of the center.
(e) A majority of the center board shall be a quorum. Any motion other than
adjournment shall pass only upon receiving a majority of the votes of the entire center
board.
    Subd. 4. Center powers and duties. (a) The center board shall have the general
charge of the business of the center. Where applicable, sections 123B.51 and 123B.52,
subdivision 4, shall apply. The center board may not issue bonds on its behalf.
(b) The center board may furnish technology offerings to any eligible person residing
in any participating district and may provide any other educational programs or services
agreed upon by the participating members. Academic offerings shall be provided only
under the direction of properly licensed academic supervisory personnel.
(c) The center board must employ an executive director, contract with necessary
qualified teachers and administrators, and may discharge the same for cause pursuant to
section 122A.40. The authority for selection and employment of a director shall be vested
in the center board. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 122A.40, subdivision 10 or
11, no individual shall have a right to employment as a director based on seniority or order
of employment by the center. The center board may employ and discharge other necessary
employees and may contract for other services deemed necessary.
(d) The center board may prescribe rates of tuition for services provided to
nonmember students.
    Subd. 5. Finances. (a) The center board established under this section is a public
corporation and agency and may receive and disburse federal, state, and local funds made
available to it. A participating school district or member must not have any additional
individual liability for the debts or obligations of the center except that assessment
which has been certified as its proportionate share in accordance with paragraph (b) and
subdivision 4. A member of the center board shall have the liability that is applicable to a
member of an independent school district board. Any property, real or personal, acquired
or owned by the center board for its purposes shall be exempt from taxation by the state or
any of its political subdivisions.
(b) The center board may, in each year, for the purpose of paying any administrative,
planning, operating, or capital expenses incurred or to be incurred, assess and certify
to each participating school district its proportionate share of any and all expenses.
This share must be based upon an equitable distribution formula agreed upon by the
participating districts. Each participating district shall remit its assessment to the center
board within 30 days after receipt.
    Subd. 6. Laws governing independent school districts apply. As of the effective
date of the creation of any center as contained in the agreement establishing the center,
the organization, operation, maintenance, and conduct of the affairs of the center shall be
governed by the general laws relating to independent school districts of the state unless
provided otherwise in statute. The center does not have the authority to issue bonds or
impose a property tax levy.
    Subd. 7. Addition and withdrawal of districts. Upon approval by majority vote of
a school board and of the center board, an adjoining district may become a member in
the center and be governed by the provisions of this section and the agreement in effect.
Any participating district may withdraw from the center and from the agreement in effect
by a majority vote of the full board membership of the participating district desiring
withdrawal and upon compliance with provisions in the agreement establishing the center.
Upon receipt of the withdrawal resolution reciting the necessary facts, the center board
must file a certified copy with the county auditors of the counties affected. The withdrawal
shall become effective at the end of the next following school year, but the withdrawal
shall not affect the continued liability of the withdrawing district for liabilities incurred
prior to the effective withdrawal date.
    Subd. 8. Dissolution. The boards of each participating district may agree to dissolve
the center effective at the end of any school year or at an earlier time as they may mutually
agree. A dissolution must be accomplished in accordance with any applicable provisions
of the agreement establishing the center. Upon receipt of the dissolution resolutions from
the boards of the participating districts, the center board shall file a certified copy with the
county auditors of the counties affected. The dissolution must not affect the continuing
liability of the previously participating districts for any continuing obligations, including
unemployment benefits.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective July 1, 2014.

    Sec. 25. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.03, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Pupil application procedures. In order that a pupil may attend a school or
program in a nonresident district, the pupil's parent or guardian must submit an application
to the nonresident district. Before submitting an application, the pupil and the pupil's
parent or guardian must explore with a school guidance counselor, or other appropriate
staff member employed by the district the pupil is currently attending, the pupil's academic
or other reason for applying to enroll in a nonresident district. The pupil's application must
identify the a reason for enrolling in the nonresident district. The parent or guardian of a
pupil must submit an a signed application by January 15 for initial enrollment beginning
the following school year. The application must be on a form provided by the Department
of Education. A particular school or program may be requested by the parent. Once
enrolled in a nonresident district, the pupil may remain enrolled and is not required to
submit annual or periodic applications. If the student moves to a new resident district,
the student retains the seat in the nonresident district, but must submit a new enrollment
options form to update the student's information. To return to the resident district or to
transfer to a different nonresident district, the parent or guardian of the pupil must provide
notice to the resident district or apply to a different nonresident district by January 15 for
enrollment beginning the following school year.

    Sec. 26. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.03, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
    Subd. 4. Desegregation Achievement and integration district transfers. (a)
This subdivision applies to a transfer into or out of a district that has a desegregation an
achievement and integration plan approved by the commissioner of education under
sections 124D.861 and 124D.862.
(b) An application to transfer may be submitted at any time for enrollment beginning
at any time.
(c) A pupil enrolled in a nonresident district under a desegregation an achievement
and integration plan approved by the commissioner of education is not required to make
annual or periodic application for enrollment but may remain enrolled in the same district.
A pupil may transfer to the resident district at any time.
(d) Subdivision 2 applies to a transfer into or out of a district with a desegregation an
achievement and integration plan.

    Sec. 27. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.03, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
    Subd. 5. Nonresident district procedures. A district shall notify the parent or
guardian in writing by February 15 or within 90 days for applications submitted after
January 15 in the case of achievement and integration district transfers whether the
application has been accepted or rejected. If an application is rejected, the district must
state in the notification the reason for rejection. The parent or guardian must notify the
nonresident district by March 1 or within 45 days whether the pupil intends to enroll in the
nonresident district. Notice of intent to enroll in the nonresident district obligates the pupil
to attend the nonresident district during the following school year, unless the boards of
the resident and the nonresident districts agree in writing to allow the pupil to transfer
back to the resident district, or. If the pupil's parents or guardians change residence to
another district, the student does not lose the seat in the nonresident district but the parent
or guardian must complete an updated enrollment options form. If a parent or guardian
does not notify the nonresident district by the January 15 deadline, if it applies, the pupil
may not enroll in that nonresident district during the following school year, unless the
boards of the resident and nonresident district agree otherwise. The nonresident district
must notify the resident district by March 15 or 30 days later of the pupil's intent to enroll
in the nonresident district. The same procedures apply to a pupil who applies to transfer
from one participating nonresident district to another participating nonresident district.

    Sec. 28. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.03, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:
    Subd. 5a. Lotteries. If a school district has more applications than available seats at
a specific grade level, it must hold an impartial lottery following the January 15 deadline
to determine which students will receive seats. Siblings of currently enrolled students and
applications related to an approved integration and achievement plan must receive priority
in the lottery. The process for the school district lottery must be established in school
district policy, approved by the school board, and be posted on the school district's Web site.

    Sec. 29. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.03, subdivision 6, is amended to read:
    Subd. 6. Basis for decisions. The board must adopt, by resolution, specific
standards for acceptance and rejection of applications. Standards may include the capacity
of a program, excluding special education services; class,; or school building. The
school board may not reject applications for enrollment in a particular grade level if the
nonresident enrollment at that grade level does not exceed the limit set by the board under
subdivision 2. Standards may not include previous academic achievement, athletic or
other extracurricular ability, disabling conditions, proficiency in the English language,
previous disciplinary proceedings, or the student's district of residence, except where the
district of residence is directly included in an enrollment options strategy included in an
approved achievement and integration program.

    Sec. 30. [124D.085] EXPERIENTIAL AND APPLIED LEARNING
OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS.
(a) To strengthen the alignment between career and college ready curriculum and
state and local academic standards and increase students' opportunities for participating in
applied and experiential learning in a nontraditional setting, school districts are encouraged
to provide programs such as magnet schools, language immersion programs, project-based
learning, accelerated learning, college prep schools, career and technical education,
Montessori schools, military schools, work-based schools, and place-based learning.
Districts may provide such programs independently or in cooperation with other districts,
at a school single site, for particular grades, or throughout the district. In addition to
meeting the other accountability measures under chapter 120B, districts may declare that a
student meets or exceeds specific academic standards required for graduation under the
rigorous course of study waiver in section 120B.021, subdivision 1a, where appropriate.
(b) The board of a district that chooses to participate must publicly adopt and review
a plan for providing a program under this section. The plan must: define the program
and its structure; describe the enrollment process; identify measures and processes for
regularly assessing, evaluating, and publicly reporting on program efficacy and use
summary data to show student progress and outcomes; and establish a data-informed
public process for modifying and revising the plan as needed. A district must publish its
plan contents and evaluation outcomes on the district Web site.
(c) For purposes of further integrating experiential and applied learning into career
and college ready curricula, the commissioner may request program information from
providing districts under this section.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for the 2014-2015 school year and
later.

    Sec. 31. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.09, subdivision 9, is amended to read:
    Subd. 9. Enrollment priority. (a) A postsecondary institution shall give priority
to its postsecondary students when enrolling 10th, 11th, and 12th grade pupils in its
courses. A postsecondary institution may provide information about its programs to a
secondary school or to a pupil or parent and it may advertise or otherwise recruit or solicit
a secondary pupil to enroll in its programs on educational and programmatic grounds only.
An institution must not enroll secondary pupils, for postsecondary enrollment options
purposes, in remedial, developmental, or other courses that are not college level. Once
a any pupil has been enrolled in a postsecondary course under this section, the pupil
shall not be displaced by another student.
(b) If a postsecondary institution enrolls a secondary school pupil in a course
under this section, the postsecondary institution also must enroll in the same course an
otherwise enrolled and qualified postsecondary student who qualifies as a veteran under
section 197.447, and demonstrates to the postsecondary institution's satisfaction that the
institution's established enrollment timelines were not practicable for that student.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective July 1, 2014.

    Sec. 32. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 1, is
amended to read:
    Subdivision 1. Purposes. (a) The primary purpose of this section is to improve all
pupil learning and all student achievement. Additional purposes include to:
    (1) increase learning opportunities for all pupils;
    (2) encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods;
    (3) measure learning outcomes and create different and innovative forms of
measuring outcomes;
    (4) establish new forms of accountability for schools; or
    (5) create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to
be responsible for the learning program at the school site.
    (b) This section does not provide a means to keep open a school that a school board
decides to close. However, a school board may endorse or authorize the establishing of
a charter school to replace the school the board decided to close. Applicants seeking a
charter under this circumstance must demonstrate to the authorizer that the charter sought
is substantially different in purpose and program from the school the board closed and
that the proposed charter satisfies the requirements of this subdivision. If the school
board that closed the school authorizes the charter, it must document in its affidavit to the
commissioner that the charter is substantially different in program and purpose from
the school it closed.
    An authorizer shall not approve an application submitted by a charter school
developer under subdivision 4, paragraph (a), if the application does not comply with this
subdivision. The commissioner shall not approve an affidavit submitted by an authorizer
under subdivision 4, paragraph (b), if the affidavit does not comply with this subdivision.

    Sec. 33. Minnesota Statutes 2013 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.
    "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.
    (b) The following organizations may authorize one or more charter schools:
    (1) a school board, intermediate school district school board, or 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; 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; and
    (iii) is incorporated in the state of Minnesota and has been operating continuously
for at least five years but does not operate a charter school;
    (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;
    (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; or
    (5) single-purpose authorizers that are formed as charitable, nonsectarian
organizations formed under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and
incorporated in the state of Minnesota under chapter 317A as a corporation with no
members whose or under section 322B.975 as a nonprofit limited liability company for
the sole purpose is to charter of chartering schools. Eligible organizations interested
in being approved as an authorizer 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 charter school 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.
    (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 45 business days of the application deadline. If the commissioner disapproves
the application, the commissioner must notify the applicant of the specific deficiencies
in writing and the applicant then has 20 business days to address the deficiencies to the
commissioner's satisfaction. After the 20 business days expire, the commissioner has 15
business days to make a final decision to approve or disapprove the application. 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) An applicant must include in its application to the commissioner to be an
approved authorizer 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 an authorizer,
including the personnel who will perform the authorizing 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;
    (4) a description of the type of contract it will arrange with the schools it charters
that meets the provisions of subdivision 6;
    (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) a description of the criteria and process the authorizer will use to grant expanded
applications under subdivision 4, paragraph (j);
    (7) 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
    (8) an assurance specifying that the organization is committed to serving as an
authorizer for the full five-year term.
    (e) A disapproved applicant under this section may resubmit an application during a
future application period.
    (f) If the governing board of an approved authorizer votes to withdraw as an
approved authorizer for a reason unrelated to any cause under subdivision 23, the
authorizer must notify all its chartered schools and the commissioner in writing by July
15 of its intent to withdraw as an authorizer on June 30 in the next calendar year. The
commissioner may approve the transfer of a charter school to a new authorizer under this
paragraph after the new authorizer submits an affidavit to the commissioner.
    (g) The authorizer must participate in department-approved training.
    (h) 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. If the commissioner terminates a contract between
an authorizer and a charter school under this paragraph, the commissioner may assist the
charter school in acquiring a new authorizer.
    (i) 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;
    (3) unsatisfactory performance as an approved authorizer; or
    (4) any good cause shown that provides the commissioner a legally sufficient reason
to take corrective action against an authorizer.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

    Sec. 34. Minnesota Statutes 2013 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
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.
    (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. An authorizer must file
an affidavit by May 1 to be able to charter a new school in the next school year after the
commissioner approves the authorizer's affidavit. 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. The commissioner must notify the authorizer of final approval or disapproval
within 15 business days after receiving the authorizer's response to the deficiencies in the
affidavit. 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 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, members of the board of directors, 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) A charter school shall publish and maintain on the school's official Web site: (1)
the minutes of meetings of the board of directors, and of members and committees having
any board-delegated authority, for at least one calendar year from the date of publication;
(2) directory information for members of the board of directors and committees having
board-delegated authority; and (3) identifying and contact information for the school's
authorizer. Identifying and contact information for the school's authorizer must be
included in other school materials made available to the public. Upon request of an
individual, the charter school must also make available in a timely fashion 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
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 annual training throughout the
member's term on the board. All new board members shall attend initial training on
the board's role and responsibilities, employment policies and practices, and financial
management. A new board member who does not begin the required initial training within
six months after being seated and complete that training within 12 months of being seated
on the board is automatically ineligible to continue to serve as a board member. The
school shall include in its annual report the training attended by each board member
during the previous year.
    (g) The ongoing board must be elected before the school completes its third year of
operation. Board elections must be held during the school year but may not be conducted
on days when the school is closed for holidays, breaks, or vacations. The charter school
board of directors shall be composed of at least five nonrelated members and include: (i)
at least one licensed teacher employed as a teacher at the school or providing instruction
under contract between the charter school and a cooperative; (ii) at least one parent or
legal guardian of a student enrolled in the charter school who is not an employee of
the charter school; and (iii) at least one interested community member who resides in
Minnesota and is not employed by the charter school and does not have a child enrolled
in the school. The board may include a majority of teachers described in this paragraph
or parents or community members, or it may have no clear majority. The chief financial
officer and the chief administrator may only serve as ex-officio nonvoting board members.
No charter school employees shall serve on the board other than teachers under item (i).
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 structure, consistent with chapter 317A.
A board may change its governance structure only:
    (1) by a majority vote of the board of directors and a majority vote of the licensed
teachers employed by the school as teachers, 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 structure must conform with the composition of
the board 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 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 document that:
    (1) the proposed expansion plan demonstrates need and projected enrollment;
    (2) the 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 financially sound and the financing it needs to implement
the proposed expansion exists; and
    (4) the charter school has the governance structure and management capacity to
carry out its expansion.
(j) A charter school may apply to the authorizer to amend the school charter to
expand the operation of the school to additional grades or sites that would be students'
primary enrollment site beyond those defined in the original affidavit approved by the
commissioner. After approving the school's application, the authorizer shall submit a
supplementary affidavit in the form and manner prescribed by the commissioner. The
authorizer must file a supplement affidavit by October 1 to be eligible to expand in the next
school year. The supplementary affidavit must document that the school has demonstrated
to the satisfaction of the authorizer the following:
(1) the need for the expansion with supporting long-range enrollment projections;
(2) a longitudinal record of demonstrated student academic performance and growth
on statewide assessments under chapter 120B or on other academic assessments that
measure longitudinal student performance and growth approved by the charter school's
board of directors and agreed upon with the authorizer;
(3) a history of sound school finances and a finance plan to implement the expansion
in a manner to promote the school's financial sustainability; and
(4) board capacity and an administrative and management plan to implement its
expansion.
    (k) The commissioner shall have 30 business days to review and comment on the
supplemental affidavit. The commissioner shall notify the authorizer in writing of any
deficiencies in the supplemental affidavit and the authorizer then has 20 business days to
address, to the commissioner's satisfaction, any deficiencies in the supplemental affidavit.
The commissioner must notify the authorizer of final approval or disapproval with 15
business days after receiving the authorizer's response to the deficiencies in the 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. 35. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 6, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 6. Charter contract. The authorization for a charter school must be in the
form of a written contract signed by the authorizer and the board of directors of the charter
school. The contract must be completed within 45 business days of the commissioner's
approval of the authorizer's affidavit. The authorizer shall submit to the commissioner a
copy of the signed charter contract within ten business days of its execution. The contract
for a charter school must be in writing and contain at least the following:
(1) a declaration that the charter school will carry out the primary purpose in
subdivision 1 and how the school will report its implementation of the primary purpose;
    (2) a declaration of the additional purpose or purposes in subdivision 1 that the school
intends to carry out and how the school will report its implementation of those purposes;
    (3) a description of the school program and the specific academic and nonacademic
outcomes that pupils must achieve;
    (4) a statement of admission policies and procedures;
    (5) a governance, management, and administration plan for the school;
    (6) signed agreements from charter school board members to comply with all
federal and state laws governing organizational, programmatic, and financial requirements
applicable to charter schools;
    (7) the criteria, processes, and procedures that the authorizer will use to monitor and
evaluate the fiscal, operational, and academic performance consistent with subdivision
15, paragraphs (a) and (b);
    (8) for contract renewal, the formal written performance evaluation of the school
that is a prerequisite for reviewing a charter contract under subdivision 15;
    (9) types and amounts of insurance liability coverage to be obtained by the charter
school, consistent with subdivision 8, paragraph (k);
    (10) consistent with subdivision 25, paragraph (d), a provision to indemnify and
hold harmless the authorizer and its officers, agents, and employees from any suit, claim,
or liability arising from any operation of the charter school, and the commissioner and
department officers, agents, and employees notwithstanding section 3.736;
    (11) the term of the initial contract, which may be up to five years plus an additional
preoperational planning year, and up to five years for a renewed contract or a contract with
a new authorizer after a transfer of authorizers, if warranted by the school's academic,
financial, and operational performance;
    (12) how the board of directors or the operators of the charter school will provide
special instruction and services for children with a disability under sections 125A.03
to 125A.24, and 125A.65, a description of the financial parameters within which the
charter school will operate to provide the special instruction and services to children
with a disability;
(13) the specific conditions for contract renewal that identify performance of all
students under the primary purpose of subdivision 1 as the most important factor in
determining contract renewal;
(14) the additional purposes under subdivision 1, paragraph (a), and related
performance obligations under clause (7) contained in the charter contract as additional
factors in determining contract renewal; and
    (15) the plan for an orderly closing of the school under chapter 317A, whether
the closure is a termination for cause, a voluntary termination, or a nonrenewal of the
contract, that includes establishing the responsibilities of the school board of directors
and the authorizer and notifying the commissioner, authorizer, school district in which the
charter school is located, and parents of enrolled students about the closure, information
and assistance sufficient to enable the student to re-enroll in another school, the transfer of
student records under subdivision 8, paragraph (p), and procedures for closing financial
operations.

    Sec. 36. Minnesota Statutes 2013 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, as supplemental information, a copy of all charter school
agreements for corporate management services, including parent company or other
administrative, financial, and staffing services management agreements with a charter
management organization or an educational management organization and service
agreements or contracts over the lesser of $100,000 or ten percent of the school's
most recent annual audited expenditures. The agreements must detail the terms of the
agreement, including the services provided and the annual costs for those 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) A charter school independent audit report shall include audited financial data of
an affiliated building corporation or other component unit.
    (d) If the audit report finds 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 auditor, 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 and authorizer
upon request.

    Sec. 37. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 8, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 8. Federal, state, and local requirements. (a) A charter school shall meet all
federal, state, and local health and safety requirements applicable to school districts.
    (b) A school must comply with statewide accountability requirements governing
standards and assessments in chapter 120B.
    (c) A school authorized by a school board may be located in any district, unless the
school board of the district of the proposed location disapproves by written resolution.
    (d) A charter school must be nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies,
employment practices, and all other operations. An authorizer may not authorize a charter
school or program that is affiliated with a nonpublic sectarian school or a religious
institution. A charter school student must be released for religious instruction, consistent
with section 120A.22, subdivision 12, clause (3).
    (e) Charter schools must not be used as a method of providing education or
generating revenue for students who are being home-schooled. This paragraph does not
apply to shared time aid under section 126C.19.
    (f) The primary focus of a charter school must be to provide a comprehensive
program of instruction for at least one grade or age group from five through 18 years of
age. Instruction may be provided to people younger than five years and older than 18 years
of age. A charter school may offer a free preschool or prekindergarten that meets high
quality early learning instructional program standards that are aligned with Minnesota's
early learning standards for children.
    (g) A charter school may not charge tuition.
    (h) A charter school is subject to and must comply with chapter 363A and section
121A.04 .
    (i) Once a student is enrolled in the school, the student is considered enrolled in the
school until the student formally withdraws or is expelled under the Pupil Fair Dismissal
Act in sections 121A.40 to 121A.56. A charter school is subject to and must comply with
the Pupil Fair Dismissal Act, sections 121A.40 to 121A.56, and the Minnesota Public
School Fee Law, sections 123B.34 to 123B.39.
    (j) A charter school is subject to the same financial audits, audit procedures, and
audit requirements as a district, except as required under subdivision 6a. Audits must be
conducted in compliance with generally accepted governmental auditing standards, the
federal Single Audit Act, if applicable, and section 6.65. A charter school is subject
to and must comply with sections 15.054; 118A.01; 118A.02; 118A.03; 118A.04;
118A.05 ; 118A.06; 471.38; 471.391; 471.392; and 471.425. The audit must comply with
the requirements of sections 123B.75 to 123B.83, except to the extent deviations are
necessary because of the program at the school. Deviations must be approved by the
commissioner and authorizer. The Department of Education, state auditor, legislative
auditor, or authorizer may conduct financial, program, or compliance audits. A charter
school determined to be in statutory operating debt under sections 123B.81 to 123B.83
must submit a plan under section 123B.81, subdivision 4.
    (k) A charter school is a district for the purposes of tort liability under chapter 466.
    (l) A charter school must comply with chapters 13 and 13D; and sections 120A.22,
subdivision 7 ; 121A.75; and 260B.171, subdivisions 3 and 5.
    (m) A charter school is subject to the Pledge of Allegiance requirement under
section 121A.11, subdivision 3.
    (n) A charter school offering online courses or programs must comply with section
124D.095 .
    (o) A charter school and charter school board of directors are subject to chapter 181.
    (p) A charter school must comply with section 120A.22, subdivision 7, governing
the transfer of students' educational records and sections 138.163 and 138.17 governing
the management of local records.
    (q) A charter school that provides early childhood health and developmental
screening must comply with sections 121A.16 to 121A.19.
    (r) A charter school that provides school-sponsored youth athletic activities must
comply with section 121A.38.
    (s) A charter school is subject to and must comply with continuing truant notification
under section 260A.03.
(t) A charter school must develop and implement a teacher evaluation and peer
review process under section 122A.40, subdivision 8, paragraph (b), clauses (2) to
(12). The teacher evaluation process in this paragraph does not create any additional
employment rights for teachers.
(u) A charter school must adopt a policy, plan, budget, and process, consistent with
section 120B.11, to review curriculum, instruction, and student achievement and strive
for the world's best workforce.
(v) A charter school must comply with all pupil transportation requirements in
section 123B.88, subdivision 1. A charter school must not require parents to surrender
their rights to pupil transportation under section 123B.88, subdivision 2.

    Sec. 38. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 9, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 9. Admission requirements. (a) A charter school may limit admission to:
    (1) pupils within an age group or grade level;
    (2) pupils who are eligible to participate in the graduation incentives program under
section 124D.68; or
    (3) residents of a specific geographic area in which the school is located when the
majority of students served by the school are members of underserved populations.
    (b) A charter school shall enroll an eligible pupil who submits a timely application,
unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level, or
building. In this case, pupils must be accepted by lot. The charter school must develop
and publish, including on its Web site, a lottery policy and process that it must use when
accepting pupils by lot.
    (c) A charter school shall give enrollment preference to a sibling of an enrolled
pupil and to a foster child of that pupil's parents and may give preference for enrolling
children of the school's staff before accepting other pupils by lot. A charter school that
is located in Duluth township in St. Louis County and admits students in kindergarten
through grade 6 must give enrollment preference to students residing within a five-mile
radius of the school and to the siblings of enrolled children. A charter school may give
enrollment preference to children currently enrolled in the school's free preschool or
prekindergarten program under subdivision 8, paragraph (f), who are eligible to enroll in
kindergarten in the next school year.
    (d) A person shall not be admitted to a charter school (1) as a kindergarten pupil,
unless the pupil is at least five years of age on September 1 of the calendar year in which
the school year for which the pupil seeks admission commences; or (2) as a first grade
student, unless the pupil is at least six years of age on September 1 of the calendar year in
which the school year for which the pupil seeks admission commences or has completed
kindergarten; except that a charter school may establish and publish on its Web site a
policy for admission of selected pupils at an earlier age, consistent with the enrollment
process in paragraphs (b) and (c).
    (e) Except as permitted in paragraph (d), a charter school may not limit admission
to pupils on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, or
athletic ability and may not establish any criteria or requirements for admission that are
inconsistent with this subdivision.
    (f) The charter school shall not distribute any services or goods of value to students,
parents, or guardians as an inducement, term, or condition of enrolling a student in a
charter school.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for the 2014-2015 school year and
later.

    Sec. 39. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 17a,
is amended to read:
    Subd. 17a. Affiliated nonprofit building corporation. (a) Before A charter school
may organize an affiliated nonprofit building corporation (i) (1) to renovate or purchase,
expand, or renovate an existing facility to serve as a school or (ii) (2) to expand an existing
building or construct a new school facility, an authorizer must submit an affidavit to the
commissioner for approval in the form and manner the commissioner prescribes, and
consistent with paragraphs (b) and (c) or (d). if the charter school:
(i) has been in operation for at least six consecutive years;
(ii) as of June 30 has a net positive unreserved general fund balance in the preceding
three fiscal years;
(iii) has long-range strategic and financial plans that include enrollment projections
for at least five years;
(iv) completes a feasibility study of facility options that outlines the benefits and
costs of the options; and
(v) has a plan for purchase, renovation, or new construction which describes project
parameters and budget.
    (b) An affiliated nonprofit building corporation under this subdivision must:
    (1) be incorporated under section 317A;
    (2) comply with applicable Internal Revenue Service regulations, including
regulations for "supporting organizations" as defined by the Internal Revenue Service;
(3) post on the school Web site the name, mailing address, bylaws, minutes of board
meetings, and the names of the current board of directors of the affiliated nonprofit
building corporation;
    (3) (4) submit to the commissioner each fiscal year a list of current board members
and a copy of its annual audit by December 31 of each year; and
    (4) (5) comply with government data practices law under chapter 13.
    (c) An affiliated nonprofit building corporation must not serve as the leasing agent
for property or facilities it does not own. A charter school that leases a facility from an
affiliated nonprofit building corporation that does not own the leased facility is ineligible
to receive charter school lease aid. The state is immune from liability resulting from a
contract between a charter school and an affiliated nonprofit building corporation.
    (c) A charter school may organize an affiliated nonprofit building corporation to
renovate or purchase an existing facility to serve as a school if the charter school:
    (1) has been operating for at least five consecutive school years;
    (2) has had a net positive unreserved general fund balance as of June 30 in the
preceding five fiscal years;
    (3) has a long-range strategic and financial plan;
    (4) completes a feasibility study of available buildings;
    (5) documents enrollment projections and the need to use an affiliated building
corporation to renovate or purchase an existing facility to serve as a school; and
(6) has a plan for the renovation or purchase, which describes the parameters and
budget for the project.
    (d) A charter school may organize an affiliated nonprofit building corporation to
expand an existing school facility or construct a new school facility if the charter school:
    (1) demonstrates the lack of facilities available to serve as a school;
    (2) has been operating for at least eight consecutive school years;
    (3) has had a net positive unreserved general fund balance as of June 30 in the
preceding five fiscal years;
    (4) completes a feasibility study of facility options;
    (5) has a long-range strategic and financial plan that includes enrollment projections
and demonstrates the need for constructing a new school facility; and
    (6) has a plan for the expansion or new school facility, which describes the
parameters and budget for the project.
(d) Once an affiliated nonprofit building corporation is incorporated under this
subdivision, the authorizer of the school must oversee the efforts of the school's board
of directors to ensure the affiliated nonprofit building corporation complies with all legal
requirements governing the affiliated nonprofit building corporation. A school's board
of directors that fails to ensure the affiliated nonprofit building corporation's compliance
violates its responsibilities and an authorizer must factor the failure into the authorizer's
evaluation of the school.

    Sec. 40. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.10, subdivision 17b,
is amended to read:
    Subd. 17b. Positive review and comment. A charter school or an affiliated
nonprofit building corporation organized by a charter school must not initiate an
installment contract for purchase, or a lease agreement, or solicit bids for new construction,
expansion, or remodeling of an educational facility that requires an expenditure in
excess of $1,400,000, unless it meets the criteria in subdivision 17a, paragraph (b) and
paragraph (c) or (d), as applicable, and receives a positive review and comment from the
commissioner under section 123B.71. A charter school or its affiliated nonprofit building
corporation must receive a positive review and comment from the commissioner before
initiating any purchase agreement or construction contract that requires an expenditure in
excess of the threshold specified in section 123B.71, subdivision 8, for school districts that
do not have a capital loan outstanding. A purchase agreement or construction contract
finalized before a positive review and comment is null and void.

    Sec. 41. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.11, subdivision 4, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 4. Building lease aid. (a) When a charter school finds it economically
advantageous to rent or lease a building or land for any instructional purposes and it
determines that the total operating capital revenue under section 126C.10, subdivision 13,
is insufficient for this purpose, it may apply to the commissioner for building lease aid
for this purpose. The commissioner must review and either approve or deny a lease aid
application using the following criteria:
(1) the reasonableness of the price based on current market values;
(2) the extent to which the lease conforms to applicable state laws and rules; and
(3) the appropriateness of the proposed lease in the context of the space needs and
financial circumstances of the charter school. The commissioner must approve aid only for
a facility lease that has (i) a sum certain annual cost and (ii) an escape clause the charter
school may exercise if its charter contract is terminated or not renewed a closure clause
that relieves the school from its lease obligations if the charter contract is terminated or
not renewed. Nothing in this clause exempts the charter school from any lease obligations
before the effective date on which the charter contract is terminated or not renewed.
A charter school must not use the building lease aid it receives for custodial, maintenance
service, utility, or other operating costs.
    (b) The amount of annual building lease aid for a charter school shall not exceed the
lesser of (1) 90 percent of the approved cost or (2) the product of the pupil units served
for the current school year times $1,314.

    Sec. 42. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.4531, subdivision 1,
is amended to read:
    Subdivision 1. Career and technical revenue. (a) A district with a career and
technical program approved under this section for the fiscal year in which the levy is
certified is eligible for career and technical revenue equal to 35 percent of approved
expenditures in the fiscal year in which the levy is certified for the following:
(1) salaries paid to essential, licensed personnel providing direct instructional
services to students in that fiscal year, including extended contracts, for services rendered
in the district's approved career and technical education programs, excluding salaries
reimbursed by another school district under clause (2);
(2) amounts paid to another Minnesota school district for salaries of essential,
licensed personnel providing direct instructional services to students in that fiscal year for
services rendered in the district's approved career and technical education programs;
(3) contracted services provided by a public or private agency other than a Minnesota
school district or cooperative center under subdivision 7 chapter 123A or 136D;
(4) necessary travel between instructional sites by licensed career and technical
education personnel;
(5) necessary travel by licensed career and technical education personnel for
vocational student organization activities held within the state for instructional purposes;
(6) curriculum development activities that are part of a five-year plan for
improvement based on program assessment;
(7) necessary travel by licensed career and technical education personnel for
noncollegiate credit-bearing professional development; and
(8) specialized vocational instructional supplies.
(b) Up to ten percent of a district's career and technical revenue may be spent on
equipment purchases. Districts using the career and technical revenue for equipment
purchases must report to the department on the improved learning opportunities for
students that result from the investment in equipment.
(c) (b) The district must recognize the full amount of this levy as revenue for the
fiscal year in which it is certified.
(d) (c) The amount of the revenue calculated under this subdivision may not exceed
$17,850,000 for taxes payable in 2012, $15,520,000 for taxes payable in 2013, and
$20,657,000 for taxes payable in 2014.
(e) (d) If the estimated revenue exceeds the amount in paragraph (d) (c), the
commissioner must reduce the percentage in paragraph (a) until the estimated revenue no
longer exceeds the limit in paragraph (d) (c).

    Sec. 43. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.4531, subdivision 3,
is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Revenue guarantee. Notwithstanding subdivision 1, paragraph (a), the
career and technical education revenue for a district is not less than the lesser of:
(1) the district's career and technical education revenue for the previous fiscal year; or
(2) 100 percent of the approved expenditures for career and technical programs
included in subdivision 1, paragraph (b) (a), for the fiscal year in which the levy is certified.

    Sec. 44. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.4531, subdivision 3a,
is amended to read:
    Subd. 3a. Revenue adjustments. Notwithstanding subdivisions 1, 1a, and 3, for
taxes payable in 2012 to 2014 only, the department must calculate the career and technical
revenue for each district according to Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 124D.4531, and
adjust the revenue for each district proportionately to meet the statewide revenue target
under subdivision 1, paragraph (d) (c). For purposes of calculating the revenue guarantee
under subdivision 3, the career and technical education revenue for the previous fiscal
year is the revenue according to Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 124D.4531, before
adjustments to meet the statewide revenue target.

    Sec. 45. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.52, subdivision 8, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 8. Standard high school diploma for adults. (a) Consistent with subdivision
9, the commissioner shall adopt rules for providing provide for a standard adult high
school diploma to persons who:
(1) are not eligible for kindergarten through grade 12 services;
(2) do not have a high school diploma; and
(3) successfully complete an adult basic education program of instruction approved
by the commissioner of education necessary to earn an adult high school diploma.
(b) Persons participating in an approved adult basic education program of instruction
must demonstrate the competencies, knowledge, and skills sufficient to ensure that
postsecondary programs and institutions and potential employers regard persons with a
standard high school diploma and persons with a standard adult high school diploma as
equally well prepared and qualified graduates. Approved adult basic education programs
of instruction under this subdivision must issue a standard adult high school diploma to
persons who successfully demonstrate the competencies, knowledge, and skills required
by the program.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2014.

    Sec. 46. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.52, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:
    Subd. 9. Standard adult high school diploma requirements. (a) The
commissioner must establish criteria and requirements for eligible adult basic education
consortia under section 124D.518, subdivision 2, to effectively operate and provide
instruction under this subdivision.
(b) An eligible and interested adult basic education consortium must apply to the
commissioner, in the form and manner determined by the commissioner, for approval to
provide an adult high school diploma program to eligible students under subdivision 8,
paragraph (a). An approved consortium annually must submit to the commissioner the
longitudinal and evaluative data, identified in the consortium's application, to demonstrate
its compliance with applicable federal and state law and its approved application and
the efficacy of its adult high school diploma program. The commissioner must use the
data to evaluate whether or not to reapprove an eligible consortium every fifth year. The
commissioner, at the commissioner's discretion, may reevaluate the compliance or efficacy
of a program provider sooner than every fifth year. The commissioner may limit the
number or size of adult high school diploma programs based on identified community
needs, available funding, other available resources, or other relevant criteria identified by
the commissioner.
(c) At the time a student applies for admission to an adult high school diploma
program, the program provider must work with the student applicant to:
(1) identify the student's learning goals, skills and experiences, required
competencies already completed, and goals and options for viable career pathways;
(2) assess the student's instructional needs; and
(3) develop an individualized learning plan to guide the student in completing adult
high school diploma requirements and realizing career goals identified in the plan.
To fully implement the learning plan, the provider must provide the student with ongoing
advising, monitor the student's progress toward completing program requirements and
receiving a diploma, and provide the student with additional academic support services
when needed. At the time a student satisfactorily completes all program requirements and
is eligible to receive a diploma, the provider must conduct a final student interview to
examine both student and program outcomes related to the student's ability to demonstrate
required competencies and complete program requirements and to assist the student with
the student's transition to training, a career, or postsecondary education.
    (d) Competencies and other program requirements must be rigorous, uniform
throughout the state, and align to Minnesota academic high school standards applicable
to adult learners and their career and college needs. The commissioner must establish
competencies, skills, and knowledge requirements in the following areas, consistent with
this paragraph:
    (1) language arts, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening;
    (2) mathematics;
    (3) career development and employment-related skills;
    (4) social studies; and
    (5) science.
    (e) Consistent with criteria established by the commissioner, students may
demonstrate satisfactory completion of program requirements through verification of
the student's:
    (1) prior experiences, including kindergarten through grade 12 courses and
programs, postsecondary courses and programs, adult basic education instruction, and
other approved experiences aligned with the Minnesota academic high school standards
applicable to adult learners and their career and college needs;
    (2) knowledge and skills as measured or demonstrated by valid and reliable
high school assessments, secondary credentials, adult basic education programs, and
postsecondary entrance exams;
    (3) adult basic education instruction and course completion; and
    (4) applied and experiential learning acquired via contextualized projects and other
approved learning opportunities.
    (f) Program providers must transmit a student's record of work to another approved
consortium for any student who transfers between approved programs under this
subdivision. The commissioner must establish a uniform format and transcript to record a
student's record of work and also the manner under which approved consortia maintain
permanent student records and transmit transferred student records. At a student's request,
a program provider must transmit the student's record of work to other entities such as
a postsecondary institution or employer.
    (g) The commissioner may issue a standard adult high school diploma and transmit
the transcript and record of work of the student who receives the diploma. Alternatively, a
school district that is a member of an approved consortium providing a program under
this subdivision may issue a district diploma to a student who satisfactorily completes the
requirements for a standard adult high school diploma under this subdivision.
    (h) The commissioner must identify best practices for adult basic education
programs and develop adult basic education recommendations consistent with this
subdivision to assist approved consortia in providing an adult high school diploma
program. The commissioner must provide assistance to consortia providing an approved
adult high school diploma program.
    (i) The commissioner must consult with practitioners from throughout Minnesota,
including educators, school board members, and school administrators, among others,
who are familiar with adult basic education students and programs, on establishing the
standards, requirements, and other criteria needed to ensure, consistent with subdivision 8,
that persons with a standard adult high school diploma are as equally well prepared and
qualified graduates as persons with a standard high school diploma. The commissioner,
in consultation with the practitioners, shall regularly review program requirements and
diploma standards.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2014.

    Sec. 47. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.896, is amended to read:
124D.896 DESEGREGATION/INTEGRATION AND INCLUSIVE
EDUCATION RULES.
(a) By January 10, 1999, The commissioner shall propose rules relating to
desegregation/integration and inclusive education, consistent with sections 124D.861
and 124D.862.
(b) In adopting a rule related to school desegregation/integration, the commissioner
shall address the need for equal educational opportunities for all students and racial
balance as defined by the commissioner.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

    Sec. 48. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 127A.70, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
    Subdivision 1. Establishment; membership. (a) A P-20 education partnership is
established to create a seamless system of education that maximizes achievements of
all students, from early childhood through elementary, secondary, and postsecondary
education, while promoting the efficient use of financial and human resources. The
partnership shall consist of major statewide educational groups or constituencies or
noneducational statewide organizations with a stated interest in P-20 education including a
representative appointed by the adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard, among
other organizations. The initial membership of the partnership includes the members
serving on the Minnesota P-16 Education Partnership and four legislators appointed as
follows:
    (1) one senator from the majority party and one senator from the minority party,
appointed by the Subcommittee on Committees of the Committee on Rules and
Administration; and
    (2) one member of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the
house and one member appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives.
    (b) The chair of the P-16 education partnership must convene the first meeting
of the P-20 partnership. Prospective members may be nominated by any partnership
member and new members will be added with the approval of a two-thirds majority of the
partnership. The partnership will also seek input from nonmember organizations whose
expertise can help inform the partnership's work.
    (c) Partnership members shall be represented by the chief executives, presidents, or
other formally designated leaders of their respective organizations, or their designees. The
partnership shall meet at least three times during each calendar year.
    (d) The P-20 education partnership shall be the state council for the Interstate
Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children under section 127A.85
with the chair serving as the compact commissioner responsible for administering and
managing the state's participation in the compact, including conducting business required
under section 127A.85.

    Sec. 49. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 127A.70, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:
    Subd. 2a. Career pathways and technical education; key elements; stakeholder
collaboration. (a) The partnership must work with representatives of the Department of
Education, the Department of Employment and Economic Development, the Department
of Labor, the Board of Teaching, the Board of School Administrators, trade associations,
local and regional employers, local school boards, adult basic education program providers,
postsecondary institutions, parents, other interested and affected education stakeholders,
and other major statewide educational groups and constituencies to recommend to the
legislature ways to identify specific policy, administrative, and statutory changes needed
under sections 120B.11, 120B.125, 122A.09, 122A.14, 122A.18, and 122A.60, among
other statutory provisions, to effect and, if appropriate, revise a comprehensive, effective,
and publicly accountable P-20 education system premised on developing, implementing,
and realizing students' individual career and college readiness plans and goals. In
developing its recommendations, the partnership must consider how best to:
(1) provide students regular and frequent access to multiple qualified individuals
within the school and local and regional community who have access to reliable and
accurate information, resources, and technology the students need to successfully pursue
career and technical education, other postsecondary education, or work-based training
options;
(2) regularly engage students in planning and continually reviewing their own
career and college readiness plans and goals and in pursuing academic and applied and
experiential learning that helps them realize their goals; and
(3) identify and apply valid and reliable measures of student progress and
program efficacy that, among other requirements, can accommodate students' prior
education-related experiences and applied and experiential learning that students acquire
via contextualized projects and other recognized learning opportunities.
(b) The partnership must recommend to the commissioner of education and
representatives of secondary and postsecondary institutions and programs how to organize
and implement a framework of the foundational knowledge and skills and career fields,
clusters, and pathways for students enrolled in a secondary school, postsecondary
institution, or work-based program. The key elements of these programs of study for
students pursuing postsecondary workforce training or other education must include:
(1) competency-based curricula aligned with industry expectations and skill
standards;
(2) sequential course offerings that gradually build students' skills, enabling students
to graduate from high school and complete postsecondary programs;
(3) flexible and segmented course and program formats to accommodate students'
interests and needs;
(4) course portability to allow students to seamlessly progress in the students'
education and career; and
(5) effective and sufficiently strong P-20 connections to facilitate students'
uninterrupted skill building, provide students with career opportunities, and align
academic credentials with opportunities for advancement in high-skill, high-wage, and
high-demand occupations.
(c) Stakeholders under this paragraph must examine possibilities for redesigning
teacher and school administrator licensure requirements, and make recommendations to
the Board of Teaching and the Board of School Administrators, respectively, to create
specialized licenses, credentials, and other endorsement forms to increase students'
participation in language immersion programs, world language instruction, career
development opportunities, work-based learning, early college courses and careers, career
and technical education programs, Montessori schools, and project and place-based
learning, among other career and college-ready opportunities. Consistent with the
possibilities for redesigning educators' licenses, the stakeholders also must examine how
to restructure staff development and training opportunities under sections 120B.125 and
122A.60 to realize the goals of this subdivision.
(d) The partnership must recommend to the Department of Education, the
Department of Employment and Economic Development, and postsecondary institutions
and systems how best to create a mobile, Web-based hub for students and their families
that centralizes existing resources on careers and employment trends and the educational
pathways required to attain such careers and employment.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

    Sec. 50. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 128C.02, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
    Subd. 5. Rules for open enrollees. (a) The league shall adopt league rules and
regulations governing the athletic participation of pupils attending school in a nonresident
district under section 124D.03.
(b) Notwithstanding other law or league rule or regulation to the contrary, when a
student enrolls in or is readmitted to a recovery-focused high school after successfully
completing a licensed program for treatment of alcohol or substance abuse, mental illness,
or emotional disturbance, the student is immediately eligible to participate on the same basis
as other district students in the league-sponsored activities of the student's resident school
district. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the league or school district from enforcing a
league or district penalty resulting from the student violating a league or district rule.
(c) The league shall adopt league rules making a student with an individualized
education program or a 504 plan who transfers from one public school to another
public school as a reasonable accommodation to reduce barriers to educational access
immediately eligible to participate in league-sponsored varsity competition on the same
basis as other students in the school to which the student transfers.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment
and applies to all transfers initiated after that date.

    Sec. 51. Laws 2011, First Special Session chapter 11, article 2, section 12, the effective
date, is amended to read:
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section applies to all collective bargaining agreements
ratified after is effective July 1, 2013.

    Sec. 52. CHASKA SCHOOL START DATE FOR THE 2016-2017 SCHOOL
YEAR ONLY.
    Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section 120A.40, or other law to the contrary,
for the 2016-2017 school year only, Independent School District No. 112, Chaska, may
begin the school year before Labor Day.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for the 2016-2017 school year only.

    Sec. 53. SCHOOL YEAR-LONG STUDENT TEACHING PILOT PROGRAM.
    Subdivision 1. Establishment; planning; eligibility. (a) A school year-long student
teaching pilot program for the 2015-2016 through 2018-2019 school years is established to
provide teacher candidates with intensified and authentic classroom learning and experience
so that newly licensed teachers, equipped with the best research and best practices
available, can immediately begin work to increase student growth and achievement.
(b) An approved teacher preparation program, interested in participating in a school
year-long student teaching pilot program in partnership with one or more school districts
or charter schools, is eligible to participate in this pilot program if, during the 2014-2015
school year, the interested teacher preparation program identifies needed changes to its
program curriculum, develops an implementation plan, and receives Board of Teaching
approval to modify its board application for this pilot program, and meets the criteria
under subdivision 2.
    Subd. 2. Application and selection process. (a) An approved teacher preparation
program in partnership with one or more school districts or charter schools may apply to
the Board of Teaching, in the form and manner determined by the board, to participate in
the pilot program under this section. Consistent with subdivision 1, paragraph (b), the
application must demonstrate the applicant's interest and ability to offer teacher candidates
a school year-long student teaching program that combines clinical opportunities with
academic course work and in-depth student teaching experiences. A student teacher
under this pilot program must have: ongoing access to a team of teacher mentors
to demonstrate to the student teacher various teaching methods, philosophies, and
classroom environments; ongoing coaching and assessment; assistance in preparing an
individual professional development plan that includes goals, activities, and assessment
methodologies; structured learning experiences provided by the teacher preparation
institution or program in collaboration with local or regional education professionals or
other community experts; and receive payment for student teaching time.
(b) The board must make an effort to select qualified and diverse applicants from
throughout the state.
    Subd. 3. Annual report; evaluation. The board annually must transmit to the
education policy and finance committees of the legislature no later than February 1 a
data-based report showing the efforts and progress program participants made in preparing
successful newly licensed teachers.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for the 2014-2015 through 2018-2019
school years.

    Sec. 54. INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 2142, ST. LOUIS COUNTY;
MEETINGS.
The school board of Independent School District No. 2142, St. Louis County, may
hold its meetings at the district's administrative office in Virginia, Minnesota, or at a
location outside the boundaries of the school district, if the location is convenient to
a majority of the school board members and residents of the district and notice of the
location is provided as required in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 13D.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective July 1, 2014.

    Sec. 55. REVIEW; TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE AND ACTIVITIES.
The Minnesota State High School League must review playoff and championship
data for member schools and conferences throughout Minnesota to determine how to
make its tournament structure and activities more competitive and submit the data and its
findings to the legislature by February 15, 2015.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

ARTICLE 4

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 121A.582, subdivision 1, is amended to
read:
    Subdivision 1. Reasonable force standard. (a) A teacher or school principal, in
exercising the person's lawful authority, may use reasonable force when it is necessary
under the circumstances to correct or restrain a student or prevent bodily harm or death
to another.
(b) A school employee, school bus driver, or other agent of a district, in exercising
the person's lawful authority, may use reasonable force when it is necessary under the
circumstances to restrain a student or prevent bodily harm or death to another.
(c) Paragraphs (a) and (b) do not authorize conduct prohibited under sections
121A.58 and 121A.67 section 125A.0942.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

    Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 125A.023, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Definitions. For purposes of this section and section 125A.027, the
following terms have the meanings given them:
(a) "Health plan" means:
(1) a health plan under section 62Q.01, subdivision 3;
(2) a county-based purchasing plan under section 256B.692;
(3) a self-insured health plan established by a local government under section
471.617 ; or
(4) self-insured health coverage provided by the state to its employees or retirees.
(b) For purposes of this section, "health plan company" means an entity that issues
a health plan as defined in paragraph (a).
(c) "Individual interagency intervention plan" means a standardized written plan
describing those programs or services and the accompanying funding sources available to
eligible children with disabilities.
(d) (c) "Interagency intervention service system" means a system that coordinates
services and programs required in state and federal law to meet the needs of eligible
children with disabilities ages birth through 21, including:
(1) services provided under the following programs or initiatives administered
by state or local agencies:
(i) the maternal and child health program under title V of the Social Security Act;
(ii) the Minnesota children with special health needs program under sections 144.05
and 144.07;
(iii) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B, section 619, and Part
C as amended;
(iv) medical assistance under title 42, chapter 7, of the Social Security Act;
(v) developmental disabilities services under chapter 256B;
(vi) the Head Start Act under title 42, chapter 105, of the Social Security Act;
(vii) vocational rehabilitation services provided under chapters 248 and 268A and
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
(viii) Juvenile Court Act services provided under sections 260.011 to 260.91;
260B.001 to 260B.446; and 260C.001 to 260C.451;
(ix) Minnesota Comprehensive Children's Mental Health Act under section 245.487;
(x) the community health services grants under sections 145.88 to 145.9266;
(xi) the Local Public Health Act under chapter 145A; and
(xii) the Vulnerable Children and Adults Act, sections 256M.60 to 256M.80;
(2) service provision and funding that can be coordinated through:
(i) the children's mental health collaborative under section 245.493;
(ii) the family services collaborative under section 124D.23;
(iii) the community transition interagency committees under section 125A.22; and
(iv) the interagency early intervention committees under section 125A.259;
(3) financial and other funding programs to be coordinated including medical
assistance under title 42, chapter 7, of the Social Security Act, the MinnesotaCare program
under chapter 256L, Supplemental Social Security Income, Developmental Disabilities
Assistance, and any other employment-related activities associated with the Social
Security Administration; and services provided under a health plan in conformity with an
individual family service plan or an individualized education program or an individual
interagency intervention plan; and
(4) additional appropriate services that local agencies and counties provide on
an individual need basis upon determining eligibility and receiving a request from the
interagency early intervention committee and the child's parent.
(e) (d) "Children with disabilities" has the meaning given in section 125A.02.
(f) (e) A "standardized written plan" means those individual services or programs,
with accompanying funding sources, available through the interagency intervention
service system to an eligible child other than the services or programs described in the
child's individualized education program or the child's individual family service plan.

    Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 125A.023, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
    Subd. 4. State Interagency Committee. (a) The commissioner of education, on
behalf of the governor, shall convene a 19-member an interagency committee to develop
and implement a coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency intervention service system
for children ages three to 21 with disabilities. The commissioners of commerce, education,
health, human rights, human services, employment and economic development, and
corrections shall each appoint two committee members from their departments; the
Association of Minnesota Counties shall appoint two county representatives, one of whom
must be an elected official, as committee members; and the Association of Minnesota
Counties, Minnesota School Boards Association, the Minnesota Administrators of Special
Education, and the School Nurse Association of Minnesota shall each appoint one
committee member. The committee shall select a chair from among its members.
(b) The committee shall:
(1) identify and assist in removing state and federal barriers to local coordination of
services provided to children with disabilities;
(2) identify adequate, equitable, and flexible funding sources to streamline these
services;
(3) develop guidelines for implementing policies that ensure a comprehensive and
coordinated system of all state and local agency services, including multidisciplinary
assessment practices for children with disabilities ages three to 21;, including:
(4) (i) develop, consistent with federal law, a standardized written plan for providing
services to a child with disabilities;
(5) (ii) identify how current systems for dispute resolution can be coordinated and
develop guidelines for that coordination;
(6) (iii) develop an evaluation process to measure the success of state and local
interagency efforts in improving the quality and coordination of services to children with
disabilities ages three to 21; and
(7) (iv) develop guidelines to assist the governing boards of the interagency
early intervention committees in carrying out the duties assigned in section 125A.027,
subdivision 1 , paragraph (b); and
(8) (4) carry out other duties necessary to develop and implement within
communities a coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency intervention service system for
children with disabilities.
(c) The committee shall consult on an ongoing basis with the state Special Education
Advisory Committee for Special Education Panel and the governor's Interagency
Coordinating Council in carrying out its duties under this section, including assisting the
governing boards of the interagency early intervention committees.

    Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 125A.027, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
    Subdivision 1. Additional duties. (a) The governing boards of the interagency early
intervention committees are responsible for developing and implementing interagency
policies and procedures to coordinate services at the local level for children with
disabilities ages three to 21 under guidelines established by the state interagency
committee under section 125A.023, subdivision 4. Consistent with the requirements
in this section and section 125A.023, the governing boards of the interagency early
intervention committees shall may organize as a joint powers board under section 471.59
or enter into an interagency agreement that establishes a governance structure.
(b) The governing board of each interagency early intervention committee as defined
in section 125A.30, paragraph (a), which may include a juvenile justice professional, shall:
(1) identify and assist in removing state and federal barriers to local coordination of
services provided to children with disabilities;
(2) identify adequate, equitable, and flexible use of funding by local agencies for
these services;
(3) implement policies that ensure a comprehensive and coordinated system of
all state and local agency services, including practices on multidisciplinary assessment
practices, standardized written plans, dispute resolution, and system evaluation for
children with disabilities ages three to 21;
(4) use a standardized written plan for providing services to a child with disabilities
developed under section 125A.023;
(5) access the coordinated dispute resolution system and incorporate the guidelines
for coordinating services at the local level, consistent with section 125A.023;
(6) use the evaluation process to measure the success of the local interagency effort
in improving the quality and coordination of services to children with disabilities ages
three to 21 consistent with section 125A.023;
(7) develop a transitional plan for children moving from the interagency early
childhood intervention system under sections 125A.259 to 125A.48 into the interagency
intervention service system under this section;
(8) (3) coordinate services and facilitate payment for services from public and
private institutions, agencies, and health plan companies; and
(9) (4) share needed information consistent with state and federal data practices
requirements.

    Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 125A.027, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
    Subd. 4. Responsibilities of school and county boards. (a) It is the joint
responsibility of school and county boards to coordinate, provide, and pay for appropriate
services, and to facilitate payment for services from public and private sources. Appropriate
service for children eligible under section 125A.02 and receiving service from two or more
public agencies of which one is the public school must be determined in consultation with
parents, physicians, and other education, medical health, and human services providers.
The services provided must be in conformity with an Individual Interagency Intervention
Plan (IIIP) a standardized written plan for each eligible child ages 3 to 21.
(b) Appropriate services include those services listed on a child's IIIP standardized
written plan. These services are those that are required to be documented on a plan under
federal and state law or rule.
(c) School and county boards shall coordinate interagency services. Service
responsibilities for eligible children, ages 3 to 21, shall may be established in interagency
agreements or joint powers board agreements. In addition, interagency agreements or joint
powers board agreements shall may be developed to establish agency responsibility that
assures that coordinated interagency services are coordinated, provided, and paid for, and
that payment is facilitated from public and private sources. School boards must provide,
pay for, and facilitate payment for special education services as required under sections
125A.03 and 125A.06. County boards must provide, pay for, and facilitate payment for
those programs over which they have service and fiscal responsibility as referenced in
section 125A.023, subdivision 3, paragraph (d) (c), clause (1).

    Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 125A.03, is amended to read:
125A.03 SPECIAL INSTRUCTION FOR CHILDREN WITH A DISABILITY.
(a) As defined in paragraph (b), every district must provide special instruction and
services, either within the district or in another district, for all children with a disability,
including providing required services under Code of Federal Regulations, title 34, section
300.121, paragraph (d), to those children suspended or expelled from school for more than
ten school days in that school year, who are residents of the district and who are disabled
as set forth in section 125A.02. For purposes of state and federal special education
laws, the phrase "special instruction and services" in the state Education Code means a
free and appropriate public education provided to an eligible child with disabilities and
includes special education and related services defined in the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, subpart A, section 300.24. "Free appropriate public education" means
special education and related services that:
(1) are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and
without charge;
(2) meet the standards of the state, including the requirements of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act, Part B or C;
(3) include an appropriate preschool, elementary school, or secondary school
education; and
(4) are provided to children ages three through 21 in conformity with an
individualized education program that meets the requirements of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act, subpart A, sections 300.320 to 300.324, and provided to
infants and toddlers in conformity with an individualized family service plan that meets
the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, subpart A, sections
303.300 to 303.346.
(b) Notwithstanding any age limits in laws to the contrary, special instruction and
services must be provided from birth until July 1 after the child with a disability becomes
21 years old but shall not extend beyond secondary school or its equivalent, except as
provided in section 124D.68, subdivision 2. Local health, education, and social service
agencies must refer children under age five who are known to need or suspected of
needing special instruction and services to the school district. Districts with less than the
minimum number of eligible children with a disability as determined by the commissioner
must cooperate with other districts to maintain a full range of programs for education
and services for children with a disability. This section does not alter the compulsory
attendance requirements of section 120A.22.

    Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 125A.08, is amended to read:
125A.08 INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
(a) At the beginning of each school year, each school district shall have in effect, for
each child with a disability, an individualized education program.
(b) As defined in this section, every district must ensure the following:
(1) all students with disabilities are provided the special instruction and services
which are appropriate to their needs. Where the individualized education program team
has determined appropriate goals and objectives based on the student's needs, including
the extent to which the student can be included in the least restrictive environment,
and where there are essentially equivalent and effective instruction, related services, or
assistive technology devices available to meet the student's needs, cost to the district may
be among the factors considered by the team in choosing how to provide the appropriate
services, instruction, or devices that are to be made part of the student's individualized
education program. The individualized education program team shall consider and
may authorize services covered by medical assistance according to section 256B.0625,
subdivision 26 . The student's needs and the special education instruction and services to
be provided must be agreed upon through the development of an individualized education
program. The program must address the student's need to develop skills to live and work
as independently as possible within the community. The individualized education program
team must consider positive behavioral interventions, strategies, and supports that address
behavior for children with attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder. During grade 9, the program must address the student's needs for transition from
secondary services to postsecondary education and training, employment, community
participation, recreation, and leisure and home living. In developing the program, districts
must inform parents of the full range of transitional goals and related services that should
be considered. The program must include a statement of the needed transition services,
including a statement of the interagency responsibilities or linkages or both before
secondary services are concluded;
(2) children with a disability under age five and their families are provided special
instruction and services appropriate to the child's level of functioning and needs;
(3) children with a disability and their parents or guardians are guaranteed procedural
safeguards and the right to participate in decisions involving identification, assessment
including assistive technology assessment, and educational placement of children with a
disability;
(4) eligibility and needs of children with a disability are determined by an initial
assessment or reassessment evaluation or reevaluation, which may be completed using
existing data under United States Code, title 20, section 33, et seq.;
(5) to the maximum extent appropriate, children with a disability, including those
in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who
are not disabled, and that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children
with a disability from the regular educational environment occurs only when and to the
extent that the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes
with the use of supplementary services cannot be achieved satisfactorily;
(6) in accordance with recognized professional standards, testing and evaluation
materials, and procedures used for the purposes of classification and placement of children
with a disability are selected and administered so as not to be racially or culturally
discriminatory; and
(7) the rights of the child are protected when the parents or guardians are not known
or not available, or the child is a ward of the state.
(c) For paraprofessionals employed to work in programs for students with
disabilities, the school board in each district shall ensure that:
(1) before or immediately upon employment, each paraprofessional develops
sufficient knowledge and skills in emergency procedures, building orientation, roles and
responsibilities, confidentiality, vulnerability, and reportability, among other things, to
begin meeting the needs of the students with whom the paraprofessional works;
(2) annual training opportunities are available to enable the paraprofessional to
continue to further develop the knowledge and skills that are specific to the students with
whom the paraprofessional works, including understanding disabilities, following lesson
plans, and implementing follow-up instructional procedures and activities; and
(3) a districtwide process obligates each paraprofessional to work under the ongoing
direction of a licensed teacher and, where appropriate and possible, the supervision of a
school nurse.

    Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 125A.22, is amended to read:
125A.22 COMMUNITY TRANSITION INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE.
A district, group of districts, or special education cooperative, in cooperation with
the county or counties in which the district or cooperative is located, must may establish
a community transition interagency committee for youth with disabilities, beginning at
grade 9 or age equivalent, and their families. Members of the committee must consist of
may include representatives from special education, vocational and regular education,
community education, postsecondary education and training institutions, mental health,
adults with disabilities who have received transition services if such persons are available,
parents of youth with disabilities, local business or industry, rehabilitation services, county
social services, health agencies, and additional public or private adult service providers as
appropriate. The committee must elect a chair and must meet regularly. The committee
must may:
(1) identify current services, programs, and funding sources provided within
the community for secondary and postsecondary aged youth with disabilities and their
families that prepare them for further education; employment, including integrated
competitive employment; and independent living;
(2) facilitate the development of multiagency teams to address present and future
transition needs of individual students on their individualized education programs;
(3) develop a community plan to include mission, goals, and objectives, and an
implementation plan to assure that transition needs of individuals with disabilities are met;
(4) recommend changes or improvements in the community system of transition
services; and
(5) exchange agency information such as appropriate data, effectiveness studies,
special projects, exemplary programs, and creative funding of programs; and.
(6) following procedures determined by the commissioner, prepare a yearly summary
assessing the progress of transition services in the community including follow-up of
individuals with disabilities who were provided transition services to determine postschool
outcomes. The summary must be disseminated to all adult services agencies involved in
the planning and to the commissioner by October 1 of each year.

    Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 125A.30, is amended to read:
125A.30 INTERAGENCY EARLY INTERVENTION COMMITTEES.
(a) A school district, group of school districts, or special education cooperative
cooperatives, in cooperation with the health and human service agencies located in
the county or counties in which the district districts or cooperative is cooperatives are
located, must establish an Interagency Early Intervention Committee for children with
disabilities under age five and their families under this section, and for children with
disabilities ages three to 22 consistent with the requirements under sections 125A.023
and 125A.027. Committees must include representatives of local health, education, and
county human service agencies, county boards, school boards, early childhood family
education programs, Head Start, parents of young children with disabilities under age 12,
child care resource and referral agencies, school readiness programs, current service
providers, and agencies that serve families experiencing homelessness, and may also
include representatives from other private or public agencies and school nurses. The
committee must elect a chair from among its members and must meet at least quarterly.
(b) The committee must develop and implement interagency policies and procedures
concerning the following ongoing duties:
(1) develop public awareness systems designed to inform potential recipient families,
especially parents with premature infants, or infants with other physical risk factors
associated with learning or development complications, of available programs and services;
(2) to reduce families' need for future services, and especially parents with premature
infants, or infants with other physical risk factors associated with learning or development
complications, implement interagency child find systems designed to actively seek out,
identify, and refer infants and young children with, or at risk of, disabilities, including
a child under the age of three who: (i) is the subject of a substantiated case of abuse or
neglect or (ii) is identified as directly affected by illegal substance abuse, or withdrawal
symptoms resulting from prenatal drug exposure;
(3) establish and evaluate the identification, referral, screening, evaluation, child-
and family-directed assessment systems, procedural safeguard process, and community
learning systems to recommend, where necessary, alterations and improvements;
(4) assure the development of individualized family service plans for all eligible
infants and toddlers with disabilities from birth through age two, and their families,
and individualized education programs and individual service plans when necessary to
appropriately serve children with disabilities, age three and older, and their families and
recommend assignment of financial responsibilities to the appropriate agencies;
(5) (3) implement a process for assuring that services involve cooperating agencies
at all steps leading to individualized programs;
(6) facilitate the development of a transition plan in the individual family service
plan by the time a child is two years and nine months old;
(7) (4) identify the current services and funding being provided within the
community for children with disabilities under age five and their families; and
(8) (5) develop a plan for the allocation and expenditure of federal early intervention
funds under United States Code, title 20, section 1471 et seq. (Part C, Public Law 108-446)
and United States Code, title 20, section 631, et seq. (Chapter I, Public Law 89-313); and.
(9) develop a policy that is consistent with section 13.05, subdivision 9, and federal
law to enable a member of an interagency early intervention committee to allow another
member access to data classified as not public.
(c) The local committee shall also participate in needs assessments and program
planning activities conducted by local social service, health and education agencies for
young children with disabilities and their families.

    Sec. 10. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 127A.065, is amended to read:
127A.065 CROSS-SUBSIDY REPORT.
    By January 10 March 30, the commissioner of education shall submit an annual
report to the legislative committees having jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade
12 education on the amount each district is cross-subsidizing special education costs
with general education revenue.

    Sec. 11. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 260D.06, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Agency report to court; court review. The agency shall obtain judicial
review by reporting to the court according to the following procedures:
    (a) A written report shall be forwarded to the court within 165 days of the date of the
voluntary placement agreement. The written report shall contain or have attached:
    (1) a statement of facts that necessitate the child's foster care placement;
    (2) the child's name, date of birth, race, gender, and current address;
    (3) the names, race, date of birth, residence, and post office addresses of the child's
parents or legal custodian;
    (4) a statement regarding the child's eligibility for membership or enrollment in an
Indian tribe and the agency's compliance with applicable provisions of sections 260.751 to
260.835 ;
    (5) the names and addresses of the foster parents or chief administrator of the facility
in which the child is placed, if the child is not in a family foster home or group home;
    (6) a copy of the out-of-home placement plan required under section 260C.212,
subdivision 1;
    (7) a written summary of the proceedings of any administrative review required
under section 260C.203; and
    (8) any other information the agency, parent or legal custodian, the child or the foster
parent, or other residential facility wants the court to consider.
    (b) In the case of a child in placement due to emotional disturbance, the written
report shall include as an attachment, the child's individual treatment plan developed by
the child's treatment professional, as provided in section 245.4871, subdivision 21, or the
child's individual interagency intervention standard written plan, as provided in section
125A.023 , subdivision 3, paragraph (c) (e).
    (c) In the case of a child in placement due to developmental disability or a related
condition, the written report shall include as an attachment, the child's individual service
plan, as provided in section 256B.092, subdivision 1b; the child's individual program plan,
as provided in Minnesota Rules, part 9525.0004, subpart 11; the child's waiver care plan;
or the child's individual interagency intervention standard written plan, as provided in
section 125A.023, subdivision 3, paragraph (c) (e).
    (d) The agency must inform the child, age 12 or older, the child's parent, and the
foster parent or foster care facility of the reporting and court review requirements of this
section and of their right to submit information to the court:
    (1) if the child or the child's parent or the foster care provider wants to send
information to the court, the agency shall advise those persons of the reporting date and the
date by which the agency must receive the information they want forwarded to the court so
the agency is timely able submit it with the agency's report required under this subdivision;
    (2) the agency must also inform the child, age 12 or older, the child's parent, and
the foster care facility that they have the right to be heard in person by the court and
how to exercise that right;
    (3) the agency must also inform the child, age 12 or older, the child's parent, and
the foster care provider that an in-court hearing will be held if requested by the child,
the parent, or the foster care provider; and
    (4) if, at the time required for the report under this section, a child, age 12 or
older, disagrees about the foster care facility or services provided under the out-of-home
placement plan required under section 260C.212, subdivision 1, the agency shall include
information regarding the child's disagreement, and to the extent possible, the basis for the
child's disagreement in the report required under this section.
    (e) After receiving the required report, the court has jurisdiction to make the
following determinations and must do so within ten days of receiving the forwarded
report, whether a hearing is requested:
    (1) whether the voluntary foster care arrangement is in the child's best interests;
    (2) whether the parent and agency are appropriately planning for the child; and
    (3) in the case of a child age 12 or older, who disagrees with the foster care facility
or services provided under the out-of-home placement plan, whether it is appropriate to
appoint counsel and a guardian ad litem for the child using standards and procedures
under section 260C.163.
    (f) Unless requested by a parent, representative of the foster care facility, or the
child, no in-court hearing is required in order for the court to make findings and issue an
order as required in paragraph (e).
    (g) If the court finds the voluntary foster care arrangement is in the child's best
interests and that the agency and parent are appropriately planning for the child, the
court shall issue an order containing explicit, individualized findings to support its
determination. The individualized findings shall be based on the agency's written report
and other materials submitted to the court. The court may make this determination
notwithstanding the child's disagreement, if any, reported under paragraph (d).
    (h) The court shall send a copy of the order to the county attorney, the agency,
parent, child, age 12 or older, and the foster parent or foster care facility.
    (i) The court shall also send the parent, the child, age 12 or older, the foster parent, or
representative of the foster care facility notice of the permanency review hearing required
under section 260D.07, paragraph (e).
    (j) If the court finds continuing the voluntary foster care arrangement is not in the
child's best interests or that the agency or the parent are not appropriately planning for the
child, the court shall notify the agency, the parent, the foster parent or foster care facility,
the child, age 12 or older, and the county attorney of the court's determinations and the
basis for the court's determinations. In this case, the court shall set the matter for hearing
and appoint a guardian ad litem for the child under section 260C.163, subdivision 5.

    Sec. 12. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 626.556, subdivision 2, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms have the meanings
given them unless the specific content indicates otherwise:
    (a) "Family assessment" means a comprehensive assessment of child safety, risk
of subsequent child maltreatment, and family strengths and needs that is applied to a
child maltreatment report that does not allege substantial child endangerment. Family
assessment does not include a determination as to whether child maltreatment occurred
but does determine the need for services to address the safety of family members and the
risk of subsequent maltreatment.
    (b) "Investigation" means fact gathering related to the current safety of a child
and the risk of subsequent maltreatment that determines whether child maltreatment
occurred and whether child protective services are needed. An investigation must be used
when reports involve substantial child endangerment, and for reports of maltreatment in
facilities required to be licensed under chapter 245A or 245B; under sections 144.50 to
144.58 and 241.021; in a school as defined in sections 120A.05, subdivisions 9, 11, and
13, and 124D.10; or in a nonlicensed personal care provider association as defined in
sections 256B.04, subdivision 16, and 256B.0625, subdivision 19a.
    (c) "Substantial child endangerment" means a person responsible for a child's care,
and in the case of sexual abuse includes a person who has a significant relationship to the
child as defined in section 609.341, or a person in a position of authority as defined in
section 609.341, who by act or omission commits or attempts to commit an act against a
child under their care that constitutes any of the following:
    (1) egregious harm as defined in section 260C.007, subdivision 14;
    (2) sexual abuse as defined in paragraph (d);
    (3) abandonment under section 260C.301, subdivision 2;
    (4) neglect as defined in paragraph (f), clause (2), that substantially endangers the
child's physical or mental health, including a growth delay, which may be referred to as
failure to thrive, that has been diagnosed by a physician and is due to parental neglect;
    (5) murder in the first, second, or third degree under section 609.185, 609.19, or
609.195 ;
    (6) manslaughter in the first or second degree under section 609.20 or 609.205;
    (7) assault in the first, second, or third degree under section 609.221, 609.222, or
609.223 ;
    (8) solicitation, inducement, and promotion of prostitution under section 609.322;
    (9) criminal sexual conduct under sections 609.342 to 609.3451;
    (10) solicitation of children to engage in sexual conduct under section 609.352;
    (11) malicious punishment or neglect or endangerment of a child under section
609.377 or 609.378;
    (12) use of a minor in sexual performance under section 617.246; or
    (13) parental behavior, status, or condition which mandates that the county attorney
file a termination of parental rights petition under section 260C.503, subdivision 2.
    (d) "Sexual abuse" means the subjection of a child by a person responsible for the
child's care, by a person who has a significant relationship to the child, as defined in
section 609.341, or by a person in a position of authority, as defined in section 609.341,
subdivision 10, to any act which constitutes a violation of section 609.342 (criminal sexual
conduct in the first degree), 609.343 (criminal sexual conduct in the second degree),
609.344 (criminal sexual conduct in the third degree), 609.345 (criminal sexual conduct
in the fourth degree), or 609.3451 (criminal sexual conduct in the fifth degree). Sexual
abuse also includes any act which involves a minor which constitutes a violation of
prostitution offenses under sections 609.321 to 609.324 or 617.246. Sexual abuse includes
threatened sexual abuse which includes the status of a parent or household member
who has committed a violation which requires registration as an offender under section
243.166, subdivision 1b, paragraph (a) or (b), or required registration under section
243.166, subdivision 1b, paragraph (a) or (b).
    (e) "Person responsible for the child's care" means (1) an individual functioning
within the family unit and having responsibilities for the care of the child such as a
parent, guardian, or other person having similar care responsibilities, or (2) an individual
functioning outside the family unit and having responsibilities for the care of the child
such as a teacher, school administrator, other school employees or agents, or other lawful
custodian of a child having either full-time or short-term care responsibilities including,
but not limited to, day care, babysitting whether paid or unpaid, counseling, teaching,
and coaching.
    (f) "Neglect" means the commission or omission of any of the acts specified under
clauses (1) to (9), other than by accidental means:
    (1) failure by a person responsible for a child's care to supply a child with necessary
food, clothing, shelter, health, medical, or other care required for the child's physical or
mental health when reasonably able to do so;
    (2) failure to protect a child from conditions or actions that seriously endanger the
child's physical or mental health when reasonably able to do so, including a growth delay,
which may be referred to as a failure to thrive, that has been diagnosed by a physician and
is due to parental neglect;
    (3) failure to provide for necessary supervision or child care arrangements
appropriate for a child after considering factors as the child's age, mental ability, physical
condition, length of absence, or environment, when the child is unable to care for the
child's own basic needs or safety, or the basic needs or safety of another child in their care;
    (4) failure to ensure that the child is educated as defined in sections 120A.22 and
260C.163, subdivision 11 , which does not include a parent's refusal to provide the parent's
child with sympathomimetic medications, consistent with section 125A.091, subdivision 5;
    (5) nothing in this section shall be construed to mean that a child is neglected solely
because the child's parent, guardian, or other person responsible for the child's care in
good faith selects and depends upon spiritual means or prayer for treatment or care of
disease or remedial care of the child in lieu of medical care; except that a parent, guardian,
or caretaker, or a person mandated to report pursuant to subdivision 3, has a duty to report
if a lack of medical care may cause serious danger to the child's health. This section does
not impose upon persons, not otherwise legally responsible for providing a child with
necessary food, clothing, shelter, education, or medical care, a duty to provide that care;
    (6) prenatal exposure to a controlled substance, as defined in section 253B.02,
subdivision 2, used by the mother for a nonmedical purpose, as evidenced by withdrawal
symptoms in the child at birth, results of a toxicology test performed on the mother at
delivery or the child at birth, medical effects or developmental delays during the child's
first year of life that medically indicate prenatal exposure to a controlled substance, or the
presence of a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder;
    (7) "medical neglect" as defined in section 260C.007, subdivision 6, clause (5);
    (8) chronic and severe use of alcohol or a controlled substance by a parent or
person responsible for the care of the child that adversely affects the child's basic needs
and safety; or
    (9) emotional harm from a pattern of behavior which contributes to impaired
emotional functioning of the child which may be demonstrated by a substantial and
observable effect in the child's behavior, emotional response, or cognition that is not
within the normal range for the child's age and stage of development, with due regard to
the child's culture.
    (g) "Physical abuse" means any physical injury, mental injury, or threatened injury,
inflicted by a person responsible for the child's care on a child other than by accidental
means, or any physical or mental injury that cannot reasonably be explained by the child's
history of injuries, or any aversive or deprivation procedures, or regulated interventions,
that have not been authorized under section 121A.67 125A.0942 or 245.825.
    Abuse does not include reasonable and moderate physical discipline of a child
administered by a parent or legal guardian which does not result in an injury. Abuse does
not include the use of reasonable force by a teacher, principal, or school employee as
allowed by section 121A.582. Actions which are not reasonable and moderate include,
but are not limited to, any of the following that are done in anger or without regard to the
safety of the child:
    (1) throwing, kicking, burning, biting, or cutting a child;
    (2) striking a child with a closed fist;
    (3) shaking a child under age three;
    (4) striking or other actions which result in any nonaccidental injury to a child
under 18 months of age;
    (5) unreasonable interference with a child's breathing;
    (6) threatening a child with a weapon, as defined in section 609.02, subdivision 6;
    (7) striking a child under age one on the face or head;
    (8) purposely giving a child poison, alcohol, or dangerous, harmful, or controlled
substances which were not prescribed for the child by a practitioner, in order to control or
punish the child; or other substances that substantially affect the child's behavior, motor
coordination, or judgment or that results in sickness or internal injury, or subjects the
child to medical procedures that would be unnecessary if the child were not exposed
to the substances;
    (9) unreasonable physical confinement or restraint not permitted under section
609.379 , including but not limited to tying, caging, or chaining; or
    (10) in a school facility or school zone, an act by a person responsible for the child's
care that is a violation under section 121A.58.
    (h) "Report" means any report received by the local welfare agency, police
department, county sheriff, or agency responsible for assessing or investigating
maltreatment pursuant to this section.
    (i) "Facility" means:
    (1) a licensed or unlicensed day care facility, residential facility, agency, hospital,
sanitarium, or other facility or institution required to be licensed under sections 144.50 to
144.58 , 241.021, or 245A.01 to 245A.16, or chapter 245D;
    (2) a school as defined in sections 120A.05, subdivisions 9, 11, and 13; and
124D.10 ; or
    (3) a nonlicensed personal care provider organization as defined in sections 256B.04,
subdivision 16, and 256B.0625, subdivision 19a.
    (j) "Operator" means an operator or agency as defined in section 245A.02.
    (k) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of human services.
    (l) "Practice of social services," for the purposes of subdivision 3, includes but is
not limited to employee assistance counseling and the provision of guardian ad litem and
parenting time expeditor services.
    (m) "Mental injury" means an injury to the psychological capacity or emotional
stability of a child as evidenced by an observable or substantial impairment in the child's
ability to function within a normal range of performance and behavior with due regard to
the child's culture.
    (n) "Threatened injury" means a statement, overt act, condition, or status that
represents a substantial risk of physical or sexual abuse or mental injury. Threatened
injury includes, but is not limited to, exposing a child to a person responsible for the
child's care, as defined in paragraph (e), clause (1), who has:
    (1) subjected a child to, or failed to protect a child from, an overt act or condition
that constitutes egregious harm, as defined in section 260C.007, subdivision 14, or a
similar law of another jurisdiction;
    (2) been found to be palpably unfit under section 260C.301, subdivision 1, paragraph
(b), clause (4), or a similar law of another jurisdiction;
    (3) committed an act that has resulted in an involuntary termination of parental rights
under section 260C.301, or a similar law of another jurisdiction; or
    (4) committed an act that has resulted in the involuntary transfer of permanent
legal and physical custody of a child to a relative under Minnesota Statutes 2010, section
260C.201, subdivision 11 , paragraph (d), clause (1), section 260C.515, subdivision 4, or a
similar law of another jurisdiction.
A child is the subject of a report of threatened injury when the responsible social
services agency receives birth match data under paragraph (o) from the Department of
Human Services.
(o) Upon receiving data under section 144.225, subdivision 2b, contained in a
birth record or recognition of parentage identifying a child who is subject to threatened
injury under paragraph (n), the Department of Human Services shall send the data to the
responsible social services agency. The data is known as "birth match" data. Unless the
responsible social services agency has already begun an investigation or assessment of the
report due to the birth of the child or execution of the recognition of parentage and the
parent's previous history with child protection, the agency shall accept the birth match
data as a report under this section. The agency may use either a family assessment or
investigation to determine whether the child is safe. All of the provisions of this section
apply. If the child is determined to be safe, the agency shall consult with the county
attorney to determine the appropriateness of filing a petition alleging the child is in need
of protection or services under section 260C.007, subdivision 6, clause (16), in order to
deliver needed services. If the child is determined not to be safe, the agency and the county
attorney shall take appropriate action as required under section 260C.503, subdivision 2.
    (p) Persons who conduct assessments or investigations under this section shall take
into account accepted child-rearing practices of the culture in which a child participates
and accepted teacher discipline practices, which are not injurious to the child's health,
welfare, and safety.
    (q) "Accidental" means a sudden, not reasonably foreseeable, and unexpected
occurrence or event which:
    (1) is not likely to occur and could not have been prevented by exercise of due
care; and
    (2) if occurring while a child is receiving services from a facility, happens when the
facility and the employee or person providing services in the facility are in compliance
with the laws and rules relevant to the occurrence or event.
(r) "Nonmaltreatment mistake" means:
(1) at the time of the incident, the individual was performing duties identified in the
center's child care program plan required under Minnesota Rules, part 9503.0045;
(2) the individual has not been determined responsible for a similar incident that
resulted in a finding of maltreatment for at least seven years;
(3) the individual has not been determined to have committed a similar
nonmaltreatment mistake under this paragraph for at least four years;
(4) any injury to a child resulting from the incident, if treated, is treated only with
remedies that are available over the counter, whether ordered by a medical professional or
not; and
(5) except for the period when the incident occurred, the facility and the individual
providing services were both in compliance with all licensing requirements relevant to the
incident.
This definition only applies to child care centers licensed under Minnesota
Rules, chapter 9503. If clauses (1) to (5) apply, rather than making a determination of
substantiated maltreatment by the individual, the commissioner of human services shall
determine that a nonmaltreatment mistake was made by the individual.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

    Sec. 13. IMPROVING THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF
UNDERACHIEVING STUDENTS THROUGH A MULTITIERED SYSTEM OF
EARLY INTERVENTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT.
    The commissioner of education, in consultation with experts and stakeholders,
including Department of Educational Psychology faculty at the University of Minnesota
and representatives of special education and regular education school administrators and
teachers, parents, cooperating school districts, and special education advocacy groups,
among others, must develop recommendations, consistent with Minnesota Statutes
2012, section 125A.56, to replace Minnesota Rules, part 3525.1341, for the purpose of
improving the academic performance of underachieving students through a multitiered
system of early intervention and instructional support. The commissioner, by February 15,
2015, must submit written recommendations, consistent with this section, to the education
policy and finance committees of the legislature.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

    Sec. 14. REPEALER.
Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 125A.027, subdivision 3, is repealed.

ARTICLE 5

NUTRITION

    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.111, subdivision 3, is amended to
read:
    Subd. 3. School food service fund. (a) The expenses described in this subdivision
must be recorded as provided in this subdivision.
(b) In each district, the expenses for a school food service program for pupils must
be attributed to a school food service fund. Under a food service program, the school
food service may prepare or serve milk, meals, or snacks in connection with school or
community service activities.
(c) Revenues and expenditures for food service activities must be recorded in the
food service fund. The costs of processing applications, accounting for meals, preparing
and serving food, providing kitchen custodial services, and other expenses involving the
preparing of meals or the kitchen section of the lunchroom may be charged to the food
service fund or to the general fund of the district. The costs of lunchroom supervision,
lunchroom custodial services, lunchroom utilities, and other administrative costs of the
food service program must be charged to the general fund.
That portion of superintendent and fiscal manager costs that can be documented as
attributable to the food service program may be charged to the food service fund provided
that the school district does not employ or contract with a food service director or other
individual who manages the food service program, or food service management company.
If the cost of the superintendent or fiscal manager is charged to the food service fund,
the charge must be at a wage rate not to exceed the statewide average for food service
directors as determined by the department.
(d) Capital expenditures for the purchase of food service equipment must be made
from the general fund and not the food service fund, unless the unreserved restricted
balance in the food service fund at the end of the last fiscal year is greater than the cost of
the equipment to be purchased.
(e) If the condition set out in paragraph (d) applies, the equipment may be purchased
from the food service fund.
(f) If a deficit in the food service fund exists at the end of a fiscal year, and the deficit
is not eliminated by revenues from food service operations in the next fiscal year, then the
deficit must be eliminated by a permanent fund transfer from the general fund at the end of
that second fiscal year. However, if a district contracts with a food service management
company during the period in which the deficit has accrued, the deficit must be eliminated
by a payment from the food service management company.
(g) Notwithstanding paragraph (f), a district may incur a deficit in the food service
fund for up to three years without making the permanent transfer if the district submits
to the commissioner by January 1 of the second fiscal year a plan for eliminating that
deficit at the end of the third fiscal year.
(h) If a surplus in the food service fund exists at the end of a fiscal year for three
successive years, a district may recode for that fiscal year the costs of lunchroom
supervision, lunchroom custodial services, lunchroom utilities, and other administrative
costs of the food service program charged to the general fund according to paragraph (c)
and charge those costs to the food service fund in a total amount not to exceed the amount
of surplus in the food service fund.

    Sec. 2. [124D.1191] DONATIONS TO FOOD SHELF PROGRAMS.
Schools and community organizations participating in any federal child nutrition
meal program may donate food to food shelf programs, provided that the food shelf:
(1) is a nonprofit corporation or is affiliated with a nonprofit corporation, as defined
in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(2) distributes food without charge to needy individuals;
(3) does not limit food distributions to individuals of a particular religious affiliation,
race, or other criteria unrelated to need; and
(4) has a stable address and directly serves individuals.

ARTICLE 6

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, SELF-SUFFICIENCY, AND
LIFELONG LEARNING

    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 123A.06, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. People to be served. A state-approved alternative program shall provide
programs for secondary pupils and adults. A center may also provide programs and
services for elementary and secondary pupils who are not attending the state-approved
alternative program to assist them in being successful in school. A center shall use
research-based best practices for serving English learners and their parents. An
individualized education program team may identify a state-approved alternative program
as an appropriate placement to the extent a state-approved alternative program can provide
the student with the appropriate special education services described in the student's plan.
Pupils eligible to be served are those who qualify under the graduation incentives program
in section 124D.68, subdivision 2, those enrolled under section 124D.02, subdivision
2, or those pupils who are eligible to receive special education services under sections
125A.03 to 125A.24, and 125A.65.

    Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivision 2, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Family eligibility. (a) For a family to receive an early childhood education
learning scholarship, parents or guardians must meet the following eligibility requirements:
(1) have a child three or four years of age on September 1 of the current school year,
who has not yet started kindergarten; and
(2) have income equal to or less than 185 percent of federal poverty level income
in the current calendar year, or be able to document their child's current participation in
the free and reduced-price lunch program or child and adult care food program, National
School Lunch Act, United States Code, title 42, sections 1751 and 1766; the Food
Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Food and Nutrition Act, United States
Code, title 7, sections 2011-2036; Head Start under the federal Improving Head Start for
School Readiness Act of 2007; Minnesota family investment program under chapter 256J;
child care assistance programs under chapter 119B; the supplemental nutrition assistance
program; or placement in foster care under section 260C.212.
(b) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, a parent under age 21 who
is pursuing a high school or general education equivalency diploma is eligible for an early
learning scholarship if the parent has a child age zero to five years old and meets the
income eligibility guidelines in this subdivision.
(c) Any siblings between the ages zero to five years old of a child who has been
awarded a scholarship under this section must be awarded a scholarship upon request,
provided the sibling attends the same program.
(d) A child who has received a scholarship under this section must continue to receive
a scholarship each year until that child is eligible for kindergarten under section 120A.20.
(e) Early learning scholarships may not be counted as earned income for the
purposes of medical assistance under chapter 256B, MinnesotaCare under chapter 256L,
Minnesota family investment program under chapter 256J, child care assistance programs
under chapter 119B, or Head Start under the federal Improving Head Start for School
Readiness Act of 2007.

    Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivision 4, is
amended to read:
    Subd. 4. Early childhood program eligibility. (a) In order to be eligible to accept
an early childhood education learning scholarship, a program must:
(1) participate in the quality rating and improvement system under section
124D.142 ; and
(2) beginning July 1, 2016, have a three- or four-star rating in the quality rating
and improvement system.
(b) Any program accepting scholarships must use the revenue to supplement and not
supplant federal funding.

ARTICLE 7

LIBRARIES

    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 134.355, subdivision 8, is amended to read:
    Subd. 8. Eligibility. A regional public library system may apply for regional library
telecommunications aid. The aid must be used for data and video access maintenance,
equipment, or installation of telecommunication lines. To be eligible, a regional public
library system must be officially designated by the commissioner of education as a
regional public library system as defined in section 134.34, subdivision 3, and each of its
participating cities and counties must meet local support levels defined in section 134.34,
subdivision 1 . A public library building that receives aid under this section must be open a
minimum of 20 hours per week. Exceptions to the minimum open hours requirement may
be granted by the Department of Education on request of the regional public library system
for the following circumstances: short-term closing for emergency maintenance and
repairs following a natural disaster; in response to exceptional economic circumstances;
building repair or maintenance that requires public services areas to be closed; or to adjust
hours of public service to respond to documented seasonal use patterns.

    Sec. 2. CONSULTATION; LIBRARIES AND SERVICE DELIVERY.
The commissioner of education must consult with people knowledgeable about
state libraries and service delivery, including representatives of the Department of
Education, regional public library systems, multicounty multitype library systems, public
libraries located in the metropolitan area and greater Minnesota other than regional public
library systems, Minitex, public school library media specialists, the Office of Higher
Education, the Association of Minnesota Counties, and the League of Minnesota Cities
on increasing service delivery and collaboration between library governance systems,
options for changing current library procedures and library governance systems to
increase collaboration between library systems, and ensuring equitable and cost-effective
access to library services statewide. In addition to addressing physical library services,
the commissioner also must consider how to increase access to emerging electronic
services. The commissioner must report by February 1, 2015, to the education policy
and finance committees of the legislature on how to structure library systems to ensure
that all Minnesota residents have equitable and cost-effective access to state-supported
library services.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.

ARTICLE 8

UNSESSION CHANGES

    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 121A.36, is amended to read:
121A.36 MOTORCYCLE SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAM.
    Subdivision 1. Established; administration; rules. A motorcycle safety education
program is established. The program shall be administered by the commissioners of
public safety and education. The program shall include but is not limited to training and
coordination of motorcycle safety instructors, motorcycle safety promotion and public
information, and reimbursement for the cost of approved courses offered by schools
and organizations.
    Subd. 2. Reimbursements. The commissioner of education public safety, to the
extent that funds are available, may reimburse schools and other approved organizations
offering approved motorcycle safety education courses for up to 50 percent of the actual
cost of the courses. If sufficient funds are not available, reimbursements shall be prorated.
The commissioner may conduct audits and otherwise examine the records and accounts of
schools and approved organizations offering the courses to insure the accuracy of the costs.
    Subd. 3. Appropriation. (a) All funds in the motorcycle safety fund created by
section 171.06, subdivision 2a, are hereby annually appropriated to the commissioner of
public safety to carry out the purposes of subdivisions 1 and 2. The commissioner of
public safety may make grants from the fund to the commissioner of education at such
times and in such amounts as the commissioner deems necessary to carry out the purposes
of subdivisions 1 and 2.
(b) Of the money appropriated under paragraph (a):
(1) not more than five percent shall be expended to defray the administrative costs
of carrying out the purposes of subdivisions 1 and 2; and
(2) not more than 65 percent shall be expended for the combined purpose of
training and coordinating the activities of motorcycle safety instructors and making
reimbursements to schools and other approved organizations.

    Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.141, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
    Subd. 3. Administration. An amount up to $12,500 from federal child care and
development fund administrative funds and up to $12,500 from prekindergarten exploratory
project funds appropriated under Laws 2007, chapter 147, article 19, section 3, may be
used to reimburse the parents on the council and for technical assistance and administrative
support of the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care. This
funding stream is for fiscal year 2009. The council may pursue additional funds from state,
federal, and private sources. If additional operational funds are received, the council must
reduce the amount of prekindergarten exploratory project funds used in an equal amount.

    Sec. 3. REVISOR'S INSTRUCTION.
The revisor of statutes shall renumber Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.36, as
section 171.335. The revisor of statutes shall also make cross-reference changes in
Minnesota Statutes and Minnesota Rules consistent with the renumbering.

    Sec. 4. REPEALER.
Minnesota Statutes 2012, sections 119A.04, subdivision 3; 119A.08; 120A.30;
120B.19; 120B.24; 121A.17, subdivision 9; 122A.52; 122A.53; 122A.61, subdivision 2;
124D.24; 124D.25; 124D.26; 124D.27; 124D.28; 124D.29; 124D.30; and 124D.31, are
repealed.

ARTICLE 9

CONFORMING CHANGES

    Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120A.22, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
    Subd. 2. Applicability. This section and sections 120A.24; 120A.26; 120A.30;
120A.32; and 120A.34 apply only to a child required to receive instruction according to
subdivision 5 and to instruction that is intended to fulfill that requirement.

    Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120A.32, is amended to read:
120A.32 OFFICERS, TEACHERS; NEGLECT OF DUTY; PENALTY.
Any school officer, truant officer, public or nonpublic school teacher, principal,
district superintendent, or person providing instruction other than a parent refusing,
willfully failing, or neglecting to perform any duty imposed by sections 120A.22 to
120A.30, 120A.26, 120A.35, 120A.41, and 123B.03 is guilty of a misdemeanor. All
persons found guilty shall be punished for each offense by a fine of not more than $10 or
by imprisonment for not more than ten days. All fines, when collected, shall be paid into
the county treasury for the benefit of the school district in which the offense is committed.

    Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.09, subdivision 7, is amended to read:
    Subd. 7. Commissioner's assistance; board money. The commissioner shall
provide all necessary materials and assistance for the transaction of the business of the
Board of Teaching and all moneys received by the Board of Teaching shall be paid into
the state treasury as provided by law. The expenses of administering sections 122A.01,
122A.05 to 122A.09, 122A.15, 122A.16, 122A.17, 122A.18, 122A.20, 122A.21, 122A.22,
122A.23 , 122A.26, 122A.30, 122A.40, 122A.41, 122A.42, 122A.45, 122A.49, 122A.52,
122A.53, 122A.54, 122A.55, 122A.56, 122A.57, and 122A.58 which are incurred by the
Board of Teaching shall be paid for from appropriations made to the Board of Teaching.

    Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 127A.41, subdivision 7, is amended to read:
    Subd. 7. Schedule adjustments. (a) It is the intention of the legislature to encourage
efficient and effective use of staff and facilities by districts. Districts are encouraged to
consider both cost and energy saving measures.
(b) Any district operating a program pursuant to sections 124D.12 to 124D.127, or
124D.128, or 124D.25 to 124D.29, or operating a commissioner-designated area learning
center program under section 123A.09, or that otherwise receives the approval of the
commissioner to operate its instructional program to avoid an aid reduction in any year,
may adjust the annual school schedule for that program throughout the calendar year.

ARTICLE 10

INTERSTATE COMPACT

    Section 1. [127A.85] INTERSTATE COMPACT ON EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITY FOR MILITARY CHILDREN.

ARTICLE I

PURPOSE

    It is the purpose of this compact to remove barriers to educational success imposed on
children of military families because of frequent moves and deployment of their parents by:
    A. facilitating the timely enrollment of children of military families and ensuring
that they are not placed at a disadvantage due to difficulty in the transfer of education
records from the previous school district(s) or variations in entrance/age requirements.
    B. Facilitating the student placement process through which children of military
families are not disadvantaged by variations in attendance requirements, scheduling,
sequencing, grading, course content, or assessment.
    C. Facilitating the qualification and eligibility for enrollment, educational programs,
and participation in extracurricular academic, athletic, and social activities.
    D. Facilitating the on-time graduation of children of military families.
    E. Providing for the promulgation and enforcement of administrative rules
implementing the provisions of this compact.
    F. Providing for the uniform collection and sharing of information between and
among member states, schools, and military families under this compact.
    G. Promoting coordination between this compact and other compacts affecting
military children.
    H. Promoting flexibility and cooperation between the educational system, parents,
and the student in order to achieve educational success for the student.

ARTICLE II

DEFINITIONS

    As used in this compact, unless the context clearly requires a different construction:
    A. "Active duty" means: full-time duty status in the active uniformed service of the
United States, including members of the National Guard and Reserve on active duty orders
pursuant to United States Code, title 10, sections 1209 and 1211.
    B. "Children of military families" means: a school-aged child(ren), enrolled in
kindergarten through grade 12, in the household of an active duty member.
    C. "Compact commissioner" means: the voting representative of each compacting
state appointed pursuant to Article VIII of this compact.
    D. "Deployment" means: the period one month prior to the service members'
departure from their home station on military orders through six months after return to
their home station.
    E. "Education(al) records" means: those official records, files, and data directly
related to a student and maintained by the school or local education agency, including but
not limited to records encompassing all the material kept in the student's cumulative
folder, such as general identifying data, records of attendance and of academic work
completed, records of achievement and results of evaluative tests, health data, disciplinary
status, test protocols, and individualized education programs.
    F. "Extracurricular activities" means: a voluntary activity sponsored by the school
or local education agency or an organization sanctioned by the local education agency.
Extracurricular activities include, but are not limited to, preparation for and involvement
in public performances, contests, athletic competitions, demonstrations, displays, and
club activities.
    G. "Interstate Commission on Educational Opportunity for Military Children"
means: the commission that is created under Article IX of this compact, which is generally
referred to as Interstate Commission.
    H. "Local education agency" means: a public authority legally constituted by the
state as an administrative agency to provide control of and direction for kindergarten
through grade 12 public educational institutions.
    I. "Member state" means: a state that has enacted this compact.
    J. "Military installation" means: a base, camp, post, station, yard, center, homeport
facility for any ship, or other activity under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense,
including any leased facility, which is located within any of the several states, the District
of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam,
American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other United States territory.
Such term does not include any facility used primarily for civil works, rivers and harbors
projects, or flood control projects.
    K. "Nonmember state" means: a state that has not enacted this compact.
    L. "Receiving state" means: the state to which a child of a military family is sent,
brought, or caused to be sent or brought.
    M. "Rule" means: a written statement by the Interstate Commission promulgated
pursuant to Article XII of this compact that is of general applicability, implements,
interprets, or prescribes a policy or provision of the Compact, or an organizational,
procedural, or practice requirement of the Interstate Commission, and has the force
and effect of statutory law in a member state, and includes the amendment, repeal, or
suspension of an existing rule.
    N. "Sending state" means: the state from which a child of a military family is sent,
brought, or caused to be sent or brought.
    O. "State" means: a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa,
the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other United States territory.
    P. "Student" means: the child of a military family for whom the local education
agency receives public funding and who is formally enrolled in kindergarten through
grade 12.
    Q. "Transition" means: (1) the formal and physical process of transferring from
school to school or (2) the period of time in which a student moves from one school in
the sending state to another school in the receiving state.
    R. "Uniformed service(s)" means: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast
Guard as well as the commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, and Public Health Services.
    S. "Veteran" means: a person who served in the uniformed services and who was
discharged or released there from under conditions other than dishonorable.

ARTICLE III

APPLICABILITY

    A. Except as otherwise provided in Section B, this compact shall apply to the
children of:
    1. active duty members of the uniformed services as defined in this compact,
including members of the National Guard and Reserve on active duty orders pursuant to
United States Code, title 10, sections 1209 and 1211;
    2. members or veterans of the uniformed services who are severely injured and
medically discharged or retired for a period of one year after medical discharge or
retirement; and
    3. members of the uniformed services who die on active duty or as a result of
injuries sustained on active duty for a period of one year after death.
    B. The provisions of this interstate compact shall only apply to local education
agencies as defined in this compact.
    C. The provisions of this compact shall not apply to the children of:
    1. inactive members of the national guard and military reserves;
    2. members of the uniformed services now retired, except as provided in Section A;
    3. veterans of the uniformed services, except as provided in Section A; and
    4. other United States Department of Defense personnel and other federal agency
civilian and contract employees not defined as active duty members of the uniformed
services.

ARTICLE IV

EDUCATIONAL RECORDS AND ENROLLMENT

    A. Unofficial or "hand-carried" education records - In the event that official
education records cannot be released to the parents for the purpose of transfer, the
custodian of the records in the sending state shall prepare and furnish to the parent
a complete set of unofficial educational records containing uniform information as
determined by the Interstate Commission. Upon receipt of the unofficial education records
by a school in the receiving state, the school shall enroll and appropriately place the
student based on the information provided in the unofficial records pending validation by
the official records, as quickly as possible.
    B. Official education records/transcripts - Simultaneous with the enrollment and
conditional placement of the student, the school in the receiving state shall request the
student's official education record from the school in the sending state. Upon receipt of
this request, the school in the sending state will process and furnish the official education
records to the school in the receiving state within ten days or within such time as
reasonably determined under rules promulgated by the Interstate Commission.
    C. Immunizations - Compacting states shall give 30 days from the date of enrollment
or within such time as is reasonably determined under the rules promulgated by the
Interstate Commission, for students to obtain any immunization(s) required by the
receiving state. For a series of immunizations, initial vaccinations must be obtained within
30 days or within such time as is reasonably determined under the rules promulgated by
the Interstate Commission.
    D. Kindergarten and first grade entrance age - Students shall be allowed to continue
their enrollment at grade level in the receiving state commensurate with their grade level
(including kindergarten) from a local education agency in the sending state at the time of
transition, regardless of age. A student that has satisfactorily completed the prerequisite
grade level in the local education agency in the sending state shall be eligible for enrollment
in the next highest grade level in the receiving state, regardless of age. A student
transferring after the start of the school year in the receiving state shall enter the school in
the receiving state on their validated level from an accredited school in the sending state.

ARTICLE V

PLACEMENT AND ATTENDANCE

    A. Course placement - When the student transfers before or during the school year,
the receiving state school shall initially honor placement of the student in educational
courses based on the student's enrollment in the sending state school and/or educational
assessments conducted at the school in the sending state if the courses are offered. Course
placement includes but is not limited to Honors, International Baccalaureate, Advanced
Placement, vocational, technical, and career pathways courses. Continuing the student's
academic program from the previous school and promoting placement in academically and
career challenging courses should be paramount when considering placement. This does
not preclude the school in the receiving state from performing subsequent evaluations to
ensure appropriate placement and continued enrollment of the student in the course(s).
    B. Educational program placement - The receiving state school shall initially honor
placement of the student in educational programs based on the current educational
assessments conducted at the school in the sending state or participation/placement in
like programs in the sending state. Such programs include, but are not limited to: (1)
gifted and talented programs; and (2) English as a second language (ESL). This does not
preclude the school in the receiving state from performing subsequent evaluations to
ensure appropriate placement of the student.
    C. Special education services - (1) in compliance with the federal requirements of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), United States Code Annotated, title
20, section 1400 et seq., the receiving state shall initially provide comparable services to a
student with disabilities based on his/her current Individualized Education Program (IEP);
and (2) in compliance with the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act,
United States Code Annotated, title 29, section 794, and with Title II of the Americans
with Disabilities Act, United States Code Annotated, title 42, sections 12131 to12165,
the receiving state shall make reasonable accommodations and modifications to address
the needs of incoming students with disabilities, subject to an existing 504 or Title II
Plan, to provide the student with equal access to education. This does not preclude the
school in the receiving state from performing subsequent evaluations to ensure appropriate
placement of the student.
    D. Placement flexibility - Local education agency administrative officials shall have
flexibility in waiving course/program prerequisites, or other preconditions for placement
in courses/programs offered under the jurisdiction of the local education agency.
    E. Absence as related to deployment activities - A student whose parent or legal
guardian is an active duty member of the uniformed services, as defined by the compact,
and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or immediately returned from deployment
to a combat zone or combat support posting, shall be granted additional excused absences
at the discretion of the local education agency superintendent to visit with his or her parent
or legal guardian relative to such leave or deployment of the parent or guardian.

ARTICLE VI

ELIGIBILITY

    A. Eligibility for enrollment
    1. Special power of attorney, relative to the guardianship of a child of a military
family and executed under applicable law shall be sufficient for the purposes of enrollment
and all other actions requiring parental participation and consent.
    2. A local education agency shall be prohibited from charging local tuition to a
transitioning military child placed in the care of a noncustodial parent or other person
standing in loco parentis who lives in a jurisdiction other than that of the custodial parent.
    3. A transitioning military child, placed in the care of a noncustodial parent or
other person standing in loco parentis who lives in a jurisdiction other than that of the
custodial parent, may continue to attend the school in which he/she was enrolled while
residing with the custodial parent.
    B. Eligibility for extracurricular participation - State and local education
agencies shall facilitate the opportunity for transitioning military children's inclusion
in extracurricular activities, regardless of application deadlines, to the extent they are
otherwise qualified.

ARTICLE VII

GRADUATION

    In order to facilitate the on-time graduation of children of military families, states
and local education agencies shall incorporate the following procedures:
    A. Waiver requirements - Local education agency administrative officials shall waive
specific courses required for graduation if similar coursework has been satisfactorily
completed in another local education agency or shall provide reasonable justification for
denial. Should a waiver not be granted to a student who would qualify to graduate from
the sending school, the local education agency shall provide an alternative means of
acquiring required coursework so that graduation may occur on time.
    B. Exit exams - States shall accept: (1) exit or end-of-course exams required for
graduation from the sending state, (2) national norm-referenced achievement tests, or (3)
alternative testing, in lieu of testing requirements for graduation in the receiving state.
In the event the above alternatives cannot be accommodated by the receiving state for a
student transferring in his or her senior year, then the provisions of Section C shall apply.
    C. Transfers during senior year - Should a military student transferring at the
beginning or during his or her senior year be ineligible to graduate from the receiving local
education agency after all alternatives have been considered, the sending and receiving
local education agencies shall ensure the receipt of a diploma from the sending local
education agency, if the student meets the graduation requirements of the sending local
education agency. In the event that one of the states in question is not a member of this
compact, the member state shall use best efforts to facilitate the on-time graduation of the
student in accordance with Sections A and B of this Article.

ARTICLE VIII

STATE COORDINATION

    A. Each member state shall, through the creation of a State Council or use of an
existing body or board, provide for the coordination among its agencies of government,
local education agencies, and military installations concerning the state's participation in,
and compliance with, this compact and Interstate Commission activities. While each
member state may determine the membership of its own State Council, its membership
must include at least: the state superintendent of education, superintendent of a school
district with a high concentration of military children, representative from a military
installation, one representative each from the legislative and executive branches of
government, and other offices and stakeholder groups the State Council deems appropriate.
A member state that does not have a school district deemed to contain a high concentration
of military children may appoint a superintendent from another school district to represent
local education agencies on the State Council.
    B. The State Council of each member state shall appoint or designate a military
family education liaison to assist military families and the state in facilitating the
implementation of this compact.
    C. The compact commissioner responsible for the administration and management
of the state's participation in the compact shall be appointed by the governor or as
otherwise determined by each member state.
    D. The compact commissioner and the military family education liaison designated
herein shall be ex-officio members of the State Council, unless either is already a full
voting member of the State Council.

ARTICLE IX

INTERSTATE COMMISSION ON EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
FOR MILITARY CHILDREN
    The member states hereby create the "Interstate Commission on Educational
Opportunity for Military Children." The activities of the Interstate Commission are
the formation of public policy and are a discretionary state function. The Interstate
Commission shall:
    A. Be a body corporate and joint agency of the member states and shall have all the
responsibilities, powers, and duties set forth herein, and such additional powers as may be
conferred upon it by a subsequent concurrent action of the respective legislatures of the
member states in accordance with the terms of this compact.
    B. Consist of one Interstate Commission voting representative from each member
state who shall be that state's compact commissioner.
    1. Each member state represented at a meeting of the Interstate Commission is
entitled to one vote.
    2. A majority of the total member states shall constitute a quorum for the transaction
of business, unless a larger quorum is required by the bylaws of the Interstate Commission.
    3. A representative shall not delegate a vote to another member state. In the event
the compact commissioner is unable to attend a meeting of the Interstate Commission,
the Governor or State Council may delegate voting authority to another person from
their state for a specified meeting.
    4. The bylaws may provide for meetings of the Interstate Commission to be
conducted by telecommunication or electronic communication.
    C. Consist of ex-officio, nonvoting representatives who are members of interested
organizations. Such ex-officio members, as defined in the bylaws, may include, but not
be limited to, members of the representative organizations of military family advocates,
local education agency officials, parent and teacher groups, the United States Department
of Defense, the Education Commission of the States, the Interstate Agreement on the
Qualification of Educational Personnel, and other interstate compacts affecting the
education of children of military members.
    D. Meet at least once each calendar year. The chairperson may call additional
meetings and, upon the request of a simple majority of the member states, shall call
additional meetings.
    E. Establish an executive committee, whose members shall include the officers
of the Interstate Commission and such other members of the Interstate Commission as
determined by the bylaws. Members of the executive committee shall serve a one-year
term. Members of the executive committee shall be entitled to one vote each. The
executive committee shall have the power to act on behalf of the Interstate Commission,
with the exception of rulemaking, during periods when the Interstate Commission is
not in session. The executive committee shall oversee the day-to-day activities of the
administration of the compact, including enforcement and compliance with the provisions
of the compact, its bylaws and rules, and other such duties as deemed necessary. The
United States Department of Defense shall serve as an ex-officio, nonvoting member of
the executive committee.
    F. Establish bylaws and rules that provide for conditions and procedures under which
the Interstate Commission shall make its information and official records available to the
public for inspection or copying. The Interstate Commission may exempt from disclosure
information or official records to the extent they would adversely affect personal privacy
rights or proprietary interests.
    G. Public notice shall be given by the Interstate Commission of all meetings and
all meetings shall be open to the public, except as set forth in the rules or as otherwise
provided in the compact. The Interstate Commission and its committees may close a
meeting, or portion thereof, where it determines by two-thirds vote that an open meeting
would be likely to:
    1. Relate solely to the Interstate Commission's internal personnel practices and
procedures;
    2. Disclose matters specifically exempted from disclosure by federal and state statute;
    3. Disclose trade secrets or commercial or financial information which is privileged
or confidential;
    4. Involve accusing a person of a crime, or formally censuring a person;
    5. Disclose information of a personal nature where disclosure would constitute a
clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
    6. Disclose investigative records compiled for law enforcement purposes; or
    7. Specifically relate to the Interstate Commission's participation in a civil action
or other legal proceeding.
    H. For a meeting, or a portion of a meeting, closed pursuant to this provision, the
Interstate Commission's legal counsel or designee shall certify that the meeting may be
closed and shall reference each relevant exemptible provision. The Interstate Commission
shall keep minutes which shall fully and clearly describe all matters discussed in a meeting
and shall provide a full and accurate summary of actions taken, and the reasons therefore,
including a description of the views expressed and the record of a roll call vote. All
documents considered in connection with an action shall be identified in such minutes. All
minutes and documents of a closed meeting shall remain under seal, subject to release by a
majority vote of the Interstate Commission.
    I. The Interstate Commission shall collect standardized data concerning the
educational transition of the children of military families under this compact as directed
through its rules which shall specify the data to be collected, the means of collection, and
data exchange and reporting requirements. Such methods of data collection, exchange,
and reporting shall, insofar as is reasonably possible, conform to current technology and
coordinate its information functions with the appropriate custodian of records as identified
in the bylaws and rules.
    J. The Interstate Commission shall create a process that permits military officials,
education officials, and parents to inform the Interstate Commission if and when there
are alleged violations of the compact or its rules or when issues subject to the jurisdiction
of the compact or its rules are not addressed by the state or local education agency. This
section shall not be construed to create a private right of action against the Interstate
Commission or any member state.

ARTICLE X

POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE INTERSTATE COMMISSION

    The Interstate Commission shall have the following powers:
    A. To provide for dispute resolution among member states.
    B. To promulgate rules and take all necessary actions to effect the goals, purposes,
and obligations as enumerated in this compact. The rules shall have the force and effect of
statutory law and shall be binding in the compact states to the extent and in the manner
provided in this compact.
    C. To issue, upon request of a member state, advisory opinions concerning the
meaning or interpretation of the interstate compact, its bylaws, rules, and actions.
    D. To enforce compliance with the compact provisions, the rules promulgated by the
Interstate Commission, and the bylaws, using all necessary and proper means, including
but not limited to the use of judicial process.
    E. To establish and maintain offices which shall be located within one or more of
the member states.
    F. To purchase and maintain insurance and bonds.
    G. To borrow, accept, hire, or contract for services of personnel.
    H. To establish and appoint committees including, but not limited to, an executive
committee as required by Article IX, Section E, which shall have the power to act on
behalf of the Interstate Commission in carrying out its powers and duties hereunder.
    I. To elect or appoint such officers, attorneys, employees, agents, or consultants, and
to fix their compensation, define their duties, and determine their qualifications; and to
establish the Interstate Commission's personnel policies and programs relating to conflicts
of interest, rates of compensation, and qualifications of personnel.
    J. To accept any and all donations and grants of money, equipment, supplies,
materials, and services, and to receive, utilize, and dispose of it.
    K. To lease, purchase, accept contributions or donations of, or otherwise to own,
hold, improve, or use any property, real, personal, or mixed.
    L. To sell, convey, mortgage, pledge, lease, exchange, abandon, or otherwise dispose
of any property, real, personal, or mixed.
    M. To establish a budget and make expenditures.
    N. To adopt a seal and bylaws governing the management and operation of the
Interstate Commission.
    O. To report annually to the legislatures, governors, judiciary, and State Councils
of the member states concerning the activities of the Interstate Commission during the
preceding year. Such reports shall also include any recommendations that may have
been adopted by the Interstate Commission.
    P. To coordinate education, training, and public awareness regarding the compact, its
implementation and operation for officials and parents involved in such activity.
    Q. To establish uniform standards for the reporting, collecting, and exchanging of
data.
    R. To maintain corporate books and records in accordance with the bylaws.
    S. To perform such functions as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the
purposes of this compact.
    T. To provide for the uniform collection and sharing of information between and
among member states, schools, and military families under this compact.

ARTICLE XI

ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION OF THE INTERSTATE COMMISSION

    A. The Interstate Commission shall, by a majority of the members present and
voting, within 12 months after the first Interstate Commission meeting, adopt bylaws to
govern its conduct as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of the
compact, including, but not limited to:
    1. Establishing the fiscal year of the Interstate Commission;
    2. Establishing an executive committee, and such other committees as may be
necessary;
    3. Providing for the establishment of committees and for governing any general or
specific delegation of authority or function of the Interstate Commission;
    4. Providing reasonable procedures for calling and conducting meetings of the
Interstate Commission, and ensuring reasonable notice of each such meeting;
    5. Establishing the titles and responsibilities of the officers and staff of the Interstate
Commission;
    6. Providing a mechanism for concluding the operations of the Interstate
Commission and the return of surplus funds that may exist upon the termination of the
compact after the payment and reserving of all of its debts and obligations;
    7. Providing "start up" rules for initial administration of the compact.
    B. The Interstate Commission shall, by a majority of the members, elect annually
from among its members a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, and a treasurer, each of whom
shall have such authority and duties as may be specified in the bylaws. The chairperson or,
in the chairperson's absence or disability, the vice-chairperson, shall preside at all meetings
of the Interstate Commission. The officers so elected shall serve without compensation or
remuneration from the Interstate Commission; provided that, subject to the availability
of budgeted funds, the officers shall be reimbursed for ordinary and necessary costs and
expenses incurred by them in the performance of their responsibilities as officers of the
Interstate Commission.
    C. Executive Committee, Officers, and Personnel
    1. The executive committee shall have such authority and duties as may be set forth
in the bylaws, including but not limited to:
    a. Managing the affairs of the Interstate Commission in a manner consistent with the
bylaws and purposes of the Interstate Commission;
    b. Overseeing an organizational structure within, and appropriate procedures for,
the Interstate Commission to provide for the creation of rules, operating procedures, and
administrative and technical support functions; and
    c. Planning, implementing, and coordinating communications and activities with
other state, federal, and local government organizations in order to advance the goals of
the Interstate Commission.
    2. The executive committee may, subject to the approval of the Interstate
Commission, appoint or retain an executive director for such period, upon such terms and
conditions, and for compensation, as the Interstate Commission may deem appropriate.
The executive director shall serve as secretary to the Interstate Commission, but shall not
be a member of the Interstate Commission. The executive director shall hire and supervise
such other persons as may be authorized by the Interstate Commission.
    D. The Interstate Commission's executive director and its employees shall be
immune from suit and liability, either personally or in their official capacity, for a claim
for damage to or loss of property or personal injury or other civil liability caused or arising
out of or relating to an actual or alleged act, error, or omission that occurred, or that
such person had a reasonable basis for believing occurred, within the scope of Interstate
Commission employment, duties, or responsibilities; provided that such person shall
not be protected from suit or liability for damage, loss, injury, or liability caused by the
intentional or willful and wanton misconduct of such person.
    1. The liability of the Interstate Commission's executive director and employees
or Interstate Commission representatives, acting within the scope of such person's
employment or duties for acts, errors, or omissions occurring within such person's state
may not exceed the limits of liability set forth under the Constitution and laws of that state
for state officials, employees, and agents. The Interstate Commission is considered to be an
instrumentality of the states for the purposes of any such action. Nothing in this subsection
shall be construed to protect such person from suit or liability for damage, loss, injury, or
liability caused by the intentional or willful and wanton misconduct of such person.
    2. The Interstate Commission shall defend the executive director and its employees
and, subject to the approval of the attorney general or other appropriate legal counsel of the
member state represented by an Interstate Commission representative, shall defend such
Interstate Commission representative in any civil action seeking to impose liability arising
out of an actual or alleged act, error, or omission that occurred within the scope of Interstate
Commission employment, duties, or responsibilities, or that the defendant had a reasonable
basis for believing occurred within the scope of the Interstate Commission employment,
duties, or responsibilities, provided that the actual or alleged act, error, or omission did not
result from intentional or willful and wanton misconduct on the part of such person.
    3. To the extent not covered by the state involved, member state, or the Interstate
Commission, the representatives or employees of the Interstate Commission shall be held
harmless in the amount of a settlement or judgment, including attorney fees and costs,
obtained against such persons arising out of an actual or alleged act, error, or omission
that occurred within the scope of the Interstate Commission employment, duties, or
responsibilities, or that such persons had a reasonable basis for believing occurred within
the scope of Interstate Commission employment, duties, or responsibilities, provided that
the actual or alleged act, error, or omission did not result from intentional or willful and
wanton misconduct on the part of such persons.

ARTICLE XII

RULEMAKING FUNCTIONS OF THE INTERSTATE COMMISSION

    A. Rulemaking Authority - The Interstate Commission shall promulgate reasonable
rules in order to effectively and efficiently achieve the purposes of this Compact.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the Interstate Commission exercises its
rulemaking authority in a manner that is beyond the scope of the purposes of this Act, or
the powers granted hereunder, then such an action by the Interstate Commission shall be
invalid and have no force or effect.
    B. Rulemaking Procedure - Rules shall be made pursuant to a rulemaking process
that substantially conforms to the "Model State Administrative Procedure Act," of 1981
Act, Uniform Laws Annotated, Vol. 15, p.1 (2000) as amended, as may be appropriate to
the operations of the Interstate Commission.
    C. Not later than 30 days after a rule is promulgated, any person may file a petition
for judicial review of the rule; provided that the filing of such a petition shall not stay
or otherwise prevent the rule from becoming effective unless the court finds that the
petitioner has a substantial likelihood of success. The court shall give deference to
the actions of the Interstate Commission consistent with applicable law and shall not
find the rule to be unlawful if the rule represents a reasonable exercise of the Interstate
Commission's authority.
    D. If a majority of the legislatures of the compacting states reject a rule by enactment
of a statute or resolution in the same manner used to adopt the compact, then such rule
shall have no further force and effect in any compacting state.

ARTICLE XIII

OVERSIGHT, ENFORCEMENT, AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

    A. Oversight
    1. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state government in each
member state shall enforce this compact and shall take all actions necessary and
appropriate to effectuate the compact's purposes and intent. The provisions of this compact
and the rules promulgated hereunder shall have standing as statutory law.
    2. All courts shall take judicial notice of the compact and the rules in any judicial or
administrative proceeding in a member state pertaining to the subject matter of this compact
which may affect the powers, responsibilities, or actions of the Interstate Commission.
    3. The Interstate Commission shall be entitled to receive all service of process in any
such proceeding, and shall have standing to intervene in the proceeding for all purposes.
Failure to provide service of process to the Interstate Commission shall render a judgment
or order void as to the Interstate Commission, this compact, or promulgated rules.
    B. Default, Technical Assistance, Suspension, and Termination - If the Interstate
Commission determines that a member state has defaulted in the performance of its
obligations or responsibilities under this compact, or the bylaws or promulgated rules,
the Interstate Commission shall:
    1. Provide written notice to the defaulting state and other member states of the
nature of the default, the means of curing the default, and any action taken by the Interstate
Commission. The Interstate Commission shall specify the conditions by which the
defaulting state must cure its default.
    2. Provide remedial training and specific technical assistance regarding the default.
    3. If the defaulting state fails to cure the default, the defaulting state shall be
terminated from the compact upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the member states
and all rights, privileges, and benefits conferred by this compact shall be terminated from
the effective date of termination. A cure of the default does not relieve the offending state
of obligations or liabilities incurred during the period of the default.
    4. Suspension or termination of membership in the compact shall be imposed only
after all other means of securing compliance have been exhausted. Notice of intent
to suspend or terminate shall be given by the Interstate Commission to the governor,
the majority and minority leaders of the defaulting state's legislature, and each of the
member states.
    5. The state which has been suspended or terminated is responsible for all
assessments, obligations, and liabilities incurred through the effective date of suspension
or termination, including obligations, the performance of which extends beyond the
effective date of suspension or termination.
    6. The Interstate Commission shall not bear any costs relating to any state that has
been found to be in default or which has been suspended or terminated from the compact,
unless otherwise mutually agreed upon in writing between the Interstate Commission
and the defaulting state.
    7. The defaulting state may appeal the action of the Interstate Commission by
petitioning the United States District Court for the District of Columbia or the federal
district where the Interstate Commission has its principal offices. The prevailing party
shall be awarded all costs of such litigation including reasonable attorney fees.
    C. Dispute Resolution
    1. The Interstate Commission shall attempt, upon the request of a member state, to
resolve disputes which are subject to the compact and which may arise among member
states and between member and nonmember states.
    2. The Interstate Commission shall promulgate a rule providing for both mediation
and binding dispute resolution for disputes as appropriate.
    D. Enforcement
    1. The Interstate Commission, in the reasonable exercise of its discretion, shall
enforce the provisions and rules of this compact.
    2. The Interstate Commission may, by majority vote of the members, initiate legal
action in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia or, at the discretion
of the Interstate Commission, in the federal district where the Interstate Commission has its
principal offices, to enforce compliance with the provisions of the compact, its promulgated
rules and bylaws, against a member state in default. The relief sought may include both
injunctive relief and damages. In the event judicial enforcement is necessary the prevailing
party shall be awarded all costs of such litigation including reasonable attorney fees.
    3. The remedies herein shall not be the exclusive remedies of the Interstate
Commission. The Interstate Commission may avail itself of any other remedies available
under state law or the regulation of a profession.

ARTICLE XIV

FINANCING OF THE INTERSTATE COMMISSION

    A. The Interstate Commission shall pay, or provide for the payment of the reasonable
expenses of its establishment, organization, and ongoing activities.
    B. The Interstate Commission may levy on and collect an annual assessment from
each member state to cover the cost of the operations and activities of the Interstate
Commission and its staff which must be in a total amount sufficient to cover the Interstate
Commission's annual budget as approved each year. The aggregate annual assessment
amount shall be allocated based upon a formula to be determined by the Interstate
Commission, which shall promulgate a rule binding upon all member states.
    C. The Interstate Commission shall not incur obligations of any kind prior to securing
the funds adequate to meet the same; nor shall the Interstate Commission pledge the credit
of any of the member states, except by and with the authority of the member state.
    D. The Interstate Commission shall keep accurate accounts of all receipts and
disbursements. The receipts and disbursements of the Interstate Commission shall be
subject to the audit and accounting procedures established under its bylaws. However,
all receipts and disbursements of funds handled by the Interstate Commission shall be
audited yearly by a certified or licensed public accountant and the report of the audit shall
be included in and become part of the annual report of the Interstate Commission.

ARTICLE XV

MEMBER STATES, EFFECTIVE DATE, AND AMENDMENT

    A. Any state is eligible to become a member state.
    B. The compact shall become effective and binding upon legislative enactment of the
compact into law by no less than ten of the states. The effective date shall be no earlier than
December 1, 2007. Thereafter, it shall become effective and binding as to any other member
state upon enactment of the compact into law by that state. The governors of nonmember
states or their designees shall be invited to participate in the activities of the Interstate
Commission on a nonvoting basis prior to the adoption of the compact by all states.
    C. The Interstate Commission may propose amendments to the compact for
enactment by the member states. No amendment shall become effective and binding upon
the Interstate Commission and the member states unless and until it is enacted into law by
unanimous consent of the member states.

ARTICLE XVI

WITHDRAWAL AND DISSOLUTION

    A. Withdrawal
    1. Once effective, the compact shall continue in force and remain binding upon each
and every member state; provided that a member state may withdraw from the compact
specifically repealing the statute, which enacted the compact into law.
    2. Withdrawal from this compact shall be by the enactment of a statute repealing
the same, but shall not take effect until one year after the effective date of such statute
and until written notice of the withdrawal has been given by the withdrawing state to the
governor of each other member jurisdiction.
    3. The withdrawing state shall immediately notify the chairperson of the Interstate
Commission in writing upon the introduction of legislation repealing this compact in the
withdrawing state. The Interstate Commission shall notify the other member states of the
withdrawing state's intent to withdraw within 60 days of its receipt thereof.
    4. The withdrawing state is responsible for all assessments, obligations, and
liabilities incurred through the effective date of withdrawal, including obligations, the
performance of which extend beyond the effective date of withdrawal.
    5. Reinstatement following withdrawal of a member state shall occur upon the
withdrawing state reenacting the compact or upon such later date as determined by the
Interstate Commission.
    B. Dissolution of Compact
    1. This compact shall dissolve effective upon the date of the withdrawal or default
of the member state which reduces the membership in the compact to one member state.
    2. Upon the dissolution of this compact, the compact becomes null and void and shall
be of no further force or effect, and the business and affairs of the Interstate Commission
shall be concluded and surplus funds shall be distributed in accordance with the bylaws.

ARTICLE XVII

SEVERABILITY AND CONSTRUCTION

    A. The provisions of this compact shall be severable, and if any phrase, clause,
sentence, or provision is deemed unenforceable, the remaining provisions of the compact
shall be enforceable.
    B. The provisions of this compact shall be liberally construed to effectuate its
purposes.
    C. Nothing in this compact shall be construed to prohibit the applicability of other
interstate compacts to which the states are members.

ARTICLE XVIII

BINDING EFFECT OF COMPACT AND OTHER LAWS

    A. Other Laws
    Nothing herein prevents the enforcement of any other law of a member state that is
not inconsistent with this compact.
    B. Binding Effect of the Compact
    1. All lawful actions of the Interstate Commission, including all rules and bylaws
promulgated by the Interstate Commission, are binding upon the member states.
    2. All agreements between the Interstate Commission and the member states are
binding in accordance with their terms.
    3. In the event any provision of this compact exceeds the constitutional limits
imposed on the legislature of any member state, such provision shall be ineffective to the
extent of the conflict with the constitutional provision in question in that member state.

    Sec. 2. PREVAILING LAW; ACADEMIC CREDITS; HIGH SCHOOL
DIPLOMAS.
    Notwithstanding article VII of the compact under Minnesota Statutes, section
127A.85, other compact provisions, or other law to the contrary, where Minnesota
statute or rule governing the awarding of academic credits or a high school diploma or
an equivalent degree or credential conflicts with this compact, Minnesota law supersedes
the provisions of this compact to the extent of the conflict.

    Sec. 3. PREVAILING LAW; EDUCATION RECORDS.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this compact or other law to the contrary, where
Minnesota statute or rule governing access to student data or other education-related data
conflicts with this compact, Minnesota law, including Minnesota Statutes, chapter 13,
supersedes the provisions of this compact to the extent of the conflict.

    Sec. 4. MILITARY-CONNECTED YOUTH IDENTIFIER.
(a) When a school district updates its enrollment forms in the ordinary course
of business, the district must include a box on the enrollment form to allow students
to self-identify as a military-connected youth. For purposes of this section, a
"military-connected youth" means having an immediate family member, including a
parent or sibling, who is currently in the armed forces either as a reservist or on active
duty or has recently retired from the armed forces.
(b) Data collected under this section is private data, but summary data may be
published by the Department of Education.