1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; establishing a four-credit world language requirement;
1.3 	amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 120B.021, subdivision 1; 120B.022, 
1.4 	subdivision 1; 120B.023, subdivision 2; 120B.024.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 120B.021, subdivision 1, is amended to 
1.7 	read:
1.8 		Subdivision 1.Required academic standards. The following subject areas are 
1.9 	required for statewide accountability:
1.10 	(1) language arts;
1.11 	(2) mathematics;
1.12 	(3) science;
1.13 	(4) social studies, including history, geography, economics, and government and 
1.14 	citizenship;
1.15 	(5) health and physical education, for which locally developed academic standards 
1.16 	apply; and
1.17 	(6) the arts, for which statewide or locally developed academic standards apply, as 
1.18 	determined by the school district. so that (i) public elementary and middle schools must
1.19 	offer at least three and require at least two of the following four arts areas in: dance; 
1.20 	music; theater; and visual arts.; and (ii) public high schools must offer at least three and 
1.21 	require at least one of the following five arts areas in: media arts; dance; music; theater; 
1.22 	and visual arts; and 
1.23 	(7) a world language, for which locally developed academic standards apply.
2.1 	The commissioner must submit proposed standards in science and social studies to 
2.2 	the legislature by February 1, 2004.
2.3 	For purposes of applicable federal law, the academic standards for language arts, 
2.4 	mathematics, and science apply to all public school students, except the very few students 
2.5 	with extreme cognitive or physical impairments for whom an individualized education 
2.6 	plan team has determined that the required academic standards are inappropriate. 
2.7 	An individualized education plan team that makes this determination must establish 
2.8 	alternative standards.
2.9 	A school district, no later than the 2007-2008 school year, must adopt graduation 
2.10 	requirements that meet or exceed state graduation requirements established in law or 
2.11 	rule. A school district that incorporates these state graduation requirements before the 
2.12 	2007-2008 school year must provide students who enter the 9th grade in or before 
2.13 	the 2003-2004 school year the opportunity to earn a diploma based on existing locally 
2.14 	established graduation requirements in effect when the students entered the 9th grade. 
2.15 	District efforts to develop, implement, or improve instruction or curriculum as a result 
2.16 	of the provisions of this section must be consistent with sections 120B.10, 120B.11, 
2.17 	and 120B.20. 

2.18 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective immediately and applies to students 
2.19 	who graduate in the 2014-2015 school year and later.

2.20 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 120B.022, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
2.21 		Subdivision 1.Elective standards. (a) A district must establish its own standards in 
2.22 	the following subject areas:
2.23 	(1) vocational and technical education; and
2.24 	(2) world languages standards.
2.25 	(b) A school district must offer courses in all elective subject areas.

2.26 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective immediately and applies to students 
2.27 	who graduate in the 2014-2015 school year and later.

2.28 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 120B.023, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
2.29 		Subd. 2.Revisions and reviews required. (a) The commissioner of education must 
2.30 	revise and appropriately embed technology and information literacy standards consistent 
2.31 	with recommendations from school media specialists into the state's academic standards 
2.32 	and graduation requirements and implement a review cycle for state academic standards 
2.33 	and related benchmarks, consistent with this subdivision. During each review cycle, the 
3.1 	commissioner also must examine the alignment of each required academic standard and 
3.2 	related benchmark with the knowledge and skills students need for college readiness and 
3.3 	advanced work in the particular subject area.
3.4 	(b) The commissioner in the 2006-2007 school year must revise and align the state's 
3.5 	academic standards and high school graduation requirements in mathematics to require 
3.6 	that students satisfactorily complete the revised mathematics standards, beginning in the 
3.7 	2010-2011 school year. Under the revised standards:
3.8 	(1) students must satisfactorily complete an algebra I credit by the end of eighth 
3.9 	grade; and
3.10 	(2) students scheduled to graduate in the 2014-2015 school year or later must 
3.11 	satisfactorily complete an algebra II credit or its equivalent.
3.12 	The commissioner also must ensure that the statewide mathematics assessments 
3.13 	administered to students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 beginning in the 2010-2011 
3.14 	school year are aligned with the state academic standards in mathematics. The statewide 
3.15 	11th grade mathematics test administered to students under clause (2) beginning in 
3.16 	the 2013-2014 school year must include algebra II test items that are aligned with 
3.17 	corresponding state academic standards in mathematics. The commissioner must 
3.18 	implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in mathematics 
3.19 	beginning in the 2015-2016 school year.
3.20 	(c) The commissioner in the 2007-2008 school year must revise and align the state's 
3.21 	academic standards and high school graduation requirements in the arts to require that 
3.22 	students satisfactorily complete the revised arts standards beginning in the 2010-2011 
3.23 	school year. The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and 
3.24 	related benchmarks in arts beginning in the 2016-2017 school year.
3.25 	(d) The commissioner in the 2008-2009 school year must revise and align the state's 
3.26 	academic standards and high school graduation requirements in science to require that 
3.27 	students satisfactorily complete the revised science standards, beginning in the 2011-2012 
3.28 	school year. Under the revised standards, students scheduled to graduate in the 2014-2015 
3.29 	school year or later must satisfactorily complete a chemistry or physics credit. The 
3.30 	commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks 
3.31 	in science beginning in the 2017-2018 school year.
3.32 	(e) The commissioner in the 2009-2010 school year must revise and align the state's 
3.33 	academic standards and high school graduation requirements in language arts to require 
3.34 	that students satisfactorily complete the revised language arts standards beginning in the 
3.35 	2012-2013 school year. The commissioner must implement a review of the academic 
3.36 	standards and related benchmarks in language arts beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.
4.1 	(f) The commissioner in the 2010-2011 school year must revise and align the state's 
4.2 	academic standards and high school graduation requirements in social studies to require 
4.3 	that students satisfactorily complete the revised social studies standards beginning in the 
4.4 	2013-2014 school year. The commissioner must implement a review of the academic 
4.5 	standards and related benchmarks in social studies beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.
4.6 	(g) School districts and charter schools must revise and align local academic 
4.7 	standards and high school graduation requirements in health, physical education, world 
4.8 	languages, and career and technical education to require students to complete the revised 
4.9 	standards beginning in a school year determined by the school district or charter school. 
4.10 	Students who graduate in the 2014-2015 school year and later must satisfactorily 
4.11 	complete four world language credits between seventh and twelfth grades as a graduation 
4.12 	requirement. School districts and charter schools must formally establish a periodic 
4.13 	review cycle for the academic standards and related benchmarks in health, physical 
4.14 	education, world languages, and career and technical education.

4.15 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective immediately and applies to students 
4.16 	who graduate in the 2014-2015 school year and later.

4.17 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 120B.024, is amended to read:
4.18 	120B.024 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS; COURSE CREDITS.
4.19 	(a) Students beginning 9th grade in the 2004-2005 school year and later must 
4.20 	successfully complete the following high school level course credits for graduation:
4.21 	(1) four credits of language arts;
4.22 	(2) three credits of mathematics, encompassing at least algebra, geometry, statistics, 
4.23 	and probability sufficient to satisfy the academic standard;
4.24 	(3) three credits of science, including at least one credit in biology;
4.25 	(4) three and one-half credits of social studies, encompassing at least United 
4.26 	States history, geography, government and citizenship, world history, and economics or 
4.27 	three credits of social studies encompassing at least United States history, geography, 
4.28 	government and citizenship, and world history, and one-half credit of economics taught in 
4.29 	a school's social studies, agriculture education, or business department;
4.30 	(5) one credit in the arts; and
4.31 	(6) a minimum of seven three elective course credits.
4.32 	A course credit is equivalent to a student successfully completing an academic 
4.33 	year of study or a student mastering the applicable subject matter, as determined by the 
4.34 	local school district.
5.1 	(b) An agriculture science course may fulfill a science credit requirement in addition 
5.2 	to the specified science credits in biology and chemistry or physics under paragraph (a), 
5.3 	clause (3).
5.4 	(c) Students beginning ninth grade in the 2011-2012 school year and later must 
5.5 	successfully complete four high school-level world language credits for graduation. 
5.6 	Students may complete these world language credit requirements beginning in seventh 
5.7 	grade.

5.8 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective immediately and applies to students 
5.9 	who graduate in the 2014-2015 school year and later.