1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; modifying the procedure of the 
  1.3             state board to adopt the graduation rule; amending 
  1.4             Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 121.11, subdivision 
  1.5             7c. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 121.11, 
  1.8   subdivision 7c, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 7c.  [RESULTS-ORIENTED GRADUATION RULE.] (a) The 
  1.10  legislature is committed to establishing a rigorous, 
  1.11  results-oriented graduation rule for Minnesota's public school 
  1.12  students.  To that end, the state board shall use its rulemaking 
  1.13  authority under subdivision 7b to adopt a statewide, 
  1.14  results-oriented graduation rule to be implemented starting with 
  1.15  students beginning ninth grade in the 1996-1997 school year.  
  1.16  The board shall not prescribe in rule or otherwise the delivery 
  1.17  system, form of instruction, or a single statewide form of 
  1.18  assessment that local sites must use to meet the requirements 
  1.19  contained in this rule.  Before the state board may take final 
  1.20  action to adopt the rule under this subdivision, the state 
  1.21  board, with the assistance of the commissioner of education, 
  1.22  shall submit in writing to the legislature and governor a 
  1.23  detailed cost analysis of implementing the proposed rule in its 
  1.24  entirety and at least two existing measures of student academic 
  1.25  achievement that can be used statewide or in selected school 
  2.1   districts as a baseline to evaluate the effect of the rule on 
  2.2   student learning.  Following submission of this report, the 
  2.3   board may proceed to take final action to adopt the rule upon 
  2.4   specific authorization in law. 
  2.5      (b) Assessments used to measure knowledge required by all 
  2.6   students for graduation must be developed according to the most 
  2.7   current version of professional standards for educational 
  2.8   testing. 
  2.9      (c) The content of the graduation rule must differentiate 
  2.10  between minimum competencies and rigorous standards. 
  2.11     (d) The state board shall periodically review and report on 
  2.12  the assessment process with the expectation of expanding high 
  2.13  school graduation requirements. 
  2.14     (e) The state board shall report to the legislature 
  2.15  annually by January 15 on its progress in developing and 
  2.16  implementing the graduation requirements until such time as all 
  2.17  the graduation requirements are implemented.