1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; establishing a task force to 
  1.3             oversee revision of the profile of learning and 
  1.4             develop statewide testing consistent with the revised 
  1.5             profile of learning; providing for interim 
  1.6             applicability of profile of learning requirements; 
  1.7             appropriating money. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  [PROFILE OF LEARNING TASK FORCE.] 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT; MEMBERSHIP.] A task force 
  1.11  is established to provide oversight of the revision of the 
  1.12  content standards in the profile of learning of the graduation 
  1.13  rule and to develop statewide testing consistent with the 
  1.14  revised content standards.  The task force shall consist of ten 
  1.15  members with the speaker of the house of representatives and the 
  1.16  senate majority leader each appointing five members.  No more 
  1.17  than four members shall be current members of the legislature.  
  1.18  The speaker of the house and senate majority leader must jointly 
  1.19  appoint legislator members, if any, to the task force by June 
  1.20  15, 2001.  The legislator members are considered as being 
  1.21  appointed by the body to which the member belongs.  The 
  1.22  commissioner of children, families, and learning shall provide 
  1.23  necessary materials and staff for the task force. 
  1.24     Subd. 2.  [CONTENT STANDARDS.] The commissioner of 
  1.25  administration, in consultation with the task force, shall 
  1.26  contract with a widely recognized independent nonprofit 
  2.1   organization that has experience nationally and internationally, 
  2.2   that has more than ten years of experience writing standards, 
  2.3   and that has specific knowledge of Minnesota's profile of 
  2.4   learning standards and the evaluation of them to develop 
  2.5   academic content standards.  The content standards must be in 
  2.6   English, mathematics, science, history, and geography that have 
  2.7   the specificity, rigor, and measurability of academic standards 
  2.8   regarded as the best nationally or internationally.  The task 
  2.9   force shall be the primary state contact for the contractor.  
  2.10     Subd. 3.  [STATEWIDE TESTING.] (a) The task force shall 
  2.11  develop recommendations for comprehensive statewide student 
  2.12  testing aligned to the revised content standards and at least 
  2.13  consider the following: 
  2.14     (1) using a nationally norm-referenced test; 
  2.15     (2) testing in each of grades 3 through 9 in reading and 
  2.16  mathematics and in grade 10 in reading, mathematics, and 
  2.17  writing; 
  2.18     (3) requiring students to pass tenth grade tests in order 
  2.19  to graduate from high school; and 
  2.20     (4) determining the most effective time to test during the 
  2.21  school year. 
  2.22     (b) The commissioner of administration, in consultation 
  2.23  with the task force, may contract with a test development 
  2.24  company.  The task force must hold public information meetings 
  2.25  throughout the state. 
  2.26     Subd. 4.  [RECOMMENDATIONS; REPORT.] The task force must 
  2.27  report the recommendations for the revised content standards 
  2.28  developed by the contractor and its recommendations for 
  2.29  statewide student testing to the education committees of the 
  2.30  legislature by January 1, 2002, for consideration as a complete 
  2.31  standards and assessment approach.  The commissioner of 
  2.32  children, families, and learning shall adopt rules to replace 
  2.33  the profile of learning of the graduation rule with content 
  2.34  standards developed by the contractor.  The rules must be 
  2.35  adopted under Minnesota Statutes, section 14.389.  Minnesota 
  2.36  Statutes, section 14.389, subdivision 5, applies to these 
  3.1   rules.  The commissioner must contract with a test development 
  3.2   company consistent with the task force report if approved by the 
  3.3   legislature.  
  3.4      Subd. 5.  [EXPIRATION.] The task force shall expire January 
  3.5   1, 2002. 
  3.6      <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective the day 
  3.7   following final enactment. 
  3.8      Sec. 2.  [INTERIM APPLICABILITY OF PROFILE OF LEARNING 
  3.9   REQUIREMENTS.] 
  3.10     Notwithstanding other law or rule to the contrary, a school 
  3.11  district is prohibited from making state and local profile of 
  3.12  learning requirements a condition for high school graduation 
  3.13  until the legislature under section 1 acts to approve the task 
  3.14  force report.  If the legislature approves the task force 
  3.15  report, a school district must implement the provisions of the 
  3.16  revised profile of learning, consistent with the approved task 
  3.17  force report.  
  3.18     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective the day 
  3.19  following final enactment. 
  3.20     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.21     (a) $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2002 from the 
  3.22  general fund to the commissioner of children, families, and 
  3.23  learning for the task force under section 1.  
  3.24     (b) $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2002 from the 
  3.25  general fund to the commissioner of administration to contract 
  3.26  with the contractor under section 1, subdivision 2.  If the 
  3.27  contract negotiated under section 1, subdivision 2, is for an 
  3.28  amount less than this appropriation, any balance shall cancel.