1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; providing for a series of statewide assessments aligned 
1.3 	with state academic standards and career and college readiness benchmarks;
1.4 	amending Minnesota Statutes 2012, sections 120B.125; 120B.128; 120B.30, 
1.5 	subdivisions 1, 1a; 120B.36, subdivision 1; 124D.52, by adding a subdivision; 
1.6 	repealing Minnesota Rules, parts 3501.0010; 3501.0020; 3501.0030, subparts 1, 
1.7 	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; 3501.0040; 3501.0050; 3501.0060; 
1.8 	3501.0090; 3501.0100; 3501.0110; 3501.0120; 3501.0130; 3501.0140; 
1.9 	3501.0150; 3501.0160; 3501.0170; 3501.0180; 3501.0200; 3501.0210; 
1.10 	3501.0220; 3501.0230; 3501.0240; 3501.0250; 3501.0270; 3501.0280, subparts 
1.11 	1, 2; 3501.0290; 3501.1000; 3501.1020; 3501.1030; 3501.1040; 3501.1050; 
1.12 	3501.1110; 3501.1120; 3501.1130; 3501.1140; 3501.1150; 3501.1160; 
1.13 	3501.1170; 3501.1180; 3501.1190.
1.14 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.15 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.125, is amended to read:
1.16 	120B.125 PLANNING FOR STUDENTS' SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION 
1.17 	TO POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT; INVOLUNTARY 
1.18 	CAREER TRACKING PROHIBITED.
1.19 	(a) Consistent with sections 120B.128, 120B.13, 120B.131, 120B.132, 120B.14, 
1.20 	120B.15, 120B.30, subdivision 1, paragraph (c), 125A.08, and other related sections, 
1.21 	school districts are strongly encouraged to, beginning in the 2013-2014 school year, must
1.22 	 assist all students by no later than grade 9 to explore their college and career interests and 
1.23 	aspirations and develop a plan for a smooth and successful transition to postsecondary 
1.24 	education or employment. All students' plans must be designed to:
1.25 	(1) provide a comprehensive academic plan for completing a college and 
1.26 	career-ready curriculum premised on meeting state and local academic standards and 
1.27 	developing 21st century skills such as team work, collaboration, and good work habits;
2.1 	(2) emphasize academic rigor and high expectations;
2.2 	(3) help students identify personal learning styles that may affect their postsecondary 
2.3 	education and employment choices;
2.4 	(4) help students succeed at gaining gain access to postsecondary education and 
2.5 	career options;
2.6 	(5) integrate strong academic content into career-focused courses and integrate 
2.7 	relevant career-focused courses into strong academic content;
2.8 	(6) help students and families identify and gain access to appropriate counseling 
2.9 	and other supports and assistance that enable students to complete required coursework, 
2.10 	prepare for postsecondary education and careers, and obtain information about 
2.11 	postsecondary education costs and eligibility for financial aid and scholarship;
2.12 	(7) help students and families identify collaborative partnerships of kindergarten 
2.13 	through grade 12 schools, postsecondary institutions, economic development agencies, and 
2.14 	employers that support students' transition to postsecondary education and employment 
2.15 	and provide students with experiential learning opportunities; and
2.16 	(8) be reviewed and revised at least annually by the student, the student's parent or 
2.17 	guardian, and the school or district to ensure that the student's course-taking schedule 
2.18 	keeps the student "on track" making adequate progress to meet state and local high school 
2.19 	graduation requirements and with a reasonable chance to succeed with employment or 
2.20 	postsecondary education without the need to first complete remedial course work.
2.21 	(b) A school district may develop grade-level curricula or provide instruction that 
2.22 	introduces students to various careers, but must not require any curriculum, instruction, 
2.23 	or employment-related activity that obligates an elementary or secondary student to 
2.24 	involuntarily select a career, career interest, employment goals, or related job training.
2.25 	(c) School districts are encouraged to seek and use revenue and in-kind contributions 
2.26 	from nonstate sources and to seek administrative cost savings through innovative local 
2.27 	funding arrangements, such as the Collaboration Among Rochester Educators (CARE) 
2.28 	model for funding postsecondary enrollment options, among other sources, for purposes 
2.29 	of implementing this section.

2.30 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

2.31 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.128, is amended to read:
2.32 	120B.128 EDUCATIONAL PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT SYSTEM 
2.33 	(EPAS) PROGRAM.
3.1 	(a) School districts and charter schools may elect to participate in the Educational 
3.2 	Planning and Assessment System (EPAS) program offered by ACT, Inc. to provide a 
3.3 	longitudinal, systematic approach to student educational and career planning, assessment, 
3.4 	instructional support, and evaluation. The EPAS achievement tests include English, 
3.5 	reading, mathematics, science, and components on planning for high school and 
3.6 	postsecondary education, interest inventory, needs assessments, and student education 
3.7 	plans. These tests are linked to the ACT assessment for college admission and allow 
3.8 	students, parents, teachers, and schools to determine the student's college readiness before 
3.9 	grades 11 and 12.
3.10 	(b) The commissioner of education shall provide ACT Explore tests for students 
3.11 	in grade 8 or grade 9 but not in grade 8 and grade 9 and the ACT Plan test for students 
3.12 	in grade 10 to assess individual student academic strengths and weaknesses, academic 
3.13 	achievement and progress, higher order thinking skills, and college readiness.
3.14 	(c) Students entering grade 9 before the 2013-2014 school year who have not 
3.15 	yet demonstrated proficiency on the Minnesota comprehensive assessments, the 
3.16 	graduation-required assessments for diploma, or the basic skills testing requirements 
3.17 	may satisfy state high school graduation requirements for assessments in reading, math, 
3.18 	and writing by taking the ACT assessment for college admission in their senior year 
3.19 	of high school.
3.20 	(d) The state shall pay the test costs for school districts and charter schools that 
3.21 	choose to participate in the EPAS program to participate in the assessments under this 
3.22 	section. The commissioner shall establish an application procedure and a process for 
3.23 	state payment of costs.

3.24 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment 
3.25 	and applies through the 2015-2016 school year.

3.26 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.30, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
3.27 		Subdivision 1.Statewide testing.  (a) The commissioner, with advice from experts 
3.28 	with appropriate technical qualifications and experience and stakeholders, consistent 
3.29 	with subdivision 1a, shall include in the comprehensive assessment system, for each 
3.30 	grade level to be tested, state-constructed tests developed from and as computer-adaptive 
3.31 	reading and mathematics assessments for students that are aligned with the state's required 
3.32 	academic standards under section 120B.021, include multiple choice questions, and be
3.33 	 are administered annually to all students in grades 3 through 8. State-developed high 
3.34 	school tests aligned with the state's required academic standards under section 120B.021 
3.35 	and administered to all high school students in a subject other than writing must include 
4.1 	multiple choice questions. The commissioner shall establish one or more months during 
4.2 	which schools shall administer the tests to students each school year. For students enrolled 
4.3 	in grade 8 before the 2005-2006 school year, Minnesota basic skills tests in reading, 
4.4 	mathematics, and writing shall fulfill students' basic skills testing requirements for a 
4.5 	passing state notation. The passing scores of basic skills tests in reading and mathematics 
4.6 	are the equivalent of 75 percent correct for students entering grade 9 based on the first 
4.7 	uniform test administered in February 1998. Students who have not successfully passed a 
4.8 	Minnesota basic skills test by the end of the 2011-2012 school year must passand students 
4.9 	in their senior year who have not yet demonstrated proficiency on the graduation-required 
4.10 	assessments for diploma under paragraph (c), except that for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 
4.11 	school years only, these students may satisfy the state's graduation test requirement for math 
4.12 	by complying with paragraph (d), clauses (1) and (3) by the end of the 2012-2013 school 
4.13 	year must take a college admission assessment under paragraph (c) and consistent with 
4.14 	section 120B.128, paragraph (c), that supports career and college readiness for all students.
4.15 	(b) The state assessment system must be aligned to the most recent revision of 
4.16 	academic standards as described in section 120B.023in the following manner:.
4.17 	(1) mathematics;
4.18 	(i) grades 3 through 8 beginning in the 2010-2011 school year; and
4.19 	(ii) high school level beginning in the 2013-2014 school year;
4.20 	(2) science; grades 5 and 8 and at the high school level beginning in the 2011-2012 
4.21 	school year; and
4.22 	(3) language arts and reading; grades 3 through 8 and high school level beginning in 
4.23 	the 2012-2013 school year.
4.24 	(c) For students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2005-2006 2012-2013 school year and 
4.25 	later, only the following options shall fulfill students' state graduation test requirements, 
4.26 	based on a longitudinal, systematic approach to student education and career planning, 
4.27 	assessment, instructional support, and evaluation, include the following:
4.28 	(1) for reading and mathematics:
4.29 	(i) obtaining an achievement level equivalent to or greater than proficient as 
4.30 	determined through a standard setting process on the Minnesota comprehensive 
4.31 	assessments in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics or achieving a passing 
4.32 	score as determined through a standard setting process on the graduation-required 
4.33 	assessment for diploma in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics or 
4.34 	subsequent retests;
4.35 	(ii) achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process 
4.36 	on the state-identified language proficiency test in reading and the mathematics test for 
5.1 	English learners or the graduation-required assessment for diploma equivalent of those 
5.2 	assessments for students designated as English learners;
5.3 	(iii) achieving an individual passing score on the graduation-required assessment for 
5.4 	diploma as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an individualized 
5.5 	education program or 504 plan;
5.6 	(iv) obtaining achievement level equivalent to or greater than proficient as 
5.7 	determined through a standard setting process on the state-identified alternate assessment 
5.8 	or assessments in grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for mathematics for students with 
5.9 	an individualized education program; or
5.10 	(v) achieving an individual passing score on the state-identified alternate assessment 
5.11 	or assessments as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an 
5.12 	individualized education program; and
5.13 	(2) for writing:
5.14 	(i) achieving a passing score on the graduation-required assessment for diploma;
5.15 	(ii) achieving a passing score as determined through a standard setting process on 
5.16 	the state-identified language proficiency test in writing for students designated as English 
5.17 	learners;
5.18 	(iii) achieving an individual passing score on the graduation-required assessment for 
5.19 	diploma as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an individualized 
5.20 	education program or 504 plan; or
5.21 	(iv) achieving an individual passing score on the state-identified alternate assessment 
5.22 	or assessments as determined by appropriate state guidelines for students with an 
5.23 	individualized education program.
5.24 	(1) attainment of required academic standards and career and college readiness 
5.25 	benchmarks under section 120B.023 and core subjects and course content under sections 
5.26 	120B.021, 120B.022, and 120B.024, as demonstrated on a nationally normed college 
5.27 	entrance exam;
5.28 	(2) achievement and career and college readiness tests in mathematics, reading, and 
5.29 	writing, consistent with paragraph (e), to monitor students' continuous development of 
5.30 	and growth in requisite knowledge and skills; analyze students' progress and performance 
5.31 	levels, identifying students' academic strengths and diagnosing areas where students 
5.32 	require curriculum or instructional adjustments, targeted interventions, or remediation; 
5.33 	and based on analysis of students' progress and performance data, determine students' 
5.34 	learning and instructional needs and the instructional tools and best practices that support 
5.35 	academic rigor for the student; and
6.1 	(3) consistent with this paragraph and section 120B.125, age-appropriate exploration 
6.2 	and planning activities and career assessments to encourage students to identify personally 
6.3 	relevant career interests and aptitudes and help students and their families develop a 
6.4 	regularly reexamined transition plan for postsecondary education or employment without 
6.5 	need for postsecondary remediation.
6.6 	Expectations of schools, districts, and the state for career or college readiness under 
6.7 	this subdivision must be comparable in rigor, clarity of purpose, and rates of student 
6.8 	completion. A student under clause (2) must receive targeted, relevant, academically 
6.9 	rigorous, and resourced instruction, which may include a targeted instruction and 
6.10 	intervention plan focused on improving the student's knowledge and skills in core subjects 
6.11 	so that the student has a reasonable chance to succeed in a career or college without need 
6.12 	for postsecondary remediation. Consistent with sections 120B.13, 124D.09, 124D.091, 
6.13 	124D.49, and related sections, an enrolling school or district must actively encourage a 
6.14 	student in grade 11 or 12 who is identified as academically ready for a career or college 
6.15 	to participate in courses and programs awarding college credit to high school students. 
6.16 	Students are not required to achieve a specified score or level of proficiency on an 
6.17 	assessment under this subdivision to graduate from high school.
6.18 	(d) Students enrolled in grade 8 in any school year from the 2005-2006 school 
6.19 	year to the 2009-2010 school year who do not pass the mathematics graduation-required 
6.20 	assessment for diploma under paragraph (c) are eligible to receive a high school diploma 
6.21 	if they:
6.22 	(1) complete with a passing score or grade all state and local coursework and credits 
6.23 	required for graduation by the school board granting the students their diploma;
6.24 	(2) participate in district-prescribed academic remediation in mathematics; and
6.25 	(3) fully participate in at least two retests of the mathematics GRAD test or until 
6.26 	they pass the mathematics GRAD test, whichever comes first. To improve the secondary 
6.27 	and postsecondary outcomes of all students, the alignment between secondary and 
6.28 	postsecondary education programs and Minnesota's workforce needs, and the efficiency 
6.29 	and cost-effectiveness of secondary and postsecondary programs, the commissioner, 
6.30 	after consulting with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities chancellor and using 
6.31 	a request for proposal process, shall contract with a nationally recognized vendor for a 
6.32 	series of assessments that are consistent with this subdivision, aligned with state academic 
6.33 	standards, and include career and college readiness benchmarks. These assessments 
6.34 	in mathematics, reading, and writing for students in grades 8 or 9, 10, and 11 or 12, 
6.35 	must be predictive of and nationally normed for career and college readiness, nationally 
6.36 	recognized as a college entrance exam, include a college placement diagnostic exam, and 
7.1 	contain career exploration elements. The commissioner and the Minnesota State Colleges 
7.2 	and Universities chancellor must collaborate in aligning instruction and assessments for 
7.3 	adult basic education students to provide the students with diagnostic information about 
7.4 	any targeted interventions they need so that they may seek postsecondary education or 
7.5 	employment without need for postsecondary remediation.
7.6 	(1) Districts and schools, on an annual basis, must use the career exploration 
7.7 	elements in these assessments to help students, beginning no later than grade 9, and their 
7.8 	families explore and plan for postsecondary education or careers based on the students' 
7.9 	interests, aptitudes, and aspirations. Districts and schools must use timely regional labor 
7.10 	market information and partnerships, among other resources, to help students and their 
7.11 	families successfully develop, pursue, review, and revise an individualized plan for 
7.12 	postsecondary education or a career. This process must help increase students' engagement 
7.13 	in and connection to school, improve students' knowledge and skills, and deepen students' 
7.14 	understanding of career pathways as a sequence of academic and career courses that lead 
7.15 	to an industry-recognized credential, an associate's degree, or a bachelor's degree and are 
7.16 	available to all students, whatever their interests and career goals.
7.17 	(2) Students who, based on their growth in academic achievement between grades 8 
7.18 	and 10, show adequate progress toward meeting state career and college readiness must be 
7.19 	given the college entrance exam part of these assessments in grade 11. A student under 
7.20 	this clause who demonstrates attainment of required state academic standards, which 
7.21 	include career and college readiness benchmarks, and of core subjects and course content 
7.22 	on these assessments is academically ready for a career or college and is encouraged to 
7.23 	participate in courses and programs awarding college credit to high school students. Such 
7.24 	courses and programs may include sequential courses of study within broad career areas 
7.25 	and technical skill assessments that extend beyond course grades.
7.26 	(3) All students in grade 11 not subject to clause (2) must be given the college 
7.27 	placement diagnostic exam so that the students, their families, the school, and the district 
7.28 	can use the results to diagnose areas for targeted instruction, intervention, or remediation 
7.29 	and improve students' knowledge and skills in core subjects sufficient for the student 
7.30 	to graduate and have a reasonable chance to succeed in a career or college without 
7.31 	remediation. These students must be given the college entrance part of these assessments 
7.32 	in grade 12.
7.33 	(4) A student in clause (3) who demonstrates (i) attainment of required state 
7.34 	academic standards, which include career and college readiness benchmarks, and of core 
7.35 	subjects and course content on these assessments, (ii) attainment of career and college 
7.36 	readiness benchmarks on the college placement diagnostic part of these assessments, 
8.1 	and, where applicable, (iii) successfully completes targeted instruction, intervention, 
8.2 	or remediation approved by the commissioner and the Minnesota State Colleges and 
8.3 	Universities chancellor after consulting with local school officials and educators, is 
8.4 	academically ready for a career or college and is encouraged to participate in courses and 
8.5 	programs awarding college credit to high school students. Such courses and programs 
8.6 	may include sequential courses of study within broad career areas and technical skill 
8.7 	assessments that extend beyond course grades.
8.8 	(5) The commissioner and the assessments vendor must conduct a study to determine 
8.9 	the alignment between these assessments and state academic standards under this chapter. 
8.10 	Where alignment exists, the commissioner must seek federal approval to, and immediately 
8.11 	upon receiving approval replace the federally required assessments referenced under 
8.12 	subdivision 1a and section 120B.35, subdivision 2, with assessments under this paragraph.
8.13 	(e) In developing, supporting, and improving students' academic readiness for a 
8.14 	career or college, schools, districts, and the state must have a continuum of empirically 
8.15 	derived, clearly defined benchmarks focused on students' attainment of knowledge and 
8.16 	skills so that students, their parents, and teachers know how well students must perform to 
8.17 	have a reasonable chance to succeed in a career or college without need for postsecondary 
8.18 	remediation. The commissioner and Minnesota's public postsecondary institutions must 
8.19 	ensure that the foundational knowledge and skills for students' successful performance 
8.20 	in postsecondary employment or education and an articulated series of possible targeted 
8.21 	interventions are clearly identified and satisfy Minnesota's postsecondary admissions 
8.22 	requirements.
8.23 	(f) A school, district, or charter school must place record on the high school 
8.24 	transcript a student's current pass status for each subject that has a required graduation 
8.25 	assessment progress toward career and college readiness.
8.26 	In addition, (g) The school board granting the students their diplomas may formally 
8.27 	decide to include a notation of high achievement on the high school diplomas of those 
8.28 	graduating seniors who, according to established school board criteria, demonstrate 
8.29 	exemplary academic achievement during high school.
8.30 	(e) (h) The 3rd through 8th grade computer-adaptive assessment results and 
8.31 	high school test results shall be available to districts for diagnostic purposes affecting 
8.32 	student learning and district instruction and curriculum, and for establishing educational 
8.33 	accountability. The commissioner must establish empirically derived benchmarks on 
8.34 	adaptive assessments in grades 3 through 8 that reveal a trajectory toward career and 
8.35 	college readiness. The commissioner must disseminate to the public the computer-adaptive 
8.36 	assessments and high school test results upon receiving those results.
9.1 	(f) (i) The 3rd through 8th grade computer-adaptive assessments and high school 
9.2 	tests must be aligned with state academic standards. The commissioner shall determine the 
9.3 	testing process and the order of administration. The statewide results shall be aggregated 
9.4 	at the site and district level, consistent with subdivision 1a.
9.5 	(g) In addition to the testing and reporting requirements under this section, (j) The 
9.6 	commissioner shall include the following components in the statewide public reporting 
9.7 	system:
9.8 	(1) uniform statewide testing computer-adaptive assessments of all students 
9.9 	in grades 3 through 8 and testing at the high school level that provides appropriate, 
9.10 	technically sound accommodations or alternate assessments;
9.11 	(2) educational indicators that can be aggregated and compared across school 
9.12 	districts and across time on a statewide basis, including average daily attendance, high 
9.13 	school graduation rates, and high school drop-out rates by age and grade level;
9.14 	(3) state results on the American College Test; and
9.15 	(4) state results from participation in the National Assessment of Educational 
9.16 	Progress so that the state can benchmark its performance against the nation and other 
9.17 	states, and, where possible, against other countries, and contribute to the national effort 
9.18 	to monitor achievement.

9.19 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment 
9.20 	and applies to the 2013-2014 school year and later except that paragraph (a) applies 
9.21 	the day following final enactment and the requirements for using computer-adaptive 
9.22 	mathematics and reading assessments for grades 3 through 8 apply in the 2015-2016 
9.23 	school year and later.

9.24 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.30, subdivision 1a, is amended to read:
9.25 		Subd. 1a.Statewide and local assessments; results. (a) For purposes of this 
9.26 	section, the following definitions have the meanings given them.
9.27 	(1) "Computer-adaptive assessments" means fully adaptive assessments.
9.28 	(2) "Fully adaptive assessments" include test items that are on-grade level and items 
9.29 	that may be above or below a student's grade level.
9.30 	(3) "On-grade level" test items contain subject area content that is aligned to state 
9.31 	academic standards for the grade level of the student taking the assessment.
9.32 	(4) "Above-grade level" test items contain subject area content that is above the 
9.33 	grade level of the student taking the assessment and is considered aligned with state 
9.34 	academic standards to the extent it is aligned with content represented in state academic 
9.35 	standards above the grade level of the student taking the assessment. Notwithstanding 
10.1 	the student's grade level, administering above-grade level test items to a student does not 
10.2 	violate the requirement that state assessments must be aligned with state standards.
10.3 	(5) "Below-grade level" test items contain subject area content that is below the 
10.4 	grade level of the student taking the test and is considered aligned with state academic 
10.5 	standards to the extent it is aligned with content represented in state academic standards 
10.6 	below the student's current grade level. Notwithstanding the student's grade level, 
10.7 	administering below-grade level test items to a student does not violate the requirement 
10.8 	that state assessments must be aligned with state standards.
10.9 	(b) The commissioner must use fully adaptive mathematics and reading assessments 
10.10 	for grades 3 through 8 beginning in the 2015-2016 school year and later.
10.11 	 (c) For purposes of conforming with existing federal educational accountability 
10.12 	requirements, the commissioner must develop and implement computer-adaptive reading 
10.13 	and mathematics assessments for grades 3 through 8, state-developed high school reading 
10.14 	and mathematics tests aligned with state academic standards, and science assessments 
10.15 	under clause (2) that districts and sites must use to monitor student growth toward 
10.16 	achieving those standards. The commissioner must not develop statewide assessments 
10.17 	for academic standards in social studies, health and physical education, and the arts. 
10.18 	The commissioner must require:
10.19 	(1) annual computer-adaptive reading and mathematics assessments in grades 3 
10.20 	through 8, and high school reading and mathematics tests; and
10.21 	(2) annual science assessments in one grade in the grades 3 through 5 span, the 
10.22 	grades 6 through 8 span, and a life sciences assessment in the grades 9 through 12 span, 
10.23 	and the commissioner must not require students to achieve a passing score on high school 
10.24 	science assessments as a condition of receiving a high school diploma.
10.25 	(d) The commissioner must ensure that for annual computer-adaptive assessments:
10.26 	(1) individual student performance data and achievement reports are available within 
10.27 	three school days of when students take an assessment;
10.28 	(2) growth information is available for each student from the student's first 
10.29 	assessment to each proximate assessment using a constant measurement scale;
10.30 	(3) parents, teachers, and school administrators are able to use elementary and 
10.31 	middle school student performance data to project students' secondary and postsecondary 
10.32 	achievement; and
10.33 	(4) useful diagnostic information about areas of students' academic strengths and 
10.34 	weaknesses is available to teachers and school administrators for improving student 
10.35 	instruction and indicating the specific skills and concepts that should be introduced and 
11.1 	developed for students at given performance levels, organized by strands within subject 
11.2 	areas, and aligned to state academic standards.
11.3 	(b) (e) The commissioner must ensure that all statewide tests administered to 
11.4 	elementary and secondary students measure students' academic knowledge and skills and 
11.5 	not students' values, attitudes, and beliefs.
11.6 	(c) (f) Reporting of assessment results must:
11.7 	(1) provide timely, useful, and understandable information on the performance of 
11.8 	individual students, schools, school districts, and the state;
11.9 	(2) include a value-added growth indicator of student achievement under section 
11.10 	120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (b); and
11.11 	(3)(i) for students enrolled in grade 8 before the 2005-2006 school year, determine 
11.12 	whether students have met the state's basic skills requirements; and
11.13 	(ii) for students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2005-2006 school year and later, determine 
11.14 	whether students have met the state's academic standards.
11.15 	(d) (g) Consistent with applicable federal law and subdivision 1, paragraph (d), 
11.16 	clause (1), the commissioner must include appropriate, technically sound accommodations 
11.17 	or alternative assessments for the very few students with disabilities for whom statewide 
11.18 	assessments are inappropriate and for English learners.
11.19 	(e)(h) A school, school district, and charter school must administer statewide 
11.20 	assessments under this section, as the assessments become available, to evaluate student 
11.21 	proficiency progress toward career and college readiness in the context of the state's grade 
11.22 	level academic standards. If a state assessment is not available, a school, school district, 
11.23 	and charter school must determine locally if a student has met the required academic 
11.24 	standards. A school, school district, or charter school may use a student's performance 
11.25 	on a statewide assessment as one of multiple criteria to determine grade promotion or 
11.26 	retention. A school, school district, or charter school may use a high school student's 
11.27 	performance on a statewide assessment as a percentage of the student's final grade in a 
11.28 	course, or place a student's assessment score on the student's transcript.

11.29 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for the 2013-2014 school year and 
11.30 	later except the requirements for using computer-adaptive mathematics and reading 
11.31 	assessments for grades 3 through 8 apply in the 2015-2016 school year and later.

11.32 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.36, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
11.33 		Subdivision 1.School performance report cards reports. (a) The commissioner 
11.34 	shall report student academic performance under section 120B.35, subdivision 2; the 
11.35 	percentages of students showing low, medium, and high growth under section 120B.35, 
12.1 	subdivision 3, paragraph (b); school safety and student engagement and connection 
12.2 	under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (d); rigorous coursework under section 
12.3 	120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (c), the percentage of students whose progress and 
12.4 	performance levels are meeting career and college readiness benchmarks under section 
12.5 	120B.30, subdivision 1; two separate student-to-teacher ratios that clearly indicate the 
12.6 	definition of teacher consistent with sections 122A.06 and 122A.15 for purposes of 
12.7 	determining these ratios; staff characteristics excluding salaries; student enrollment 
12.8 	demographics; district mobility; and extracurricular activities. The report also must 
12.9 	indicate a school's adequate yearly progress status under applicable federal law, and must 
12.10 	not set any designations applicable to high- and low-performing schools due solely to 
12.11 	adequate yearly progress status.
12.12 	(b) The commissioner shall develop, annually update, and post on the department 
12.13 	Web site school performance report cards reports.
12.14 	(c) The commissioner must make available performance report cards reports by the 
12.15 	beginning of each school year.
12.16 	(d) A school or district may appeal its adequate yearly progress status in writing to 
12.17 	the commissioner within 30 days of receiving the notice of its status. The commissioner's 
12.18 	decision to uphold or deny an appeal is final.
12.19 	(e) School performance report card reports data are nonpublic data under section 
12.20 	13.02, subdivision 9, until the commissioner publicly releases the data. The commissioner 
12.21 	shall annually post school performance report cards reports to the department's public Web 
12.22 	site no later than September 1, except that in years when the report card reflects reports 
12.23 	reflect new performance standards, the commissioner shall post the school performance 
12.24 	report cards reports no later than October 1.

12.25 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for the 2013-2014 school year and 
12.26 	later.

12.27 	Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 124D.52, is amended by adding a subdivision 
12.28 	to read:
12.29 		Subd. 8.Standard high school diploma for adults. (a) The commissioner shall 
12.30 	adopt rules for providing a standard high school diploma to adults who:
12.31 	(1) are not eligible for kindergarten through grade 12 services;
12.32 	(2) do not have a high school diploma; and
12.33 	(3) successfully complete an adult basic education program of instruction approved 
12.34 	by the commissioner necessary to earn an adult high school diploma.
13.1 	(b) Persons participating in an approved adult basic education program of instruction 
13.2 	must demonstrate proficiency in a standard set of competencies that reflect the knowledge 
13.3 	and skills sufficient to ensure that postsecondary programs and institutions and potential 
13.4 	employers regard persons with a standard high school diploma and persons with a 
13.5 	standard high school diploma for adults as equally well prepared and qualified graduates. 
13.6 	Approved adult basic education programs of instruction under this subdivision must issue 
13.7 	a standard high school diploma for adults who successfully demonstrate the competencies, 
13.8 	knowledge, and skills required by the program.

13.9 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

13.10 	Sec. 7. STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY; TRANSITION.
 13.11 	Notwithstanding other law to the contrary, students enrolled in grade 8 before the 
13.12 	2012-2013 school year are eligible to be assessed under the amended provisions of 
13.13 	Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 120B.30, subdivision 1, to the extent such assessments 
13.14 	are available, or under section 120B.128. Other measures of statewide accountability, 
13.15 	including student performance, preparation, rigorous course taking, engagement and 
13.16 	connection, and transition into postsecondary education or the workforce remain in effect.

13.17 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

13.18 	Sec. 8. CAREER PATHWAYS ADVISORY TASK FORCE.
 13.19 		Subdivision 1.Recommendations. (a) A career pathways advisory task force 
13.20 	is established to recommend to the Minnesota legislature, consistent with Minnesota 
13.21 	Statutes, sections 120B.30, subdivision 1, and 120B.35, subdivision 3, how to:
13.22 	(1) improve secondary and postsecondary outcomes for students and adult learners;
13.23 	(2) align secondary and postsecondary education programs serving students and 
13.24 	adult learners;
13.25 	(3) align secondary and postsecondary education programs and Minnesota's 
13.26 	workforce needs; and
13.27 	(4) measure and evaluate the combined efficacy of Minnesota's public kindergarten 
13.28 	through grade 12 and postsecondary education programs.
13.29 	(b) Advisory task force members, in preparing these recommendations, must 
13.30 	seek the advice of education providers, employers, policy makers, and other interested 
13.31 	stakeholders and must at least consider how to:
14.1 	(1) better inform students about career options, occupational trends, and educational 
14.2 	paths leading to viable and rewarding careers and reduce the gap between the demand for 
14.3 	and preparation of a skilled Minnesota workforce;
14.4 	(2) in consultation with a student's family, develop and periodically adapt as needed 
14.5 	an education and work plan for each student aligned with the student's personal and 
14.6 	professional interests, abilities, skills, and aspirations;
14.7 	(3) improve monitoring of high school students' progress with targeted interventions 
14.8 	and support and remove the need for remedial instruction;
14.9 	(4) increase and accelerate opportunities for secondary school students to earn 
14.10 	postsecondary credits leading to a certificate, industry license, or degree;
14.11 	(5) better align high school courses and expectations and postsecondary 
14.12 	credit-bearing courses;
14.13 	(6) better align high school standards and assessments, postsecondary readiness 
14.14 	measures and entrance requirements, and the expectations of Minnesota employers;
14.15 	(7) increase the rates at which students complete a postsecondary certificate, 
14.16 	industry license, or degree; and
14.17 	(8) provide graduates of two-year and four-year postsecondary institutions with the 
14.18 	foundational skills needed for civic engagement, ongoing employment, and continuous 
14.19 	learning.
14.20 		Subd. 2.Task force membership and operation. (a) Advisory task force members 
14.21 	must include representatives of the following: the Minnesota Association of Career and 
14.22 	Technical Administrators; the Minnesota Association for Career and Technical Education; 
14.23 	University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities faculty working 
14.24 	to develop career and technical educators in Minnesota; the National Research Center for 
14.25 	Career and Technical Education; the Minnesota Department of Education; the Minnesota 
14.26 	Board of Teaching; the Minnesota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; 
14.27 	Minnesota State Colleges and Universities foundational skills and general education 
14.28 	faculty; and any other representatives selected by the task force members. The education 
14.29 	commissioner or the commissioner's designee must convene the task force. Task force 
14.30 	members are not eligible for compensation or reimbursement for expenses related to 
14.31 	task force activities.
14.32 	(b) The commissioner, upon request, must provide technical assistance to the task 
14.33 	force.
14.34 	(c) The task force must submit its written recommendations under this section to the 
14.35 	legislative committees with jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 12 education by 
14.36 	February 15, 2014.

15.1 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

15.2 	Sec. 9.  REPEALER.
 15.3 	Minnesota Rules, parts 3501.0010; 3501.0020; 3501.0030, subparts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 
15.4 	6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16; 3501.0040; 3501.0050; 3501.0060; 3501.0090; 
15.5 	3501.0100; 3501.0110; 3501.0120; 3501.0130; 3501.0140; 3501.0150; 3501.0160; 
15.6 	3501.0170; 3501.0180; 3501.0200; 3501.0210; 3501.0220; 3501.0230; 3501.0240; 
15.7 	3501.0250; 3501.0270; 3501.0280, subparts 1 and 2; 3501.0290; 3501.1000; 3501.1020; 
15.8 	3501.1030; 3501.1040; 3501.1050; 3501.1110; 3501.1120; 3501.1130; 3501.1140; 
15.9 	3501.1150; 3501.1160; 3501.1170; 3501.1180; and 3501.1190, are repealed.

15.10 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.