2014 Minnesota Legislature “Session Preview” · 2014-02-26 · mathematics at a college level. That the Board of Teaching develop requirements for teacher licensure candidates

2014 Minnesota Legislature“Session Preview”

WEBINAR – TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014

AGENDA

I. Minnesota Department of Education Policy and Technical BillII. Career Pathways & Technical Education Task Force RecommendationsIII. Teacher Licensure Task Force RecommendationsIV. School Facilities Work Group RecommendationsV. Native and English Language Development and Academic

Needs of English LearnersVI. MACS ProposalsVII. Safe Schools Act – Bullying BillVIII.Other Legislative Proposals

Policy & Technical Bill

Academic Standards ◦ Grant Commissioner authority to revise academic standards &

benchmarks every 10 years

◦ Enrollment Options Programs Changes

◦ “Desegregation” to “Achievement & Integration” Plans

◦ New deadlines for enrollment

◦ Requires lottery


Charter School Purposes◦ Improve all pupil learning and all student achievement

◦ Increase learning opportunities for all pupils

Charter Contract◦Specific conditions for contract renewal that identifies performance of

all students

Student Transportation◦All charter schools must comply with all pupil transportation

requirements in 123B


Allows schools to donate unused food to local non-profit food banks

Establishes a Library and Services Delivery Advisory Task Force - Report February, 2015

Career Pathways & Technical Education Task Force Recommendations

Define “Career & College Readiness”

1] Strengthen statutory requirements for a comprehensive individual student career & college readiness plan that incorporate assessment data, and clarify the process for review & revision of the plan.


2] Provide all students with regular and frequent access to multiple individuals within the school & community who have reliable and accurate information, resources, and technology about post-secondary education, career and technical education, and training options.


3] Provide all families, including families with disabilities, families experiencing socio-economic challenges, those with first-generation college-bound students, and multicultural families, with the opportunity to engage in student’s planning activities & have access to training and resources so they may help their youth make appropriate career planning and education choices.


4] Require district to create options for experiential learning for students that include career exploration through a specific class or through work-based experiences such as job shadowing, mentoring, entrepreneurship, service learning, volunteering, internships/cooperative work experience, or youth apprenticeship.


5] Require districts and postsecondary institutions to expand opportunities for students designed around career clusters and strategies for postsecondary preparation that may include course offerings, options for online credit, dual-credit, or industry recognized credentials.


6] In conjunction with Board of Teaching & Higher Education accreditation agencies, develop and explore new roles and models for education professionals by allowing for flexibility in licensure and credentialing while maintaining high standards, and expand professional development experiences in order to support and assist students and their families in developing individual life plans, incorporating career development, utilizing experiential learning, and accessing early college opportunities.


7] Provide flexible governance and operational structures that allow educational institutions to have the capacity and opportunity to modify/alter current practices to meet the learning needs of students and ensure smooth transitions between educational levels or into the workforce.


8] Require MDE, DEED and postsecondary systems to collaborate to create a mobile/web-based hub that centralizes existing resources for students and families on careers, employment trends, and educational paths necessary for success in these fields.


9] Promote broad levels of collaboration among public, private and nonprofit entities to establish strategies that deepen outreach efforts for students to gain knowledge and experience in career fields by working with business and industry to provide career and college readiness.

Teacher Licensure Work Group

Repeal the provisions in law that require a teacher licensure candidate to pass a skills examination in reading, writing and mathematics – known as the “basic skills test”. Support continuation of the requirement that a teacher licensure candidate pass examinations in pedagogy and content areas as approved by Board of Teaching.

Teacher Licensure Work Group

That the Board of Teaching, as part of its teacher preparation program approval process, develop requirements that include assurances that prior to graduation and upon successful completion of an accredited teacher preparation program, teacher licensure candidates are proficient in reading, writing and mathematics at a college level.

That the Board of Teaching develop requirements for teacher licensure candidates who do not graduate for a Board-approved teacher preparation program, to demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing and mathematics at a college entrance level.

School Facilities Work Group

•Numerous recommendations regarding funding of school facilities for traditional school districts.

•Recommendations that would directly affect Chartered Schools•Streamline the Review and Comment Process

•Raise threshold from $1.4 to $2 million

•Repeal consultation requirement for smaller facility projects

•Simplify the required data submissions for review and comment.

School Facilities Work Group

Recommendations that would directly affect Chartered Schools (cont.)

•Address the facilities needs of other educational entities – Charter Schools•Provide a long-term maintenance allowance to reflect the average

increase in revenue per pupil that is provided to school districts. Index after FY20 to consumer price index.•Provide a facilities improvement allowance for charters, equal to the

state average increase for school districts.•Continue to provide operating capital revenue to charters based on state

average revenue per pupil.

Native and English Language Development and Academic Needs of English Learners

Early literacy programs – provide parents with translated information, monitor progress and provide reading instruction to specific needs of English learners

World’s Best Workforce – provide English learners with access to core curriculum and instruction, ensure all English learners achieve academic language proficiency, measure the academic progress of English learners, include cultural competencies – including cultural awareness and cross-cultural communications

Native and English Language Development and Academic Needs of English Learners

Literacy Plans, Transitions Plans, School Performance Reports, Licensure and Continuing Education, Assessments – all have provisions addressing English Language Development and Academic Needs of English Learners.

Proposals

•Eliminate supplementary affidavit process for additional sites

•Revise supplementary affidavit process for grade expansions beyond original charter

•Establish deadlines for final MDE decisions on affidavits from authorizers for new charters and supplementary affidavits

•Define more specifically the “corporate management agreements” that schools must submit with audit

•Establish that charter schools may include PreK programs in charter

Proposals (continued)

• Allow a PreK student who enrolls in kindergarten a sibling

preference if they have sibling already enrolled in the school.

• Eliminates two provisions regarding teacher evaluation that do

not apply to charters

• Revises process for establishment and oversight of affiliated

building companies

• Revises the language regarding the review and comment process

for building projects

• Redefines the “escape clause” to be a “closure clause” in leases

Safe Schools Act – Bullying Bill

Other Legislative Proposals

• Enrollment preference for students in townships where there is

no traditional public school

• Counselor /Student Ratio

• Physical Education Standards - Aquatics Instruction

• Transfers Teacher Alternative Compensation Program Funding to

General Revenue Formula

• Voluntary bilingual and multilingual seals to high school diploma

for students who demonstrate level 5 on Foreign Services

Institute Language proficiency tests

Documents

2014 Minnesota Legislature “Session Preview” · 2014-02-26 · mathematics at a college level. That the Board of Teaching develop requirements for teacher licensure candidates