Subdivision 1. Educational expectations. (a) The legislature is committed to establishing rigorous academic standards for Minnesota's public school students. To that end, the commissioner shall adopt in rule statewide academic standards. The commissioner shall not prescribe in rule or otherwise the delivery system, classroom assessments, or form of instruction that school sites must use.

(b) All commissioner actions regarding the rule must be premised on the following:

(1) the rule is intended to raise academic expectations for students, teachers, and schools;

(2) any state action regarding the rule must evidence consideration of school district autonomy; and

(3) the Department of Education, with the assistance of school districts, must make available information about all state initiatives related to the rule to students and parents, teachers, and the general public in a timely format that is appropriate, comprehensive, and readily understandable.

(c) The commissioner shall periodically review and report on the state's assessment process.

(d) School districts are not required to adopt specific provisions of the federal School-to-Work programs.

Subd. 2. Graduation requirements. (a) To graduate from high school, students must demonstrate to their enrolling school district or school their satisfactory completion of the credit requirements under section 120B.024 and their understanding of academic standards. A school district must adopt graduation requirements that meet or exceed state graduation requirements established in law or rule.

(b) Students ages 19 to 21 who have not yet graduated from a Minnesota high school and, but for their age, are otherwise eligible to participate in an adult basic education program may be admitted to an adult high school diploma program under section 124D.52, subdivisions 8 and 9.

Subd. 3. Required knowledge and understanding of civics. (a) For purposes of this subdivision, "civics test questions" means 50 of the 100 questions that, as of January 1, 2015, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services officers use to select the questions they pose to applicants for naturalization so the applicants can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of United States history and government, as required by United States Code, title 8, section 1423. The Learning Law and Democracy Foundation, in consultation with Minnesota civics teachers, must select by July 1 each year 50 of the 100 questions under this paragraph to serve as the state's civics test questions for the proximate school year and immediately transmit the 50 selected civics test questions to the department and to the Legislative Coordinating Commission, which must post the 50 questions it receives on the Minnesota's Legacy website by August 1 of that year.

(b) A student enrolled in a public school must correctly answer at least 30 of the 50 civics test questions. A school or district may record on a student's transcript that the student answered at least 30 of 50 civics test questions correctly. A school or district may exempt a student with disabilities from this requirement if the student's individualized education program team determines the requirement is inappropriate and establishes an alternative requirement. A school or district may administer the civics test questions in a language other than English to students who qualify for English learner services.

(c) Schools and districts may administer civics test questions as part of the social studies curriculum. A district must not prevent a student from graduating or deny a student a high school diploma for failing to correctly answer at least 30 of 50 civics test questions.

(d) The commissioner and public schools and school districts must not charge students any fees related to this subdivision.

[See Note.]

History: Ex1959 c 71 art 2 s 11; 1965 c 718 s 1; 1969 c 9 s 23,24; 1969 c 288 s 1; 1973 c 492 s 14; 1975 c 162 s 6,7; 1976 c 271 s 21; 1977 c 347 s 19; 1977 c 447 art 7 s 4; 1982 c 424 s 130; 1982 c 548 art 4 s 4,23; 1983 c 258 s 22; 1984 c 640 s 32; 1985 c 248 s 70; 1987 c 178 s 5; 1987 c 398 art 7 s 5; 1989 c 329 art 7 s 2; art 8 s 1; art 9 s 4; 1990 c 375 s 3; 1991 c 265 art 9 s 13; 1993 c 224 art 12 s 2-6; art 14 s 4; 1994 c 647 art 7 s 1; art 8 s 1; 1Sp1995 c 3 art 7 s 1; art 16 s 13; 1996 c 412 art 7 s 1; 1997 c 1 s 1; 1997 c 162 art 2 s 11; 1998 c 397 art 4 s 1,51; art 11 s 3; 1998 c 398 art 5 s 6,7,55; 2000 c 500 s 2; 2003 c 129 art 1 s 2; 2003 c 130 s 12; 1Sp2005 c 5 art 2 s 4; 2009 c 96 art 2 s 3; 2013 c 116 art 2 s 2; 1Sp2015 c 3 art 3 s 1; 2016 c 189 art 25 s 3

NOTE: Subdivision 3, as added by Laws 2016, chapter 189, article 25, section 3, is effective for students enrolling in grade 9 in the 2017-2018 school year or later. Laws 2016, chapter 189, article 25, section 3, the effective date.