Minnesota Statutes
Chapter 120B — Curriculum And Assessment
Section 120B.021 — Required Academic Standards.

Subdivision 1. Required academic standards. (a) The following subject areas are required for statewide accountability:
(1) language arts;
(2) mathematics;
(3) science;
(4) social studies, including history, geography, economics, and government and citizenship that includes civics consistent with section 120B.02, subdivision 3;
(5) physical education;
(6) health, for which locally developed academic standards apply; and
(7) the arts, for which statewide or locally developed academic standards apply, as determined by the school district. Public elementary and middle schools must offer at least three and require at least two of the following four arts areas: dance; music; theater; and visual arts. Public high schools must offer at least three and require at least one of the following five arts areas: media arts; dance; music; theater; and visual arts.
(b) For purposes of applicable federal law, the academic standards for language arts, mathematics, and science apply to all public school students, except the very few students with extreme cognitive or physical impairments for whom an individualized education program team has determined that the required academic standards are inappropriate. An individualized education program team that makes this determination must establish alternative standards.
(c) The department must adopt the most recent SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators) kindergarten through grade 12 standards and benchmarks for physical education as the required physical education academic standards. The department may modify and adapt the national standards to accommodate state interest. The modification and adaptations must maintain the purpose and integrity of the national standards. The department must make available sample assessments, which school districts may use as an alternative to local assessments, to assess students' mastery of the physical education standards beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.
(d) A school district may include child sexual abuse prevention instruction in a health curriculum, consistent with paragraph (a), clause (6). Child sexual abuse prevention instruction may include age-appropriate instruction on recognizing sexual abuse and assault, boundary violations, and ways offenders groom or desensitize victims, as well as strategies to promote disclosure, reduce self-blame, and mobilize bystanders. A school district may provide instruction under this paragraph in a variety of ways, including at an annual assembly or classroom presentation. A school district may also provide parents information on the warning signs of child sexual abuse and available resources.
(e) District efforts to develop, implement, or improve instruction or curriculum as a result of the provisions of this section must be consistent with sections 120B.10, 120B.11, and 120B.20.
Subd. 1a. Rigorous course of study; waiver. (a) Upon receiving a student's application signed by the student's parent or guardian, a school district, area learning center, or charter school must declare that a student meets or exceeds a specific academic standard required for graduation under section 120B.02 and this section if the local school board, the school board of the school district in which the area learning center is located, or the charter school board of directors determines that the student:
(1) is participating in a course of study, including an advanced placement or international baccalaureate course or program; a learning opportunity outside the curriculum of the district, area learning center, or charter school; or an approved preparatory program for employment or postsecondary education that is equally or more rigorous than the corresponding state or local academic standard required by the district, area learning center, or charter school;
(2) would be precluded from participating in the rigorous course of study, learning opportunity, or preparatory employment or postsecondary education program if the student were required to achieve the academic standard to be waived; and
(3) satisfactorily completes the requirements for the rigorous course of study, learning opportunity, or preparatory employment or postsecondary education program.
Consistent with the requirements of this section, the local school board, the school board of the school district in which the area learning center is located, or the charter school board of directors also may formally determine other circumstances in which to declare that a student meets or exceeds a specific academic standard that the site requires for graduation under section 120B.02 and this section.
(b) A student who satisfactorily completes a postsecondary enrollment options course or program under section 124D.09, or an advanced placement or international baccalaureate course or program under section 120B.13, is not required to complete other requirements of the academic standards corresponding to that specific rigorous course of study.
Subd. 2. Standards development. (a) The commissioner must consider advice from at least the following stakeholders in developing statewide rigorous core academic standards in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, including history, geography, economics, government and citizenship, and the arts:
(1) parents of school-age children and members of the public throughout the state;
(2) teachers throughout the state currently licensed and providing instruction in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, or the arts and licensed elementary and secondary school principals throughout the state currently administering a school site;
(3) currently serving members of local school boards and charter school boards throughout the state;
(4) faculty teaching core subjects at postsecondary institutions in Minnesota; and
(5) representatives of the Minnesota business community.
(b) Academic standards must:
(1) be clear, concise, objective, measurable, and grade-level appropriate;
(2) not require a specific teaching methodology or curriculum; and
(3) be consistent with the Constitutions of the United States and the state of Minnesota.
Subd. 3. Rulemaking. The commissioner, consistent with the requirements of this section and section 120B.022, must adopt statewide rules under section 14.389 for implementing statewide rigorous core academic standards in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education, and the arts. After the rules authorized under this subdivision are initially adopted, the commissioner may not amend or repeal these rules nor adopt new rules on the same topic without specific legislative authorization.
Subd. 4. Revisions and reviews required. (a) The commissioner of education must revise and appropriately embed technology and information literacy standards consistent with recommendations from school media specialists into the state's academic standards and graduation requirements and implement a ten-year cycle to review and, consistent with the review, revise state academic standards and related benchmarks, consistent with this subdivision. During each ten-year review and revision cycle, the commissioner also must examine the alignment of each required academic standard and related benchmark with the knowledge and skills students need for career and college readiness and advanced work in the particular subject area. The commissioner must include the contributions of Minnesota American Indian tribes and communities as related to the academic standards during the review and revision of the required academic standards.
(b) The commissioner must ensure that the statewide mathematics assessments administered to students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 are aligned with the state academic standards in mathematics, consistent with section 120B.30, subdivision 1, paragraph (b). The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in mathematics beginning in the 2021-2022 school year and every ten years thereafter.
(c) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in arts beginning in the 2017-2018 school year and every ten years thereafter.
(d) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in science beginning in the 2018-2019 school year and every ten years thereafter.
(e) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in language arts beginning in the 2019-2020 school year and every ten years thereafter.
(f) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in social studies beginning in the 2020-2021 school year and every ten years thereafter.
(g) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related benchmarks in physical education beginning in the 2022-2023 school year and every ten years thereafter.
(h) School districts and charter schools must revise and align local academic standards and high school graduation requirements in health, world languages, and career and technical education to require students to complete the revised standards beginning in a school year determined by the school district or charter school. School districts and charter schools must formally establish a periodic review cycle for the academic standards and related benchmarks in health, world languages, and career and technical education.
2003 c 129 art 1 s 3; 2004 c 294 art 2 s 2; art 5 s 1; art 6 s 1; 1Sp2005 c 5 art 2 s 5; 2006 c 263 art 2 s 2; 2007 c 146 art 2 s 3; 2010 c 396 s 1; 1Sp2011 c 11 art 3 s 12; 2013 c 116 art 2 s 3,21; 2014 c 272 art 3 s 3; 2014 c 275 art 1 s 16; 1Sp2015 c 3 art 3 s 2; 2016 c 189 art 25 s 4-6; 1Sp2017 c 5 art 2 s 2,3