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A bill for an act
relating to education; modifying the requirements for gifted and talented programs
and services; requiring the commissioner to report certain gifted and talented
program data; increasing revenue for gifted and talented programs and services;
appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 120B.15;
120B.36, subdivision 1; 126C.10, subdivision 2b.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.15, is amended to read:
120B.15 GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.
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Subdivision 1.
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Assessment and identification.
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(a) School districts
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may
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must
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identify
students, locally develop programs and services addressing instructional and affective needs,
provide staff development, and evaluate programs to provide gifted and talented students
with challenging and appropriate educational programs and services.
(b) School districts must adopt guidelines for assessing and identifying students for
participation in gifted and talented programs and services consistent with section
120B.11,
subdivision
2, clause (2). The guidelines
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should include the use of
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must require
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:
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(1) universal screening for all students in targeted grades;
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(1)
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(2)
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multiple and objective criteria; and
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(2)
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(3)
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assessments and procedures that are valid and reliable, fair, and based on current
theory and research. Assessments and procedures
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should
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must
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be sensitive to
underrepresented groups, including
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,
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but not limited to
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,
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low-income, minority,
twice-exceptional, and English learners.
(c)
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A school district must screen all students under paragraph (b), clause (1), at least
twice by the end of grade 5, including for any gifted and talented programs or services not
previously identified. Beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, a school district must use a
screening instrument or procedure approved by the commissioner. No later than July 1,
2027, the commissioner must publish a list of approved screening instruments and procedures.
The commissioner may periodically revise the list of approved screening instruments and
procedures.
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Subd. 2.
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Academic acceleration; early admission.
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(a)
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School districts must adopt
procedures for the academic acceleration of gifted and talented students consistent with
section
120B.11, subdivision 2
, clause (2). These procedures must include how the district
will:
(1) assess a student's readiness and motivation for
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academic
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acceleration; and
(2) match the level, complexity, and pace of the curriculum to a student to achieve the
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best
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most effective
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type of academic acceleration
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for that student
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.
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(b) A school district's procedures under paragraph (a) must also include criteria that help
the school district identify students for:
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(1) single subject acceleration under which a student advances in one or more specific
subject areas based on the student's academic readiness and proficiency; and
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(2) grade acceleration under which a student advances whole grade levels based on an
assessment of the student's academic readiness, proficiency, and social-emotional maturity.
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(d)
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(c)
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School districts must adopt procedures consistent with section
124D.02
,
subdivision 1, for early admission to kindergarten or first grade of gifted and talented learners
consistent with section
120B.11, subdivision 2
, clause (2). The procedures must be sensitive
to underrepresented groups.
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(d) A school district is encouraged to integrate gifted and talented programs and services
under this section with the multitiered system of support framework, if one has been adopted
by the district.
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Subd. 3.
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Professional development.
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School districts must provide staff with ongoing
professional development and training on the requirements of this section. The training
must be updated regularly to incorporate current research and best practices.
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Subd. 4.
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Evaluation.
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At least twice each year, school districts must evaluate the
effectiveness of their gifted and talented programs and services. The evaluation must include
information gathered from students, parents, and teachers.
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Subd. 5.
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Reporting requirements.
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School districts must report their expenditures on
gifted and talented programs and services to the commissioner in the form and manner
determined by the commissioner.
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EFFECTIVE DATE.
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This section is effective for the 2025-2026 school year and later.
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Sec. 2.
Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.36, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
Subdivision 1.
School performance reports and public reporting.
(a) The commissioner
shall report:
(1) student academic performance data under section
120B.35, subdivisions 2
and 3;
(2) academic progress consistent with federal expectations;
(3) school safety and student engagement and connection under section
120B.35
,
subdivision 3, paragraph (d);
(4) rigorous coursework under section
120B.35, subdivision 3
, paragraph (c)
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, and
participation in gifted and talented programs under section 120B.15, including information
about the number of students identified for advanced academics, enrichment, full-time
services, grade acceleration or subject acceleration, and expenditures on each category of
programming
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;
(5) the percentage of students under section
120B.35, subdivision 3
, paragraph (b), clause
(2), whose progress and performance levels are meeting career and college readiness
benchmarks under sections
120B.307
and
120B.35, subdivision 3
, paragraph (e);
(6) longitudinal data on the progress of eligible districts in reducing disparities in students'
academic achievement and realizing racial and economic integration under section
124D.861
;
(7) the acquisition of English, and where practicable, native language academic literacy,
including oral academic language, and the academic progress of all English learners enrolled
in a Minnesota public school course or program who are currently or were previously counted
as English learners under section
124D.59
;
(8) two separate student-to-teacher ratios that clearly indicate the definition of teacher
consistent with sections
122A.06
and
122A.15
for purposes of determining these ratios;
(9) staff characteristics excluding salaries;
(10) student enrollment demographics;
(11) foster care status, including all students enrolled in a Minnesota public school course
or program who are currently or were previously in foster care, student homelessness, and
district mobility; and
(12) extracurricular activities.
(b) The school performance report for a school site and a school district must include
school performance reporting information and calculate proficiency rates as required by the
most recently reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
(c) The commissioner shall develop, annually update, and post on the department website
school performance reports consistent with paragraph (a) and section
120B.11
.
(d) The commissioner must make available performance reports by the beginning of
each school year.
(e) A school or district may appeal its results in a form and manner determined by the
commissioner and consistent with federal law. The commissioner's decision to uphold or
deny an appeal is final.
(f) School performance data are nonpublic data under section
13.02, subdivision 9
, until
the commissioner publicly releases the data. The commissioner shall annually post school
performance reports to the department's public website no later than September 1, except
in years when the reports reflect new performance standards. The commissioner shall post
the school performance reports no later than October 1 in years with new performance
standards for academic standards-based assessments, and no later than November 1 in years
with new performance standards adopted under Minnesota Rules, part
3501.1200
, for English
language proficiency assessments.
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EFFECTIVE DATE.
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This section is effective July 1, 2025, for school performance
reports published on or after that date.
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Sec. 3.
Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 126C.10, subdivision 2b, is amended to read:
Subd. 2b.
Gifted and talented revenue.
Gifted and talented revenue for each district
equals the district's adjusted pupil units for that school year times
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$13
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$.......
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. A school
district must reserve gifted and talented revenue and, consistent with section
120B.15
, must
spend the revenue only to:
(1) identify gifted and talented students;
(2) provide education programs
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or services
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for gifted and talented students; or
(3) provide staff development to prepare teachers to best meet the unique needs of gifted
and talented students.
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EFFECTIVE DATE.
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This section is effective for revenue in fiscal year 2026 and later.
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Sec. 4.
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APPROPRIATIONS.
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Subdivision 1.
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Department of Education.
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The sums indicated in this section are
appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years
designated.
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Subd. 2.
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General education aid.
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(a) For general education aid under Minnesota Statutes,
section 126C.13, subdivision 4:
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$
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.......
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.....
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2026
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$
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.......
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.....
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2027
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(b) The 2026 appropriation includes $....... for fiscal year 2025 and $....... for fiscal year
2026.
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(c) The 2027 appropriation includes $....... for fiscal year 2026 and $....... for fiscal year
2027.
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