Lawmakers lifted the cap on the number of charter schools, permitted universities to sponsor them, and provided money for start-up costs and charter school facilities. In another first for a state with a history of local control, the legislature passed a bill early in the session that lifted a previous prohibition on statewide testing. Minnesota now will give a nationally normed standardized test at key grade levels that will allow comparisons among schools and districts. The new graduation rules, which take effect next fall for entering 9th graders, require students to pass basic-skills tests in reading, writing, and mathematics. In addition, students must complete requirements in the state's Profile of Learning, a set of standards organized into 10 learning areas.
Districts are to administer assessments to gauge whether students have met the requirements.
The formal rule-making process for the graduation requirements is happening in tandem with the development of the new desegregation and diversity policies. The state board held hearings last fall to gather public comment on its proposed changes. In the case of racially isolated districts, such councils would be set up among adjoining districts. They would then come up with incentives for interdistrict integration, which could include transportation for students to attend different schools, magnet schools, and the like.