Adopted: MSBA/MASA Model Policy 616
Revised: Rev. 2023
616 SCHOOL
DISTRICT SYSTEM ACCOUNTABILITY
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to focus public education
strategies on a process that promotes higher academic achievement for all
students and ensures broad-based community participation in decisions regarding
implementation of the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards and federal law.
II. GENERAL
STATEMENT OF POLICY
Implementation of the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards and federal
law requires accountability for the school district. The school district established a system to
transition to the graduation requirements of the Minnesota K-12 Academic
Standards. The school district also
established a system to review and improve instruction, curriculum, and
assessment which will include substantial input by students, parents or
guardians, and local community members.
The school district will be accountable to the public and the state
through annual reporting.
III. DEFINITIONS
A. “Credit” means
a student’s successful completion of an academic year of study or a student’s mastery
of the applicable subject matter, as determined by the school district.
B. “World’s
best workforce” means striving to: meet
school readiness goals; close the academic achievement gap among all racial and
ethnic groups of students and between students living in poverty and students
not living in poverty; have all students attain career and college readiness
before graduating from high school; and have all students graduate from high
school.
IV. ESTABLISHMENT
OF GOALS; IMPLEMENTATION; EVALUATION AND REPORTING
A. School
District Goals
1. The school
board has established school district-wide goals that provide broad direction
for the school district. Incorporated in
these goals are the graduation and education standards contained in the
Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards and federal law. The broad goals shall be reviewed annually
and approved by the school board. The
school board shall adopt annual goals based on the recommendations of the school
district’s Advisory Committee.
2. The District
Advisory Committee created under Policy 603 (Curriculum Development) is established
by the school board to ensure active community participation in all phases of
planning and improving the instruction and curriculum affecting state and
district academic standards.
3. The school
district-wide improvement goals should address recommendations identified
through the District Advisory Committee process. The school district’s goal setting process
will include consideration of individual site goals. School district goals may also be developed
through an education effectiveness program, an evaluation of student progress
committee, or through some other locally determined process.
B. System
for Reviewing All Instruction and Curriculum. Incorporated in the process will be analysis
of the school district’s progress toward implementation of the Minnesota
Academic Standards. Instruction and curriculum shall be reviewed and evaluated
by taking into account strategies and best practices, student outcomes,
principal evaluations under Minnesota Statutes section 123B.147, and teacher
evaluations under Minnesota Statutes section 122A.40 or 122A.41.
C. Implementation
of Graduation Requirements
1. The District
Advisory Committee shall also advise the school board on implementation of the
state and local graduation requirements, including K-12 curriculum, assessment,
student learning opportunities, and other related issues. Recommendations of the District Advisory Committee shall be published annually to the
community. The school board shall
receive public input and comment and shall adopt or update this policy at least
annually.
2. The school
board shall annually review and determine if student achievement levels at each
school site meet federal expectations.
If the school board determines that student achievement levels at a
school site do not meet federal expectations and the site has not made adequate
yearly progress for two consecutive school years, the District Advisory Committee
shall work with the school site to adopt a plan to raise student achievement
levels to meet federal expectations. The District Advisory Committee may seek
assistance from the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)
(Commissioner) in developing a plan which must include parental involvement
components.
3. The
educational assessment system component utilized by the school board to measure
individual students’ educational progress must be based, to the extent annual
tests are administered, on indicators of current achievement that show growth
relative to an individual student’s prior achievement. Indicators of achievement and prior
achievement must be based on highly reliable statewide or districtwide
assessments. The school board will
utilize models developed by the Commissioner for measuring individual student
progress. The school board must
coordinate with MDE in evaluating school sites and continuous improvement
plans, consistent with best practices.
D. Comprehensive
Continuous Improvement of Student Achievement
1. By August of
each year, the District Advisory Committee will meet to advise and assist the
school district in the implementation of the school district system
accountability and comprehensive continuous improvement process.
2. The District
Advisory Committee, working in cooperation with other committees of the school
district [such as the Technology,
Educational Effectiveness, Grade Level, Site Instruction, Curriculum and
Assessment Committees, etc.], will provide active community participation
in:
a. Reviewing
the school district instructional and curriculum plan, with emphasis on
implementing the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards;
b. Identifying
annual instruction and curriculum improvement goals for recommendation to the
school board;
c. Making
recommendations regarding the evaluation process that will be used to measure
school district progress toward its goals; and,
d. Advising the school board about development of the annual
budget.
3. The District
Advisory Committee shall meet the following criteria:
a. The District
Advisory Committee shall ensure active community participation in all planning
for instruction and curriculum affecting Graduation Standards.
b. The District
Advisory Committee shall make recommendations to the school board on school
district-wide standards, assessments, and program evaluation.
c. Building
teams may be established as subcommittees to develop and implement an education
effectiveness plan and to carry out methods to improve instruction, curriculum,
and assessments as well as methods to use technology in meeting the school
district improvement plan.
d. A local plan
to evaluate student progress, using a local process, shall be used for
developing a plan for assessment of student progress toward the Graduation
Standards, as well as program evaluation data for use by the District Advisory Committee
in the instruction and curriculum review process. This plan shall annually be approved by the
school board.
5. Translation
services should be provided to the extent appropriate and practicable.
6. The District
Advisory Committee shall meet the following timeline each year:
June: Organizational
meeting of the Committee to review the authorizing legislation and the roles
and responsibilities of the Committee as determined by the school board.
July: Agree
on the process to be used. Become
familiar with the instruction and curriculum of the cycle content area.
Review
evaluation results and prepare recommendations.
August: Present
recommendations to the school board for its input and approval.
E. Evaluation
of Student Progress Committee. A
committee of professional staff shall develop a plan for assessment of student
progress, the Graduation Standards, as well as program evaluation data for use
by the District Advisory Committee to review instruction and curriculum,
cultural competencies, including cultural awareness and cross-cultural
communication, and student achievement at the school site. This plan shall annually be approved by the
school board.
F. Reporting
1. Consistent
with Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.36, subdivision. 1, the school board
shall publish a report in the local newspaper with the largest circulation in
the district, by mail, or by electronic means on the school district website. The school board shall hold an annual public meeting to
review and revise, where appropriate, student achievement goals, local
assessment outcomes, plans, strategies, and practices for improving curriculum
and instruction and cultural competency and efforts to equitably distribute
diverse, effective, experienced, and in-field teachers, and to review school
district success in realizing the previously adopted student achievement goals
and related benchmarks and the improvement plans leading to the world’s best
workforce. The school board must transmit
an electronic summary of its report to the Commissioner in the form and manner
the Commissioner determines. The school
district shall periodically survey affected constituencies in their native
languages, where appropriate and practicable, about their connection to and
level of satisfaction with school. The
school district shall include the results of this evaluation in its published
reports and in its summary report to the Commissioner.
2. The school performance report for a
school site and a school district must include performance reporting
information and calculate proficiency rates as required by the most recently
reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
3. The
school district must annually report the district's class size ratios by each
grade to the commissioner of education in the form and manner specified by the
commissioner.
4. The school
district must report whether programs funded with compensatory revenue are
consistent with best practices demonstrated to improve student achievement.
Legal References: Minn. Stat. § 120B.018 (Definitions)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.02 (Educational Expectations and
Graduation Requirements for Minnesota’s Students)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.11 (School District Process for Reviewing
Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Achievement; Striving for the World’s Best
Workforce)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.35 (Student Academic Achievement and
Growth)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.36 (School Accountability)
Minn.
Stat. § 122A.40 (Employment; Contracts; Termination)
Minn. Stat. § 122A.41 (Teacher Tenure Act; Cities of the
First Class; Definitions)
Minn. Stat. § 123B.04 (Site Decision Making; Individualized
Learning Agreement; Other Agreements)
Minn. Stat. § 123B.147 (Principals)
Minn. Stat. § 126C.12 (Learning and Development Revenue
Amount and Use)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0640-3501.0655 (Academic Standards
for Language Arts)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0700-3501.0745 (Academic Standards
for Mathematics)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0820 (Academic Standards for the
Arts)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0900-3501.0955 (Academic Standards in
Science)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.1300-3501.1345 (Academic Standards
for Social Studies)
Minn. Rules Parts 3501.1400-3501.1410
(Academic Standards for Physical Education)
20 U.S.C. § 6301, et seq. (Every Student Succeeds Act)
Cross References: MSBA/MASA Model Policy 104 (School District
Mission Statement)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 601 (School District Curriculum and
Instruction Goals)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 613 (Graduation Requirements)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 614 (School District Testing Plan and
Procedure)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 615 (Testing Accommodations,
Modifications, and Exemptions for IEPs, Section 504 Plans, and LEP Students)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 617 (School District Ensurance of Preparatory and High School Standards)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 618 (Assessment of Student
Achievement)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 619 (Staff Development for Standards)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 620 (Credit for Learning)