Purpose

• Directs the Minnesota Commissioner of Education to amend the state’s accountability plan (the North Star Plan) that was adopted under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Main Provisions

• The commissioner must not require a school district to report a score on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) for any student who opts out of the assessment.
• A student who opts out must not be included in any of the student group data used to calculate a district’s or a school’s achievement rates.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Changes reporting requirements so opt-out students do not have MCA scores recorded or used in accountability measures.
• Removes opt-out students from being counted in student group data used to determine district or school achievement rates, potentially altering how schools and districts are evaluated under the North Star accountability framework.

Implementation Notes

• Applies to the North Star accountability plan under ESSA and directs a revision of how opt-out data are handled in state accountability calculations.

Public Impact

• Aims to reduce the impact of opt-out decisions on school accountability metrics by excluding opt-out students from MCA reporting and from subgroup achievement calculations.

Terminology Inclusion

• ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act)
• North Star Plan (Minnesota accountability plan)
• Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs)
• Opt out / Opt-out students
• Student group data
• Achievement rates
• Districts / Schools

Relevant Terms - ESSA, North Star Plan, Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs), opt out, opt-out students, student group data, achievement rates, district, school, accountability plan, amendment.