Minnesota Decision Letter for State Accountability Plans under the Consolidated State Application Process
June 1, 2009
The Honorable Alice Seagren
Commissioner of Education
Minnesota Department of Education
1500 Highway 36 West
Roseville, Minnesota 55113
Dear Commissioner Seagren:
On behalf of Secretary Duncan, I want to thank you for your hard work in implementing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). As you may know, the Secretary is traveling the country and listening to representatives of states and districts, as well as other stakeholders, to talk about the ways in which the ESEA can be improved. These conversations will inform the next reauthorization of the statute. In the meantime, we will push towards our reform goals under the authority of, and in accordance with, the existing statute and regulations.
I am writing in response to Minnesota’s request to amend its state accountability plan under Title I of the ESEA. Following discussions between the Department and your staff, you made a change to Minnesota’s accountability plan, which is now included in the amended state accountability plan that Minnesota submitted to the Department on January 23, 2009. I am pleased to approve Minnesota’s amended plan, which we will post on the Department’s website. A summary of Minnesota’s requested amendment is enclosed with this letter. As you know, any further requests to amend Minnesota’s accountability plan must be submitted to the Department for review and approval as required by section 1111(f)(2) of Title I of the ESEA.
Please also be aware that approval of Minnesota’s accountability plan for Title I, including the amendment approved herein, does not indicate that the plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
I am confident that Minnesota will continue to advance its efforts to hold schools and school districts accountable for the achievement of all students. If you need any additional assistance to implement the standards, assessment, and accountability provisions of the ESEA, please do not hesitate to contact (Vicki.Robinson@ed.gov) or (Sue.Rigney@ed.gov) of my staff.
Sincerely,
Joseph C. Conaty
Enclosure
cc: Governor Tim Pawlenty
Jessie Montano
Amendment to Minnesota’s Accountability Plan
The following is a summary of Minnesota’s amendment request. Please refer to the Department’s website (http://www.ed.govhttps://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.html) for Minnesota’s complete accountability plan.
Acceptable amendment
The following amendment is aligned with the statute and regulations.
Including students with disabilities in adequate yearly progress (AYP) determinations (Element 5.3)
Revision: Minnesota will use the “proxy method” (option 1 in the Department’s guidance dated December 2005 and described in the Department’s Non-Regulatory Guidance regarding Modified Academic Achievement Standards) to take advantage of the transition flexibility authorized by 34 C.F.R. § 200.20(g) regarding calculating AYP for the students with disabilities subgroup. See the guidance at: http://www.ed.govhttps://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/modachieve-summary.html. Minnesota will calculate a proxy to determine the percentage of students with disabilities that is equivalent to two percent of all students assessed. For the 2008¬–09 school year only, this proxy will then be added to the percentage of students with disabilities who are proficient. For any school or district that did not make AYP solely due to its students with disabilities subgroup, Minnesota will use this adjusted percentage proficient to re-examine whether the school or district made AYP for the 2008–09 school year.
