Chapter 120B — Educational Expectations and Graduation Requirements for Minnesota's Students

120B.01 Definitions This section says that all the key terms used in Chapter 120B (about school standards and graduation) have the same … 120B.018 Definitions This section defines important education terms used throughout Chapter 120B. It explains what 'academic standard,' … 120B.019 This section has been repealed and is no longer in effect. It was removed from the statutes by the legislature in 2012. 120B.02 Educational Expectations and Graduation Requirements for Minnesota's Students This section sets the overall expectations for what Minnesota students must learn and do to graduate from high school. … 120B.021 Required Academic Standards This section lists the subjects all Minnesota public school students must learn: language arts, math, science, social … 120B.022 Elective Standards This section covers elective academic standards, which are standards that school districts create locally for career and … 120B.023 Benchmarks This section explains how benchmarks work alongside academic standards. Benchmarks are specific skills students must … 120B.024 Credits This section lists the specific credits students need to graduate from a Minnesota high school. Students must earn … 120B.026 Physical Education; Exclusion From Class; Recess This section explains when a student can be excused from physical education class. A student can be excused with a … 120B.03 This section has been repealed and is no longer in effect. It was removed from the statutes by the legislature in 2000. 120B.031 This section was repealed by the 2003 education legislation that reorganized Minnesota's academic standards framework. … 120B.04 This section was repealed by the 2000 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.05 This section was repealed by the 1999 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.07 Early Graduation This law allows any high school student who has finished all required courses or standards to graduate early, before the … 120B.08 This section was repealed by the 2013 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.09 This section was repealed by the 2013 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.10 Findings; Improving Instruction and Curriculum This section states the legislature's finding that school districts and communities need a clear process to plan, … 120B.101 Curriculum This section protects teachers and principals from being disciplined for including contributions of people from … 120B.11 School District Process for Reviewing Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Achievement Goals; Striving for Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness This section requires every school district to adopt a long-term strategic plan for improving teaching, curriculum, and … 120B.1117 This section has been renumbered and its content now appears at section 120B.118, which is titled the Read Act. The … 120B.1118 This section has been renumbered and its content now appears at section 120B.119, which contains the Read Act … 120B.113 Closing Educational Opportunity Gaps Grants This section creates a grant program for school districts and charter schools to close educational opportunity gaps … 120B.115 Regional Centers of Excellence This section establishes regional centers of excellence to help school districts, charter schools, and school sites use … 120B.117 Increasing Percentage of Teachers of Color and American Indian Teachers in Minnesota This section sets a goal for Minnesota to increase the percentage of teachers who are people of color or American Indian … 120B.118 Title; the Read Act This section establishes the title and policy of the Read Act — the Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act — which … 120B.119 Read Act Definitions This section defines the key terms used throughout the Read Act, Minnesota's foundational literacy law. Definitions … 120B.12 Read Act Goal and Interventions This section, titled the Read Act Goal and Interventions, sets Minnesota's core literacy goal: every child reading at or … 120B.121 Early Childhood Literacy Programs This section establishes a research-based early childhood literacy program for children in Head Start, designed to … 120B.122 Dyslexia Specialist This section requires the Minnesota Department of Education to employ a dyslexia specialist who provides technical … 120B.123 Read Act Implementation This section sets out the specific implementation requirements for the Read Act, including mandatory reading screeners … 120B.124 Read Act Implementation Partnership This section created a two-year partnership between the Department of Education and the Center for Applied Research and … 120B.125 Planning for Students' Successful Transition to Postsecondary Education and Employment; Personal Learning Plans This section requires school districts to help every student develop a personal learning plan by no later than grade 9. … 120B.126 Construction and Skilled Trades Counseling This section directs the commissioner of education to work with the commissioner of labor and industry to include … 120B.128 This section was repealed by the 2015 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.13 Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs This section supports Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs in Minnesota high schools by … 120B.131 College-level Examination Program (clep) This section governs the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), which allows high school students to earn college … 120B.132 Raised Academic Achievement; Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs This section establishes a competitive grant program to help school districts and charter schools expand Advanced … 120B.14 Advanced Academic Credit This section requires school districts to give academic credit to students who successfully complete accelerated or … 120B.15 Gifted and Talented Students Programs and Services This section requires school districts to identify gifted and talented students using multiple objective criteria and … 120B.16 Secondary Credit for Students This short section states that a student who satisfactorily completes a high school course must receive secondary course … 120B.18 American Sign Language This section provides that completing American Sign Language (ASL) courses in a public school must be given the same … 120B.19 This section was repealed by the 2014 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.20 Parental Curriculum Review This section requires every school district to have a procedure allowing parents, guardians, or adult students to review … 120B.21 Mental Health Education Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, school districts and charter schools must provide mental health instruction for … 120B.213 Healthy Aging and Dementia Education This section encourages — but does not require — school districts and charter schools to provide instruction on healthy … 120B.215 Education on Cannabis Use and Substance Use Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, every school district and charter school must have a comprehensive education … 120B.22 Violence Prevention Education This section encourages school districts to integrate violence prevention programs into their existing K-12 curriculum. … 120B.23 Violence Prevention Education Grants This section establishes a state grant program to help school districts develop and continue violence prevention … 120B.232 Character Development Education This section encourages school districts to integrate character education into existing curriculum and programs, … 120B.233 This section was repealed by the 2007 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.234 Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education This section, known as Erin's Law, encourages school districts to include instruction on child sexual abuse prevention … 120B.235 American Heritage Education This section requires school districts to allow grade-appropriate instruction where students can read and study … 120B.236 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automatic External Defibrillator Instruction This section requires school districts to provide at least one hands-on CPR and AED instruction session to all students … 120B.238 Vaping Awareness and Prevention This section, called the Vaping Awareness and Prevention Act, requires public schools to provide vaping prevention … 120B.24 This section was repealed by the 2014 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.241 Computer Science Education Advancement Program This section establishes a statewide Computer Science Education Advancement Program requiring the Department of … 120B.25 Ethnic Studies This section provides the legal definition of 'ethnic studies' for use throughout chapter 120B. Ethnic studies means the … 120B.251 Ethnic Studies Requirements Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, every district and charter school high school must offer at least one ethnic … 120B.252 Holocaust, Genocide of Indigenous Peoples, and Other Genocide Education Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, school districts must offer middle and high school social studies curriculum that … 120B.299 This section was repealed by the 2019 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.30 General Requirements; Statewide Assessments This section sets out the general requirements for Minnesota's statewide assessment system, including the Minnesota … 120B.301 This section has been renumbered and its content now appears at section 120B.306, subdivision 1, which governs district … 120B.302 General Requirements; Test Design This section governs how the state designs its academic assessments. The commissioner must develop computer-adaptive … 120B.303 Assessment Graduation Requirements This section sets the graduation requirements related to state assessments for students who enrolled in grade 8 during … 120B.304 This section has been renumbered and its content now appears at section 120B.306, subdivision 2, which governs the … 120B.305 Assessment Reporting Requirements This section governs how Minnesota state assessment results must be reported. Reports must provide timely, useful, and … 120B.306 District Assessment Requirements This section limits the total time students spend taking locally-required district tests to 10 hours per year for grades … 120B.307 College and Career Readiness This section defines 'career and college ready' for Minnesota accountability purposes: a graduate who can successfully … 120B.31 System Accountability and Statistical Adjustments This section requires the Department of Education to build and maintain a coordinated, comprehensive system of … 120B.35 Student Academic Achievement and Growth This section requires the commissioner to develop and operate a system for measuring and reporting student academic … 120B.36 School Accountability This section requires the commissioner of education to create and annually update school performance reports for every … 120B.362 This section was repealed by the 2009 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.363 Credential for Education Paraprofessionals This section requires the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board to adopt rules creating a statewide … 120B.365 This section was repealed by the 2017 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.38 This section was repealed by the 1998 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects … 120B.39 This section was repealed by the 2009 education legislation. It is no longer active law, and the citation shown reflects …