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November 15, 2021
Good morning,
A few minutes ago, you should have received a notice of the request for comments on the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies, which are currently in the rulemaking phase of the standards review and revision process as outlined in state statute. In addition to the rulemaking public comment on the standards themselves, we want to make sure you are aware of a public comment period on the benchmarks.
Review and Revision Process for K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies
Per Minnesota Statutes 2021 section 120B.021, subdivision 4, every ten years Minnesota’s K-12 Academic Standards in each content area must be reviewed and revised. The review and revision process for the K-12 academic standards and supporting benchmarks in social studies began during the 2020-2021 school year. Because of this statutory requirement, a standards review committee of volunteer Minnesotans is formed to review and revise the standards and supporting benchmarks each year in the specific content area up for review. The standards committee meetings are public and their drafts are open for public comment. The standards review committee releases several drafts for public comment and changes to the drafts are made all along the way to reflect the feedback received.
Today, the statutory rulemaking process begins. The statutory rulemaking process is an iterative one and begins once the initial review and revision work of the standards review committee is complete. This process is set out in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 14 and is a complex process with many steps. The proposed K-12 academic standards in social studies represents the work of the social studies standards review committee.
The first step of the statutory rulemaking process for the K-12 academic standards in Social Studies is publishing the Request for Comments in the State Register. A 60-day public comment period on the proposed standards follows the publishing of this document. Per Minnesota Statutes 120B.023, subd. 1(d), the statutory rulemaking process does not apply to the supporting benchmarks and thus the 60-day public comment period is only open for the proposed standards language and does not give the public an opportunity to comment further on the supporting benchmarks. In the interest of being as transparent as possible the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is also holding a separate public comment period specifically for the benchmarks that support the K-12 academic standards.
As a reminder, an academic standard is a summary description of student learning in a content area. Academic standards encompass one or more supporting benchmarks. A benchmark supplements the standard and is the specific knowledge or skill that a student must master to complete part of an academic standard by the end of a grade level. Academic standards are not curriculum. Curriculum are the resources, assessments, learning experiences and plans that educators use at the local level to instruct students on the content of the academic standards. Under Minn. Stat. 120B.021, subd. 2(b), Minnesota academic standards do not require a specific curriculum.
Rulemaking Public Comment Period for Proposed K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies
The initial public comment period in the statutory rulemaking process starts on Monday, November 15, 2021 and will run for 60 days, closing on Friday, January 13, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. To provide feedback on the standards as a part of the statutory rulemaking process review the Request for Comments document posted on the MDE rulemaking webpage for the proposed K-12 academic standards in social studies. Comments must be submitted to the Office of Administrative Hearings’ e-comments system.
Additional Public Comment Period for Social Studies Benchmarks
The public comment period on the supporting benchmarks will last 30 days and will close on December 14, 2021. To provide feedback on the benchmarks as a part of MDE’s public comment process, complete this public comment survey or send us an email at mde.academic-standards@state.mn.us. Comments sent via postal mail will also be accepted.
Next Steps in the Statutory Rulemaking Process
It is still early in the statutory rulemaking phase of the standards review and revision process. There are multiple opportunities throughout this phase for the public to make comments and provide feedback on the proposed standards language and for changes to be considered and made to the initial proposed standards draft. The graphic below outlines the process.
The next step of the statutory rulemaking process is that MDE will review the public comments submitted to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) during the 60-day statutory public comment period. Next, MDE will draft the Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR), which has traditionally taken 14-17 months. The full statutory rulemaking process can take up to 24 months.
The statutory rulemaking process for the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies is not complete until the Notice of Adoption is published in the State Register. Each content areas includes an implementation date in the adopted rule language. If adopted, the proposed K-12 academic standards in social studies will be implemented in the 2026-27 school year.
Please share these opportunities for public comments with Minnesotans in your network and community.
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