(Editor’s Note: The following column was submitted by Becker Public Schools.)

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) develops standards to create expectations for student learning in K-12 schools.  The MDE creates standards for English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, and the Arts. School districts must develop standards for other content areas and will typically adopt national standards in these courses.  

The standards help schools throughout Minnesota maintain organized progression and are required for graduation. In addition, the standards are used to guide school district adoption of curriculum.

Minnesota standards are reviewed on a 10-year cycle.  The process has multiple levels of recommendations and approvals prior to their final approval by the Minnesota legislature. The standards are under the oversight of the MDE Commissioner and involves a committee of anywhere from 25-45 people who have a variety of expertise from content, discipline, various geographic regions, representatives of a community or stakeholder group, teachers (including those with multiple grade levels, disciplines, or experience in AP, honors, English Language Learners, or Special Education), and racial and gender diversity.  

Additionally, there is a review through public feedback collected through online and other sources. There is also a review and comparison to national standards, significant events and scholarly research, student data and achievement, and comparison to other states and country models. The committee rewrites the standards based on this information and then resubmits the updated draft for public input after they are aligned and provided with benchmarks. Following the second public input, expert reviewers who are nationally recognized for their expertise in standards and special issues, incorporates feedback to the standards committee. This process continues over one to two years. Once the draft is complete, the commissioner provides the final approval and recommends to the legislature.  

For more information on the standards, you can visit the Minnesota Department of Education website at Education.state.mn.us, or for the standards, you can go directly to Education.mn.gov/mde/dse/stds.