Academic Standards (K-12)

The Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards are the statewide expectations for student learning in K-12 public schools. School districts are required to put state standards into place so all students have access to high-quality content and instruction.

Per Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.018, an academic standard is a summary description of student learning in a content area. Academic standards are comprised of one or more 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 or grade band.

Minnesota’s academic standards are reviewed and revised on a 10-year cycle. One content area of academic standards is reviewed and revised each year based on a schedule approved by the Minnesota legislature. 

Educator Edition Bulletin

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This online archive of past Educator Edition newsletters goes back to September 6, 2022, and is updated with each newsletter we send. If you would like to subscribe to various list serves, please subscribe to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) listserv.

Education on the Holocaust, Genocide of Indigenous Peoples, and Other Genocides Working Group

Applications for the Education on the Holocaust, Genocide of Indigenous Peoples, and Other Genocides Working Group are now open. Applications will close on March 22, 2024. MDE is seeking middle and high school social studies and English language arts teachers, pre-service teacher education program faculty with expertise in relevant topics, university faculty with related academic expertise, and representatives of Minnesota-based nonprofit organizations, community groups, and sovereign nations whose missions include educating about and honoring the victims and survivors of displacement, genocide, and mass violence (See Education on the Holocaust and Genocide of Indigenous Peoples and Other Genocides Working Group Assumptions for Adults). Applicants must agree to the assumptions and the timeline, being available for all meetings from April, 2024 to October 2025. In addition to the scheduled full group meetings, there may be additional small group meetings scheduled to draft pieces of the guidance between meetings. Please read the Education on the Holocaust, Genocide of Indigenous Peoples, and Other Genocides Working Group Assumptions for Adults prior to completing the adult application.

Additionally, MDE is seeking current Minnesota high school sophomores and juniors with a demonstrated interest in education on the Holocaust, genocide of Indigenous peoples, or other genocides. Prior to applying, students should read the Education on the Holocaust, Genocide of Indigenous Peoples and Other Genocides Working Group Assumptions for Students, and complete the separate Application for Students. All student application materials should be sent in a single email to mde.academic-standards@state.mn.us with the subject line: Holocaust, Genocide of Indigenous Peoples and Other Genocides Working Group Student Application.

Ethnic Studies Working Group

Applications for the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Ethnic Studies Working Group are now open. Applications will close on March 22, 2024. MDE is seeking teachers with experience teaching Ethnic Studies to students in kindergarten to grade 8, parents or guardians of public kindergarten through grade 12 students, Ethnic Studies high school teachers, school board members or school administrators (including curriculum directors or directors of teaching and learning), Minnesota-based college-level faculty experts in Ethnic Studies, and community members with a demonstrated commitment to Ethnic Studies or education about Minnesota’s racial, ethnic, religious, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or cultural diversity. Please read the Ethnic Studies Working Group Assumptions for Adults.  

Additionally, MDE is seeking public school students in grades 11 and 12 during either the 2023-2024 or 2024-2025 school year. Prior to applying, students should read the Ethnic Studies Working Group Student Assumptions and complete the separate student application. All student application materials should be sent in a single email to mde.academic-standards@state.mn.us with the subject line Ethnic Studies Working Group Student Application. 

Applicants must agree to the assumptions and the timeline, being available for all meetings from April 2024 through October 2024. In addition to the scheduled full group meetings, there may be additional small group meetings scheduled to draft pieces of the guidance between meetings. Please read the Ethnic Studies Working Group Assumptions prior to completing the application.

Personal Finance Working Group

In support of the personal finance legislation passed in the 2023 legislative session, MDE put out an application for a Personal Finance Working Group. The working group will be responsible for developing guidance to support districts and schools in implementing the personal finance graduation requirement. The working group will include social studies, math, business education, family and consumer science, and agriculture, food and natural resources teachers, recent high school graduates, current Minnesota school administrators, and pre-service program faculty. Dates for the working group can be found in the Personal Finance Working Group Assumptions. 

The working group members are listed in the 2023 Personal Finance Working Group Member document.

Minnesota’s Computer Science Strategic Plan

Minnesota’s Computer Science (CS) Working Group developed a state strategic plan for computer science, finalized in March, 2024, which describes ten recommendations for long-term and sustained growth of computer science education across all public K-12 and charter schools in Minnesota, as outlined in the Computer Science Education Advancement Act Minn. Stat. 120B.241 [2023]. The recommendations are aligned to the requirements outlined in the legislation, such as licensure, high-quality professional development, continuous improvement, and standards, among others.

Computer Science Working Group

In accordance with Computer Science Education Advancement Act the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) put out an application for adults and students to join the Computer Science Education Working Group. The working group is charged with developing a state strategic plan for long-term and sustained growth of computer science education in all kindergarten through grade 12 school districts and charter schools. The plan will be open for public comment in February 2024 and presented to the Minnesota legislature by March 22, 2024. The CS Education Advancement Act lists organizations that must have a representative on the working group as well as:

  • one licensed library media specialist;
  • one representative from the business community employing computer scientists or technologists;
  • one high school student enrolled in a school with fewer than 1,000 students and one high school student enrolled in a school with more than 1,000 students; and
  • four computer science teachers that teach at schools of different sizes, including at least one teacher of students in kindergarten to grade 5, one teacher of students in grades 6 to 8, one teacher of students in grades 9 to 12, and one career and technical education teacher.

The working group members are listed in this document. The assumptions document includes the schedule of meetings that will be held in the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) offices. 

Local School Districts, Schools, and Educators Make Curriculum and Instruction Decisions

Districts, schools, and educators make curriculum and instruction decisions to support the teaching and student mastery of standards. By statute (Minn. Stat. 120B.021, subd. 2(b)[2023]), Minnesota academic standards do not require a specific curriculum. 

School districts determine how their students will meet the standards and benchmarks by developing courses and curriculum. School districts also decide which evidence based instructional techniques are to be used and take on the responsibility to train and support educators in using those instructional techniques. Curriculum is the vehicle to which educators present the content to students (includes: materials, resources, lesson plans and assessments).  

This video introduces the concept of bundling benchmarks in order to ensure all standards are taught to all students.

Rigorous Course Waiver

The rigorous course of study waiver is an opportunity for students to be waived from specific academic standards required for graduation. For more information, view the Rigorous Course of Study Waiver guidance document.

Standards, Review, Revision and Rulemaking

The Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards are the statewide expectations for student learning in public schools. The standards supplemented by benchmarks identify the knowledge and skills that all students must achieve in a content area by the end of a grade level or grade band. Minnesota’s academic standards are reviewed and revised on a 10-year cycle. One content area of academic standards is reviewed and revised each year based on a schedule approved by the Minnesota legislature.

Mathematics

The rulemaking process for the 2022 Mathematics standards began on December 27, 2022. This is a technical stage in the standards review and revision process that has many steps. The first step of that process is a 60-day public comment period on the standards, which closed February 27, 2023.

Social Studies Standards Review and Revision Process

The Commissioner approved draft is posted now, as the Social Studies standards progress through the rulemaking process. 

English Language Arts 

The Dual Notice of Adoption and the accompanying Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR) were published on December 27, 2022. This includes a 30-day public comment period on the standards. Per statute, this public comment period is only open for the standards. Written comments and will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on January 26, 2022. 


What is the Role of Local School Districts in Academic Standards?

Per Minnesota Statute 120B.021, state standards are required in the following content areas:

  • English Language Arts
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Physical Education
  • The Arts* (*Statewide or locally developed academic standards)

Districts are required to offer all standards. Most of the state standards are achieved through the benchmarks. Schools must offer and students must achieve all benchmarks for an academic standard to satisfactorily complete that standard.

School districts must develop their own district academic standards in three content areas:

  • Health
  • World Languages, using current world languages standards developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
  • Career and Technical Education

Curriculum Director Leaders Meetings

Standards and Related Information