Location: 1500 HWY 36 W, ROSEVILLE, MN

Phone: 651-582-8200

Appointing: Commissioner of Education

Compensation: None

Established By: LAWS 2013 CH 116, ART 3 SEC 22

Membership Includes:  Twelve (12) to Fourteen (14) Members. Two members must represent technology business.  Remaining members must represent the following interests: (1) superintendents; (2) special education specialists; (3) technology directors; (4) teachers; (5) rural, urban, and suburban school districts; (6) supplemental programs; (7) full-time programs; (8) consortia; (9) charter schools; (10) Board of Teaching – approved teacher preparation programs; and (11) parents.  Meeting schedule and location are still to be determined.

Skills & Experience: Rural, Urban, and Suburban school district representatives in any of the following areas: Superintendents, Special Education Specialists, Technology Directors, Teachers, Supplement Online programs, Full-Time Online Programs, Consortia, Charter Schools, Board of Teaching approved teacher preparation programs, and parents.

The advisory council shall bring to the attention of the commissioner and the legislature any matters related to online and digital learning and the advisory council shall provide input to the department and the legislature in online learning matters related, but not restricted to: (1) quality assurance; (2) teacher qualifications; (3) program approval; (4) special education; (5) attendance; (6) program design and requirements; and (7) fair and equal access to programs.

The online learning advisory council with the support of the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Learning Commons shall:
(1) oversee the development and maintenance of a catalog of publicly available digital learning content currently aligned to the Minnesota academic standards to include: indexing of Minnesota academic standards with which curriculum is aligned; a method for student and teacher users to provide evaluative feedback; and a plan for ongoing maintenance
(2) recommend methods for including student performance data on the digital learning content within the catalog.

The advisory council shall also consider and provide input to the department and legislature on digital learning matters including, but not limited to:
(1) a review and approval process to ensure the quality of online learning providers based on teacher qualifications, support for special education services, definitions of student attendance, program design, and equal access.
(2) effective use of technology and related instructional strategies to improve student outcomes and advance students’ 21st century skills and knowledge;
(3) measures to determine the impact of various forms of online and digital learning in and outside of the classroom;
(4) resources to help parents, students, and schools choose among enrollment options in a transparent education system;
(5) how to personalize or differentiate learning to meet the needs, abilities, and learning styles of each student and support students’ ownership of their learning so that all students are digital learners and have access to high-quality digital curriculum in every class and grade level;
(6) professional development in best practices to prepare current and future teachers, other education leaders, and other school staff to use and evaluate the effectiveness of digital tools and instructional strategies, provide personalized or differentiated instruction, and focus on competency-based learning and advancement so that all educators have a digital presence and use high-quality digital curriculum;
(7) support for collaborative efforts to leverage resources for digital instructional content and curriculum;
(8) barriers to improving the use of classroom technology and methods to ensure that each student has access to a digital device and high-speed internet at school and at home.

The advisory council shall make policy recommendations to the commissioner and committees of the legislature having jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 12 education annually by December 15 of each year, including implementation plans based on recommendations from previous councils and task forces related to online and digital learning.