Bill Text: NY A07460 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires that readability standards for state administered standardized English language arts or mathematics assessments shall be presented at a readability level that is grade-level appropriate; requires the commissioner of SED to review assessments to ensure materials presented are grade-level appropriate.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 27-6)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - referred to education [A07460 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A07460-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         7460
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                     May 12, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  FAHY, McDONALD, BICHOTTE, GUNTHER, KAMINSKY,
         BARRETT,  STIRPE,  KIM,  LIFTON,  SIMON,  MOSLEY,  BUCHWALD,  SKOUFIS,
         JAFFEE,  GOTTFRIED,  COLTON,  RAIA, STEC, BRINDISI, LUPINACCI, DUPREY,
         CUSICK, COOK, ZEBROWSKI -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M.  of  A.  MAGEE  --
         read once and referred to the Committee on Education
       AN  ACT to amend the education law, in relation to readability standards
         for standardized assessments
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 319 to
    2  read as follows:
    3    S  319.  READABILITY  STANDARDS  FOR STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS.   STATE
    4  ADMINISTERED STANDARDIZED ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS OR  MATHEMATICS  ASSESS-
    5  MENTS FOR GRADES THREE THROUGH EIGHT SHALL BE PRESENTED AT A READABILITY
    6  LEVEL THAT IS GRADE-LEVEL APPROPRIATE.
    7    S  2. In order to implement the provisions of section one of this act,
    8  the commissioner of education shall:
    9    (1) no later than September 1, 2016  complete  an  initial  review  of
   10  state  administered  standardized  English  language arts or mathematics
   11  assessments for grades three through eight to review the readability  of
   12  such  assessments prior to the administration of such assessments. If it
   13  is determined from the initial  review  that  the  assessments  are  not
   14  grade-level  appropriate, the education department shall make the neces-
   15  sary changes to such assessments to ensure that they are presented at  a
   16  readability  level that is grade-level appropriate prior to the adminis-
   17  tration of such assessments.
   18    (2) consult with relevant stakeholders, as determined by  the  commis-
   19  sioner of education, and consider the use of comprehension and readabil-
   20  ity  indices  or  tests  such as those established by the Flesch-Kincaid
   21  Grade Level, Gunning Fog Index, Coleman-Liau Index,  SMOG  Index,  Auto-
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD10523-03-5
       A. 7460                             2
    1  mated  Readability  Index,  or  other  readily  available and nationally
    2  accepted readability indices and tests.
    3    S  3.  This  act shall take effect immediately; provided, however that
    4  section one of this act shall take effect on the one  hundred  eightieth
    5  day  after  it  shall  have  become  a law.   Effective immediately, the
    6  commissioner of education is authorized to promulgate any and all  rules
    7  and  regulations and take any other measures necessary to implement this
    8  act on its effective date, on or before such date.