Bill Text: NY A02261 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Establishes the New York accelerated graduation option act which provides New York high school students who choose to graduate within three years free community college tuition.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - referred to education [A02261 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A02261-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          2261
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 17, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of A. PEOPLES-STOKES, BENEDETTO, RIVERA -- read once
          and referred to the Committee on Education
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing an accel-
          erated high school graduation program
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
     2  "the New York accelerated high school graduation option act".
     3    § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new article 67  to  read
     4  as follows:
     5                                 ARTICLE 67
     6         THE NEW YORK ACCELERATED HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION OPTION ACT
     7  Section 3400. Legislative findings.
     8          3401. Definitions.
     9          3402. Accelerated high school graduation option act.
    10          3403. Eligibility requirements.
    11    § 3400. Legislative  findings. The legislature hereby finds that it is
    12  necessary for the state's citizens to acquire an  education  beyond  the
    13  secondary level in order to succeed during the twenty-first century. The
    14  legislature  also finds that New York state has one of the highest aver-
    15  age tuitions among public community colleges  in  the  country  and  the
    16  smallest  percentages of enrollments in public community colleges versus
    17  private four year  institutions.  The  legislature  further  finds  that
    18  community  colleges  strengthen New York's economy by providing students
    19  with educational training and experience which ensures a highly  produc-
    20  tive,  well-trained,  work  force. The legislature therefore enacts "the
    21  New York accelerated high school graduation option act" in order to help
    22  high achieving high school students pursue a post-secondary education.
    23    § 3401.  Definitions. As used in this  article,  the  following  terms
    24  shall have the following meanings:
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03450-01-7

        A. 2261                             2
     1    1. "Community colleges" means colleges established and operated pursu-
     2  ant to the provisions of article one hundred twenty-six of this chapter,
     3  either individually or jointly, by counties, cities, intermediate school
     4  districts,  school  districts approved by the state university trustees,
     5  or  individually  by  community  college  regions  approved by the state
     6  university trustees, and  providing  two-year  post  secondary  programs
     7  pursuant  to regulations prescribed by the state university trustees and
     8  receiving financial assistance from the state therefor;
     9    2. "Standardized test" or "test" means any test that is given  in  New
    10  York  at  the  expense of the test subject and designed for use and used
    11  solely  for  placement,  credit-by-examination  or  other   nonadmission
    12  purpose  or  any test developed and administered by an individual school
    13  or institution solely for its own purposes or any test, or portion of  a
    14  test,  designed  to  evaluate manual skills or other physical abilities;
    15  and
    16    3. "Commissioner" means the commissioner of education of the state  of
    17  New York.
    18    §  3402.  Accelerated  high  school graduation option act. 1. There is
    19  hereby created "the New York accelerated high school  graduation  option
    20  act".  It shall be the duty of the commissioner, or his or her designee,
    21  to administer the program.
    22    2. Students who enter grade nine in the  two  thousand  seventeen--two
    23  thousand eighteen school year and thereafter may select, upon receipt of
    24  each  student  and  parent's  consent  to  complete high school in three
    25  years, instead of the required four years  mandated  by  the  department
    26  shall become eligible to receive a scholarship to cover the full cost of
    27  tuition  at  a  New York community college. The scholarship amount shall
    28  not, when combined with  any  other  financial  assistance,  exceed  the
    29  student's  actual  cost of attendance at the community college where the
    30  scholarship is used. If the student chooses the option to graduate  high
    31  school  in  four  years  pursuant  to  the  requirements mandated by the
    32  department, the option for a scholarship to receive free  tuition  at  a
    33  New York community college will not be available.
    34    3.  Beginning  with  the  two thousand eighteen--two thousand nineteen
    35  school year, each district school board shall provide  each  student  in
    36  grades  six  through  nine and their parents with information concerning
    37  the three-year and four-year high school graduation options. The  infor-
    38  mation must include a timeframe for achieving each graduation option.
    39    4. Selection of one of the graduation options must be completed by the
    40  student  prior  to  the  end  of grade nine and is exclusively up to the
    41  student and parent. Each district school board shall establish  policies
    42  for  extending this deadline to the end of a student's first semester of
    43  grade ten for a student who entered a New York state public school after
    44  grade nine upon transfer from a private school or another state  or  who
    45  was  prevented  from  choosing a graduation option due to illness during
    46  grade nine. If the student  and  parent  fail  to  select  a  graduation
    47  option,  the  student  shall be considered to have selected the standard
    48  four year program.
    49    § 3403. Eligibility requirements. 1.  Students  first  entering  grade
    50  nine  in  the  two thousand seventeen--two thousand eighteen school year
    51  and thereafter must earn at least twenty-two units of  credit  including
    52  two credits in physical education, in compliance with the New York state
    53  regents, in order to receive a regents diploma.
    54    (a) English, four units of credit;

        A. 2261                             3
     1    (b) Social studies, four units of credit as set forth in paragraph (6)
     2  of  Section 100.5 Diploma requirements set forth with the New York State
     3  Board of Regents;
     4    (c)  Science,  three units of credit of commencement level science, at
     5  least one course shall be life sciences and at least one in the physical
     6  sciences, the third may be either life sciences or physical sciences;
     7    (d) Mathematics, three units of credit of mathematics, which shall  be
     8  at  a  more advanced level than grade eight and shall meet commencement-
     9  level learning standards as determined by the commissioner;
    10    (e) Visual arts and/or music, dance, or theatre, one unit  of  credit;
    11  and
    12    (f)  Health  education,  one-half  unit  of  credit in accordance with
    13  learning standards in the  area  of  parenting  being  attained  through
    14  either the health or family and consumer sciences programs or a separate
    15  course.
    16    2.  Prior  to  selecting a program, a student and the student's parent
    17  must meet with designated school personnel to receive an explanation  of
    18  the relative requirements, advantages, and disadvantages of the program,
    19  and  the  student must also receive the written consent of the student's
    20  parent.
    21    3. Students pursuing accelerated  three-year  high  school  graduation
    22  must:
    23    (a)  Earn  passing scores on all regents exams, standardized tests, or
    24  teacher given final exams in order to receive credit toward the acceler-
    25  ated degree; and
    26    (b) Achieve a cumulative weighted grade point average of 3.0 on a  4.0
    27  scale, or its equivalent, in the courses required for the career prepar-
    28  atory  accelerated  three-year high school graduation option pursuant to
    29  this article.
    30    4. If, at the end of grade ten, a student is not on track to meet  the
    31  credit,  assessment, or grade point average requirements of the acceler-
    32  ated graduation option selected, the school shall notify the student and
    33  parent of the following:
    34    (a) The requirements that the student is not currently meeting;
    35    (b) The specific performance necessary in grade eleven for the student
    36  to meet the accelerated graduation requirements; and
    37    (c) The right of the student to change to the four-year program.
    38    5. A student who selected one of the accelerated three-year graduation
    39  options shall  automatically  move  to  the  four-year  program  if  the
    40  student:
    41    (a) Exercises his or her right to change to the four-year program; and
    42    (b)  Fails  to  earn five credits by the end of grade nine or fails to
    43  earn eleven credits by the end of grade ten.
    44    6. A student who meets all requirements shall  be  awarded  a  regents
    45  diploma in a form prescribed by the state board of education.
    46    7.  (a)  A student shall be eligible for a scholarship upon completion
    47  of high school within three years according to the requirements of  this
    48  article. The scholarship shall cover the cost of up to five semesters of
    49  tuition and approved fees at a New York community college.
    50    (b) To be eligible to receive such scholarship a student shall:
    51    (i)  be  a  United States citizen or have permanent resident status in
    52  the New York county where the community college is located;
    53    (ii) have completed high school within three years  according  to  the
    54  requirements of this act;
    55    (iii)  be  enrolled  in  an  associate degree program for a minimum of
    56  twelve credit hours and a maximum of fifteen credit hours  per  semester

        A. 2261                             4
     1  at  the  community college, not including any credit hours in a remedial
     2  or developmental curriculum;
     3    (iv)  have  maintained continuous full-time enrollment at the New York
     4  community college; and
     5    (v) have applied for all other available forms of  state  and  federal
     6  financial aid, exclusive of loans.
     7    § 3. This act shall take effect April 1, 2017; provided, however, that
     8  effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule
     9  or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec-
    10  tive  date  are  authorized  and directed to be made and completed on or
    11  before such effective date.
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