Bill Text: NY A06594 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Requires a study and report on the total cost of student assessments; survey of teachers and administrators on test-prep time for student assessments; prohibits the use of certain assessments to be used for anything other than diagnostic purposes.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 20-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-07 - print number 6594a [A06594 Detail]
Download: New_York-2013-A06594-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Requires a study and report on the total cost of student assessments; survey of teachers and administrators on test-prep time for student assessments; prohibits the use of certain assessments to be used for anything other than diagnostic purposes.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 20-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-07 - print number 6594a [A06594 Detail]
Download: New_York-2013-A06594-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 6594 2013-2014 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y April 10, 2013 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. NOLAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring a study and report on the total cost of developing all student assessments THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new 2 subdivision 43 to read as follows: 3 43. A. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL UNDERTAKE A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE TOTAL 4 COST OF DEVELOPING ALL STUDENT ASSESSMENTS, INCLUDING THE TOTAL COST OF 5 PREPARING STUDENTS FOR ALL ASSESSMENTS, THE TOTAL COST OF ADMINISTERING 6 ALL ASSESSMENTS, AND THE TOTAL COST OF GRADING AND REVIEWING ALL ASSESS- 7 MENTS IN THE TWO THOUSAND TWELVE -- TWO THOUSAND THIRTEEN SCHOOL YEAR. 8 B. THIS STUDY REQUIRED PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH A OF THIS SUBDIVISION 9 SHALL RESULT IN A REPORT, WHICH DETAILS ALL SAID COSTS AND SHALL BE 10 FILED WITH THE GOVERNOR, THE DIRECTOR OF THE DIVISION OF THE BUDGET, THE 11 SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE 12 CHAIR OF THE ASSEMBLY WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE, THE CHAIR OF THE SENATE 13 FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THE CHAIRS OF THE ASSEMBLY AND SENATE EDUCATION 14 COMMITTEES. SUCH REPORT SHALL ALSO BE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE OF THE 15 DEPARTMENT BY DECEMBER THIRTY-FIRST, TWO THOUSAND THIRTEEN AND SHALL BE 16 DEEMED A PUBLIC DOCUMENT. 17 C. THE COMMISSIONER'S STUDY SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, THE 18 FOLLOWING INFORMATION: 19 (1) THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENT ASSESSMENTS ADMINISTERED IN EACH 20 SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE. THIS SHALL INCLUDE A COUNT OF STATE 21 REQUIRED ASSESSMENTS AND ASSESSMENTS WHICH ARE LOCALLY OR COMMERCIALLY 22 DEVELOPED ASSESSMENTS WHICH ARE ADMINISTERED BY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS 23 AND THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ASSESSMENTS EACH STUDENT COHORT WAS ADMINISTERED 24 ON AVERAGE FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE TWELVE DURING THE TWO THOU- 25 SAND TWELVE -- TWO THOUSAND THIRTEEN SCHOOL YEAR; EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10237-02-3 A. 6594 2 1 (2) THE TOTAL COST OF STUDENT ASSESSMENTS ADMINISTERED IN EACH SCHOOL 2 DISTRICT IN THE STATE. THE TOTAL COST SHALL BE DISAGGREGATED TO DETER- 3 MINE THE AMOUNT OF PUBLIC FUNDS WHICH WERE EXPENDED ON NON-SCHOOL 4 DISTRICT EMPLOYEES, VENDORS, AND OTHER ENTITIES WITH WHICH THE STATE AND 5 SCHOOL DISTRICTS CONTRACT FOR STUDENT ASSESSMENT PURPOSES INCLUDING 6 PURCHASE AND LICENSING COSTS, TEST DEVELOPMENT, TEST BOOKLETS, SCORING 7 SHEETS AND SCORING COSTS; 8 (3) LOGISTICAL, PREPARATION AND ADMINISTRATION COSTS INCLUDING, BUT 9 NOT LIMITED TO, DISTRIBUTING AND COLLECTING ASSESSMENT MATERIALS, 10 ASSESSMENT DIRECTIONS, AND STORING MATERIALS; 11 (4) COST OF TEST PREPARATION MATERIALS; 12 (5) COST OF DATA COACHES; 13 (6) COST OF DATA ANALYSIS OR DASHBOARD SYSTEMS, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 14 MAINTENANCE, PURCHASE, OR UPGRADE; 15 (7) COST OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON STUDENT 16 ASSESSMENT DATA; 17 (8) COST OF TRAINING FOR TEST ADMINISTRATORS AND PROCTORS; 18 (9) PER-PUPIL COSTS OF ANY ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENTS ADMINISTERED TO 19 STUDENT SUBGROUPS INCLUDING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, STUDENTS RECEIV- 20 ING INTERVENTION OR REMEDIATION SERVICES, STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, 21 AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS; AND 22 (10) ANY OTHER COSTS RELATED TO STUDENT ASSESSMENTS. 23 D. IN ADDITION, THE STUDY SHALL DETERMINE THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME 24 SPENT BY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS ON STUDENT 25 ASSESSMENTS AND ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES DURING THE TWO THOUSAND 26 TWELVE--TWO THOUSAND THIRTEEN SCHOOL YEAR. THIS SHALL INCLUDE TIME SPENT 27 BY STUDENTS TAKING ALL STATE AND DISTRICT ASSESSMENTS; TIME SPENT BY 28 SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS SUCH AS 29 DISTRIBUTING AND COLLECTING ANSWERING SHEETS AND GIVING DIRECTIONS, AND 30 THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT PREPARING STUDENTS TO TAKE THE ASSESS- 31 MENTS. TIME RELATED DATA COLLECTED PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL BE 32 DISAGGREGATED BY THE FOLLOWING STUDENT GROUPS: ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEAR- 33 NERS, STUDENTS RECEIVING INTERVENTION OR REMEDIATION SERVICES, STUDENTS 34 WITH DISABILITIES, GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, AND ECONOMICALLY DISAD- 35 VANTAGED STUDENTS. 36 E. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL SUBMIT THE METHODOLOGY USED TO CALCULATE THE 37 COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH STUDENT ASSESSMENTS TO THE COMPTROLLER BEFORE THE 38 COMMISSIONER CONDUCTS THE STUDY PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION. THE COMP- 39 TROLLER SHALL MAKE A WRITTEN ANALYSIS OF THE METHODOLOGY USED BY THE 40 COMMISSIONER TO DETERMINE THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH STUDENT ASSESSMENTS. 41 THE COMPTROLLER'S ANALYSIS SHALL INCLUDE A DETERMINATION ABOUT THE QUAL- 42 ITY OF THE METHODOLOGY USED BY THE COMMISSIONER AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH 43 THE METHODOLOGY WILL RESULT IN AN ANALYSIS THAT PROPERLY ACCOUNTS FOR 44 THE ACTUAL COSTS INCURRED BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ON STUDENT ASSESSMENTS AND 45 RELATED ACTIVITIES. 46 S 2. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new 47 subdivision 44 to read as follows: 48 44. A. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL UNDERTAKE A STATE-WIDE SURVEY OF SCHOOL 49 ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS ABOUT THE TIME THEY SPEND ON TEST PREPARA- 50 TION FOR EACH STUDENT ASSESSMENT AND THE IMPACT OF TEST PREPARATION ON 51 THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION. THE SURVEY SHALL PROVIDE SCHOOL ADMINISTRA- 52 TORS AND TEACHER RESPONDENTS ANONYMITY. THE SURVEY SHALL INCLUDE: THE 53 IMPACT THAT STUDENT ASSESSMENTS HAVE ON CURRICULUM; THE AMOUNT OF TIME A 54 TEACHER SPENDS ON TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES, SIMULATING THE TESTING ENVI- 55 RONMENT, AND ALIGNING CURRICULUM CONTENT TO ASSESSMENTS; THE EXTENT TO 56 WHICH ASSESSMENTS AFFECT INSTRUCTION TIME FOR DIFFERENT STUDENT A. 6594 3 1 SUBGROUPS; AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF STUDENT 2 ASSESSMENTS ON THE SCHOOL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. IN ADDITION THE SURVEY 3 SHALL SOLICIT RECOMMENDATIONS FROM SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS 4 REGARDING MAKING STUDENT ASSESSMENTS COST EFFECTIVE, TIME EFFICIENT, 5 SUPPORTIVE OF TEACHING AND LEARNING, ALIGNED WITH THE CURRICULUM AND 6 FOCUSED ON STUDENT AND TEACHER GROWTH. 7 B. THIS SURVEY SHALL RESULT IN A REPORT WHICH DETAILS THE RESULTS AND 8 CONCLUSIONS FROM THE SURVEY AND SHALL BE FILED WITH THE GOVERNOR, THE 9 DIRECTOR OF THE DIVISION OF THE BUDGET, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, THE 10 TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE CHAIR OF THE ASSEMBLY WAYS AND 11 MEANS COMMITTEE, THE CHAIR OF THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THE 12 CHAIRS OF THE ASSEMBLY AND SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEES BY DECEMBER THIR- 13 TY-FIRST, TWO THOUSAND THIRTEEN. SUCH REPORT SHALL ALSO BE POSTED ON THE 14 WEBSITE OF THE DEPARTMENT AND SHALL BE DEEMED A PUBLIC DOCUMENT. THE 15 REPORT SHALL NOT INCLUDE ANY INFORMATION WHICH SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIES 16 ANY INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR, TEACHER OR PUPIL. 17 S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.