Bill Text: NY A10429 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Requires a study and report on the total cost of student assessments and establishes a committee to review content on standardized test items and passages; makes an appropriation therefor.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-04-20 - referred to education [A10429 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A10429-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          10429
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                     April 20, 2018
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  PELLEGRINO  -- 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 and to
          establish a content review committee to review standardized test items
          and passages; and making an appropriation therefor
          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 57 to read as follows:
     3    57. 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 seventeen--two thousand eighteen 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 eighteen 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 seventeen--two thousand eighteen school year;
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00919-02-8

        A. 10429                            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 seven-
    26  teen--two thousand eighteen 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    § 2. Section 305 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    47  subdivision 58 to read as follows:
    48    58.  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. 10429                            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 eighteen. 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    §  3.  Section  305  of  the  education law is amended by adding a new
    18  subdivision 51-b to read as follows:
    19    51-b. On or before June first, two thousand eighteen,  and  each  year
    20  thereafter,  the commissioner shall release a significant amount of test
    21  questions and corresponding  correct  answers  from  each  of  the  most
    22  recently administered English language arts and mathematics examinations
    23  in  grades three through eight of that year. The number of questions and
    24  answers released shall not be so significant as to hinder or impair  the
    25  validity  and/or  reliability  of  future examinations but shall provide
    26  enough of an overview of each examination so that teachers,  administra-
    27  tors,  principals,  parents and students can be provided with sufficient
    28  feedback on the types of questions administered and, by July first,  two
    29  thousand  eighteen,  and  each  year  thereafter, the commissioner shall
    30  release the general student success rate  in  answering  such  questions
    31  correctly.
    32    §   4.  The  sum  of  eight  million  four  hundred  thousand  dollars
    33  ($8,400,000), or so much thereof as may be necessary, is  hereby  appro-
    34  priated  to  the  department of education out of any moneys in the state
    35  treasury in the general  fund  to  the  credit  of  the  state  purposes
    36  account, not otherwise appropriated, and made immediately available, for
    37  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  provisions  of subdivision 51-b of
    38  section 305 of the education law, as added by section three of this  act
    39  and  for  creating and printing more forms of state standardized assess-
    40  ments in order to eliminate stand-alone multiple choice field tests  and
    41  release  a  significant  amount of test questions.  Such moneys shall be
    42  payable on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on  vouchers  certi-
    43  fied  or  approved  by  the  commissioner  of  education  in  the manner
    44  prescribed by law.
    45    § 5. Section 305 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    46  subdivision 59 to read as follows:
    47    59. The commissioner is authorized and directed to establish a content
    48  review  committee  for  the  purpose  of reviewing any standardized test
    49  items and/or selected passages for use on state  assessments  in  grades
    50  three  through  eight to ensure that they are grade appropriate and that
    51  the complexity of the items and passages are within grade-level expecta-
    52  tions. Such committee shall also  ensure  that  any  test  items  and/or
    53  selected passages are fair and appropriately measure the learning stand-
    54  ards  approved by the board of regents applicable to such subject and/or
    55  grade level. Such committee shall also ensure that adequate  and  appro-
    56  priate  time is given to students for the administration of such assess-

        A. 10429                            4
     1  ments, provided however that subdivision forty-nine of this section must
     2  be complied with. The content review committee shall  include  classroom
     3  teachers  and  experienced  educators  in  the content area and/or grade
     4  level  of  the  items/passages  being  reviewed,  including  teachers of
     5  students with disabilities and English language learners.
     6    § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.
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