Bill Text: NY S01939 | 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: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-01-11 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S01939 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S01939-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1939
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 11, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen. LATIMER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed 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 56 to read as follows:
     3    56. 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 sixteen--two thousand seventeen 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 seventeen 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
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00919-01-7

        S. 1939                             2
     1  on average from kindergarten through grade twelve during the  two  thou-
     2  sand sixteen--two thousand seventeen school year;
     3    (2)  The total cost of student assessments administered in each school
     4  district in the state. The total cost shall be disaggregated  to  deter-
     5  mine  the  amount  of  public  funds  which  were expended on non-school
     6  district employees, vendors, and other entities with which the state and
     7  school districts contract  for  student  assessment  purposes  including
     8  purchase  and  licensing costs, test development, test booklets, scoring
     9  sheets and scoring costs;
    10    (3) Logistical, preparation and administration  costs  including,  but
    11  not  limited  to,  distributing  and  collecting  assessment  materials,
    12  assessment directions, and storing materials;
    13    (4) Cost of test preparation materials;
    14    (5) Cost of data coaches;
    15    (6) Cost of data analysis or dashboard systems, information technology
    16  maintenance, purchase, or upgrade;
    17    (7) Cost of professional  development  focused  primarily  on  student
    18  assessment data;
    19    (8) Cost of training for test administrators and proctors;
    20    (9)  Per-pupil  costs  of  any  additional assessments administered to
    21  student subgroups including English language learners, students  receiv-
    22  ing  intervention  or  remediation services, students with disabilities,
    23  and economically disadvantaged students; and
    24    (10) Any other costs related to student assessments.
    25    d. In addition, the study shall determine the  total  amount  of  time
    26  spent  by  school  administrators,  teachers,  and  students  on student
    27  assessments and associated activities during the two thousand  sixteen--
    28  two  thousand  seventeen  school  year. This shall include time spent by
    29  students taking all state and district assessments; time spent by school
    30  administrators and teachers for administrative tasks such as  distribut-
    31  ing and collecting answering sheets and giving directions, and the total
    32  amount  of  time  spent preparing students to take the assessments. Time
    33  related data collected pursuant to this paragraph shall be disaggregated
    34  by the following student groups:  English  language  learners,  students
    35  receiving  intervention or remediation services, students with disabili-
    36  ties,  general  education  students,  and   economically   disadvantaged
    37  students.
    38    e. The commissioner shall submit the methodology used to calculate the
    39  costs  associated with student assessments to the comptroller before the
    40  commissioner conducts the study pursuant to this subdivision. The  comp-
    41  troller  shall  make  a  written analysis of the methodology used by the
    42  commissioner to determine the costs associated with student assessments.
    43  The comptroller's analysis shall include a determination about the qual-
    44  ity of the methodology used by the commissioner and the extent to  which
    45  the  methodology  will  result in an analysis that properly accounts for
    46  the actual costs incurred by school districts on student assessments and
    47  related activities.
    48    § 2. Section 305 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    49  subdivision 57 to read as follows:
    50    57.  a. The commissioner shall undertake a state-wide survey of school
    51  administrators and teachers about the time they spend on  test  prepara-
    52  tion  for  each student assessment and the impact of test preparation on
    53  the quality of instruction. The survey shall provide school  administra-
    54  tors  and  teacher respondents anonymity.  The survey shall include: the
    55  impact that student assessments have on curriculum; the amount of time a
    56  teacher spends on test-taking strategies, simulating the  testing  envi-

        S. 1939                             3
     1  ronment,  and  aligning curriculum content to assessments; the extent to
     2  which  assessments  affect  instruction  time  for   different   student
     3  subgroups;  and any other relevant questions about the impact of student
     4  assessments  on  the school learning environment. In addition the survey
     5  shall solicit recommendations from school  administrators  and  teachers
     6  regarding  making  student  assessments  cost effective, time efficient,
     7  supportive of teaching and learning, aligned  with  the  curriculum  and
     8  focused on student and teacher growth.
     9    b.  This survey shall result in a report which details the results and
    10  conclusions from the survey and shall be filed with  the  governor,  the
    11  director of the division of the budget, the speaker of the assembly, the
    12  temporary  president  of  the senate, the chair of the assembly ways and
    13  means committee, the chair of  the  senate  finance  committee  and  the
    14  chairs of the assembly and senate education committees by December thir-
    15  ty-first,  two  thousand  seventeen. Such report shall also be posted on
    16  the website of the department and shall be deemed a public document. The
    17  report shall not include any information which  specifically  identifies
    18  any individual school administrator, teacher or pupil.
    19    §  3.  Section  305  of  the  education law is amended by adding a new
    20  subdivision 51-b to read as follows:
    21    51-b. On or before June first, two thousand seventeen, and  each  year
    22  thereafter,  the commissioner shall release a significant amount of test
    23  questions and corresponding  correct  answers  from  each  of  the  most
    24  recently administered English language arts and mathematics examinations
    25  in  grades three through eight of that year. The number of questions and
    26  answers released shall not be so significant as to hinder or impair  the
    27  validity  and/or  reliability  of  future examinations but shall provide
    28  enough of an overview of each examination so that teachers,  administra-
    29  tors,  principals,  parents and students can be provided with sufficient
    30  feedback on the types of questions administered and, by July first,  two
    31  thousand  seventeen,  and  each  year thereafter, the commissioner shall
    32  release the general student success rate  in  answering  such  questions
    33  correctly.
    34    §   4.  The  sum  of  eight  million  four  hundred  thousand  dollars
    35  ($8,400,000), or so much thereof as may be necessary, is  hereby  appro-
    36  priated  to  the  department of education out of any moneys in the state
    37  treasury in the general  fund  to  the  credit  of  the  state  purposes
    38  account, not otherwise appropriated, and made immediately available, for
    39  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  provisions  of subdivision 51-b of
    40  section 305 of the education law, as added by section three of this  act
    41  and  for  creating and printing more forms of state standardized assess-
    42  ments in order to eliminate stand-alone multiple choice field tests  and
    43  release  a  significant  amount of test questions.  Such moneys shall be
    44  payable on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on  vouchers  certi-
    45  fied  or  approved  by  the  commissioner  of  education  in  the manner
    46  prescribed by law.
    47    § 5. Section 305 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    48  subdivision 58 to read as follows:
    49    58. The commissioner is authorized and directed to establish a content
    50  review  committee  for  the  purpose  of reviewing any standardized test
    51  items and/or selected passages for use on state  assessments  in  grades
    52  three  through  eight to ensure that they are grade appropriate and that
    53  the complexity of the items and passages are within grade-level expecta-
    54  tions. Such committee shall also  ensure  that  any  test  items  and/or
    55  selected passages are fair and appropriately measure the learning stand-
    56  ards  approved by the board of regents applicable to such subject and/or

        S. 1939                             4
     1  grade level. Such committee shall also ensure that adequate  and  appro-
     2  priate  time is given to students for the administration of such assess-
     3  ments, provided however that subdivision forty-nine of this section must
     4  be  complied  with. The content review committee shall include classroom
     5  teachers and experienced educators in  the  content  area  and/or  grade
     6  level  of  the  items/passages  being  reviewed,  including  teachers of
     7  students with disabilities and English language learners.
     8    § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.
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