Enacts the educational standards and assessment act of 2009 allowing school districts which have identified either individual students or groups of students suitable therefor to create an alternative assessment procedure; provides requirements for such procedures and provides for regional assessment panels.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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5029
2009-2010 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 10, 2009
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Introduced by M. of A. BRODSKY, BRADLEY -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the educa-
tional standards and assessment act of 2009
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known as "the educational standards and
2 assessment act of 2009".
3 § 2. Legislative findings and purpose. The legislature finds that
4 standardized state-wide tests are not the only valid measurement of
5 success in meeting higher standards. There is substantial controversy
6 about the use of such standardized tests as the sole method of evaluat-
7 ing student performance. There are many students whose command of infor-
8 mation presented to them in class, whose ability to think independently
9 and creatively, and whose ability to express themselves is unquestion-
10 able. It is equally clear that these skills may not always be accurately
11 measured by the ability to pass standardized tests under time pressure.
12 Therefore, it is the purpose of this act to permit school districts
13 which have identified either individual students or groups of students
14 suitable for such purpose to create an alternative assessment procedure.
15 These alternative assessment procedures may include an individual
16 assessment plan as an alternative to state-wide standardized regents
17 exams or as a supplement to them for those who take and pass some or
18 most of the regents exams. They may include alternative standardized
19 testing.
20 § 3. The education law is amended by adding a new section 319 to read
21 as follows:
22 § 319. Alternative assessment procedure. 1. School districts which
23 have identified either individual students or groups of students suit-
24 able therefor may create an alternative assessment procedure. Alterna-
25 tive assessment procedures may include an individual assessment plan as
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08250-01-9
A. 5029 2
1 an alternative to state-wide standardized regents exams or as a supple-
2 ment to them for those who take and pass some or most of the regents
3 exams. Such plan may include the ability to do segmented retesting for
4 those who fail part of a regents exam and alternative standardized test-
5 ing.
6 2. Alternative assessment procedures shall have all elements of the
7 standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessments rigorously main-
8 tained and provide for the creation, based on the model of the existing
9 state assessment panels, of regional assessment panels. Such panels
10 shall rigorously evaluate and approve any alternative assessment mech-
11 anism. The panels shall be external and regional, shall be fair and
12 uniform in effect, shall ensure the alignment of curriculum to state
13 standards, shall adhere to cumulative documentation of student achieve-
14 ment and specified criteria for specific levels of mastery, and shall
15 require rigorous professional development for those who serve as evalu-
16 ators.
17 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
