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.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4712--A
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 19, 2013
___________
Introduced by Sens. LATIMER, ADDABBO, BALL, CARLUCCI, GRIFFO, KENNEDY,
MARCHIONE, MAZIARZ, PARKER, RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education --
recommitted to the Committee on Education in accordance with Senate
Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
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 44 to read as follows:
3 44. 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 thirteen -- two thousand fourteen 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 fourteen 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
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10237-03-4
S. 4712--A 2
1 developed assessments which are administered by public school districts
2 and the total number of assessments each student cohort was administered
3 on average from kindergarten through grade twelve during the two thou-
4 sand thirteen -- two thousand fourteen school year;
5 (2) The total cost of student assessments administered in each school
6 district in the state. The total cost shall be disaggregated to deter-
7 mine the amount of public funds which were expended on non-school
8 district employees, vendors, and other entities with which the state and
9 school districts contract for student assessment purposes including
10 purchase and licensing costs, test development, test booklets, scoring
11 sheets and scoring costs;
12 (3) Logistical, preparation and administration costs including, but
13 not limited to, distributing and collecting assessment materials,
14 assessment directions, and storing materials;
15 (4) Cost of test preparation materials;
16 (5) Cost of data coaches;
17 (6) Cost of data analysis or dashboard systems, information technology
18 maintenance, purchase, or upgrade;
19 (7) Cost of professional development focused primarily on student
20 assessment data;
21 (8) Cost of training for test administrators and proctors;
22 (9) Per-pupil costs of any additional assessments administered to
23 student subgroups including English language learners, students receiv-
24 ing intervention or remediation services, students with disabilities,
25 and economically disadvantaged students; and
26 (10) Any other costs related to student assessments.
27 d. In addition, the study shall determine the total amount of time
28 spent by school administrators, teachers, and students on student
29 assessments and associated activities during the two thousand thirteen-
30 -two thousand fourteen school year. This shall include time spent by
31 students taking all state and district assessments; time spent by school
32 administrators and teachers for administrative tasks such as distribut-
33 ing and collecting answering sheets and giving directions, and the total
34 amount of time spent preparing students to take the assessments. Time
35 related data collected pursuant to this paragraph shall be disaggregated
36 by the following student groups: English language learners, students
37 receiving intervention or remediation services, students with disabili-
38 ties, general education students, and economically disadvantaged
39 students.
40 e. The commissioner shall submit the methodology used to calculate the
41 costs associated with student assessments to the comptroller before the
42 commissioner conducts the study pursuant to this subdivision. The comp-
43 troller shall make a written analysis of the methodology used by the
44 commissioner to determine the costs associated with student assessments.
45 The comptroller's analysis shall include a determination about the qual-
46 ity of the methodology used by the commissioner and the extent to which
47 the methodology will result in an analysis that properly accounts for
48 the actual costs incurred by school districts on student assessments and
49 related activities.
50 § 2. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new
51 subdivision 45 to read as follows:
52 45. a. The commissioner shall undertake a state-wide survey of school
53 administrators and teachers about the time they spend on test prepara-
54 tion for each student assessment and the impact of test preparation on
55 the quality of instruction. The survey shall provide school administra-
56 tors and teacher respondents anonymity. The survey shall include: the
S. 4712--A 3
1 impact that student assessments have on curriculum; the amount of time a
2 teacher spends on test-taking strategies, simulating the testing envi-
3 ronment, and aligning curriculum content to assessments; the extent to
4 which assessments affect instruction time for different student
5 subgroups; and any other relevant questions about the impact of student
6 assessments on the school learning environment. In addition the survey
7 shall solicit recommendations from school administrators and teachers
8 regarding making student assessments cost effective, time efficient,
9 supportive of teaching and learning, aligned with the curriculum and
10 focused on student and teacher growth.
11 b. This survey shall result in a report which details the results and
12 conclusions from the survey and shall be filed with the governor, the
13 director of the division of the budget, the speaker of the assembly, the
14 temporary president of the senate, the chair of the assembly ways and
15 means committee, the chair of the senate finance committee and the
16 chairs of the assembly and senate education committees by December thir-
17 ty-first, two thousand fourteen. Such report shall also be posted on the
18 website of the department and shall be deemed a public document. The
19 report shall not include any information which specifically identifies
20 any individual school administrator, teacher or pupil.
21 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
