STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6351
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 23, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to admission requirements
for graduate-level teacher and educational leader programs
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 210-a of the education law, as amended by chapter
2 454 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 210-a. Admission requirements for graduate-level teacher and educa-
4 tional leader programs. Each institution registered by the department
5 with graduate-level teacher and leader education programs shall adopt
6 rigorous selection criteria geared to predicting a candidate's academic
7 success in its program, including but not limited to, a minimum score on
8 the graduate record examination or a substantially equivalent admission
9 examination, as determined by the institution, and achievement of a
10 cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher in the candidate's
11 undergraduate program or deemed qualified by teacher education and
12 educational leader faculty to satisfy alternative criteria, including,
13 but not limited to, the following: 3.0 grade point average in the major
14 or in the last two years of college or in a graduate degree program or
15 graduate-level courses taken before matriculation into a graduate
16 program; or, strength of letters of recommendations from qualified indi-
17 viduals, number of languages spoken, strength of a personal interview
18 and quality of a writing sample; provided, however, such graduate record
19 examination or substantially equivalent admission examination require-
20 ment shall in no case apply to certified teachers or school administra-
21 tors who already hold a graduate degree. Each program may exempt no more
22 than fifteen percent of any incoming class of students from such
23 selection criteria set forth in this section based on a student's demon-
24 stration of potential to positively contribute to the teaching profes-
25 sion or other extenuating circumstances pursuant to the regulations of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07726-01-1
S. 6351 2
1 the commissioner. A program shall report to the department the number of
2 students admitted pursuant to such exemption and the selection criteria
3 used for such exemptions.
4 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
