Relates to computer-based assessment technology apportionment

Summary of provisions

Section 1: Legislative Intent.

Section 2: The second section creates a new section 755 of the education law which provides reimbursement to school districts and boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES) for casts associated with technology purchases needed to administer required computer-based state assessments. Section 2 thereafter defines "technology purchases"; provides guidelines and requirements for the sufficiency of the equipment that is needed and shall be aidable; the amount of computers a school district or BOCES is entitled to above any equipment they may already have; and the ways in which the technology purchases shall be fully aidable.

Section 3: The third section directs the commissioner to develop a plan to minimize the overall impact on taxpayer investment in the development and administration of required high-quality computer-based state assessments. The commissioner must submit such plan to the Governor and the Legislature prior to making any commitment to computer-based testing, but no later than December 1, 2014.

Existing law

None.

Justification

It is imperative that New York students receive a high quality education. Therefore, the Legislature concurs with the goals of the Board of Regents to develop a rich educational system that provides multiple pathways to graduation, and ensures that all students are college and career ready. However, recent years have highlighted the multitude of requirements placed on school districts for which no state funding is provided. As school districts continue to be faced with unprecedented fiscal constraints, it is paramount that any new educational initiative brings With it the proper financial support. School districts and taxpayers simply cannot afford any new unfunded mandates. This legislation makes all new technology purchases needed for a school district or BOCES to sufficiently administer Board of Regents approved and required computer-based state assessments, fully reimbursable in the form of a computer-based assessment technology apportionment.

As a component of the Regent's Reform Agenda, the Board of Regents has adopted the Common Core State Standards as a tool to guide New York

students on the path to college and career readiness. In addition to the implementation of the Common Core, as a Governing Member of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness in College and Careers (PARCC) the New York State Education Department has been integrally involved in the development of PARCC. PARCC is a consortium of twenty-two states that are working together to develop English and math assessments that will be aligned to the Common Core State Standards. Although not yet fully adopted in New York the timeline suggests that PARCC computer-based assessments should be administered beginning in 2015, however, the Board of Regents has yet to determine if and when New York may fully adopt the PARCC assessments.

If PARCC is adopted by the Board of Regents, it will require, among other things, that New York make better use of technology in the administering of state required examinations. While leveraging technology to inform instruction and assessment are laudable goals, the Legislature is keenly aware that many school districts and BOCES are not adequately prepared to meet the tremendous technological and financial challenges associated with computer-based testing. As a practical matter, many districts and BOCES do not currently have the appropriate technology needed to either administer a high level of state assessments securely or have enough computers and equipment to allow all of its students to take the examinations in a secure and timely fashion. Many more districts and BOCES are under exceedingly difficult fiscal constraints; they simply cannot afford to purchase the number of computers and equipment on the scale required to administer state required computer-based examinations.

Furthermore, because the costs of implementing PARCC assessments are not yet known and have the potential to be prohibitive, the Legislature finds it imperative that the true costs of implementation be defined. This legislation directs the Commissioner of Education to identify such costs and provide a plan to minimize the impact on local school districts and taxpayers prior to making any commitment to implementing computer-based assessments.

Legislative history

New bill.

Fiscal implications

To be determined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.