Provides that teachers, principals, and superintendents are no longer required to sign confidentiality agreements

6 Co-sponsors

• David Carlucci
• Patrick M. Gallivan
• George Latimer
• Kathleen A. Marchione
• Michael H. Ranzenhofer
• Susan Serino

Title of bill

An act to amend the education law, in relation to confidentiality agreements with teachers

Purpose

To prohibit the department from requiring teachers, principals, or superintendents to sign certain portions of confidentiality agreements.

Summary of provisions

Section 1: Section 1 would prohibit the department from requiring teachers, principals or superintendents from signing confidentiality agreements that prohibit such employees from discussing the contents of ELA and math assessments in grades three through eight. It would further require the department to amend any confidentiality agreements to be in conformance with the provisions of this act.

Section 2: Section 2 sets forth an immediate effective date.

Justification

Currently, school employees that grade federally required standardized assessments in grades three through eight ELA and math are required to sign confidentiality agreements with the State Education Department (SED). One provision of the agreement prohibits teachers and school employees from merely discussing the contents of the exam the employee was grading with other school employees. Not only do teachers get the tests back too late in the year for them to be instructional for the students that took the exam, by not being allowed to even discuss the tests it hinders teachers' ability to improve. This bill would allow SED to continue to require some semblance of safety by allowing agreements to continue, but would prohibit the requirement that teachers and school employees cannot merely discuss the contents of the exams.

Legislative history

2015: S. 5139 Education / A. 7402 Passed Assembly

Fiscal implications

None.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.