What's happening
This bill creates a committee to find ways to shorten and increase transparency of standardized tests for K-8 students, with new requirements for test and score release and parental notification.
Why it matters
Emphasizes student privacy and data security. by requiring the committee to specifically examine what student data is collected, how and why it’s collected, who collects it, and where it’s stored—meaning families and advocates could better understand and potentially challenge data practices around standardized tests.
Public access to test materials and faster score reporting. could allow parents, educators, and researchers to scrutinize test quality and fairness, identify problematic questions or patterns, and reduce anxiety or confusion stemming from long waits for results.
Mandates advance parental notification of all standardized tests and make-up dates. , including field (experimental) tests, increasing families’ ability to prepare, opt out, or advocate for their children.
Requires the committee to be made up entirely of certified New York educators. ensuring that recommendations on test length and transparency are shaped by classroom experience, potentially leading to more practical and student-centered reforms.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Study Shorter, Clearer Tests
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Print number 2279a
- Amend and recommit to education
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Cut Test Length, Boost Transparency
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor Anthony Brindisi
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2279--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 12, 2017
Introduced by Sens. GRIFFO, AVELLA, FUNKE, KAMINSKY, SEWARD -- 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 creating a committee to study ways to reduce the length of standardized tests and ways to increase the test's transparency
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 57 to read as follows:
57. a. The board of regents is authorized and directed to establish a committee to research and develop ways to reduce the length of standardized tests administered to students between kindergarten and the eighth grade and ways to increase the test's transparency. The committee shall review how the test's transparency would impact students' privacy, including, but not limited to: (i) what data is being collected; (ii) how the data is being collected; (iii) who is collecting the data; (iv) where is the data being stored; and (v) why the data is being used.
b. Along with any recommendations made by the committee, the subsequent criteria shall be followed by the state education department and/or school districts:
(1) any standardized test administered to students between kindergarten and eighth grade shall be released publicly on the New York state education department's website within ten days of the scores being released;
(2) the release of test scores shall occur within ten days of the tests being graded; and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01873-02-8
S. 2279--A 2
(3) parents shall be notified within thirty days of any district-wide standardized test planned to be administered, along with the test's make-up dates. This includes any operational test as well as field tests.
b. The committee shall be made up entirely of New York state certified educators who reside in this state.
c. The committee shall create a proposal and present it to the board of regents within a year of the committee's creation.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the twentieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to creating a committee to study ways to reduce the length of standardized tests and ways to increase the test's transparency
Purpose
To ensure that the New York State Education Department establishes a committee of educators to explore methods of reducing time spent on standardized testing. The bill will also ensure the release of the test itself within ten days of the scores being posted.
Summary of provisions
Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 57 as described in the bill.
Justification
During the past few decades, education policies are being shaped more frequently by entities other than educators. This has resulted in a cumulative set of policies that are detrimental to our children and have greatly impeded the ability of our state's educators to teach in a manner that maximizes a student's potential for growth, both educa- tionally and emotionally.
This bill will require the Education Commissioner to establish a commit- tee of educators, who will explore methods of addressing the over-test- ing of children, while ensuring the content of current standardized tests are disclosed to the taxpayers of this state.
Legislative history
2016- S. 7461/A. 10058 - Education Committee.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the twentieth day after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.