What's happening
This bill allows teaching assistant experience to partially count toward certification and ensures equal access to professional development for all certificate holders.
Why it matters
Expands the value of teaching assistant experience. by allowing it to fulfill at least 60% of the experience requirements for teacher certification, making career advancement more accessible for teaching assistants.
Addresses equity in professional development. by prohibiting school districts from excluding certificate holders from professional development opportunities based on their job title or role, ensuring fair access for all educators.
Mandates transparency and accountability. by requiring school districts to keep records of all professional development and continuing education hours for every certificate-holding employee, which may help ensure compliance and support future audits or reviews.
May contribute to teacher workforce stability. by lowering barriers for teaching assistants to become certified teachers and by promoting ongoing professional growth for all staff, potentially improving retention and instructional quality.
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Who cares
Teaching assistants
Their experience would count toward teaching-experience requirements for receiving or maintaining certification at no less than 60 percent of the rate of teaching experience or its equivalent.
School district employees who hold certificates
They would receive equal access to district-provided professional development and continuing teacher or leader education during the school day, regardless of their area of employment.
School districts
They would have to provide that equal access and maintain professional development and continuing teacher or leader education hour records for all employee certificate holders.
State education commissioner
The commissioner would have to allow teaching assistant experience to count toward any teaching-experience requirement for receiving or maintaining certification.
Headline styles
Teaching Assistants Gain Certification Credit
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- 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.
Teaching Assistants Gain Certification Credit
In Senate Committee · Education · Sponsor Robert Ortt
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8807
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
November 25, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to working as a teaching assistant accruing time towards certification and ensuring equal treatment of certificate holders by schools regarding professional development
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 3006 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
4. Time accrual for certification. If teaching experience is required by the commissioner to receive or maintain certification, the commissioner shall allow for experience as a teaching assistant to accrue time towards this requirement at the rate of no less than sixty percent the rate of teaching experience or its equivalent.
§ 2. Section 3006-a of the education law is amended by adding two new subdivisions 4 and 5 to read as follows:
4. No school district shall deny any employee certificate holder from professional development or continuing teacher or leader education provided by the school district during the school day based on the individual's area of employment. All employee certificate holders shall be provided with equal opportunity to receive professional development or continuing teacher and leader education provided by the school district during the school day.
5. Each school district shall maintain records of professional development and continuing teacher or leader education hours for all employee certificate holders.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02634-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.