What's happening
This bill expands admission criteria for graduate-level teacher and educational leader programs to allow alternative qualifications beyond GPA and exam scores.
Why it matters
Broadens candidate diversity. By allowing alternative qualifications (such as strong letters of recommendation, multilingual abilities, interviews, or writing samples), the bill could help attract a wider range of candidates, including those whose talents or experiences may not be reflected in traditional GPA or test scores.
Promotes holistic admissions. Programs can now consider factors like a candidate’s academic performance in their major, recent coursework, or graduate-level work, rather than relying solely on cumulative undergraduate GPA, potentially creating a more comprehensive evaluation of readiness.
Supports non-traditional pathways. The changes may benefit career-changers, multilingual applicants, and others with unique backgrounds, helping to address teacher shortages and diversify the profession in ways that better reflect student populations.
Maintains oversight and accountability. The law still limits the number of students admitted outside the main criteria (no more than 15% of each incoming class), and requires programs to report on these admissions, ensuring transparency and quality control.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Loosen Teacher Program Entry
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Substituted by A2405
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.132
- Referred to higher 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.
Loosen Grad Program Admissions
In Senate Committee · Rules · Sponsor Deborah Glick
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7118
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2020
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 Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 210-a of the education law, as amended by chapter 454 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
§ 210-a. Admission requirements for graduate-level teacher and educational leader programs. Each institution registered by the department with graduate-level teacher and leader education programs shall adopt rigorous selection criteria geared to predicting a candidate's academic success in its program, including but not limited to, a minimum score on the graduate record examination or a substantially equivalent admission examination, as determined by the institution, and achievement of a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher in the candidate's undergraduate program or deemed qualified by teacher education and educational leader faculty to satisfy alternative criteria, including, but not limited to, the following: 3.0 grade point average in the major or in the last two years of college or in a graduate degree program or graduate-level courses taken before matriculation into a graduate program; or, strength of letters of recommendations from qualified individuals, number of languages spoken, strength of a personal interview and quality of a writing sample; provided, however, such graduate record examination or substantially equivalent admission examination requirement shall in no case apply to certified teachers or school administrators who already hold a graduate degree. Each program may exempt no more than fifteen percent of any incoming class of students from such selection criteria set forth in this section based on a student's demonstration of potential to positively contribute to the teaching profession or other extenuating circumstances pursuant to the regulations of the commissioner. A program shall report to the department the number of students admitted pursuant to such exemption and the selection criteria used for such exemptions.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05694-01-9
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 admission requirements for graduate-level teacher and educational leader programs
Purpose
To provide higher education institutions with alternative criteria to use in determining admission into graduate-level and educational leader programs.
Summary of provisions
Section 1. Amends section 210-a of the Education Law to provide higher education institutions with alternative admission requirements for grad- uate-Level teacher and educational leader programs.
Section 2. Provides for an immediate effective date.
Justification
Prior to the enactment of provisions contained in chapter 56 of the Laws of 2015, higher education institutions had the full discretion and autonomy to consider multiple measures when determining whether or not to admit a student into their graduate-level and educational leader programs. The requirement that a student have an overall GPA of 3.0 is a one-size fits all policy that prohibits educational institutions from applying discretion to identifying an individual's potential quality as a future teacher.
This legislation will provide higher education institutions with more discretion through the expansion of criteria to be used when considering whether or not to admit a student into their program.
Legislative history
2017-18: A10952 Passed Assembly
Fiscal implications
None
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.