Require Media Literacy Training

Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 3006-a of the education law, as added by section 2 of subpart C of part EE of chapter 56 of the laws of 2015, is amended and a new subdivision 4 is added to read as follows:

2. a. During each five-year registration period beginning on or after July first, two thousand sixteen, an applicant for registration shall successfully complete a minimum of one hundred hours of continuing teacher and leader education, as defined by the commissioner. The department shall issue rigorous standards for courses, programs, and activities, that shall qualify as continuing teacher and leader education pursuant to this section. For purposes of this section, a peer review teacher, or a principal acting as an independent trained evaluator, conducting a classroom observation as part of the teacher evaluation system pursuant to section three thousand twelve-d of this article may credit such time towards [his] such peer review teacher's or [her] principal's continuing teacher and leader effectiveness requirements.

b. During each five-year registration period beginning on or after a date which shall be determined by the commissioner, any teacher who is an applicant for registration shall successfully complete a minimum of five hours of professional development related to media literacy education and any library media specialist shall complete a minimum of fifteen hours of professional development related to media literacy education, as defined by the commissioner. Such professional development related to media literacy education shall be counted toward the one

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD00606-01-5

hundred hours of continuing teacher and leader education required by paragraph a of this subdivision. The commissioner shall require that:

(i) professional development related to media literacy education incorporates the principles and practices of the department's culturally responsive-sustaining framework;

(ii) professional development related to media literacy education is provided by or in coordination with a library media specialist or an employee from a school district's library system in every school district;

(iii) library media specialists in every school district receive specific training in how to provide professional development related to media literacy education to teachers of all grade levels and subject areas contained in such library media specialists' schools, which shall include instruction on how to effectively integrate media literacy education into such teachers' curricula; and

(iv) the department creates and provides model curricula, teaching and professional development resources on its website, which incorporate media literacy education.

c. Nothing in this section shall limit the ability of local school districts to agree pursuant to collective bargaining to additional hours of professional development or continuing teacher or leader education above the minimum requirements set forth in this section.

[c.] d. A certified individual who has not satisfied the continuing teacher and leader education requirements shall not be issued a fiveyear registration certificate by the department and shall not practice unless and until a registration or conditional registration certificate is issued as provided in subdivision three of this section. For purposes of this subdivision, "continuing teacher and leader education requirements" shall mean activities designed to improve the teacher or leader's pedagogical and/or leadership skills, targeted at improving student performance, including but not limited to formal continuing teacher and leader education activities. Such activities shall promote the professionalization of teaching and be closely aligned to district goals for student performance which meet the standards prescribed by regulations of the commissioner. To fulfill the continuing teacher and leader education requirement, programs must be taken from sponsors approved by the department, which shall include but not be limited to school districts, pursuant to the regulations of the commissioner.

4. For the purposes of this section, "library media specialist" shall mean an individual employed by a school district as a library media specialist pursuant to 8 NYCRR 91.2.

§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.