Bill Text: NY A01851 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring review of foreign language learning standards; and providing for the repeal of certain provisions upon expiration thereof
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 20-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - referred to education [A01851 Detail]
Download: New_York-2009-A01851-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
1851
2009-2010 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 12, 2009
___________
Introduced by M. of A. NOLAN, BRADLEY, CAHILL, COLTON, GOTTFRIED,
JAFFEE, MILLMAN, PERALTA, O'DONNELL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.
COOK, DelMONTE, DESTITO, GLICK, GREENE, McENENY, PEOPLES, PHEFFER,
SWEENEY, WEISENBERG, WRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring review of
foreign language learning standards; and providing for the repeal of
certain provisions upon expiration thereof
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
1 Section 1. Section 211 of the education law, as added by section 1 of
2 part A of chapter 57 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
3 S 211. Review of regents learning standards. 1. The regents shall
4 periodically review and evaluate the existing regents learning standards
5 to determine if they should be strengthened, modified or combined so as
6 to provide adequate opportunity for students to acquire the skills and
7 knowledge they need to succeed in employment or postsecondary education
8 and to function productively as civic participants upon graduation from
9 high school. Such review and evaluation shall be conducted upon a sched-
10 ule adopted by the regents, provided that a review and evaluation of the
11 English language arts standards shall be completed as soon as possible,
12 but no later than the end of the two thousand seven--two thousand eight
13 school year AND FURTHER THAT A REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF STANDARDS FOR
14 LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH SHALL BE COMPLETED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BUT
15 NO LATER THAN THE END OF THE TWO THOUSAND TWELVE--TWO THOUSAND THIRTEEN
16 SCHOOL YEAR.
17 2. In conducting such reviews, the regents shall seek the recommenda-
18 tions of teachers, school administrators, teacher educators and others
19 with educational expertise on improvements to the standards so that they
20 ensure that students are prepared, in appropriate progression, for post-
21 secondary education or employment. THE REGENTS REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01391-02-9
A. 1851 2
1 LEARNING STANDARDS FOR LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH SHALL INCLUDE DEFIN-
2 ING AN APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH WHICH
3 INCLUDES LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AS A BASIS FOR PLACEMENT, ASSESSMENT,
4 ACADEMIC CREDIT AND INSTRUCTION IN PRE-KINDERGARTEN, KINDERGARTEN AND
5 GRADES ONE THROUGH TWELVE.
6 3. A. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL ESTABLISH A PILOT PROGRAM TO BE ADMINIS-
7 TERED BY THE OFFICE OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDIES
8 OF THE DEPARTMENT AT PUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT
9 THE REGENTS REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF LEARNING STANDARDS FOR LANGUAGES
10 OTHER THAN ENGLISH. THE OFFICE OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND FOREIGN
11 LANGUAGE STUDIES SHALL IMPLEMENT SUCH PROGRAM WITHIN THE AMOUNT OF ANY
12 MONEYS MADE AVAILABLE THEREFOR BY APPROPRIATION. SUCH PROGRAM SHALL
13 REVIEW AND EVALUATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CURRICULUM WHICH GIVES ALL
14 STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH THROUGH
15 PROGRAMS WITH APPROPRIATE TIME ALLOCATIONS, PROFICIENCY-BASED INSTRUC-
16 TION AND ASSESSMENTS AND QUALITY INSTRUCTION IN PRE-KINDERGARTEN,
17 KINDERGARTEN AND GRADES ONE THROUGH TWELVE. THE PROGRAM EVALUATION SHALL
18 INCLUDE:
19 (I) THE COLLECTION OF DATA ABOUT SCHOOL DISTRICT INSTRUCTION IN
20 LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH IN PRE-KINDERGARTEN, KINDERGARTEN AND
21 GRADES ONE THROUGH TWELVE;
22 (II) THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE BEST PRACTICES AND MODELS OF INSTRUC-
23 TION FOR THE STUDY OF LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH IN ELEMENTARY AND
24 SECONDARY SCHOOLS;
25 (III) RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT PROFICIENCY-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOL-
26 OGIES AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR THE STUDY OF LANGUAGES OTHER THAN
27 ENGLISH;
28 (IV) A PROFICIENCY-BASED APPROACH TO PLACEMENT, ASSESSMENT AND PROVID-
29 ING CREDIT TO NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGES;
30 (V) REVIEW OF AND RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT MULTIPLE COURSE DELIVERY
31 MODELS SUCH AS DISTANCE LEARNING, ON-LINE LEARNING AND WEB-BASED
32 PROGRAMS; AND
33 (VI) OTHER FIELD RESEARCH WHICH SUPPORTS HIGH QUALITY, ONGOING,
34 SYSTEMATIC INSTRUCTION IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH IN ELEMENTARY AND
35 SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
36 B. SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE PILOT PROGRAM SHALL REPRESENT THE
37 GEOGRAPHICAL DIVERSITY OF THE STATE INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
38 VARIOUS GEOGRAPHIC AREAS, POPULATION DENSITIES AND COMMUNITY DIVERSITY
39 THROUGHOUT THE STATE. PARTICIPATION IN THE PILOT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED
40 UNDER PARAGRAPH A OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE VOLUNTARY.
41 C. THE OFFICE OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDIES IN
42 THE DEPARTMENT SHALL SUBMIT A WRITTEN REPORT STATING THE FINDINGS OF THE
43 PILOT PROGRAM TO THE REGENTS, THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF
44 THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY AND THE CHAIRS OF THE ASSEM-
45 BLY AND SENATE COMMITTEES ON EDUCATION PRIOR TO EITHER THE REGENTS
46 REVIEW OF LEARNING STANDARDS FOR LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH, AS
47 REQUIRED BY SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION, OR PRIOR TO THE END OF THE
48 TWO THOUSAND TWELVE--TWO THOUSAND THIRTEEN SCHOOL YEAR, WHICHEVER OCCURS
49 FIRST.
50 S 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. Provided, however, that
51 the pilot program established under subdivision 3 of section 211 of the
52 education law added by section one of this act shall expire December 31,
53 2014 when upon such date the provisions of such subdivision shall be
54 deemed repealed.
