STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          5410
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                     April 30, 2019
                                       ___________
        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 the  cumulative  grade
          point  average  admission  requirement  for graduate-level teacher and
          educational leader programs
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Section 210-a of the education law, as amended by chapter
     2  454 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
     3    § 210-a. Admission requirements for graduate-level teacher and  educa-
     4  tional  leader  programs.  Each institution registered by the department
     5  with graduate-level teacher and leader education  programs  shall  adopt
     6  rigorous  selection criteria geared to predicting a candidate's academic
     7  success in its program, including but not limited to, a minimum score on
     8  the graduate record examination or a substantially equivalent  admission
     9  examination,  as  determined  by  the  institution, and achievement of a
    10  minimum cumulative grade point average [of 3.0 or higher] in the  candi-
    11  date's  undergraduate  program;  provided, however, such graduate record
    12  examination or substantially equivalent admission  examination  require-
    13  ment  shall in no case apply to certified teachers or school administra-
    14  tors who already hold a graduate degree. Each program may exempt no more
    15  than fifteen percent  of  any  incoming  class  of  students  from  such
    16  selection criteria set forth in this section based on a student's demon-
    17  stration  of  potential to positively contribute to the teaching profes-
    18  sion or other extenuating circumstances pursuant to the  regulations  of
    19  the commissioner. A program shall report to the department the number of
    20  students  admitted pursuant to such exemption and the selection criteria
    21  used for such exemptions.
    22    § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
    23  have become a law.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05033-01-9