Senate Bill S5394A

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to opting out of certain state assessments

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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Bill Amendments

co-Sponsors

2019-S5394 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A7744
Current Committee:
Senate Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §305, Ed L

2019-S5394 - Summary

Provides for a parent to choose to opt their student out of the grade three through eight English language arts and math state assessments, and requires the commissioner of education to provide notice to parents of such right.

2019-S5394 - Sponsor Memo

2019-S5394 - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5394
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              April 29, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "right to
   opt out of high-stakes testing act"
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Short title.  This act shall be known and may be cited as
 the "right to opt out of high-stakes testing act".
   § 2. Section 305 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 51-b to read as follows:
   51-B.  A.  THE  COMMISSIONER SHALL ENSURE THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS NOTIFY
 PARENTS OF STUDENTS IN GRADES  THREE  THROUGH  EIGHT,  EITHER  BY  EMAIL
 AND/OR  A MAILED LETTER, THAT SUCH STUDENTS MAY REFUSE TO PARTICIPATE IN
 ALL STATE TESTING OR ANY OTHER HIGH-STAKES  TESTING.  SUCH  NOTIFICATION
 SHALL BE GIVEN NO SOONER THAN THIRTY SCHOOL DAYS AND NO LATER THAN SEVEN
 SCHOOL DAYS PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED ADMINISTRATION OF SUCH TESTING.  SUCH
 NOTIFICATION SHALL READ AS FOLLOWS:
   "IT  IS  THE RIGHT OF EVERY PARENT TO DIRECT THE UPBRINGING AND EDUCA-
 TION OF THEIR CHILDREN. PARENTS MAY REFUSE TO PERMIT THEIR  CHILDREN  TO
 TAKE  STATE TESTING OR ANY OTHER HIGH-STAKES TESTING. PARENTS WHO REFUSE
 TO PERMIT THEIR CHILDREN TO TAKE SUCH TESTS MAY SEND A LETTER CONTAINING
 THE FULL NAME OF THE STUDENT, THE NAME OF THE TEST OR A  DESCRIPTION  OF
 THE  TEST  SO  IT  MAY  BE PROPERLY IDENTIFIED, AND THE SIGNATURE OF THE
 STUDENT'S PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN. NO PUNITIVE MEASURES  MAY  BE  TAKEN
 AGAINST  STUDENTS  WHO  REFUSE TO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH TESTING, NOR SHALL
 STUDENTS WHO DO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH TESTING  RECEIVE  ANY  INCENTIVE  OR
 REWARD FOR DOING SO."
   THE  TEXT  OF  SUCH  NOTIFICATION  SHALL  BE POSTED ON SCHOOL DISTRICT
 WEBSITES IN THE MOST COMMON SPOKEN LANGUAGES IN THE STATE.
   B. STUDENTS WHO DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY STATE TESTING OR  ANY  OTHER
 HIGH-STAKES  TESTING  SHALL  BE  SCORED  AS  A "REFUSAL", RATHER THAN AS
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

co-Sponsors

2019-S5394A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A7744
Current Committee:
Senate Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §305, Ed L

2019-S5394A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides for a parent to choose to opt their student out of the grade three through eight English language arts and math state assessments, and requires the commissioner of education to provide notice to parents of such right.

2019-S5394A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S5394A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  5394--A
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              April 29, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. JACKSON, BENJAMIN, RAMOS, SALAZAR -- read twice and
   ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
   Education  -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
   amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to opting out of  certain
   state assessments

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 60 to read as follows:
   60. A. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL ENSURE  THAT  SCHOOL  DISTRICTS  PROVIDE
 NOTICE  TO  PARENTS  OF  STUDENTS  IN  GRADES THREE THROUGH EIGHT OF THE
 PARENT'S RIGHT TO OPT THEIR STUDENT OUT OF THE GRADE THREE THROUGH EIGHT
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND MATH STATE ASSESSMENTS. SUCH NOTICE  SHALL  BE
 DEVELOPED  BY  THE DEPARTMENT, WRITTEN IN CLEAR AND CONCISE LANGUAGE AND
 TRANSLATED IN THE SIX MOST COMMON LANGUAGES IN THE STATE.    THE  NOTICE
 SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   B. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL ENSURE THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS PROVIDE PARENTS
 OF  STUDENTS  IN  GRADES THREE THROUGH EIGHT WITH THE NOTICE PURSUANT TO
 PARAGRAPH A OF THIS SUBDIVISION. SUCH NOTIFICATION  SHALL  BE  GIVEN  NO
 LATER THAN THIRTY DAYS AFTER THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
   C.  THE  SCHOOL  DISTRICT  SHALL HONOR A PARENT'S DECISION TO EXERCISE
 THEIR RIGHT TO OPT THEIR STUDENT OUT OF THE GRADE  THREE  THROUGH  EIGHT
 ENGLISH  LANGUAGE  ARTS  AND MATH STATE ASSESSMENTS. THE SCHOOL DISTRICT
 SHALL BE PROHIBITED FROM TAKING  PUNITIVE  MEASURES  AGAINST  A  STUDENT
 WHOSE  PARENT  HAS  CHOSEN  TO OPT THEIR STUDENT OUT OF THE GRADES THREE
 THROUGH EIGHT ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND MATH STATE ASSESSMENTS.
   D. ANY VIOLATION OF THIS SUBDIVISION MAY BE SUBJECT TO  AN  APPEAL  TO
 THE COMMISSIONER.
   §  2.  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.
              

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