S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10952
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               May 29, 2018
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. GLICK -- read once and referred 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  ASSEM-
 BLY, 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  educa-
 tional  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 INDI-
 VIDUALS, 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 require-
 ment shall in no case apply to certified teachers or school  administra-
 tors 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 demon-
 stration of potential to positively contribute to the  teaching  profes-
 sion  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.
                                                            LBD15968-01-8