S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5710
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 24, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  GLICK,  LUPARDO,  COLTON,  GRIFFIN, EPSTEIN,
   CARROLL, DICKENS -- 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-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD07726-01-1

 A. 5710                             2
 
 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.