S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  6153--A
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              March 10, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred 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 requiring teachers and
   library media specialists to complete professional development related
   to media literacy education
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1.  Subdivision 2 of section 3006-a of the education  law,  as
 added  by section 2 of subpart C of part EE of chapter 56 of the laws of
 2015, is amended and a new subdivision 4 is added to read as follows:
   2. a. During each five-year registration period beginning on or  after
 July  first,  two  thousand sixteen, an applicant for registration shall
 successfully complete a minimum  of  one  hundred  hours  of  continuing
 teacher  and  leader  education,  as  defined  by  the commissioner. The
 department shall issue rigorous standards  for  courses,  programs,  and
 activities,  that  shall qualify as continuing teacher and leader educa-
 tion pursuant to this section. For purposes  of  this  section,  a  peer
 review  teacher,  or a principal acting as an independent trained evalu-
 ator, conducting a classroom observation as part of the  teacher  evalu-
 ation system pursuant to section three thousand twelve-d of this article
 may  credit  such  time towards his or her continuing teacher and leader
 effectiveness requirements.
   b. DURING EACH FIVE-YEAR REGISTRATION PERIOD BEGINNING ON OR  AFTER  A
 DATE  WHICH  SHALL BE DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER, ANY TEACHER WHO IS
 AN APPLICANT FOR REGISTRATION SHALL SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE A  MINIMUM  OF
 FIVE  HOURS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RELATED TO MEDIA LITERACY EDUCA-
 TION AND ANY LIBRARY  MEDIA  SPECIALIST  SHALL  COMPLETE  A  MINIMUM  OF
 FIFTEEN  HOURS  OF  PROFESSIONAL  DEVELOPMENT  RELATED TO MEDIA LITERACY
 EDUCATION, AS DEFINED BY THE COMMISSIONER.   SUCH PROFESSIONAL  DEVELOP-
 MENT RELATED TO MEDIA LITERACY EDUCATION SHALL BE COUNTED TOWARD THE ONE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD09403-02-1

 A. 6153--A                          2
 
 HUNDRED  HOURS  OF  CONTINUING  TEACHER AND LEADER EDUCATION REQUIRED BY
 PARAGRAPH A OF THIS SUBDIVISION.  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL REQUIRE THAT:
   (I)  PROFESSIONAL  DEVELOPMENT  RELATED  TO  MEDIA  LITERACY EDUCATION
 INCORPORATES THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF THE DEPARTMENT'S CULTURALLY
 RESPONSIVE-SUSTAINING FRAMEWORK;
   (II) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RELATED TO MEDIA LITERACY  EDUCATION  IS
 PROVIDED  BY  OR  IN  COORDINATION WITH A LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST OR AN
 EMPLOYEE FROM  A  SCHOOL  DISTRICT'S  LIBRARY  SYSTEM  IN  EVERY  SCHOOL
 DISTRICT;
   (III)  LIBRARY  MEDIA  SPECIALISTS  IN  EVERY  SCHOOL DISTRICT RECEIVE
 SPECIFIC TRAINING IN HOW TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RELATED  TO
 MEDIA  LITERACY  EDUCATION  TO  TEACHERS OF ALL GRADE LEVELS AND SUBJECT
 AREAS CONTAINED IN THEIR SCHOOLS, WHICH SHALL INCLUDE INSTRUCTION ON HOW
 TO EFFECTIVELY INTEGRATE MEDIA LITERACY EDUCATION  INTO  SUCH  TEACHERS'
 CURRICULA; AND
   (IV) THE DEPARTMENT CREATES AND PROVIDES MODEL CURRICULA, TEACHING AND
 PROFESSIONAL  DEVELOPMENT  RESOURCES  ON  ITS WEBSITE, WHICH INCORPORATE
 MEDIA LITERACY EDUCATION.
   C. Nothing in this section shall limit the  ability  of  local  school
 districts to agree pursuant to collective bargaining to additional hours
 of  professional  development  or continuing teacher or leader education
 above the minimum requirements set forth in this section.
   [c.] D. A certified individual who has not  satisfied  the  continuing
 teacher  and  leader  education requirements shall not be issued a five-
 year registration certificate by the department and shall  not  practice
 unless  and until a registration or conditional registration certificate
 is issued as provided in subdivision three of this section. For purposes
 of this subdivision, "continuing teacher and leader  education  require-
 ments" shall mean activities designed to improve the teacher or leader's
 pedagogical  and/or  leadership  skills,  targeted  at improving student
 performance, including but not limited to formal continuing teacher  and
 leader  education  activities. Such activities shall promote the profes-
 sionalization of teaching and be closely aligned to district  goals  for
 student  performance  which meet the standards prescribed by regulations
 of the commissioner. To fulfill the continuing teacher and leader educa-
 tion requirement, programs must be taken from sponsors approved  by  the
 department,  which shall include but not be limited to school districts,
 pursuant to the regulations of the commissioner.
   4. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST"  SHALL
 MEAN  AN  INDIVIDUAL  EMPLOYED  BY  A SCHOOL DISTRICT AS A LIBRARY MEDIA
 SPECIALIST PURSUANT TO 8 NYCRR 91.2.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.