NY State Senate Bill 2021-S8213

Senate Bill S8213

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Requires teachers and library media specialists to complete professional development related to media literacy education

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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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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 02, 2022	referred to education

co-Sponsors

2021-S8213 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A6153
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §3006-a, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: A32

2021-S8213 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires teachers and library media specialists to complete professional development related to media literacy education; directs the department of education to develop model media literacy education and CTLE requirements related to media literacy education.

2021-S8213 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8213

SPONSOR: RYAN
 
TITLE OF BILL:

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

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation will aid in the teaching of media literacy by requiring
teachers and library media specialists to receive professional develop-
ment related to media literacy education.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one amends subdivision 2 of section 3006-a of the education law.

Section two establishes the effective date.

EXISTING LAW:

Click here

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Media literacy is a broad term that encompasses a wide set of skills,
ranging from thinking critically about news and opinion articles, deal-
ing with cyberbullying and creating and sharing content online and on
social media platforms. In this era of media saturation, young people
spend a lot of time reading, watching and interacting with different
types of media, including news programs, opinions, advertisements,
marketing messages, video games, music streaming apps, and social media.

However, research indicates that students are not being provided with
the necessary skills to navigate the vast amount of information online.
The teaching of media literacy helps students become wiser consumers of
media as well as responsible producers of their own content.

Likewise, teaching media literacy fosters critical thinking in students,
which can eventually become second nature.

Whether it be distinguishing between news articles, sponsored content,
and advertisements on a website's homepage or how best to evaluate the
veracity of social media posts, requiring media literacy professionals
in our public schools will help to ensure that our students are well
equipped to navigate the world around them.  Contrary to popular belief,
the ability to separate fact from fiction online is not a natural skill,
and instead is one that must be developed and fostered from a young age.

In order to effectively teach media literacy education in this constant-
ly changing digital age, it is important that educators are provided
professional development focused on media literacy. This legislation
will require five hours of professional development for teachers and
fifteen hours for library media specialists during each five-year regis-
tration period.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2021-S8213 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8213
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 2, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RYAN  --  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 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
 HUNDRED HOURS OF CONTINUING TEACHER AND  LEADER  EDUCATION  REQUIRED  BY
 PARAGRAPH A OF THIS SUBDIVISION.  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL REQUIRE THAT:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09403-03-2
 S. 8213                             2

 
   (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.

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Senate Bill S8213

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Sponsored By

Sean M. Ryan