A10484-2011 Actions

• May 29, 2012: referred to education

A10484-2011 Text

 S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 
 10484
 I N  ASSEMBLY
 May 29, 2012
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. SCHIMEL -- read once and referred to the Commit
 tee on Education
 

AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the exem
 plary district mentorship program
 THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

Section  1.  Article 3 of the education law is amended by adding a new
 part 2 to read as follows:

 PART II
 EXEMPLARY DISTRICTS
 SECTION 150. LEGISLATIVE INTENT.
 151. DETERMINATION OF EXEMPLARY DISTRICTS.
 152. EXEMPLARY DISTRICT MENTORSHIP PROGRAM.
 153. MANDATE EXEMPTION.
 

S 150. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. IT IS THE  INTENT  OF  THE  LEGISLATURE  TO
 FOSTER  THE  DEVELOPMENT  AND  CODIFICATION OF A BEST PRACTICE MODEL FOR
 STUDENT  SUCCESS  AND  FISCAL  RESPONSIBILITY  BY  DETERMINING   CERTAIN
 DISTRICTS  TO  BE  EXEMPLARY  DISTRICTS AND BY ESTABLISHING AN EXEMPLARY
 DISTRICT MENTORSHIP PROGRAM. TO ALLOW CERTAIN HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL  SCHOOLS
 TO  HELP  OTHER  SCHOOLS  ACHIEVE SUCCESS, THE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS
 SHALL RECEIVE EXEMPTIONS FROM TESTING  AND  PAPERWORK  REQUIREMENTS  SET
 FORTH  BY  THE STATE IN EXCHANGE FOR MENTORING CERTAIN OTHER SCHOOLS. IT
 IS THE INTENT OF THIS  PROGRAM THAT MORE DISTRICTS WILL BECOME EXEMPLARY
 DISTRICTS EACH YEAR AND THAT  THE  CRITERIA  FOR  DETERMINING  EXEMPLARY
 DISTRICTS  SHALL  BECOME  MORE RIGOROUS AS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT GAINS ARE
 MADE.
 

S 151. DETERMINATION OF EXEMPLARY DISTRICTS. 1.  ANY  SCHOOL  DISTRICT
 WITH  A  SUSTAINED  GRADUATION  RATE OVER NINETY-FIVE PERCENT FOR A FIVE
 YEAR PERIOD SHALL BE AN EXEMPLARY DISTRICT.
 2. THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE NEW YORK  STATE  COUNCIL
 OF  SCHOOL  SUPERINTENDENTS, SHALL GROUP SCHOOL DISTRICTS BY THEIR NEEDS
 PROFILE, AS  DETERMINED BY CONSIDERING THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ELIGI
 BLE FOR FREE OR REDUCED   LUNCHES, THE PERCENTAGE  OF  ENGLISH  LANGUAGE
 LEARNERS,  AND  CENSUS AND FINANCIAL DATA  PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF
 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD16038-02-2
 
       A. 10484                            2
 TAXATION AND FINANCE.  SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITHIN THE TOP TEN PERCENT    OF
 THEIR NEEDS PROFILE GROUPING WITHIN EACH ESTABLISHED REGENTS AREA AND/OR
 WITH  TWENTY PERCENT HIGHER GRADUATION RATES THAN OTHER DISTRICTS WITHIN
 THE  SAME  NEEDS    PROFILE  GROUPING  MAY BE DETERMINED TO BE EXEMPLARY
 DISTRICTS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE COMMISSIONER.
 3. EXEMPLARY DISTRICTS SHALL BE REVIEWED EVERY THREE YEARS  TO  DETER
 MINE  WHETHER  SUCH  DISTRICTS SHALL RETAIN THE STATUS OF BEING AN EXEM
 PLARY DISTRICT.
 

S 152. EXEMPLARY DISTRICT MENTORSHIP PROGRAM. 1.  EXEMPLARY  DISTRICTS
 MAY  ESTABLISH  LOCAL CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF STUDENTS AND STAFF. ANY
 EXEMPLARY DISTRICT ESTABLISHING SUCH LOCAL CRITERIA  SHALL  SUBMIT  SUCH
 CRITERIA  TO  THE DEPARTMENT TO BE PUBLISHED ON A BEST PRACTICES SECTION
 OF THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE DEPARTMENT.
 2. ANY EXEMPLARY DISTRICT ESTABLISHING LOCAL CRITERIA  FOR  EVALUATION
 OF  STUDENTS  AND  STAFF  SHALL BE REQUIRED TO WORK WITH OTHER DISTRICTS
 WITHIN THEIR GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND NEEDS PROFILE, AS  DETERMINED  PURSUANT
 TO SUBDIVISION TWO OF SECTION ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-ONE OF THIS PART, OR THE
 DISTRICT  OF  THEIR  CHOICE  AS  A  MENTOR. THE EXEMPLARY DISTRICT SHALL
 PROVIDE THE  RESOURCES  NEEDED  TO  HELP  EVALUATE  THE  DISTRICT  BEING
 MENTORED  AND SHALL PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON ANY BEST PRACTICES THAT MAY HELP
 THE STUDENTS.
 3. AN EXEMPLARY DISTRICT MENTORING ANOTHER  DISTRICT  AND  A  DISTRICT
 BEING MENTORED BY AN EXEMPLARY DISTRICT SHALL EACH BE ELIGIBLE FOR CHAL
 LENGE GRANTS TO HELP  IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM.
 4.  AN  EXEMPLARY  DISTRICT  MENTORING ANOTHER DISTRICT AND A DISTRICT
 BEING MENTORED BY AN EXEMPLARY DISTRICT SHALL COLLABORATE AND PREPARE  A
 REPORT  TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT SUMMARIZING THE BEST PRACTICES
 OF THE EXEMPLARY DISTRICT AND  RECOMMENDING  PROCESSES  TO  INSURE  MORE
 SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES.
 

S   153.  MANDATE  EXEMPTION.  1.  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  ESTABLISH
 EXEMPTIONS FROM TESTING AND PAPERWORK  REQUIREMENTS  SET  FORTH  BY  THE
 STATE  FOR  EXEMPLARY  DISTRICTS  FOR  EACH  THREE YEAR PERIOD THAT SUCH
 SCHOOL IS DETERMINED TO BE AN EXEMPLARY DISTRICT  AS  AN  INCENTIVE  FOR
 EXEMPLARY  DISTRICTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EXEMPLARY DISTRICT MENTORSHIP
 PROGRAM.
 2. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA WHEN  DETER
 MINING WHICH EXEMPTIONS AN EXEMPLARY DISTRICT SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR:

 (A)  SIXTY  PERCENT  OF THE DETERMINATION SHALL BE BASED ON THE GRADU
 ATION RATE, DROP-OUT RATE AND COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE RATE  OF  THE  DISTRICT
 BEING  MENTORED  AS  COMPARED  TO  OTHER DISTRICTS WITHIN THE SAME NEEDS
 PROFILE GROUPING.
 (B) FORTY PERCENT OF THE DETERMINATION SHALL BE BASED ON CONSIDERATION
 OF WHETHER THE SCHOOL BOARD IS AFFILIATED WITH THE NEW YORK STATE SCHOOL
 BOARDS ASSOCIATION OR A LOCAL AFFILIATE, WHETHER THE SCHOOL  SUPERINTEN
 DENT IS AFFILIATED WITH THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL OF SCHOOL SUPERINTEN
 DENTS,  AND THE NUMBER AND VARIETY OF EXTRA-CURRICULAR AND CO-CURRICULAR
 ACTIVITIES OFFERED BY THE DISTRICT.
 

S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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