Relates to conferring a state seal of biliteracy for students who achieve certain criteria in the language arts.

---

A10292-2011 Actions

• Jul 31, 2012: signed chap.271
• Jul 20, 2012: delivered to governor
• Jun 21, 2012: RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY
• Jun 21, 2012: PASSED SENATE
• Jun 21, 2012: 3RD READING CAL.1533
• Jun 21, 2012: SUBSTITUTED FOR S7522A
• Jun 18, 2012: REFERRED TO RULES
• Jun 18, 2012: delivered to senate
• Jun 18, 2012: passed assembly
• Jun 18, 2012: ordered to third reading rules cal.329
• Jun 18, 2012: rules report cal.329
• Jun 18, 2012: reported
• Jun 14, 2012: reported referred to rules
• Jun 13, 2012: reported referred to ways and means
• Jun 7, 2012: print number 10292a
• Jun 7, 2012: amend and recommit to education
• May 18, 2012: referred to education

A10292-2011 Votes

A10292-2011 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                    10292

                            I N  ASSEMBLY

                                May 18, 2012
                                 ___________

  Introduced by M. of A. ARROYO -- read once and referred to the Committee
    on Education

  AN  ACT to amend the education law, in relation to a state seal of bili-
    teracy

    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section 1. Legislative intent. (a) It is the intent of the legislature
  to  encourage  excellence  for all pupils, and the legislature wishes to
  publicly  recognize  pupils  for  exemplary  achievements  in   academic
  studies.
    (b)  The  study  of  languages  other  then  English in elementary and
  secondary schools should be  encouraged  because  it  contributes  to  a
  pupil's cognitive development and to our national economy and security.
    (c) Proficiency in multiple languages is critical in enabling New York
  to  participate  effectively in a global political, social, and economic
  context, and in expanding trade with other countries.
    (d) The demand for employees to be fluent in more than one language is
  increasing both in New York and throughout the world.
    (e) The benefits to employers in having staff fluent in more than  one
  language  are  clear:  access  to  an expanded market, allowing business
  owners to better serve their customers' needs, and the sparking  of  new
  marketing  ideas  that  better  target  a particular audience and open a
  channel of communication with customers.
    (f) It is the intent of the legislature to promote  linguistic  profi-
  ciency  and  cultural  literacy  in one or more languages in addition to
  English and to provide recognition of the attainment of those needed and
  important skills through the establishment of the state seal of biliter-
  acy. A state seal of biliteracy would be  affixed  on  the  high  school
  diplomas  and  transcripts of graduating pupils attaining proficiency in
  one or more languages in addition to English.
    S 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 815 to  read
  as follows:

    S  815.  STATE SEAL OF BILITERACY. 1. (A) THE STATE SEAL OF BILITERACY
  IS ESTABLISHED TO RECOGNIZE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES WHO  HAVE  ATTAINED  A

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD15486-05-2

 A. 10292                            2

  HIGH  LEVEL  OF PROFICIENCY IN LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING, AND WRITING
  IN ONE OR MORE LANGUAGES IN ADDITION TO ENGLISH. THE STATE SEAL OF BILI-
  TERACY SHALL BE AWARDED BY THE  COMMISSIONER.  SCHOOL  DISTRICT  PARTIC-
  IPATION IN THIS PROGRAM IS VOLUNTARY.
    (B) THE PURPOSES OF THE STATE SEAL OF BILITERACY ARE AS FOLLOWS:

    (1) TO ENCOURAGE PUPILS TO STUDY LANGUAGES.
    (2) TO CERTIFY ATTAINMENT OF BILITERACY.
    (3)  TO  PROVIDE  EMPLOYERS  WITH  A METHOD OF IDENTIFYING PEOPLE WITH
  LANGUAGE AND BILITERACY SKILLS.
    (4) TO PROVIDE UNIVERSITIES WITH AN  ADDITIONAL  METHOD  TO  RECOGNIZE
  APPLICANTS SEEKING ADMISSION.
    (5) TO PREPARE PUPILS WITH TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SKILLS.
    (6)  TO  RECOGNIZE  THE  VALUE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND NATIVE LANGUAGE
  INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.  FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS SECTION  FOREIGN
  LANGUAGE  MEANS  ANY  LANGUAGE  OTHER  THAN ENGLISH (LOTE) INCLUDING ALL
  MODERN  LANGUAGES,  LATIN,  AMERICAN  SIGN  LANGUAGE,  NATIVE   AMERICAN
  LANGUAGES AND NATIVE LANGUAGES.
    (7) TO STRENGTHEN INTERGROUP RELATIONSHIPS, AFFIRM THE VALUE OF DIVER-
  SITY, AND HONOR THE MULTIPLE CULTURES AND LANGUAGES OF A COMMUNITY.
    2.  (A)  THE  STATE  SEAL OF BILITERACY CERTIFIES ATTAINMENT OF A HIGH
  LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY BY A GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL PUPIL IN  ONE  OR  MORE
  LANGUAGES, IN ADDITION TO ENGLISH, AND CERTIFIES THAT THE GRADUATE MEETS
  ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

    (1)  PASSING  THE NEW YORK STATE REGENTS EXAMINATION OR ITS EQUIVALENT
  IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS ADMINISTERED IN GRADE ELEVEN OR ABOVE.
    (2) COMPLETION OF ALL ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS REQUIREMENTS OR ITS EQUIV-
  ALENT FOR GRADUATION.
    (3) PROFICIENCY IN ONE OR MORE LANGUAGES OTHER  THAN  ENGLISH,  DEMON-
  STRATED THROUGH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING METHODS:

    (A)  PASSING  A  FOREIGN  LANGUAGE ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMINATION IN A
  LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH (LOTE)  OR  AN  INTERNATIONAL  BACCALAUREATE
  EXAMINATION.
    (B)  SUCCESSFUL  COMPLETION  OF  AT  LEAST  FOUR  UNITS  OF STUDY IN A
  LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH (LOTE).
    (C) PASSING A THIRD PARTY AND DISTRICT, REGIONAL  OR  BOCES  DEVELOPED
  ASSESSMENT  FOR  GROWTH  AND LOCALLY SELECTED ASSESSMENT, IF NO ADVANCED
  PLACEMENT OR OTHER SUCH COMPARABLE TEST EXISTS. THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MUST
  CERTIFY TO THE COMMISSIONER THAT SUCH AN ASSESSMENT, AT A MINIMUM, MEETS
  THE RIGOR OF A THREE YEAR SEQUENCE OF HIGH SCHOOL  COURSE  OF  STUDY  IN
  THAT  LANGUAGE  OTHER  THAN  ENGLISH  AND  THAT  PASSING,  AT A MINIMUM,
  ASSESSES LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING AND WRITING IN  A  LANGUAGE  OTHER
  THAN ENGLISH. SAID TEST SHALL BE APPROVED BY THE COMMISSIONER.
    (D) PASSING THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMINATION IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN
  ENGLISH  WITH  A  SCORE OF FOUR OR HIGHER OR PASSING THE SAT II: SUBJECT
  TESTS IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH WITH A SCORE  OF  SIX  HUNDRED  OR
  HIGHER.
    (B)  FOR  LANGUAGES  IN WHICH AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST IS NOT AVAIL-
  ABLE, THE COMMISSIONER MAY PROVIDE A  LISTING  OF  EQUIVALENT  SUMMATIVE
  ASSESSMENTS THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS MAY USE IN PLACE OF AN ADVANCED PLACE-
  MENT  ASSESSMENT  FOR  PURPOSES  OF  CLAUSE (A) OF SUBPARAGRAPH THREE OF
  PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION. A SCHOOL  DISTRICT  MAY  PROVIDE  THE
  COMMISSIONER  WITH  A  LIST OF EQUIVALENT SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS THAT THE
  DISTRICT USES IN PLACE OF AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT  TEST  FOR  PURPOSES  OF
  CLAUSE  (A)  OF SUBPARAGRAPH THREE OF PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
  THE COMMISSIONER MAY USE LISTS RECEIVED FROM SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN  DEVEL-
  OPING HIS OR HER LIST OF EQUIVALENT SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS.

 A. 10292                            3

    (C)  FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, FOREIGN LANGUAGE MEANS ANY LANGUAGE
  OTHER THAN ENGLISH (LOTE) INCLUDING ALL MODERN LANGUAGES, LATIN,  AMERI-
  CAN SIGN LANGUAGE, NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGES AND NATIVE LANGUAGES.
    3. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL DO BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING:

    (A) PREPARE AND DELIVER TO PARTICIPATING SCHOOL DISTRICTS AN APPROPRI-
  ATE  INSIGNIA  TO  BE AFFIXED TO THE DIPLOMA AND TRANSCRIPT OF THE PUPIL
  INDICATING THAT THE PUPIL HAS BEEN AWARDED A STATE SEAL OF BILITERACY BY
  THE COMMISSIONER.
    (B) PROVIDE OTHER INFORMATION HE OR SHE  DEEMS  NECESSARY  FOR  SCHOOL
  DISTRICTS TO SUCCESSFULLY PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM.
    4.  A  SCHOOL  DISTRICT  THAT  PARTICIPATES  IN THE PROGRAM UNDER THIS
  SECTION SHALL DO BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING:

    (A) MAINTAIN APPROPRIATE RECORDS IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY PUPILS WHO  HAVE
  EARNED A STATE SEAL OF BILITERACY.
    (B)  AFFIX  THE  APPROPRIATE INSIGNIA TO THE DIPLOMA AND TRANSCRIPT OF
  EACH PUPIL WHO EARNS A STATE SEAL OF BILITERACY.
    5. NO FEE SHALL BE CHARGED TO A PUPIL PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION.
    S 3. This act shall  take  effect  on  the  first  of  September  next
  succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.