S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                 1148--A
    Cal. No. 220

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             January 9, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sens. AVELLA, SERRANO -- read twice and ordered printed,
  and when printed to be committed to  the  Committee  on  Education  --
  recommitted  to  the  Committee on Education in accordance with Senate
  Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said committee,  ordered  to
  first  and second report, ordered to a third reading, passed by Senate
  and delivered to the Assembly, recalled, vote  reconsidered,  restored
  to  third  reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place
  in the order of third reading

AN ACT to establish a report on arts and music education  in  elementary
  and secondary schools; and providing for the repeal of such provisions
  upon expiration thereof

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

  Section 1. 1. The commissioner of education shall: (a) create a proce-
dure in which school district compliance with current arts education and
instruction requirements including visual arts, music, dance  and  thea-
tre,  hereinafter  referred  to  in this act as "arts education instruc-
tion", as required by law and regulation  in  elementary  and  secondary
public  schools  is reported to the state education department by school
districts for the purposes of  preparing  the  report  provided  for  by
subdivision  two of this section; and (b) provide suggestions on how the
current arts education instruction requirements  could  be  improved  or
enhanced.
  2.  The  state  education  department shall prepare a report that must
include, but not be limited to, the following:
  (a) how  the  state  standards,  including  statutory  and  regulatory
requirements, for arts education instruction could be revised or altered
to  better  promote  education and appreciation of the arts and music in
elementary and secondary schools;
  (b) how  the  state  standards,  including  statutory  and  regulatory
requirements, for arts education instruction could be revised or altered

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

                                                           LBD02233-06-6

S. 1148--A                          2

to  increase the time devoted to providing instruction and education for
such arts;
  (c)  i.  the  impacts that arts education instruction has on enhancing
pupil academic performance;
  ii. how integrating the arts education instruction into general educa-
tion throughout the learning process, could enhance  students'  learning
capabilities.
  3.  On  or  before  July  1, 2018, the commissioner of education shall
report to the governor, the  temporary  president  of  the  senate,  the
speaker  of  the  assembly,  and  the  chairs of the senate and assembly
committees on education the  findings  made  based  on  the  information
reported pursuant to subdivision one of this section including an analy-
sis and explanation of the data, and shall identify steps that should be
taken  to  ensure  that  all  public schools are in compliance with arts
education instruction requirements in elementary  and  secondary  grades
and  examine,  evaluate and make recommendations concerning the adequacy
of the current state standards for arts education  and  instruction  for
elementary  and secondary schools in the state. Such recommendations may
include but not be limited to revisions  or  alterations  to  the  state
standards  for  arts  education  and  instruction  to better promote and
increase time devoted to providing such instruction.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately, and shall expire  and  be
deemed  repealed  January  1,  2019  or on the one hundred eightieth day
after the report required by subdivisions two and three of  section  one
of this act is submitted to the governor, the temporary president of the
senate,  the  speaker  of the assembly, and the chairs of the senate and
assembly committees on education, whichever shall  be  later;  provided,
further,  that  the state education department shall notify the legisla-
tive bill drafting commission upon the submission of the report required
by subdivisions two and three of section one of this act to  the  gover-
nor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly,
and  the  chairs  of the senate and assembly committees on education, in
order that the commission may maintain an accurate and timely  effective
data  base  of the official text of the laws of the state of New York in
furtherance of effectuating the provisions of section 44 of the legisla-
tive law and section 70-b of the public officers law.