Education officials present multimillion-dollar wish list, including funding for English learners and new assessments

The New York State Education Department submitted a budgetary wish list for the 2017 legislative session on Monday, including a sizable investment in English learners and support for new graduation options.

The largest chunk of funding would go toward developing new native-language exams geared toward students learning English and another would create project-based assessments, which substitute a series of tasks for traditional multiple-choice tests.

If approved, the funding would go directly to the State Education Department, as opposed to school districts, unlike the board’s larger education funding proposal. Since the state has no formal power over the legislature, these requests are not guaranteed. But the state Assembly recently held a hearing about boosting achievement for English Language Learners, an indication its members are serious about the issue.

The request, presented for a vote on Monday, would designate $12.4 million for “native language assessments,” designed to test Spanish proficiency rather than English skills for students whose first language is Spanish.

The department also requested $8 million to develop project-based assessment, which officials said would help them revamp graduation requirements. Already, students can substitute their final Regents exam for a pathway in career and technical education or the arts, and some students with disabilities can earn a diploma without passing all Regents exams.

Project-based assessments could provide another option for students who struggle to pass Regents exams, such as English learners or students with disabilities. 

State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia has indicated that her agency wanted to experiment with project-based assessments, but worried it would not be able to fund the initiative.

State officials also want $1 million to bring back world language Regents exams in Spanish, French, Italian and Chinese. Those exams could help students fulfill a graduation requirement if reestablished. The Regents’ full proposal also includes a grab bag of other requests, including funding to check for testing irregularities and to expand fee vouchers for the state’s teaching exam.

The Regents have discussed the department’s budget priorities at previous meetings, but voted in committee Monday to approve them. The board must officially adopt them on Tuesday.