Education Deans/Directors are currently providing the Office of Teaching Initiatives with the data needed to distribute assessment fee vouchers for the Content Specialty Tests (CSTs), Educating All Students (EAS) test, and edTPA. The vouchers will be distributed this fall after the data are collected from the institutions of higher education.

The 2019 New York State Association of Teacher Educators (NYSATE)/New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NYACTE) Annual Fall Conference took place on October 16-18 in Saratoga Springs and included presentations from New York State Education Department leaders and staff members. From the Office of Higher Education, Assistant Commissioner Anael Alston and Laura Glass each led plenary sessions, and Patrick Darfler-Sweeney participated in a roundtable Session. Eric Sweet, Susan Brockley, Andrea Faoro (Office of Curriculum & Instruction) and Tanya Amodio-Kovacs (Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages) also led sessions. John D’Agati, former Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Higher Education, was presented with the NYSATE-NYACTE Award for Service to the Field of Teacher Education.

DRAFT NYS K-12 COMPUTER SCIENCE AND DIGITAL FLUENCY LEARNING STANDARDS

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has released a draft of the NYS K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards for stakeholder feedback. The draft standards were developed and reviewed by committees consisting of NYS educators, parents, curriculum specialists, school administrators, and institution of higher education faculty. NYSED is accepting feedback on the draft standards through November 15, 2019. Visit the NYS K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards Review to review the standards and submit feedback. For more information, contact the Office of Educational Design and Technology at (518) 474-5461 or edtech@nysed.gov.

REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LABORATORY WORKSHOP SERIES ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING

The Office of Higher Education participates in the Regional Educational Laboratory-Northeast & Islands (REL-NEI) Teacher Preparation Research Alliance. The REL program is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences and offers research-based resources and professional learning opportunities for institutions of higher education. REL-NEI is offering a two-part interactive webinar series for educator preparation program faculty and staff, as well as mentoring and cooperating teachers, on “Supporting a Culturally Responsive Approach to Data Literacy in the Preparation of Teachers”. Information about the sessions is provided below.

• Session 1: “Using Data to Promote Culturally Responsive Teaching”, Wednesday, November 6, 2019, 3:00-4:30 p.m. EST
• Session 2: February or March – to be determined

NEW YORK STATE TEACHER CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS (NYSTCE) TEST DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

Candidate Field Testing Opportunities. Juniors, seniors, or graduate students currently or recently enrolled in an approved educational preparation program preparing them for New York State Initial certification can participate in a field test for the redeveloped Content Specialty Tests (CSTs) in the following subject areas through November 22, 2019: English Language Arts, Health, Mathematics, Physical Education, and Social Studies. By participating in a field test, candidates preview actual test questions, gain valuable practice in computer-based testing, and provide input on future tests. In addition, they receive a $50 Barnes & Noble eGift card OR a $100 test fee voucher that may be applied to future test fees. Ongoing field test opportunities can be found in the “Important Announcements” section of the NYSTCE website.

NEW YORK STATE TEACHER CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS (NYSTCE) TEST DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

Candidate Field Testing Opportunities. Juniors, seniors, or graduate students currently or recently enrolled in an approved educational preparation program preparing them for New York State Initial certification can participate in a field test for the redeveloped Content Specialty Tests (CSTs) in the following subject areas through November 22, 2019: English Language Arts, Health, Mathematics, Physical Education, and Social Studies. By participating in a field test, candidates preview actual test questions, gain valuable practice in computer-based testing, and provide input on future tests. In addition, they receive a $50 Barnes & Noble eGift card OR a $100 test fee voucher that may be applied to future test fees. Ongoing field test opportunities can be found in the “Important Announcements” section of the NYSTCE website.

Recruiting Educators for Test Development Committees. The Department is seeking educators to participate in the following committees that will meet in early 2020. Certified P-12 educators and higher education professionals, including both higher education teacher preparation faculty and higher education faculty who have content expertise, are encouraged to apply for the committees by visiting the Educator Involvement Opportunities webpage and completing the online application.

• Computer Science Framework Review
• Bilingual Education Assessment Framework Review
• Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics Content Specialty Tests (CSTs) Standard Setting
• Dance, Music, Theater, and Visual Arts Bank Expansion Item Review
• School Building Leader Assessment Item Review

Revised Science Content Specialty Tests (CSTs). It is anticipated that the revised CSTs in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics will become operational on November 11, 2019. The Board of Regents adopted regulatory amendments to create safety nets for the CSTs in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics so that candidates may take either the revised CST or the predecessor CST for one year after the revised CSTs in each science subject area becomes operational. The test frameworks are available on the NYSTCE website to assist candidates and teacher preparation programs in the preparation of candidates for the revised tests. Study Guides for the revised CSTs in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics are also available on the NYSTCE website. The study guides include sample selected-response questions and sample constructed-response items.

EDTPA PASSING SCORE INCREASING

In June 2017, the edTPA Standard Setting Panel recommended new passing scores for the edTPA and a four-year phase-in period for the new passing scores. The phase-in period began on January 1, 2018. According to the schedule, the edTPA passing scores will increase by one point on January 1, 2020. ?

Candidates who submit their edTPA after December 5, 2019 will receive their score after January 1, 2020 when the new passing scores apply. The passing scores will then increase by one point for the last time on January 1, 2022. The passing scores effective January 1, 2020 and January 1, 2022 are posted on the Office of Teaching Initiatives website.

• Office of Higher Education
• Certification
  
• Office of College and University Evaluation
  
• NYSED
  
• Board of Regents
  
• NYSTCE
  
• Professional Standards and Practices Board

Office of Higher Education

Room 975 EBA
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
(518) 486-3633