Creates a set of media literacy standards for students in grades kindergarten through twelve which focuses on internet safety, civility and digital citizenship.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8222
SPONSOR: Rosenthal L TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to creating a set of
media literacy standards for students in grades kindergarten through
twelve
PURPOSE:
This legislation directs the State Education Department to develop a set
of media literacy standards and ensure media literacy education is being
provided to students in grades K-12.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one amends the education law by adding a new section 801-b.
Section two establishes the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Over the last decade, the amount of time youth spend consuming media has
increased dramatically. According to recent research, children ages
eight to 18 now spend an average of nearly eight hours per day on enter-
tainment media outside of school. Utilized properly, the media can
entertain and inform our children in positive ways. However, opportu-
nities for abuse and misuse are rife, especially as media plays a larger
role in society. It is critical that youth be provided the education
necessary to develop critical thinking skills and understand the role
that media plays and the negative impact it can have when consumed
improperly.
As a result of the shifting dynamics and the 24/7 nature of media, media
literacy education is critical in our schools. This legislation will
direct the New York State Education Department to create a comprehensive
set of media literacy education standards for educators to use. Such
standards will ensure that all students, grades K-12, are receiving
broad media literacy education that is inclusive of the use of technolo-
gy and social media, responsible online behavior, proper use of online
resources for research, curating a positive digital footprint, internet
safety, civility and more.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Undetermined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8222
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
August 25, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to creating a set of
media literacy standards for students in grades kindergarten through
twelve
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 801-b
2 to read as follows:
3 § 801-b. Instruction in media literacy. 1. For purposes of this
4 section, "media literacy" shall mean the ability to access, analyze,
5 evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication, use media
6 and encompasses the foundational skills that lead to digital citizen-
7 ship. "Digital citizenship" shall mean a diverse set of skills related
8 to current technology and social media, including the norms of appropri-
9 ate, responsible, and healthy behavior and focuses on empowering lear-
10 ners to use online resources, applications and spaces to improve commu-
11 nities and curate a positive and effective digital footprint.
12 2. The regents, in conjunction with the commissioner, shall ensure
13 that the course of instruction in grades kindergarten through twelve
14 includes a component on media literacy. Such component shall include
15 instruction of internet safety, civility and digital citizenship with a
16 focus on the principles of safe, responsible use of the internet and
17 electronic communications. The boards of education and trustees of the
18 cities and school districts of the state shall require instruction to be
19 given in media literacy, by the teachers employed in the schools there-
20 in. If available, instruction in media literacy shall be provided by
21 library media specialists employed by the schools therein.
22 3. The commissioner, in conjunction with the regents, shall incorpo-
23 rate existing state media literacy standards into the component
24 described in subdivision two of this section and create a clear and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11916-02-1
A. 8222 2
1 coherent set of media literacy education standards, which shall include,
2 but not be limited to, the following skills, experiences and competen-
3 cies:
4 a. reading experiences balanced between literature and informational
5 texts, which include both print and digital sources;
6 b. integration and evaluation of content and information presented in
7 diverse media and formats including visual, quantitative and oral;
8 c. use of technology and digital tools, including the internet, for
9 writing and drawing to increase learning and communication and to inter-
10 act and collaborate with others;
11 d. writing of informative and explanatory texts to examine and convey
12 complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effec-
13 tive selection, organization and analysis of content, including multime-
14 dia;
15 e. strategic use of digital media and visual displays to express
16 information and enhance understanding of presentations;
17 f. the ability to assess how point of view or purpose shapes the
18 content and style of a text, drawing on a wide range of global and
19 diverse texts;
20 g. gathering of relevant information from multiple sources and assess-
21 ing the credibility and accuracy of such sources, to be able to inte-
22 grate such information in writing without plagiarizing;
23 h. effectively communicating conclusions and taking informed action
24 based on such conclusions;
25 i. the ability to create, produce, respond, interpret and connect with
26 artistic work and techniques;
27 j. managing information with a focus on the ability to access and use
28 information obtained from other people, community resources and computer
29 networks and using technology to acquire, organize and communicate
30 information by entering, modifying, retrieving and storing data;
31 k. demonstration of digital citizenship by maintaining ethical deci-
32 sion making and behavior and avoid the spread of misinformation in the
33 exchange and use of information;
34 l. use of digital tools to communicate and work with others to build
35 knowledge, convey ideas, learn with others, create and revise collabora-
36 tive products, support individual learning and contribute to the learn-
37 ing of others;
38 m. use of digital tools to create and revise simple, complex and
39 multimedia digital artifacts;
40 n. identification of ways other people put their own information into
41 online spaces;
42 o. the ability to explain how actions in online spaces can have conse-
43 quences in other spaces and the connection between the persistence of
44 data on the internet, personal online identity and personal privacy;
45 p. actively managing digital presence and digital footprint to reflect
46 an understanding of the permanence and potential consequences of actions
47 in online spaces;
48 q. designing and implementation of strategies that support safety and
49 security of digital information, personal identity, property and phys-
50 ical and mental health when operating in the digital world;
51 r. identifying types of cyberbullying and developing strategies to
52 combat cyberbullying and harassment; and
53 s. any additional media literacy standards outlined in state depart-
54 ment publications or in the Codes, Rules and Regulations of the state of
55 New York, as deemed necessary.
A. 8222 3
1 4. The commissioner, in conjunction with the regents, shall update the
2 New York state professional teaching standards to incorporate media
3 literacy and educate library media specialists and teachers on the rele-
4 vant standards of media literacy so that library media specialists and
5 teachers can effectively incorporate such standards into their curric-
6 ulums.
7 5. The commissioner, in conjunction with the regents, shall annually
8 review the media literacy standards set forth in this section to ensure
9 such standards capture the full range of skills, experiences and compe-
10 tencies that research indicates is necessary for media literacy, and
11 shall update such standards as necessary.
12 6. The media literacy standards set forth in this section shall serve
13 as an overview of the state's interdisciplinary approach to media liter-
14 acy education and shall emphasize the importance of media literacy for
15 civic readiness.
16 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
