Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick, 66th Assembly District Manhattan, announced today the signing into law of legislation A.7490 / S.5666 (Glick / Stavisky) and A.7491A / S.6600A (Glick / Stavisky). These bills make clarifying changes to admission requirements for graduate-level study in the education field. A.7490 will encourage more diversity in our future educators by allowing more flexibility in state requirements for graduate study of education. A.7491 will remove the unnecessary requirement that applicants to graduate education programs submit a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score as part of their application for study. A previous change to admission requirements to graduate-level teacher education programs required candidates to meet certain conditions to apply for study, including a GRE score, and a 3.0 minimum undergraduate grade point average. Although these requirements were put in place in the hope that they would be predictive of future success in the classroom, in reality they have reduced the diversity of our teacher workforce, and have frozen out otherwise talented educators in a time where new teachers are desperately needed.

Assemblymember Glick said, “Every student deserves to have role models to look up to in their lives, including in the classroom. Unfortunately, we have a severe lack of representation in our schools; 80% of public school teachers are white, and over 50% of students are of color. By relying on standardized test scores and arbitrary grade requirements that do not predict success in the classroom, we are denying aspiring teachers – disproportionately African American and Latinx individuals from educating our children. Many students overcome great hardships in life as they work to earn their undergraduate degree; others challenge themselves with multiple majors, or find a passion for education later in their college career. We should encourage these hard-working individuals to become teachers, not categorically prevent them from entering the field. I stand with New York’s graduate education schools that firmly believe admissions should reflect a holistic review of candidates, and not rely on a single test score or grade point average. I thank Governor Hochul for signing these important bills into law.”

Andy Pallotta, New York State United Teachers President said, “These laws are major wins for teacher preparation students, colleges and school districts feeling the pinch of the statewide teacher shortage. If we’re going to encourage New Yorkers to take a look at teaching, then it’s past time to tackle arbitrary requirements that don’t account for a prospective teacher’s full range of abilities and skills. We thank Gov. Hochul, Assembly member Glick and Sen. Stavisky for their leadership and look forward to a continued partnership addressing the issues that contribute to the teacher shortage.”

Lola W. Brabham, President of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities said, “Governor Hochul’s action paves the way for more New Yorkers to pursue their passion for teaching by obtaining graduate degrees in education and school leadership. CICU member campuses are proud to educate nearly 60 percent of all future teachers and school leaders who earn bachelor’s and graduate degrees in New York. Reforming the entry requirements for graduate programs in teaching and school leadership will open the door to a career in teaching for more qualified, passionate, and diverse educators. On behalf of New York’s 100+ private, not-for-profit colleges and universities, we applaud Governor Hochul’s action on this bill and we thank the bills’ sponsors, Assemblymember Deborah Glick and Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, for their unwavering commitment to independent higher education in New York.”