Bill > A01197

This bill establishes a Differentiated Learning Environment Task Force to conduct a comprehensive study on how colleges and universities prepare future teachers to work in urban settings and create differentiated classrooms. The task force will consist of 11 members appointed by various state leaders, including the governor, senate and assembly leaders, board of regents chancellor, and the commissioner of education. The members will be unpaid but reimbursed for expenses, and they must be appointed within 60 days of the bill's effective date. The task force is charged with developing two key recommendations: a dual certification process for teachers to be certified in both special education and language-based learning differences, and a comprehensive professional development training program for current and aspiring teachers to learn about differentiated learning environments. Differentiated learning is defined as teaching methods designed to address individual students' diverse learning needs, and language-based learning differences refer to developmental disabilities affecting reading, spelling, writing, and/or math skills. The task force must submit a report with these recommendations to state leadership within one year, and the entire initiative will automatically expire 24 months after becoming law.

Education

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A1197