S 4295: Directs the state department of education to place a moratorium on the use of Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) until certain requirements are met; relates to the high school equivalency account.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4295 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 3, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance AN ACT directing the state department of education to place a moratorium on the use of Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) until certain requirements are met; and to amend the state finance law, in relation to the high school equivalency account The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The commissioner of the state education department is here- 2 by directed to place a moratorium on the use of the Test Assessing 3 Secondary Completion (TASC) high school equivalency assessment until 4 such time as the department has: 5 1. developed a TASC curriculum; 6 2. trained high school equivalency diploma instructors, including 7 instructors at the board of cooperative educational services, community 8 based programs and community colleges, with regard to the common core 9 aligned TASC; 10 3. provided basic computer based skills to applicants; 11 4. provided for fee forgiveness for those applicants who paid for and 12 took the General Educational Development (GED) course at state universi- 13 ty community colleges but have not taken the exam; 14 5. implemented a process ensuring that the TASC results will be proc- 15 essed and made available to the applicant within sixty days of the test 16 date. 17 § 2. Subdivisions 2 and 3 of section 97-hhh of the state finance law, 18 as added by section 84 of part A of chapter 436 of the laws of 1997, are 19 amended to read as follows: 20 2. Notwithstanding any other law, rule or regulation to the contrary, 21 the state comptroller is hereby authorized and directed to receive for 22 deposit to the credit of the high school equivalency account, fees 23 established by the commissioner of education and approved by the direc- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08011-01-5 
 S. 4295 2 1 tor of the budget to supplement administration of the [general educa- 2 tional development] test assessing secondary completion tests for the 3 high school equivalency diploma. 4 3. Moneys of this account, following appropriation by the legisla- 5 ture, shall be available to the state education department for services 6 and expenses related to the administration of the [general educational 7 development] test assessing secondary completion tests for the high 8 school equivalency diploma. 9 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.