Bill Text: NY A01624 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Creates a set of media literacy standards for students in grades kindergarten through twelve which focuses on internet safety, civility and digital citizenship.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-10 - referred to education [A01624 Detail]
Download: New_York-2025-A01624-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1624 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, BUTTENSCHON, RIVERA, KELLES, LUPARDO -- 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. LBD03953-01-5A. 1624 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. 1624 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.
