State announces new admission requirements for SUNY teacher-preparation programs

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced that the State University of New York (SUNY) board of trustees has adopted a measure that requires new admission requirements for incoming teachers at SUNY colleges and universities.

SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher had submitted the measure, the governor’s office said in a news release.

The board’s action “delivers” on the commitment that Cuomo made in his 2013 State of the State message to address teacher quality by “raising the bar” on recruitment standards, his office said.

“These new admission requirements will help ensure that we are recruiting from exceptional candidates to educate our state’s students,” Cuomo said in the news release.

The action fulfills part of the recommendation from the New NY Education Reform Commission for the SUNY and City University of New York (CUNY) teacher and principal-preparation programs to increase admissions requirements, the governor’s office said.

The system will use an entry assessment, such as the graduate-record examinations (GRE) to verify that candidates are “truly” top tier and academically competitive with all graduate students, regardless of their intended profession.

In addition, SUNY will raise the admissions requirement for teacher and principal-preparation programs to a minimum grade-point average of 3.0, according to the governor’s office.

The board’s adoption of both commission recommendations is a “large step forward” in ensuring that SUNY and CUNY schools are placing “top tier” candidates in front of its students, the governor’s office contends.

SUNY has over 17 teacher-preparation programs and supplies about 25 percent of New York’s teachers.

“SUNY prepares thousands of New York’s teachers and school leaders every year and by raising this bar we can help improve educational outcomes in New York,” Zimpher said in the news release.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com