A new joint report from two New Mexico education advocacy organizations, NMKidsCAN and Teach Plus, highlighted the progress that the state has made over the last decade in student achievement growth while simultaneously raising standards and quality of assessments, and calling on Governor Lujan-Grisham and the new leadership in the Public Education Department not to compromise those standards for the sake of change alone.
Noting that more than 13,000 more students have reached proficiency in reading and 11,000 more in math – with particularly notable growth among some of the state’s most traditionally under-served students – the report calls for any new statewide assessment to be comparable to the existing exam. This is important because without the ability to compare future results to past statistics, educators and policy-makers will be operating in the dark as to the impact of new programs and funding – particularly worrisome given the major Yazzie v. Martinez court ruling that has placed the results of the state’s education system under close scrutiny from the courts.
“At this moment in the history in of our public education system, it is imperative that we keep New Mexico on the rise and our students globally competitive, and that means believing in the full potential of all students as we select an updated assessment,” the report concludes. “This is a true test of resolve for our state — to reinforce high expectations and continue progress.”
Click here for a copy of the full report.
Click here for more coverage of the NMKidsCAN/Teach Plus report and an editorial from the Albuquerque Journal calling for continued high standards for students and schools.
