New Mexico
April 30, 2015
New Mexico School District Values Arts Education
June 20, 2020
As the New Mexico Public Education Department considers a plan for reopening schools in the fall, Las Cruces Public Schools’ district officials are weighing options to prioritize arts education for their students in a post-pandemic environment. Under ESSA, “arts education is part of a well-rounded...
State Education Task Force Focuses on Developing Robust Teacher Evaluation System
December 2, 2019
According to member Lisa Burciaga Segura, the New Mexico Public Education Department Teacher Evaluation Task Force is “focused on developing a teacher evaluation system that is built upon collaboration, teacher strengths and abilities, and (that) challenges educators and those who supervise them toward rigor and...
New Mexico Still Doesn’t Have Assessment that Meets ESSA Standards
August 10, 2019
“On Jan. 3, her third day in office as New Mexico’s governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham abolished the PARCC standardized test in grades 3-12 and promised a replacement that meets all federal Every Student Succeeds Act requirements would be implemented in August,” opines the editorial board...
More Than Two-Dozen New Mexico Schools Released from Oversight
May 3, 2019
Dillon Mullan reports for the Santa Fe New Mexican that the New Mexico Public Education Department announced recently that 27 public schools “have seen sufficient improvements in student achievement and graduation rates” that they no longer need to be under the “immediate oversight” of the...
New Mexico Ditches A-F School Ratings
April 22, 2019
Cindy Long reports that New Mexico’s new Governor and Secretary of Education will “amend the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), scrap the A-F school grading system and replace the policy of labeling schools as ‘failing’ in favor of actually supporting schools in need and celebrating...
New Mexico Reshaping Tests and Evaluations and Resubmit Plans
March 18, 2019
New Mexico’s Public Education Department is set to begin changes to the state’s standardized test and teacher evaluations. Last week the department posted surveys for local stakeholders to weigh in on the upcoming changes. After the feedback period closes, PED plans to resubmit their state...
New Mexico Ditching A-F Rating System
February 21, 2019
The New Mexico Public Education Department plans to get rid of the state’s A-F public school grading system, reports Dillon Mullan for the Santa Fe New Mexican. “Under proposed changes to the state’s plan to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, the agency...
“Big Changes to Prior Reforms” in New Mexico
February 14, 2019
Shelby Perea reports for the Albuquerque Journal that new Governor Lujan Grisham is planning “big changes” for “cornerstone education systems” in New Mexico. But before doing so, “the community will get a brief period to weigh in on proposed replacements.” Last week, the state Public...
New Mexico’s New Ed Secretary to Submit ESSA Waiver Requests
February 2, 2019
Robert Nott writes in the Santa Fe New Mexican that New Mexico’s new Education Secretary Karen Trujillo and her team are “working to create and submit waivers to the state’s plan for the federal Every Student Succeeds Act,” which are “designed to give districts more...
New Mexico Releases First Educator Scorecards
December 5, 2018
The Ruidoso News reports that the New Mexico Public Education Department has “released the first-ever official Educator Preparation Program Scorecards,” which were developed as part of the state’s ESSA plan. The state worked “with teacher-leaders from across the state, leaders of the state’s educator preparation...
New Mexico “Earns Praise” for School Improvement Plan
December 2, 2018
Robert Nott reports for the Santa Fe New Mexican about how the state was given “high marks” for its school improvement plan under ESSA as part of the Collaborative’s Promise to Practice peer review project and report. Peer reviewers found a lot to like with...
New Mexico “Leading the Way” Under ESSA
November 20, 2018
All4Ed’s Lindsey Dworkin writes about how New Mexico is taking full advantage of the flexibility afforded by ESSA and is “leading the way” for other states. New Mexico was one of the first states “to identify schools for comprehensive support,” and is leveraging “every possible...
NM Proposes Tougher Accountability Rules
November 10, 2018
According to Shelby Perea in the Albuquerque Journal, in the final weeks of Governor Susana Martinez’ tenure, the state Public Education Department is proposing a number of rule changes, including for school accountability and interventions. If approved, the potential regulatory shift “would put parts of...
NM Announces Funding to Help At-Risk Students
October 14, 2018
According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, state Education Secretary-designate Christopher Ruszkowski recently announced his department has initiated the new Direct Student Services Initiative “to make $7.7 million in funding available for at-risk students, a measure that fits into the state’s adoption of the federal...
“Redesigning Education” in New Mexico
June 25, 2018
Elizabeth Sanchez writes that, earlier this month, the New Mexico Public Education Department “partnered with Johns Hopkins University and schools across New Mexico” for a kick-off conference for the upcoming High School Redesign Network, which represents an “opportunity for high schools considered comprehensive support and...
New Mexico Embarking on School Turnarounds
June 5, 2018
“Recently, officials from Albuquerque Public Schools signed off on the nation’s first school turnaround plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act,” Amanda Aragon, executive director of NewMexicoKidsCAN writes in The 74 Million. While questions remain about the extent of the state’s authority to hold districts...
Ten Schools Chosen for New Mexico High School Training Initiative
April 19, 2018
According to the Albuquerque Journal, the New Mexico Public Education Department has selected 10 schools to participate in its inaugural High School Redesign Network, a three-year training initiative. “The network is a powerful opportunity to re-imagine our students’ high school experience to meet the demands...
State Ed Officials to Four Worst Districts: “Not Good Enough”
April 9, 2018
“When the New Mexico Public Education Department was handed plans meant to improve the four worst schools in the state,” reports Kate Stringer in The 74, the department sent them all back in March with the same response: “not good enough.” This kind of “aggressive back-and-forth...
State Plan Submissions and Drafts
October 17, 2017
Approved State Plans Alabama: Final Plan Approved (5/7/18) Alaska: Final Plan Approved (5/16/18) Arizona: Final Plan Approved (9/6/17) Arkansas: Final Plan Approved (1/16/18) Colorado: Final Plan Approved (5/7/18) Connecticut: Final Plan Approved (8/15/17) Delaware: Final Plan Approved (8/2/17) District of Columbia: Final Plan Approved (8/28/17) Georgia:...
U.S. Dept. of Ed Approves NV, NJ, and NM’s ESSA Plans
August 9, 2017
The Dept. of Education approved Nevada, New Jersey, and New Mexico’s ESSA plans. States must implement their plans for the 2017-2018 school year.
Center for American Progress Expert Gives Perspective on the Check State Plans Peer Review Process
July 24, 2017
Scott Sargrad, managing director of K-12 Education Policy at the Center for American Progress, wrote a letter to the editor clarifying that the Check State Plans peer review process was conducted by reviewers who were genuinely interested in identifying policies that will help all students...
NM Dept. of Ed Praised for Top Rankings in Peer Review
July 5, 2017
The Albuquerque Journal editorial board praised the state’s Education Department for receiving top rankings in the Bellwether Education Partners and the Collaborative for Student Success’ analysis of submitted ESSA state plans. The editorial board was “encouraged to see that PED’s plan for lifting our state...
NM Teacher Discusses Importance of Assessments
June 4, 2017
Local Rio Rancho teacher Ashley Randall stressed the importance of testing in education in a recent opinion piece. She discussed the opportunity that New Mexico has under ESSA “to examine the amount of time spent on testing and take steps to ensure students are only...
Real Clear Ed Highlights NM’s Efforts to Develop ESSA Plan
May 22, 2017
Real Clear Education examined New Mexico’s efforts to develop their ESSA plan, looking at the fight between New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera and the hyper-partisan teachers’ unions, and the ongoing struggle over how to best implement ESSA. The article highlighted the state’s education improvements, including...
NM Education Secretary Begins 8-City Tour
April 23, 2017
New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera began an eight-city tour to gather public feedback on New Mexico’s ESSA implementation plan. Skandera’s goals are to close gaps in achievement and to improve the state’s education system. She added, “Proficiency rates dropped pretty exponentially when we shifted...
NM Albuquerque Journal Expresses Support of State’s ESSA Plan
April 17, 2017
The Albuquerque Journal editorial board wrote in support of the state’s ESSA implementation plan. The board commented that the plan “capitalizes on the state’s nascent positive momentum” and “fuels it with input from some of the people who have already made our K-12 public education...
NM Working Groups Help Navigate Details of State Plan
October 31, 2016
In addition to its ongoing series of community forums seeking feedback on New Mexico’s state implementation plan, the Public Education Dept. has also set up four working groups. These working groups are made up of experts from around the state to help navigate the technical...
NM Public Education Department Co-Host Regional Community Meetings
September 16, 2016
The New Mexico Public Education Department will co-host regional community meetings this fall to solicit input from the community on the development of New Mexico’s state plan. The meeting dates are listed here.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Releases State ESSA Primers
May 16, 2016
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s primers include individual state by state accountability system fact sheets, which detail each state’s current accountability system, what could change under ESSA, and what to be asking state leaders. See details about your state here.