The "FOCUS: Essential Elements of Quality, New Mexico's Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System (TQRIS)," provides early childhood program personnel with the criteria, tools, and resources they need to improve the quality of their program. These quality improvements focus on children's growth, development, and learning--so that each…

This manual details the instructional framework and guidance on the Response to Intervention (RtI) process in New Mexico. The manual includes: (1) a section on each of the three instructional tiers; (2) a glossary of key terms; (3) sample forms to assist with the Student Assistance Team (SAT) process; and (4) key resources for teachers.

In the context of the United States K-12 school system, reclassification processes of emergent bilinguals are laden with high-stakes assessments. Largely absent in reclassification scholarship is the consideration of how reclassification policies uniquely affect those learners with identified disabilities. Applying an intersectionality lens that…

This paper provides information about New Mexico High School Competency Examination (NMHSCE), a minimum competency test. Its purpose is to meet a state mandate. It will be replaced by the Grade 11 Standards Based Assessment/High School Graduation Assessment (SBA/HSGA) in spring 2011 as the state's high school exit exam. The NMHSCE was administered…

In grade 8 (the only grade in which subgroup trends were analyzed by achievement level), New Mexico showed across-the-board gains--improvements in reading and math at the basic-and-above, proficient-and-above, and advanced levels for all major racial/ethnic subgroups and low-income students. Progress in narrowing achievement gaps at grades 4, 8,…

This individual profile provides information on New Mexico's high school exit exam standards and policies. Some of the categories presented include: (1) State exit exam policy; (2) Type of Test; (3) Purpose; (4) Major changes in exit exam policy since the 2009-10 school year for financial reasons; (5) Subjects tested on exam; (6) Grade exam first…

The intent of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 is to hold schools accountable for ensuring that all their students achieve mastery in reading and math, with a particular focus on groups that have traditionally been left behind. Under NCLB, states submit accountability plans to the U.S. Department of Education detailing the rules and…

This year the Center on Education Policy (CEP) analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps…

Six years after passage of No Child Left Behind and midway to the nation's goal of having students on grade level or better in reading and math by 2014, more data than ever before has been collected about the academic performance of American students and schools. Information in this brochure charts student demographics, achievement-to-date and…

Art teacher candidates receive too little instruction focusing on inclusive teaching practices, and special education teacher candidates receive too little instruction addressing teaching art, a content area toward which students with disabilities often gravitate. One way to provide both art education and special education teacher candidates…

This annual report shows the breadth and scope of the work achieved on behalf of the students across New Mexico. This document is a reflection of the commitment from the higher education and public education communities as well as that of the New Mexico Higher Education Department to further educational and professional opportunities for every…

In an effort to explore the continued challenges faced by post-9/11 veterans with disabilities as they transition from military service back to their home communities, the Cornell University "K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability" (YTI), with grant support from The Bob Woodruff Foundation, convened a series…

This qualitative interview study examined the classroom assessment knowledge and beliefs of five recent graduates of the University of New Mexico Special Education Dual License Program (SEDLP). Research questions were designed to gain understanding in three areas. First, in what ways did recent SEDLP graduates characterize their level of…

This issue of the Nation's Report Card for New Mexico highlights National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) Science results for 2005. Key findings for Grade 4 indicate that there has been no significant change since 2000 in the average science score; average science score for Grade 8 has dropped since 1996. There has been no significant…

The purpose of this study was to describe New Mexico secondary agricultural education teachers' perceptions of the importance and their level of competence on state special needs inclusion competencies and skills for teaching students with special needs. Additionally, this study sought to determine pre-service and in-service training needs for…