HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 2
50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012
INTRODUCED BY
Ray Begaye
A JOINT MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A WORK GROUP OF EXPERTS TO MAKE DETERMINATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION ISSUES RELATED TO THIRD GRADE RETENTION FOR ALL STUDENTS, INCLUDING THOSE STUDENTS FOR WHOM ENGLISH MAY NOT BE THE ONLY LANGUAGE SPOKEN IN THE HOUSEHOLD AND FOR WHOM ORAL LANGUAGE MAY BE A STRONGER TRADITION THAN WRITTEN LANGUAGE.
WHEREAS, one of the tenets of standards-based education in the United States is that every student should have a quality education; and
WHEREAS, according to the national council of teachers of mathematics, a quality education helps a student gain a deep understanding of and an ability to use important concepts and facts and to develop skills and habits of mind; and
WHEREAS, New Mexico is a culturally diverse state that includes sizeable populations of Hispanics and Native Americans and smaller populations of other minorities for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language; and
WHEREAS, research shows that students for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language may demonstrate lower academic achievement as measured by the state standards-based assessment; and
WHEREAS, the proposed mandatory retention of all students in the third grade who are not reading at the third grade level, without consideration of the student's cultural and language background, may have an impact on the retained student's self-perception as being capable of learning or not being capable of learning; and
WHEREAS, the state standards-based assessment may not provide an accurate measure of academic proficiency and may be an unreliable predictor of future educational achievement among students for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language; and
WHEREAS, educational practices, assessments and programs that are deemed to be effective for the population for whom English is the only language spoken in the extended family may not raise literacy, academic achievement and high school graduation rates in this state, given the sizeable populations of students for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the legislative education study committee, in cooperation with the legislative finance committee, the public education department and the higher education department, be requested to appoint a work group of educational experts with significant experience working in the region and demonstrated success in their respective fields, which shall include, at a minimum, an expert in language arts, an expert in mathematics, an expert in science, an expert in social studies or history, an expert in psychology, an expert in elementary school education with at least ten years of in-classroom teaching experience and an expert in special education, in addition to a member of the legislative education study committee; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group determine and recommend the specific content standards for a certain grade level to be included in the academic improvement plan written by the student assistance team; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group determine and make recommendations regarding whether the state standards-based assessment is an appropriate and accurate measure of academic proficiency for all students, including students from households for whom English may not be the only language spoken and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group determine and recommend remediation programs that have proven success in improving the academic performance of all students, including students from households for whom English may not be the only language spoken and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group determine and recommend to the public education department screening assessments for reading skills for public school students in kindergarten through grade three that are appropriate for all students, including those for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group study and recommend to the public education department the intervals at which screening assessments for reading skills should be administered; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group determine and recommend to the public education department the policies and procedures that each public school should implement to enable and to encourage regular, meaningful family member involvement in the school and the student's education, which take into account the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of families, including those for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group review the baseline assessment data on reading proficiency for students in grades three, five and eight and recommend guidelines to the public education department for use in making grade retention and promotion decisions and determining appropriate and effective remediation programs for all retained students, including students for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group determine and recommend to the public education department an alternative assessment, instead of the state standards-based assessment, so that all students' academic proficiency may be accurately assessed, including students for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group recommend to the public education department that the alternative assessment it develops be used in making educational decisions, including grade retention and promotion decisions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group determine and recommend to the public education department appropriate tools school districts may use in evaluating retained students, which should include consideration of whether the student is from a household in which English may not be the only language spoken and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group determine and recommend to the public education department alternative programs to be used for all students who do not demonstrate academic proficiency for two successive school years, including students for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group review and determine whether the alternative public education department-approved norm-referenced standardized assessment and the alternative public education department-approved criterion-referenced standardized assessment are accurate measures of academic proficiency for all students, including those for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language, and if not, to determine and recommend to the public education department alternative assessments, including individual teacher-developed assessments for each teacher's class; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group study and recommend guidelines to the public education department for use in determining different levels of disability of students in special education and structuring each student's individualized education programs according to the level of disability and the individual need; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group determine and recommend standards for competency to teach reading to all students, including those for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language, and assessments for measuring competency to teach reading, to be recommended to the public education department for evaluating currently licensed teachers and student teachers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group study and recommend training courses to the public education department for currently licensed teachers and prospective teachers to take, when the competency-to-teach-reading assessment shows that the teacher falls below the standards for competency to teach reading to all students, including those for whom English may not be the only language spoken in the household and for whom oral language may be a stronger tradition than written language, and to recommend that the assessment be repeated after completion of the training course and that the training course be repeated in the event that the teacher continues to fall below the standards for competency to teach reading; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the work group report its findings and recommendations to the legislature and the governor before the 2013 legislature; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of public education, the secretary of higher education, the director of the legislative education study committee and the director of the legislative finance committee.
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