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AN ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS; CREATING THE K-3 PLUS PILOT

PROJECT TO PROVIDE EXTENDED TIME FOR STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN

THROUGH THIRD GRADE IN HIGH-POVERTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS; PROVIDING

AN APPLICATION PROCESS; REQUIRING REPORTING; DECLARING AN

EMERGENCY.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. A new section of the Public School Code is

enacted to read:

"K-3 PLUS--PILOT PROJECT--ELIGIBILITY--APPLICATION--

REPORTING AND EVALUATION.--

A. "K-3 plus" is created as a six-year pilot

project that extends the school year for kindergarten through

third grade by up to two months for participating students and

measures the effect of additional time on literacy, numeracy

and social skills development. The purpose of K-3 plus is to

demonstrate that increased time in kindergarten and the early

grades narrows the achievement gap between disadvantaged

students and other students and increases cognitive skills and

leads to higher test scores for all participants.

B. K-3 plus shall be administered by the

department and shall provide the funding for approved full-day

kindergarten and grades one through three to be extended by at

least twenty-five instructional days, beginning up to two

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months earlier than other classes.

C. K-3 plus shall be conducted in high-poverty

public schools. For the purposes of K-3 plus, "high-poverty

public school" means a public school in which eighty-five

percent or more of the students are eligible for free or

reduced-fee lunch at the time the public school applies for

the program.

D. The department shall determine application

requirements and procedures and criteria for evaluating

applications. In evaluating applications for K-3 plus, the

department shall grant priority to those schools with

kindergarten plus programs that have received one or more

satisfactory annual evaluations. An applicant shall

demonstrate that its K-3 plus program will meet all department

standards and employ only qualified teachers and other staff.

The department shall provide additional professional

development for K-3 plus teachers in how young children learn

to read. Teachers and educational assistants shall be paid at

the same rate and under the same terms for K-3 plus as

teachers and educational assistants are paid for regular

educational programs.

E. Students participating in K-3 plus shall be

evaluated at the beginning of K-3 plus, and their progress

shall be measured through standardized assessments as follows:

(1) in literacy, the dynamic indicator of

basic early literacy skills in kindergarten and in grades one

through three; and

(2) in numeracy, in grades three and four.

F. The department shall establish reporting and

evaluation requirements for participating schools, including

student and program assessments. The department shall provide

interim and final reports annually to the legislature and the

governor on the efficacy of K-3 plus.

G. The department may use up to four percent of

any appropriation made by the legislature for the K-3 plus

pilot project for professional development for participating

educators and department administrative costs."

Section 2. EMERGENCY.--It is necessary for the

public peace, health and safety that this act take effect

immediately.

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