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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Stewart

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

3/15/2007

HM 109

SHORT TITLE

Scientifically Based Instructional Materials

SB

ANALYST Aguilar

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to SB 1225cs and HB 310

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Memorial 109 requests the Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) review the

Public Education Department’s (PED) instructional material adoption process to ensure that the

reading adoption is limited to only those reading materials and programs which are scientific

research based and assist the PED and Legislature in ensuring that only scientifically proven

instructional materials are adopted.

The PED is strongly encouraged to limit the reading adoption, not only in quantity of materials

adopted but in quality as well, to instructional materials that have been proven through scientific

research to enhance early language, cognitive and reading development skills and that are based

on the latest scientifically based research on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary

and text comprehension.

The Public Education Department notes the following:

o

Textbooks are a key component in the support of student learning. Research-based

effectiveness is already a valued component in the selection of adopted textbooks and

instructional materials for the state of New Mexico as authorized by the Secretary of

Education.

House Memorial 109 – Page

2

o

In Statute 22-15-8.3 (C) Multiple list; selection; review process: Reviewers of

instructional materials are required to score and rank primarily against how well

instructional materials align with state academic content and performance standards and

research-based effectiveness.

o

In Statute 22-15-8.2 (B) Reading Material Fund; created; purpose; applications: A

school district that wants to use a scientific research-based core comprehensive,

intervention or supplementary reading program may apply to the department for money

from the reading materials fund.

o

The current adoption process includes the requirement of publishers, when submitting

adoption bids, to provide the Instructional Material Bureau with a “Research Based

Effectiveness Data" study of their instructional materials. That information is submitted

to the instructional materials reviewers for the purposes of evaluating and scoring the

instructional materials.

o

The adoption of instructional materials is an extensive process, consisting of five to seven

days of evaluating instructional materials against content standards, effectiveness studies

and relevant criteria. The participants are highly skilled level 2 and level 3a teachers and

practitioners. This adoption process has been in effect for the past several years and has

been effective in distinguishing research-based materials, as in the 2006 math adoption

cycle.

PA/mt