HOUSE BILL 460

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2023

INTRODUCED BY

Tara Jaramillo and Tanya Mirabal Moya and Christine Trujillo and Yanira Gurrola and Joy Garratt

 

 

 

 

AN ACT

RELATING TO HIGHER EDUCATION; REQUIRING ARTICULATION AMONG HIGHER EDUCATION EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS; PROVIDING REQUIREMENTS FOR COLLEGES OF EDUCATION AT PUBLIC FOUR-YEAR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS; REQUIRING ANNUAL REPORTS.

 

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

     SECTION 1. Section 21-1B-4 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1995, Chapter 224, Section 4, as amended) is amended to read:

     "21-1B-4. TRANSFER OF CREDITS.--

          A. Courses that have a New Mexico common course number shall be accepted as the equivalent courses offered at the receiving institution.

          B. Courses taken as part of an approved meta-major or transfer module shall be accepted to meet lower-division graduation requirements of a degree-granting program to which the meta-major or transfer module articulates.

          C. An institution shall not increase requirements for degree-granting programs as a result of the use of a meta-major or transfer module or acceptance of a course that is part of a meta-major or transfer module. An institution may specify additional lower-division or upper-division requirements not included in a meta-major or transfer module for one or more programs of study; provided that those requirements apply equally to transfer students and students originating their study at the institution.

          D. By the 2024-2025 academic year, all public post-secondary educational institutions offering educator preparation programs shall:

                (1) ensure that they are offering the same foundational content and course requirements; and

                (2) develop a unified course numbering system for all courses within those programs so that any course taken at one educator preparation program shall be fully transferrable to any other."

     SECTION 2. A new section of Chapter 21 NMSA 1978 is enacted to read:

     "[NEW MATERIAL] FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES OF EDUCATION--EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.--

          A. To be approved by the higher education department, an educator preparation program offered at an institution of higher learning enumerated in Article 12, Section 11 of the constitution of New Mexico shall:

                (1) receive national accreditation from the council for the accreditation of educator preparation or equivalent national accrediting body no later than the 2027-2028 school year;

                (2) except as provided in Subparagraph (d) of this paragraph, require that each faculty member in the program, including adjunct faculty members, hired after July 1, 2023 has:

                     (a) a master's degree or higher in an appropriate area of specialization from a regionally accredited institution of higher education;

                     (b) a current New Mexico level three teaching license or equivalent license from another state;

                     (c) at least five years of satisfactory and appropriate teaching experience; and

                     (d) for all faculty, regardless of hire date, completed anti-racism, racial awareness and sensitivity training consistent with that required for all school personnel pursuant to Section 22-10A-19.3 NMSA 1978;

                (3) provide research-based, culturally and linguistically responsive curricula that reflect current best practices for instruction in elementary and secondary schools, including:

                     (a) research-based best practices for instruction of at-risk students, including American Indian students, English language learners, economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities;

                     (b) instruction of students in the provisions of the Indian Education Act, Hispanic Education Act and Black Education Act and any laws governing the education of Asian American students;

                     (c) instruction of students in federal and state special education law and supports;

                     (d) in-depth coverage of structured literacy training and research-based reading intervention;

                     (e) research-based best practices for mathematics instruction;

                     (f) culturally relevant social emotional learning;

                     (g) trauma-informed teaching practices; and

                     (h) classroom management and teaching strategies, skills and practices that: 1) engage students; 2) maximize instruction time; 3) facilitate family engagement in a way that recognizes and acknowledges the cultural identities of students and families, including racial, ethnic, national, religious and urban or rural backgrounds; 4) provide culturally relevant learning environments; and 5) empower students to learn collaboratively across differences; and

                (4) develop and regularly update its curricula in consultation with licensed New Mexico level two and level three teachers, public school and school district leaders, the Indian education advisory council, the Hispanic education advisory council and the Black education advisory council.

          B. No later than the 2027-2028 school year, educator preparation programs at institutions of higher learning enumerated in Article 12, Section 11 of the constitution of New Mexico shall ensure that every undergraduate student is placed in a paid year-long teacher residency during the fourth year of the student's studies.

          C. No later than the 2027-2028 school year, teacher education programs for alternative licensure at public post-secondary educational institutions other than those provided for in Subsection B of this section shall ensure that every student is placed in either a paid year-long teacher residency or is provided with a high-quality equivalent that includes a minimum of two weeks of intensive preparatory training prior to the starting a classroom assignment and significant co-teaching, observation, intensive coaching and ongoing support throughout the first year.

          D. In selecting a level two or level three teacher to supervise a resident or student teacher, all public post-secondary educational institutions' educator preparation programs shall:

                (1) require recommendations for the supervising teacher from both a principal and peer teacher;

                (2) develop a system to recruit diverse supervising teachers who reflect New Mexico's diverse student population;

                (3) develop a system to match residents with appropriate supervising teachers with consideration of the residents' interests and backgrounds; and

                (4) ensure that the supervising teacher receives training in the teacher evaluation system, cognitive coaching skills, culturally and linguistically responsive teaching, social emotional learning, education technology, structured literacy for elementary school teachers and other best practices determined by the higher education department."

     SECTION 3. A new section of Chapter 21 NMSA 1978 is enacted to read:

     "[NEW MATERIAL] REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.--

          A. Every educator preparation program shall report annually to the higher education department and to the legislative education study committee the following information about its programs, including for each program:

                (1) the standards for entering and exiting the program;

                (2) the number of hours required for clinical experience;

                (3) the schools and school districts in which candidates completed their clinical experience;

                (4) the number and percentage of candidates needing developmental coursework upon entering the program;

                (5) the number of applicants to the program;

                (6) the number and percentage of accepted candidates for the program;

                (7) the number and percentage of students who graduated from the program;

                (8) the number and types of certificates or degrees received by graduates of the program;

                (9) the demographics of the program's applicants, accepted candidates and graduates;

                (10) the number, percentage and demographics of graduates who pass the New Mexico teacher or administrator assessments for initial licensure on the first attempt;

                (11) the number of graduates who do not apply for New Mexico licensure and the number of graduates who moved out of state, if known;

                (12) the number of graduates who are licensed by the public education department but who do not teach in New Mexico public schools and the number of licensees who teach at private schools or who have left the state, if known;

                (13) a description of each program's placement practices; and

                (14) the number and percentage of graduates employed by New Mexico school districts.

          B. Every educator preparation program shall conduct an annual survey of graduates and their school district leadership for at least five years after a candidate graduates and shall report the following data to the higher education department:

                (1) the number and percentage of graduates employed as teachers or school principals;

                (2) the number and percentage of graduates employed in high-needs public schools and school districts;

                (3) the number and percentage of graduates working in shortage areas;

                (4) the graduate's perception of the graduate's own readiness and effectiveness in the classroom;

                (5) the school district's perception of the graduate's readiness and effectiveness in the classroom; and

                (6) student assessment data or other data showing student growth for the graduate's class.

          C. Every educator preparation program shall survey its candidates who do not complete their program to determine why the candidates did not complete the program and what the program could do to improve candidate graduation.

          D. The higher education department shall provide an annual report on the data collected pursuant to Subsections B and C of this section to the governor, the legislative education study committee and the legislature."

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