The State of K-12 Education in New Mexico, 2008 Student Proficiency Trends, the Achievement Gap, & Strategies for Im

1. The State of K-12 Education in New Mexico, 2008 Student Proficiency Trends, the Achievement Gap, & Strategies for Improvement Dr. Veronica C. García, NM Secretary of Education March 28, 2008

2. Presentation Format • Driving Forces Behind Making Schools Work • Progress and Achievements • Where we are at now: • Academic Performance • Achievement Gap

3. PED Driving Forces

4. Making Schools Work: Building Foundations for Success • Academic Rigor and Accountability • Closing the Achievement Gap • School Readiness • Parent Involvement • Quality Teachers • 21st Century Classrooms • College and Workforce Readiness

5. New Mexico’s Current Rankings Quality Counts 2008, Education Week • 8th nationally, earning a B- for early childhood, college and career readiness (C Ntl. Avg.) • 16th nationally, earning an A- for standards, assessments and accountability (B Ntl. Avg.) • 17th nationally, earning a C+ for initiatives in the teaching profession (C Ntl. Avg.) • 30th nationally, earning a C for school finance (C+ Ntl. Avg.) • 46th nationally, earning a D- for K-12 achievement levels/gains in the poverty gap (D+ Ntl. Avg.) • 49th nationally, earning a D+ for chances for success for New Mexico students (C+ Ntl. Avg.)

6. My Goal for Academic Rigor and Accountability “We will uniformly implement a rigorous, engaging, and relevant educational curriculum/performance standards and provide our students the appropriate support system so that all students will be successful. Our educational system will create an infrastructure to engage representative stakeholders in a meaningful dialog as we continue to shape and improve our educational system.” 12 Point Entry Plan, 2003

7. Progress: Academic Rigor and Accountability • 4th nationally for standards, assessments, and accountability, Education Week Quality Counts 2007 • Recognized in June 2007 by the US Dept. of Education for having high academic standards aligned to the NAEP • 8th nationally in 4th grade reading • 9th nationally in 4th grade math • 7th nationally in 8th grade math • 11th nationally in 8th grade reading • NM is one of only 11 states to have standards-based assessments aligned to strong content standards, American Federation of Teachers 2006 • Adopted the Student & Teacher Accountability & Reporting System (STARS), assigned each student a unique student ID creating the capacity for longitudinal studies and increased accuracy • NM 2nd in the nation for education reform and leading the nation in three categories: curricular content, standards based reform, and school choice, Fordham Foundation 2006 • NM 2nd in the nation for school choice, Fordham Foundation 2006

8. Progress: Academic Rigor and Accountability Contd • Math and Science Act 2007: ensures alignment, rigor, and relevance in curriculum and establishes Math and Science Bureau and Advisory in statute • Aligned a process for text book adoption, boosted instructional material investments by over $4 million to $37.2 million in 2007 • In 2006, established the Math and Science Bureau and named a statewide Math and Science Advisory Council with representatives from K-12, higher education, and the private sector • “A” science standards, “B” math standards, science standards ranked 6th in the nation, Fordham Foundation 2005 • Increasing School Choice—Amended Charter School Act to provide for dual chartering authority • Earned a “B+” for resource equity to schools, Education Week Quality Counts, 2007

9. My Goal for Closing the Achievement Gap “We will create a system that educates the whole child, not only focusing on the core curriculum, but ensuring that all students have the opportunity to avail themselves of good health, physical education, arts education, and a safe learning environment. We will establish programs of support to meet the multicultural and multilingual needs of our students so that they will perform at high levels of academic achievement. We will become a state where all key stakeholders will help shape the new educational system and will have a genuine vested interest in its success.” 12 Point Entry Plan, 2003

10. Progress: Closing the Achievement Gap • NM ranked 1st in the nation for the number of elementary school students eating free and reduced-price breakfast, Food and Research Action Center, 2007 • Over 82% of eligible students in grades K-12 participated in the school breakfast in 2006 • 2nd nationally for increasing free and reduced breakfast, Food and Research Action Center, 2006 • 2nd nationally for food available to students & 4th nationally for strong nutrition policy, Center for Science and the Public Interest 2006 • NM administered over $93 million in state and federal funds providing nutritionally balanced free or low cost meals/milk to more than 156,000 students daily, 2007 • Recognized as one of the top 3 states by Fordham Foundation Report 2006: “How Well Are States Educating Our Neediest Children?”

11. Closing the Achievement Gap Contd. (1) • Increased number of school based health centers from 56 in 2006 to 70 in 2007 • Invested $8 million in elementary PE programs in all 89 school districts • Health Education performance standards were adopted in rule in 2006 • All 89 school districts have developed Phase I Wellness policies including developing school health advisory committees and nutrition and physical activity components • One of four state recognized for innovative School Improvement Strategies, Education Week 2006 (Baldridge principles) • Invested $49 million in state and federal funds for bilingual, ELL, and immigrant programs in 2006-2007 • NM now has nearly 67,000 teachers endorsed and instruction in bilingual and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) programs, 2007 • NM is serving over 60,000 students in ELL programs alone, 2007

12. Closing the Achievement Gap Contd. (2) • Implementing the only comprehensive Indian Education Act in the nation, 2006 • Created the Division of Indian Education, 2006 • Created the Rural Education Division, 2006 • Increased Joint Powers Agreements with tribes for revitalization and preservation of native language from 9 to 12 in 2007 • Increased Memoranda of Agreements with tribes to develop tribal standards and criteria for licensing Native American Language teachers from 10 to 13 in 2007 • Doubled the number of Native American teachers and administrators in programs for advanced degrees or administrative certificates from 92 in 2006 to 184 in 2007 • Increased the number of newly certified Native American teachers from 69 in 2006 to 113 in 2007

13. My Goal for School Readiness “We will construct a system of supports for our students to holistically meet their needs by articulating and integrating services with other youth providers so that our students will be able to benefit from the educational program.” 12 Point Entry Plan, 2003

14. Progress: School Readiness • Pre-K Act 2005 -- physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development • Partnering with private providers: accountability, alignment, and professional development • Adopted Statewide early learning outcomes (i.e. Literacy, Numeracy, Physical Development) • Developed criterion referenced Observation and Documentation Assessment processes, 2007 • National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) reports students in NM PreK: • Increased vocabulary growth by 54% • Increased math skills by 40% • Increased literacy and print awareness by 118% • PreK students outperform their non-PreK peers in vocabulary and literacy

15. Progress: School Readiness Contd. • K-Plus pilot program in its third year shows: • DIBELS assessment data in K-Plus shows participants are entering Kindergarten with appropriate reading level skills • DIBELS data suggest K+ participants will out perform their non-KPlus peers in Kindergarten • Benchmark growth increased an average of 21% • K-3Plus funded at $7.5 Million for 2007-2008 serving 60 schools in 19 districts, 5,622 students • NM ranks number 1 for growth in Oral Reading Fluency in Reading First Western States, Federal Reading First Office 2007 • In 2007, the New Mexico Reading First program for Early Childhood reading comprehension & oral reading fluency in 35 districts and 108 schools • 2006 NM ranked in the top ten states in reading achievement by the Federal Reading First Office in three categories: grades 1, 2, and 3; grade 3 for Students with Disabilities; grades 1 and 2 for English Language Learners

16. My Goal for Parent Involvement “We will work to construct a community approach to education responsibility particularly focused on involving parents in supporting, educating, and learning with their children.” 12 Point Entry Plan, 2003

17. Progress: Parent Involvement • Named statewide Parent and Family Involvement Advisory Council with parents and representatives from 23 organizations and parent and family groups. • Created an agency Parent Involvement Action Committee to ensure integration and collaboration for 21 state and federal mandated and 9 optional parent involvement activities. • Implemented a Parent Involvement Media initiative, 2006-2008 • Parent involvement district and school training, 2006-2008 • Completed a teen father video in collaboration with Human Services Division, 2007 • PTA parent involvement workbook targeting K-6 for every parent, 2007

18. Progress: Parent Involvement Contd. • Supporting 13 rural school-community programs that partner school curriculum with community needs to revitalize economies, workforce, and culture • NM’s Rural Revitalization program considered a model by the National Community Education Association, 2007 • Developed/distributed “Working Together: School-Family-Community Partnerships” (Parent Involvement Tool Kit), 2006 • Parent to parent video, DVD, in English and Spanish, 2006 • Developed a state domestic violence curriculum, 2006

19. My Goal for Quality Teachers “All of our students will be taught and supported by qualified, competent, and committed educational personnel.” 12 Point Entry Plan, 2003

20. Progress: Quality Teachers • New Mexico now has 94% of all core courses taught by highly qualified teachers (2006-2007) • NM named “State of the Month” for strategies to improve teacher quality, National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, March 2007 • New Mexico increased national salary rankings from 46th to 36th from 2005 to 2007 • NM ranked 5th nationally for the percentage change in average teacher salaries in 2007 • Invested $6.5 million in professional development and mentorship programs in 2007 • 2007 Legislature established a $50K minimum for level 3 teachers • 2007 Legislature boosted salaries by an average of 5% for teachers and licensed support staff • NM ranks 20th nationally for new National Board Certified Teachers, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, 2007

21. Progress: Quality Teachers Contd. • Education Week 2006 – Grade of B on efforts to improve teacher quality • NM one of only 9 states with an approved highly qualified teacher plan, US Dept. of Education, 2006 • Implemented new 3 Tiered License system, investing $82 million in teacher salaries for increased compensation for increased competencies • In 2006, provided $470,000 for salary increments for National Board Certified Teachers • In 2000, 1,051 waivers were granted to teachers not meeting licensure requirements. In 2006, 155 waivers were granted.

22. My Goal for 21st Century Classrooms My goal is to provide the best tools and resources to our students so that they will continually surpass our capacity for comprehending and applying technology.

23. Progress: 21st Century Classrooms • NM is the first state in the nation to create a statewide eLearning system that, from its inception, encompasses all aspects of learning from traditional public and higher education to teacher professional development, continuing education and workforce education, North American Council for Online Learning NACOL, 2007 • Invested a total of $6.5 million statewide for updated computers, hardwiring, and software to ensure student access to technology • NM earned a “B” for statewide student access to technology, Education Week Technology Counts 2008 • Percent of students with access to a computer in the classroom • Percent of students with access to a computer in a lab/media center • Number of students per instructional computer • Number of students with access to a high-speed internet-connected computer • In 2007, 14 NM districts received a total of $1.5 million in funds for capital technology improvements including computers, hardware, and software • NM Laptop Initiative for 7th graders provided computers to 1,355 students at 21 sites statewide in 2007, expanding the program to serve nearly 5,000 students at 31sites statewide.

24. Progress: 21st Century Classrooms • Cyber Academy Act 2007 • Reduces geographic and capacity barriers • Expands course offerings—language, math, science, technology, and career-tech • Resolves conflicts in student schedules • Provides dual credit, credit-recovery, summer school, online tutoring, alternative high school completion, & home-bound options • Increases access to highly qualified teachers • Reduces teacher-pupil ratios • 2007 eLearning services pilot: • Twenty-five eTeachers in thirteen districts received training and participated in course development. • Seven high schools registered students in twenty-two courses including French, German, English, history, math, economics, and digital video production. • Two NM courses were developed and piloted: Algebra I and New Mexico History (high school). • Teacher, school, and student handbooks were developed. • Domain established at www.ideal-nm.org • Learning Management System in final stages of procurement.

25. My Goal for College and Workforce Readiness “We will become a state where all children will be able to graduate from our K-12 public education system and be prepared to competently participate in post-secondary education or the workforce. We will create an articulated K-20 educational system that recognizes the complexities of higher education while creating systems for better communication and integration.” 12 Point Entry Plan, 2003

26. Progress: College and Workforce Readiness • High School Redesign 2007 increased graduation requirements, increased alignment between K-12 and higher education: • Four years of math with at least one course of Algebra II or higher • Four years of English • Three years of laboratory-based science • Three years of social studies • At least one Advanced Placement® (AP), dual enrollment, honors, or online course • Participation in the Next Step Planning • A three-part assessment system that measures high school, college, and workforce readiness • Algebra I will be made available in 8th grade

27. College and Workforce Readiness Cont’d. • Collaboration with HED through taskforce initiatives providing more accountability for a seamless and aligned P-20 system of education, 2007 • American Diploma Project • Dual Credit Council • P-20 Alignment Council • Math and Science Advisory Council • Career Technical Education State Advisory Council • NM standards and benchmarks well aligned with SAT, PSAT, and AP tests, National College Board 2006 and 2007 • In 2007, NM AP test takers increased by almost 9% and the number of scores between 3 and 5 increased by 4%. • Over 4,000 NM students will be eligible for college credit earned on AP exams in 2007 • Hispanic AP test takers increased 15% in 2007 • Native American AP test takers increased by 7% in 2007 • PSAT test takers statewide increased nearly doubled increasing by 98% in 2007

28. Progress: College and Workforce Readiness Contd. • Created by executive order the Workforce Oversight Coordinating Council who identified 7 Career Clusters aligned to New Mexico’s growing economy, 2006 • Increased the number of industry recognized certifications aligned to NM Career Clusters from 98 to 148, 2007 • Invested 10 million in career educational technical centers in 2006 • NM Division of Vocational Rehabilitation served over 2,000 students transitioning from school to work, 2007 • Provided 32 intervention programs through Graduation, Reality, and Dual-Role Skills targeting pregnancy prevention, career readiness, fatherhood, and youth-development • Called for alignment of high school exit and college entrance exams

29. Improving Proficiency & Closing Achievement • NAEP Results 2007 • 4th grade shows progress in math and reading • 8th grade shows progress in reading and holds steady for math, • NM one of only 14 states to improve in both math and reading • NM one of only 4 states to show significant increases for Hispanic students in grade 4 • NM showed significant increase in 4th and 8th grade Hispanic students scoring basic and above in math and reading • NM 4th grade students eligible for free/reduced lunch showed significant increases in both reading and math • State Level Increases Across Grade Levels and Subgroups: • Reading • Math • Science • NM Achievement Gap Closing (Caucasians compared to): • Asians • Hispanics • African Americans • American Indians

30. Reading Proficiency • Proficiency of all students in 2007 ranged from a high of 58.8% in 5th grade to a low of 36.9% in 6th grade. • Increase in performance in grades 4, 5, and 8 (3%). • Lowest proficiency among students transitioning from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school. • Increases for Hispanics in grades 4, 5, and 8 • American Indians increase in proficiency in grades 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 • English Language Learners increased proficiency in grades 3, 4, 5, and 8, with the greatest gain in grade 5. Strongest gains of any group.

31. Statewide Reading Proficiency All Groups

32. Math Proficiency • Content area with largest and most gains • Proficiency of all students in 2007 ranged from a high of 46% in 4th grade to a low of 25.2% in 7th grade • Lowest proficiency among students in middle school. • Gains in grades 4 through 11 • Hispanics gained in all grades but 3rd • American Indians had proficiency gains in grades 4 through 9 • Students with Disabilities increased in grades 3 through 9 • English Language Learners gained math proficiency in all but the 11th grade • Economically Disadvantaged Students increased math proficiency in grades 4 through 9 and 11

33. Statewide Math Proficiency All Groups

34. Science Proficiency • Proficiency of all students in 2007 ranged from a high of 79% in 3rd grade to a low of 23.2% in 8th grade • African American proficiency increased in grades 3, 6, 7, and 9 • Hispanics gained in all grades but 8th • American Indians had noticeable gains in grades 4, 5, 7, and 9 and decreased in grade 3 • English Language Learners increased science proficiency in grades 3 through 7 and 9 Second strongest gains of any group (average 4%) • Students with Disabilities had steady increases in grades 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9. Strongest gains of any group (average 5%) • Economically Disadvantaged Students gained proficiency in grades 3 through 7 and 9.

35. Statewide Science Proficiency All Groups

36. Achievement Gap in Reading • Hispanics, American Indians, African Americans, and Asians gained proficiency and closed the achievement gap in reading in grades 4, 5, and 7. • Grade 11 saw proficiency decreases for all subgroups and increases in gaps.

37. Achievement Gap in Math • Gaps are largest in grades 9 and 11. • All subgroups gained math proficiency in grades 4 through 9. • Hispanics kept pace with Caucasians’ gains and were catching up in grades 3, 4, 7, 9, and 11. • Gaps increased for Hispanics, American Indians, and African Americans in grades 5, 6, and 8.

38. Achievement Gap in Science • Gaps are smallest in grade 3. • All groups gain proficiency, except in grade 8. • Hispanics and African Americans closed the gap in all but grade 4. • American Indians closed gap in grades 7 through 9.

39. NM Is Making Progress We Will Continue to Move Forward “We should acknowledge differences, we should greet differences until difference makes no difference anymore.” • Dr. Adela Allen, Hispanic Educator