The test case of New Mexico

Ranked near the bottom for school performance and near the top for for child poverty, New Mexico has vigorously embraced high-profile education reforms, writes Rachel Monahan in The Deseret News. The state has implemented the Common Core and aligned exams, ramping up stakes for teachers and schools, and making it a test case despite significant challenges. Unlike Mississippi or Washington, D.C., also lowest performers, New Mexico has a sizable population of English language learners (16 percent of students), as well as a large proportion of Native Americans (10 percent). In terms of computer skills needed for exams, New Mexico is nearly last for online access from home. Though the federal government will allow states to suspend test-based ratings for a year while transitioning to new standards, New Mexico is plunging ahead, with student scores counting for half of teacher ratings. Next year's evaluations will compare scores on old tests with those from the new, comparing apples to oranges. Hanna Skandera, state education secretary, argues the new measures are working. Last year, New Mexico showed the fastest improvement of any state in high school graduation, and a higher percentage of Latino students who took and passed AP exams than anywhere else. The question is whether  this pressure will alienate teachers or improve instruction. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

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Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.