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| NM Education Plan Approved by Feds |
May 16, 2003 |
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Wilson Applauds State Education System
Albuquerque, NM – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today commended New Mexico’s education leaders for the approval of our state’s education accountability plan. Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Robert Pasternack made the announcement at Reginald Chavez Elementary School in Albuquerque today with U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, State School Chief Michael Davis and other education leaders from New Mexico.
The accountability plan is an outgrowth of the federal No Child Left Behind law, which is providing new flexibility and unprecedented resources to state governments while holding schools accountable for improving student achievement, especially for minority and low-income students.
“New Mexico has already been at the forefront of accountability in our state’s classrooms,” says Wilson. “We have a system in place and education professionals here continue to build upon that foundation. Today’s announcement by Secretary Pasternack allows us to move forward with a plan that can help us improve outcomes for kids.”
“This is a huge achievement for New Mexico,” said U.S. Secretary Rod Paige. “It’s proof that New Mexico is thoughtfully looking at how to better address its education needs. And now - thanks to everyone’s hard work - there is a strategy in place to get results for all of the children of New Mexico. I congratulate U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, State School Chief Michael Davis and everyone who worked so hard in partnership with the Department of Education to get this done. ”
“New Mexico`s education leaders deserve great credit for leading by example in the effort to ensure every child in America learns,” said Rep. John Boehner, Chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. “In this Congress, Rep. Heather Wilson is playing an instrumental role in ensuring that teachers have the support they deserve and now New Mexico is playing a similar role in implementing the No Child Left Behind law by setting a great example for other states to follow.”
New Mexico’s education accountability plan details the process and timeline by which the state plans to achieve full proficiency of the state-developed academic content standards. It also addresses how New Mexico intends to close persistent achievement gaps between disadvantaged children and their peers. Nationally, our state’s plan is the 19th to be approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
New Mexico’s plan will soon be available at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/CFP/csas/index.html
For more information about NCLB and accountability, visit www.NCLB.gov
FACT SHEET
No Child Left Behind:
What Accountability Plan Approval Means for New Mexico
In January 2002, President George W. Bush signed the landmark No Child Left Behind Act into law – linking significant increases in federal education spending to accountability and results for the first time ever.
All 50 U.S. states, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, met the January 31, 2003 deadline to submit “accountability plans” to the U.S. Department of Education. These plans outline the route each individual state intends to take to meet No Child Left Behind’s call for high standards and accountability for results in exchange for an unprecedented amount of federal education aid. By approving a state’s plan, the Education Department is recognizing that state as a national leader in education reform and giving the state the green light to proceed.
New Mexico now joins eighteen other states – Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Washington, and West Virginia – as states whose accountability plans have been officially approved by the Education Department. These states are leading by example in the effort to close the academic achievement gap that has long existed in America between disadvantaged students and their peers.
The Department’s announcement is good news for New Mexico parents, teachers, students and taxpayers. Here’s a quick rundown of what it specifically means:
Ø New Mexico has committed to testing students in reading and math in grades 3-8.
Ø New Mexico has committed to empowering parents through report cards.
Ø New Mexico has committed to allowing parents with children in underachieving schools the opportunity to transfer their child to a better public or charter school.
Ø New Mexico has committed to working with poorer schools to raise student performance.
Ø New Mexico has committed ensuring that there is a qualified teacher in every classroom.
Ø New Mexico has committed to ensuring that every child can read by the third grade.
Ø New Mexico has committed to closing the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their more fortunate peers.
Accountability plan approval keeps New Mexico on track to receive increased funding for FY2003:
Ø Increases federal education funding in New Mexico to more than $483 million – an increase of more than $95 million since President Bush took office.
Ø Provides more than $254 million to help New Mexico implement the reforms of No Child Left Behind.
Ø Increases Title I funding to more than $93.5 million – more than $23 million over 2001 levels – to help New Mexico’s neediest children.
Ø Provides access to more than $9 million in Reading First funding to ensure that every child in New Mexico learns to read by the third grade.
Ø Provides nearly $23 million to attract and retain highly-qualified teachers in New Mexico classrooms.
Ø Provides more than $4.5 million for annual assessments so every mom and dad in New Mexico will know how well their children are learning and where they need improvement.
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