New Mexico
Teaching Standards and Leadership Standards
Teaching Standards
Is working with students with disabilities and meeting the needs of students with disabilities addressed in state teaching standards?
The New Mexico Teacher Competencies outline the abilities of highly qualified teachers needed to address the learning needs of all New Mexico’s students. Competency seven states that highly qualified teachers recognize student diversity and create an atmosphere conducive to the promotion of positive student involvement and self-concept.
Provisional teachers demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to the personal ideas, learning needs, interests, and feelings of students with disabilities and/or from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (e.g., Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, as well as other recent immigrant groups); And, acknowledge that every student can learn.
Professional teachers acknowledge and validate the ideas, learning needs, interests, and feelings of students with disabilities and/or from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (e.g., Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, as well as other recent immigrant groups; And, understand how students differ in their approaches to learning and adjusts instruction to meet diverse needs.
Master teachers adjust practice based on observation and knowledge of students with disabilities and/or from culturally and linguistically diverse groups (e.g., Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, as well other recent immigrant groups); And, demonstrate an awareness of the influences of context, disability, language, and culture on student learning.
Source: Teach New Mexico, New Mexico Teacher Competencies
School Leadership Standards
Is knowledge of working with students with disabilities included in leader standards?
Competency two of the New Mexico Administrator Competencies and Indicators state the expectation that a principal/administrator embraces and encourages the acceptance of diversity. A principal/administrator,
- Models respect, understanding and appreciation for all people.
- Addresses the special needs of groups and individuals.
- Addresses the needs of multicultural, multilingual, multiracial, and economically diverse populations.
- Promotes and supports recruitment and assignment of a diverse staff.
- Demonstrates sensitivity to alternative educational philosophies and methodologies.
Source: New Mexico Administrative Code, 6NMAC 4.2.3.18[6-15] (Note, chapter 4 is currently listed as “Reserved” in the NMAC website.)
Teacher and Principal Preparation
Teacher Preparation – Program Approval/Accreditation
Required course work in teaching special education students/ diverse learners
Our initial policy scan did not generate information about required course work in teaching special education students/diverse learners. Title 6, Chapter 65 of the NMAC is reserved for future policy regarding educator preparation program standards in New Mexico.
Source: New Mexico Administrative Code 6.65, School Personnel – Educator Preparation
Clinical time in diverse settings/teaching special populations
Our initial policy scan did not generate information about required course clinical time in diverse settings/teaching special populations. Title 6, Chapter 65 of the NMAC is reserved for future policy regarding educator preparation program standards in New Mexico.
Although no state policy was found regarding teacher preparation program student teaching requirements, the state board of education specifies student teacher requirements to obtain initial licensure. Except for licensure by reciprocity, the state board shall require, prior to initial licensure, no less than fourteen weeks of student teaching, a portion of which shall occur in the first thirty credit hours taken in the college of education and shall be under the direct supervision of a teacher and a portion of which shall occur in the student’s senior year with the student teacher being directly responsible for the classroom.
Sources:
New Mexico Statutes Annotated, 22-10A-6
New Mexico Administrative Code 6.65, School Personnel – Educator Preparation
Teacher Preparation – Accountability
Quality of teacher preparation programs
New Mexico neither monitors how well programs are preparing teachers to be successful by means of collecting program-specific, objective data that reflect program performance, nor has it established minimum performance standards that can be used for accountability purposes. Further, the state does not provide the public with meaningful, readily understandable indicators of how well programs are doing.
Source: 2012 State Teacher Policy Yearbook: Improving Teacher Preparation in New Mexico, National Council on Teacher Quality1
Principal Preparation – Program Approval/Accreditation
Require course work in leading a school/district that serves special education students/diverse learners
Our policy scan did not generate information about required course work in leading a school/district that serves special education students/diverse learners. Title 6, Chapter 65 of the NMAC is reserved for future policy regarding educator preparation program standards in New Mexico.
Source: New Mexico Administrative Code 6.65, School Personnel – Educator Preparation
Principal Preparation – Accountability
Are programs reviewed based on outcomes of graduates’ success? Can school principals be linked back to institutions of higher education and preparation programs?
Our policy scan did not generate information about such principal/administrator program accountability.
Teacher and Principal Certification/Licensure
Teacher Certification/Licensure – Structure
Is a specific certificate, license or endorsement related to special education required?
New Mexico does not distinguish between elementary and secondary special education teachers. The state offers only a K-12 special education certification.
The state outlines some general coursework requirements and requires 24 semester hours in one of the following: math, science, language arts, reading or social studies.
Source: 2012 State Teacher Policy Yearbook: Improving Teacher Preparation in New Mexico, National Council on Teacher Quality
Teacher Certification – Examination
Does the state require teachers to pass a basic skills exam for initial certification? What are the pass rates on the exams? Does the state require Praxis II or more pedagogical assessment for licensure? Does it include anything about teaching diverse learners or special populations?
Teacher candidates are required to take New Mexico assessments for basic skills, competency and content knowledge. Effective July 1, 2013, all new teachers seeking to be licensed in Elementary Education will be required to pass the NES Essential Components of Elementary Reading Instruction test. Our initial state policy review did not produce information of required assessments regarding knowledge of diverse learners.
Source: New Mexico Teacher Assessments, Licensure Requirements
Teacher Certification/Licensure – Requirements
Is professional development around working with special populations required to move from initial to a professional license?
Our initial policy scan did not generate information of professional development in working with special populations required for teacher to move from an initial to a professional license.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, Professional Licensure Bureau
Principal Certification/Licensure – Requirements
Is prior teaching experience required to become a principal and/or a superintendent? Is specific coursework or other evidence required around working with special populations?
The state of New Mexico requires school leaders to obtain a master’s degree, have prior teaching experience, complete a state-approved preparation program, and pass a test.
Principals: Candidates must earn a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university that includes an apprenticeship/internship. Candidates who entered an administrator preparation program on or after April 4, 2003, must teach while holding a valid level 3-A New Mexico teaching license for at least one full school year or hold a current level 2 teaching license and for at least four years have held a level 3 school counselor’s license while working as a teacher or school counselor. Candidates who entered an administrator preparation program prior to April 4, 2003, must hold a valid level 2 New Mexico teaching license. Also required is a minimum of 18 semester hours of graduate credit in an educational administration program. A candidate who applies for licensure in educational administration on or after the September 2007 must pass the licensure test in administration prior to the issuance of the license.
Sources:
Operating in the Dark, George W. Bush Institute
New Mexico Administrative Code 6.62.2.8, School Personnel – Licensure Requirements for Administrators
Administrator License Requirements, Portability, Waivers and Alternative Certification, ECS
Teacher and Principal Induction
Teacher Induction
Is mentoring required for all new teachers (special education) and for how many years? If so, do program guidelines/requirements specifically address teaching diverse learners?
State law requires all new teachers to participate in a formal mentorship program for at least one year. In 2001 the School Personnel Act was amended to create the beginning teacher mentorship program. Legislation (HB 71) passed in 2010 clarified that mentor support was required for only a single year. Additional support in the second and third year is available to teachers who are not successful in completing their first-year evaluation but who continue to be employed by the district. [New Mexico Statutes 22-10A-9]
Source: Review of State Policies on Teacher Induction (2012), New Teacher Center
Principal Induction
Is coaching/mentoring required for all new principals/administrators/ superintendents and for how many years? If so, do program guidelines/requirements specifically serving diverse learners?
The state does not require all new school administrators to receive induction support; however, the state has established the New Mexico Leadership to provide “a comprehensive and cohesive framework for preparing, mentoring and providing professional development for principals.” [NM Statutes 21-1-44] Legislation (HB 2) passed in 2009 allows for a Provisional Level 3B Administrator’s Licensure to be issued by the Public Education Department. If the request is approved by the Department, a district or charter school must submit for approval a district-level or charter school-level Principal Mentorship Program Plan that ensures the provisionally licensed principal will be provided mentorship support as needed. [NM Statutes 22-10A-11.3]
Source: Review of State Policies on Teacher Induction (2012), New Teacher Center
Teacher and Principal Professional Development Standards
Teacher Professional Development Standards
Does the state have professional development standards for teacher PD?
Our policy scan did not generate any information about professional development standards for teachers.
Principal Professional Development Standards
Does the state have professional development standards for leadership PD?
Our policy scan did not generate any information about professional development standards for principals.