Report Cards Due For New Mexico Schools

From KOAT-TV.com - ALBUQUERQUE -- This week, New Mexico's schools will find out if they've made the grade. It is part of Governor Martinez' push to reform education. The new system gives each school an A through F grade. "What you want is a full picture of what's happening in a school," said Education Secretary Hanna Skandera. Skandera says the biggest thing about these grades is that they are not just based on test scores. Elementary schools will be graded partly on student improvement, and 40 percent on standardized tests. For high schools, AP courses, graduation rates, and student improvement will also hold weight along with test scores. In fact much of the public schools' grades focus on student improvement and teacher ability to close the achievement gap, with a special focus on students who may be years behind their grade level. "Even if they're walking in two to three years behind, you close that gap, and by the time those kids leave your elementary school they're not 3 years behind, they're one and a half years behind. We need to acknowledge that progress; that's good teaching," said Skandera. Read more

Report Cards Due For New Mexico Schools