SENATE BILL 214

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2024

INTRODUCED BY

William E. Sharer

 

 

 

 

 

AN ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS; ENACTING THE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND INNOVATION LEADERS ACT WITHIN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CODE; CREATING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS AND STUDENT GROWTH AWARDS; PROVIDING SUPPORT THROUGH MONETARY AWARDS FOR READING AND MATH ACHIEVEMENTS AND GROWTH IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS; PROVIDING AWARD CALCULATION CRITERIA; CREATING A FUND; PROVIDING DEFINITIONS; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. A new section of the Public School Code is enacted to read:

     "[NEW MATERIAL] SHORT TITLE.--This act may be cited as the "Student Achievement and Innovation Leaders Act"."

     SECTION 2. A new section of the Public School Code is enacted to read:

     "[NEW MATERIAL] DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Student Achievement and Innovation Leaders Act:

          A. "math achievement component" means the portion of a school district's student achievement award attributable to its overall math proficiency rate;

          B. "math growth component" means the portion of a school district's student growth award attributable to individual students' growth in math;

          C. "proficiency rate" means the percentage of students scoring proficient or higher on standards-based assessments and is calculated in both reading and math;

          D. "reading achievement component" means the portion of a school district's student achievement award attributable to its overall reading proficiency rate;

          E. "reading growth component" means the portion of a school district's student growth award attributable to individual students' growth in reading;

          F. "school district" means a school district, charter school and locally chartered charter school independent of its school district authorizer; and

          G. "student growth" means the change in each student's normalized assessment scores from two school years prior to the prior school year and is calculated in both reading and math."

     SECTION 3. A new section of the Public School Code is enacted to read:

     "[NEW MATERIAL] STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND INNOVATION LEADERS FUND--CREATED.--The "student achievement and innovation leaders fund" is created as a nonreverting fund in the state treasury and consists of appropriations, gifts, grants, donations and any other money credited to the fund, including income from investment of the fund. The fund shall be administered by the department, and money in the fund is appropriated to the department solely for implementing the provisions of the Student Achievement and Innovation Leaders Act. Disbursements from the fund shall be made by warrant of the secretary of finance and administration pursuant to vouchers signed by the secretary of public education or the secretary's authorized representative."

     SECTION 4. A new section of the Public School Code is enacted to read:

     "[NEW MATERIAL] STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS--STUDENT GROWTH AWARDS--AWARD COMPONENTS--CALCULATIONS.--

          A. On an annual basis, school districts are eligible to receive a student achievement award, a student growth award or both. Awards shall provide continued monetary support for strong leadership and student growth in reading and math. The awards shall be calculated by the legislative education study committee, and payments for awards shall be made by the department from the student achievement and innovation leaders fund.

          B. The amount of a school district's student achievement award shall be the sum of the school district's reading achievement component and the school district's math achievement component.

          C. For a school district with an overall reading proficiency rate of:

                (1) forty percent or higher, the reading achievement component is one-half percent of the school district's generated program cost;

                (2) fifty percent or higher, the reading achievement component is one percent of the school district's generated program cost;

                (3) sixty percent or higher, the reading achievement component is one and one-half percent of the school district's generated program cost; or

                (4) seventy-five percent or higher, the reading achievement component is two percent of the school district's generated program cost.

          D. For a school district with an overall math proficiency rate of:

                (1) forty percent or higher, the school district's math achievement component is one-half percent of the school district's generated program cost;

                (2) fifty percent or higher, the school district's math achievement component is one percent of the school district's generated program cost;

                (3) sixty percent or higher, the school district's math achievement component is one and one-half percent of the school district's generated program cost; or

                (4) seventy-five percent or higher, the school district's math achievement component is two percent of the school district's generated program cost.

          E. A school district's student growth award shall be determined based on the sum of its reading growth component as calculated in Subsection F of this section and the school district's math growth component as calculated in Subsection G of this section.

          F. Using a regression model, the legislative education study committee shall calculate each student's   predicted score on standards-based assessments in reading. The regression model shall be based on the most recent assessment data available and include covariates of student achievement, including, at a minimum, economic disadvantaged status, English learner status and students with disabilities status. Each school district's reading growth component shall be determined as follows: 

                (1) if more than fifty percent of the school district's assessed students exceed their predicted scores in reading, the reading growth component is one percent of the school district's generated program cost;

                (2) if more than seventy-five percent of the school district's assessed students exceed their predicted scores in reading, the reading growth component is two percent of the school district's generated program cost; or

                (3) if more than ninety percent of the school district's assessed students exceed their predicted scores in reading, the reading growth component is three percent of the school district's generated program cost.

          G. Using a regression model, the legislative education study committee shall calculate each student's predicted score on standards-based assessments in math. The regression model shall be based on the most recent assessment data available and include covariates of student achievement, including, at a minimum, economic disadvantaged status, English learner status and students with disabilities status. Each school district's math growth component shall be determined as follows:

                (1) if more than fifty percent of the school district's assessed students exceed their predicted scores in math, the math growth component is one percent of the school district's generated program cost;

                (2) if more than seventy-five percent of the school district's assessed students exceed their predicted scores in math, the math growth component is two percent of the school district's generated program cost; or

                (3) if more than ninety percent of the school district's assessed students exceed their predicted scores in math, the math growth component is three percent of the school district's generated program cost.

          H. To enable the calculation of student achievement awards and student growth awards, the department shall provide a data set of student-level assessment results for the prior school year to the legislative education study committee no later than October 1 of each year. The data set shall include individual student assessment results, the demographic characteristics of the assessed students and a common student identification number necessary to facilitate comparisons of current data set information to the prior year's data set information.

          I. No later than December 1 of each year, the legislative education study committee shall determine those school districts that meet the requirements for student achievement awards and student growth awards and shall provide the department with a list of the school districts that are eligible to receive monetary awards payable from the student achievement and innovation leaders fund."

     SECTION 5. A new section of the Public School Code is enacted to read:

     "[NEW MATERIAL] AWARD RECIPIENTS--REPORTING EXEMPTIONS.--A school district that receives either its maximum potential student achievement award or its maximum potential student growth award pursuant to the provisions of the Student Achievement and Innovation Leaders Act shall be offered exemption from certain reporting requirements for the following fiscal year; provided that a school district offered an exemption may choose to continue meeting reporting requirements at the discretion of the local superintendent or head administrator of the charter school. Exemptions shall be offered from the following reporting requirements:

          A. the educational plan, pursuant to Section 22-8-6 NMSA 1978;

          B. the educational plan for student success, pursuant to Section 22-2C-6 NMSA 1978;

          C. the statewide teacher evaluation system, pursuant to Section 22-10A-19 NMSA 1978; and

          D. the attendance improvement plan, pursuant to Section 22-12A-7 NMSA 1978."

     SECTION 6. APPROPRIATION.--Three hundred million dollars ($300,000,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the student achievement and innovation leaders fund for expenditure in fiscal year 2025 and subsequent fiscal years. Money in the fund shall be used by the public education department to pay student achievement awards and student growth awards to school districts as provided in the Student Achievement and Innovation Leaders Act. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund.

     SECTION 7. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is July 1, 2024.

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