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Bill > SB242


NM SB242

Advancing The Science Of Reading Act


summary

Introduced
01/31/2025
In Committee
02/20/2025
Crossed Over
02/24/2025
Passed
Dead
03/22/2025

Introduced Session

Potential new amendment
2025 Regular Session

Bill Summary

AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL PERSONNEL; ENACTING THE ADVANCING THE SCIENCE OF READING ACT; REQUIRING TEACHER LICENSING CANDIDATES TO DEMONSTRATE COMPETENCY IN STRUCTURED LITERACY AND THE SCIENCE OF READING; REQUIRING THE USE OF HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR ALL STUDENT TEACHING AND SUPERVISED FIELD EXPERIENCES; DISALLOWING BALANCED LITERACY AS A TEACHING METHOD IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND STATE INSTITUTIONS; PROVIDING FOR LITERACY COORDINATORS; PROVIDING MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT.

AI Summary

This bill, known as the Advancing the Science of Reading Act, establishes comprehensive requirements for teacher preparation and reading instruction in New Mexico's public schools. The legislation mandates that teacher licensing candidates for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade must demonstrate competency in structured literacy and the science of reading by completing specific credit hours in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension, as well as completing 100 hours of supervised field experience in classrooms using scientifically based reading instruction. The bill explicitly prohibits the use of balanced literacy teaching methods, which rely on less systematic approaches to reading instruction, and requires all reading instruction to use high-quality, research-based instructional materials aligned with the science of reading. Additionally, the bill establishes literacy coordinators at teacher preparation programs to oversee implementation, requires the state education department to monitor and enforce these new standards, and mandates that parents be notified twice per year about their child's reading performance, particularly for students in kindergarten through third grade who are not reading at grade level. The goal of the bill is to improve literacy outcomes by ensuring that teachers are thoroughly trained in evidence-based reading instruction techniques and that students receive consistent, systematic reading education.

Committee Categories

Education

Sponsors (3)

Last Action

House Education Committee (08:30:00 3/14/2025 Room 309) (on 03/14/2025)

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