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HOUSE MEMORIAL 109

48

TH LEGISLATURE

- STATE OF NEW MEXICO -

FIRST SESSION

, 2007

INTRODUCED BY

Mimi Stewart

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE TO STUDY

THE 2008 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL READING ADOPTION AND

ENCOURAGING THE PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO NARROW THE

ADOPTION LIST TO ONLY SCIENTIFICALLY BASED INSTRUCTIONAL

MATERIALS.

WHEREAS, reading is the very foundation of formal

education in the modern world, for without the ability to read,

a child is not able to progress successfully through the

remainder of a school curriculum; and

WHEREAS, reading is a learned skill that includes oral

language, phonological awareness, print awareness and

alphabetic awareness; and

WHEREAS, a child's failure to learn to read often results

in a devastating downward spiral that leads to low self-esteem

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and underachievement, both in school and in life; and

WHEREAS, an extensive knowledge base now exists to show

teachers and parents the skills students must learn to read

well, and these skills provide the basis for sound curriculum

decisions and instructional approaches that can help prevent

the predictable consequences of early reading failure; and

WHEREAS, the state has invested in the reading initiative,

the literacy for children at risk program, kindergarten plus,

pre-kindergarten and now K-3 plus to help low-income children,

in particular, learn to read; and

WHEREAS, those programs, as well as other elementary

school reading programs, are required to teach reading using

scientifically based methods; and

WHEREAS, given the statutory requirements for

scientifically based reading programs, it is extremely

important that the instructional materials adopted by the

public education department be aligned with those requirements;

and

WHEREAS, the department must adopt reading instructional

materials in 2008, and it is imperative that it adopt only

those reading materials and programs that are scientifically

proven to teach children how to read;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES that the legislative education study committee

be requested to study the public education department's reading

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instructional materials adoption process and assist the

department and legislature, as needed, to ensure that only

scientifically proven instructional materials are adopted; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the public education

department be strongly encouraged to limit the reading

adoption, not only in quantity of materials adopted but in

quality as well, adopting only those instructional materials

that have been proven through scientific research to enhance

early language, cognitive and reading development skills and

that are based on the latest scientifically based research on

phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and text

comprehension; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be

transmitted to the legislative education study committee and

the public education department.

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