SENATE BILL 468

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2008

INTRODUCED BY

Pete Campos

AN ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC EDUCATION; PROVIDING FOR AN INTENSIVE NEUROSCIENCE-DRIVEN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AND READING PROFICIENCY INTERVENTION PILOT RESEARCH PROGRAM; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

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

     Section 1. INTENSIVE NEUROSCIENCE-DRIVEN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AND READING PROFICIENCY INTERVENTION PILOT RESEARCH PROGRAM.--

          A. The public education department shall establish a pilot research program in which a contractor provides participating schools with an intensive neuroscience-driven language development and reading proficiency intervention for participating students. The department shall adopt criteria for the application by and selection of schools to participate in the pilot program.

          B. The public education department shall adopt criteria for the selection of a contractor to provide the pilot program that include neuroscience-based, scientifically validated intervention methods and instructional tools that have been proven to accelerate learning, cognitive ability and language and reading proficiency.

          C. A school participating in the pilot program shall select high-risk, English-language-learning, special education and below-proficient-reading students to participate in the program. A participating school shall assess each selected student before the student enters and after the student leaves the pilot program to measure the student's progress. The results shall be considered by the public education department for inclusion within a school improvement, corrective action and school restructuring framework.

          D. Not later than October 1, 2010, the public education department shall provide the legislative education study committee with a report describing the assessment of student progress from participation in the pilot program.

     Section 2. APPROPRIATION.--Two million dollars ($2,000,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the public education department for expenditure in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 to establish intensive neuroscience-driven language development and reading proficiency intervention pilot research program. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2010 shall revert to the general fund.

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