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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR HEC

DATE TYPED 3/7/05

HB 978/HECS

SHORT TITLE Teacher Licensure Qualification Substitutes

SB

ANALYST Hanika-Ortiz

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

NFI

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Substitute Bill

The committee substitute for HB 978 proposes additional reciprocity and credential qualifica-

tions that allow the PED to issue an alternative level two, three-A or three-B license to an appli-

cant who has a post-baccalaureate degree, a successful internship of one full school year, five

additional years of experience teaching or administering at the postsecondary level and any other

Department-approved competencies for the grade level and subject area that the person will

teach.

Significant Issues

The substitute bill allows for credential qualifications to be considered in granting limited recip-

rocity for public school teachers and principals.

A level two license is issued to an applicant who successfully completes the three year level one

license or is granted reciprocity or is under the new credential qualification in the committee

substitute. The minimum salary for this level in 2005-2006 is $40 thousand for a nine and one

month contract.

A level three-A license is issued to an applicant who has been a level two teacher for three years,

holds a post-baccalaureate degree or national board teaching certification, demonstrates instruc-

House Bill 978/HECS-- Page 2

tional leader competencies or is under the new credential qualification proposed by the commit-

tee substitute. The minimum salary for this level in 2005-2006 is $40 thousand for a nine and one

month contract.

A level three-B license is issued to a school administrator who has been a level three-A instruc-

tional leader for one year, has completed department-approved courses in administration and an

apprenticeship program, demonstrates instructional leader competencies or is under the new cre-

dential qualification proposed by the committee substitute. The minimum salary for this level in

2005-2006 is based on school size, ranging from $58 thousand to $68 thousand for a ten-month

contract.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

The PED believes an assumption is made that teaching skills in higher education may be easily

transferred to teaching children in kindergarten, elementary or middle school and high school.

An assumption is also made that a post baccalaureate degree in any field is adequate evidence of

being a master teacher or school administrator in elementary or secondary education. The three-

tiered licensure system is based on proven performance in the elementary and secondary class-

room evaluated over the years. It is also based on producing results with children and youths.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The substitute bill provides for no additional compensation for credential qualifications outside

of the salary schedule determined by the School Personnel Act.

The substitute bill may help reduce PED’s current staff vacancy rate from 16 percent to 8.5 per-

cent as recommended by the Legislative Finance Committee, address staff turnover and reduce

the need to use substitute teaching staff or agencies that supply substitute teaching staff.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

To improve the quality of teachers in New Mexico, advocates suggest students seeking teaching

credentials be required to do so in conjunction with, or after the completion of, a baccalaureate

degree program in an academic area outside of education. There is evidence to support that

teachers need an academic college degree and studies in education in order to develop the gen-

eral intellectual skills, deep knowledge of the subjects they teach, and a grasp of teaching meth-

ods that make knowledge accessible to students and make achievement possible.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

Many New Mexico private schools hire teachers and principals outside of these parameters. In

many cases charter schools can also create policies within their Charter that allow for creativity

and flexibility in hiring teachers and principals.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

According to the National Research Council, a teachers’ level of education, measured by the per-

centage of teachers with a master’s degree or higher, in some cases is positively and significantly

related to test scores but not nearly as uniformly as the measures of teacher experience. Simi-

House Bill 978/HECS-- Page 3

larly, a higher percentage of teachers with only a bachelor’s degree within a given grade is nega-

tively related to student achievement.

Subject-specific teacher training may affect student achievement. Students of teachers who are

not fully certified in mathematics perform less well than students whose teachers are certified in

math. Research shows that teacher certification and/or teacher experience and preparation corre-

late significantly with student achievement even after factoring out the effects of student poverty.

ALTERNATIVES

An amendment proposing the PED to allow credential qualification to teaching and principal ap-

plicants for junior high and high schools where there is a greater demand for subject specific

knowledge and a lesser demand for appropriate early childhood developmental teaching tech-

niques and knowledge.

The PED could consider contracting “visiting professors” in a given subject area, as they do with

“visiting artists”.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL.

The current state policy for licensing teachers and principals will apply.

AHO/rs:yr:njw