HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 39

47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2006

INTRODUCED BY

W. C. "Dub" Williams

FOR THE LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY TO ASSUME THE PUBLICATION OF THE ANNUAL QUICK STATS PAMPHLET ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION IN NEW MEXICO.

WHEREAS, the former state department of public education instituted the annual publication of Quick Stats, a pamphlet of facts about public education in New Mexico, including statistics about revenue, schools and school districts, school personnel, students, examination scores and graduation rates, among other topics; and

WHEREAS, legislators, legislative staff, school personnel and the general public found the pamphlet helpful and timely; and

WHEREAS, the public education department, which superseded the state department of public education, has discontinued the publication of the pamphlet for a variety of reasons, primarily issues related to data and formatting; and

WHEREAS, the 2003 legislature created the office of education accountability to provide an independent evaluation of the Assessment and Accountability Act and the School Personnel Act; and

WHEREAS, the office of education accountability is also charged with verifying the accuracy of reports of public school, school district and state performance; and

WHEREAS, the office of education accountability identifies its mission as providing "an independent source of information about the progress of education reform"; and

WHEREAS, information contained in the Quick Stats pamphlet pertains to the duties assigned to and the mission assumed by the office of education accountability;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the office of education accountability, in collaboration with the public education department, be requested to assume the annual publication of the Quick Stats pamphlet, following in general the model developed by the state department of public education as continued by the public education department, adding information about the number of schools meeting adequate yearly progress or needing improvement and using the most current data available prior to the legislative session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of education accountability be requested to post the Quick Stats pamphlet on the office's web site; to distribute a hard copy to each member of the legislature, each staff member of each permanent committee of the legislature and each school district superintendent; and to maintain a supply of hard copies at the office of education accountability; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the director of the office of education accountability and the secretary of public education for appropriate distribution.

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