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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR SPAC
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
2/26/2007
HB
SHORT TITLE Require Use of Standardized Grading System
SB 160/SPACS
ANALYST Aguilar
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)
FY07
FY08
FY09 3 Year
Total Cost
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
Total
**
Indeterminate
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
** See Fiscal Implications
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
The Senate Public Affairs Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 160 provides for Public
Education Department to adopt and promulgate rules for a standardized grading system to be
used by all public schools for grades five through twelve that is aligned with the New Mexico
academic content and performance standards.
Public schools shall include results of the standards-based assessments in the standardized
grading system.
Public schools would be allowed to augment the grading system with additional narrative or
other means to convey student success in developing academic, social, behavioral or other skills.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The committee substitute provides for PED to promulgate rules to establish a standardized
grading system. The rule making process is time consuming, requires considerable staff time in
preparing the rule as well as gathering public comment statewide. The cost of this could be
considerable to PED and is not included in the department budget.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
PED notes that as New Mexico continues to move to a standards-based system, the primary
measure of student success should be New Mexico Content Standard proficiency. A meaningful