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Skandera briefs GMCS on ESSA

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Plan replaces No Child Left Behind

State Education Secretary Hanna Skandera dropped in on members of the Gallup-McKinley County Board of Education, teachers, parents and Gallup school administrators at a May 25 meeting about New Mexico’s Every Student Succeeds Act education plan.

The just more than one hour meeting was the last leg of ESSA meetings throughout New Mexico. The meeting took place at the library at Miyamura High School.

“Twenty-one different subjects and grades were measured this year and our state went up in 19 out of 21 subject areas this year,” Skandera told an audience of a couple dozen. “That’s a huge credit to teachers,” she said. “That means kids learned and grew more than ever in subjects and grades compared to the previous year.”

The federal ESSA was passed in December 2015 and submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in early April to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. ESSA replaces the No Child Left Behind law of 2002. A short question and answer session followed Skandera’s presentation.

Skandera, who is originally from California, talked about the efforts used to adjust New Mexico’s teacher evaluation, support and student testing programs. Each was a hallmark in a statewide tour by Skandera last year that sought ESSA input from school districts.

“We listened to you and what you said mattered and still matters,” Skandera said. “We’re taking data from our teacher evaluations, from our school grades and using that data to support teachers in the classroom.”

Skandera touched on changes to New Mexico’s NMTEACH Educator Effectiveness model, decreases in the amount of time students put into test-taking and the various state initiatives started over the past year to support teachers.

“There are things about our state’s Native American student population that are just as important as what we’re talking about right now,” Gallup school board member Priscilla Manuelito said. “There are kids in our district that come from homes without running water and without electricity.”

Skandera also talked about the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) examination. Interim Gallup-McKinley Schools Superintendent Mike Hyatt said after the meeting that the visit by Skandera was a good one.

“I think it was very worthwhile and useful information,” Hyatt said. “I’m glad there were that many teachers in attendance.”

A goal Skandera talked about was the Route 66 plan. The plan is centered around 66 percent of New Mexicans eligible to work earning a college degree by the year 2030.

Skandera made headlines several months ago when it was rumored that she was in line for a job in the Trump White House. The subject was brought up, but Skandera shrugged off the remark.

By Bernie Dotson 
Sun Correspondent


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