Commentary: Responding to New Mexico Public Education Department Secretary-Designate Statements Regarding to Retention of NM students, Betty Patterson, NEA-NM President, issued the following statement (for immediate release, Friiday, November 10, 2017).
"As educators deeply committed to student success, our members and the districts they work for are providing reading interventions including extra reading classes to improve these skills. If a student is really trying and can’t achieve at their grade level, then testing to find problem areas is more successful than retention.
Many students were not able to be placed in K- 3 Plus reading programs this summer because of budget cuts.
K-3 Plus and pre-K programs should be funded statewide so every New Mexico student has an equal opportunity for reading success. Students should not be punished by retention because our state government is failing them."