A witness for the New Mexico Public Education Department said during a hearing that if a judge stops the state's new teacher evaluation system it would negatively impact students and the school system in general.
American Federation of Teachers New Mexico and the Albuquerque Teachers Federation are seeking an injunction to halt the use of test scores while their lawsuit against the evaluation system goes through the court system.
A Santa Fe judge is hearing arguments over whether the state should stop its use of test scores in the evaluations.
On Tuesday, Director of Educator Quality for the Public Education Department Matt Montano testified that the state could lose federal funding and its waiver for certain federal No Child Left Behind Act mandates if the evaluations stop.
The hearing is scheduled to continue Thursday.
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