1. A. “Accreditation” means the official recognition that a school or school district meets required standards. Schools are accredited by voluntary regional accrediting associations or by state government. Accreditation also refers to the process of certifying that institutions of higher education meet certain standards in relation to such matters as the qualifications of their faculty, the condition of their facilities, and the appropriateness of their curriculum.
2. B. “Advanced placement (AP)” means a course taught by high school teachers trained in advanced placement course delivery provided through the college board. These courses are more difficult and involve more work than a standard class. AP courses are considered college-level courses and may allow a student to earn college credit, depending on college or university policies.
3. C. “Bilingual multicultural education” means a program of instruction using two languages, including English and the home or heritage language, as a medium of instruction in the teaching and learning process.
4. D. “Career and technical education” means organized programs offering a sequence of courses, including technical education and applied technology education, which are directly related to the preparation of individuals for paid or unpaid employment in current or emerging occupations requiring an industry-recognized credential, certificate, or degree.
5. E. “Career cluster” means a grouping of occupations in industry sectors based on recognized commonalities. Career clusters provide an organizing tool for developing instruction within the educational system.
6. F. “Career pathways” means a sub-grouping used as an organizing tool for curriculum design and instruction of occupations or career specialties that share a set of common knowledge and skills for career success.
7. G. “Caseload” means the total number of students receiving special education and speech-only services as special education, for whom a special education teacher or speech language pathologist has responsibility for developing and monitoring the students' IEPs. “Caseload” may also mean the number of students for which individual support services staff members are responsible.
8. H. “Certified district reviewer” means an LEA employee who is certified to review and approve an LEA’s NM School DASH plans.
9. I. “Chartering authority” means a local school board or the commission that approves and oversees a charter school.
10. J. “Class load” means the number of students for whom a teacher structures activities at a given time.
11. K. “Commission” means the public education commission.
12. L. “Content standard” means a statement about performance that describes what students should know and be able to do in content areas at each grade level.
13. M. “Correspondence course” means a form of distance learning conducted via traditional mail. A correspondence course is used to teach non-resident students by mailing them lessons and exercises, which upon completion, are returned to the correspondence school for grading.
14. N. “Distance learning” means the technology and the educational process used to provide instruction for credit or for a grade when the course provider and the distance learning student are not physically present at the same time or place. Distance learning does not include educational software that utilizes only on site teaching.
15. O. “Dual credit program” means a program that allows high school students to enroll in college-level courses offered by a post-secondary educational institution that may be academic or career-technical but not be remedial or developmental, and simultaneously to earn credit toward high school graduation and a post-secondary degree or certificate.
16. P. “Education plan” is the strategic plan written by all school districts, locally chartered and state-chartered charter schools to improve student performance.
17. Q. “English language learner” means a student whose first or heritage language is not English and who is unable to read, write, speak, or understand English at a level comparable to grade-level English proficient peers and native English speakers.
18. R. “English language proficiency assessment (ELPA)” means an assessment administered only to identified English learners that measures students’ progress towards English language proficiency that is aligned to the state’s English language development standards.
19. S. “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)” means rights, pursuant to 20 U.S. Code 1232(g) and 34 CFR Part 99, afforded to parents and students over 18 years of age with respect to the student's education records, that include: the right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days, the right to request amendment to the student's education records for various reasons, the right to consent or refuse to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information in the student's records (except for those records that FERPA authorizes for disclosure without consent) and the right to file a complaint with the U.S. department of education concerning non-compliance with FERPA.
20. T. “Final next-step plan” means a next-step plan that shows that the student has committed or intends to commit in the near future to a four-year college or university, a two-year college, a trade or vocational program, an internship or apprenticeship, military service or a job.
21. U. “Free appropriate public education (FAPE)” means special education and related services that are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction without charge, which meet the standards of the department in providing appropriate preschool, elementary, or secondary education in New Mexico; and which are provided in conformity with an individualized education program (IEP) that meets the requirements of 34 CFR Sections 300.320 through 300.324
22. V. “Graduate profile” means a document that a school district or charter school creates and uses to specify the cognitive, personal, and interpersonal competencies that students should have when they graduate. The core academic competencies and subjects identified in a school district’s or charter school’s graduate profile shall align with required graduation units.
23. W. “Heritage language” means a language other than English that is inherited from a family, tribe, community, or country of origin.
24. X. “Home language” means a language other than English that is the primary or heritage language spoken at home or in the community.
25. Y. “Individualized education program (IEP)” means a written statement for a child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with 34 CFR Secs. 300.320 through 300.324.

26. Z. “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA)” means the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, 20 U.S. Code Secs. 1401 et seq., including future amendments.

    1. (a) advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or honors courses;
    2. (b) dual-credit courses offered in cooperation with an institution of higher education;
    3. (c) distance learning courses;
    4. (d) career technical education or work-based learning courses; and

    5. (e) pre-apprenticeship programs.

       AG. “NM School DASH” means the strategic plan written by schools to improve student outcomes. It contains the annual plan, both 90-day plans, and functions as a school site improvement plan.

       AH. “Performance standard” means the statement of a standard that describes the specific level of mastery expected in achieving the New Mexico content standards with benchmarks.

       AI. “Prior written notice (PWN)” means the written notice that goes to parents from the school district, informing them the district proposes or refuses to initiate or change the identification, evaluation or educational placement of their child, or the provision of FAPE to the child, and which meets the requirements of 34 CFR Sections 300.503 and 300.504.

       AJ. “Short-cycle assessment” is a formative assessment that is regularly used to assess student performance over a short time period.

       AK. “Small group setting” means a planned intervention group containing no more than 15 students.

       AL. “Socioeconomic status” means the stratification of groups of people by status ascribed through social constructs such as race, gender, ethnicity, educational attainment, economic resources, language, and national origin.

       AM. “Standards-based assessments” means assessments that are aligned to the New Mexico content standards.

       AN. “State educational institution” means a school that is under the direction of a state agency other than the department or a separate board of regents.

       AO. “Student assistance team (SAT)” means a school-based group of people whose purpose is to provide additional educational support to students experiencing difficulties preventing them from benefitting from general education.

       AP. “System of assessments” means the collection of formative, interim, and summative instruments that assess student academic performance annually and the students’ progress toward meeting the New Mexico content standards.

       AQ. “Transition plan” means a coordinated set of activities for a student with a disability, which specifies special education and related services designed to meet a student's unique needs and to prepare the student for future education, employment, and independent living. The use of individualized educational program (IEP) transition planning, graduation planning and post-secondary transitions is described in Subparagraph (a) of Paragraph (13) of Subsection J of 6.29.1.9 NMAC.

    AA. “Interim next-step plan” means an annual next-step plan in which the student specifies post-high-school goals and sets forth the coursework that will allow the student to achieve those goals.

    AB. “Laboratory component” means an experience in the laboratory, classroom or the field that provides students with opportunities to interact directly with natural phenomena or with data collected by others using tools, materials, data collection techniques and models. Throughout the process, students should have opportunities to design investigations, engage in scientific reasoning, manipulate equipment, record data, analyze results, and discuss their findings.

    AC. “Local educational agency (LEA)” means a local educational agency as defined in 34 CFR Sec. 300.28. The LEA may be a public school district, a state-chartered charter school, or a state educational institution.

    AD. “MLSS Self-assessment” means analysis of MLSS implementation that each school shall submit in a form and by a due date determined by the department. The MLSS Self-assessment shall contribute to a school’s NM School DASH, but it shall not be a component in the evaluation of a school by the department.

    AE. “Multi-layered system of supports (MLSS)” means a coordinated and comprehensive framework that uses increasingly intensive evidence-based academic and behavioral supports that address student needs as evidenced by student data. It is a model for holistic school improvement that provides progress measures for additional supports such as school-based team structures, professional development, health and wellness, and family and community engagement. MLSS satisfies the definition of “multi-tiered system of supports” contained within the ESSA.

    AF. “Next-step plan” means an annual personal written plan of studies developed by a student in a public school or other state-supported school or institution in consultation with the student's parent and school counselor or other school official charged with coursework planning for the student which includes one or more of the following:

[6.29.1.7 NMAC - Rp, 6.30.2.7 NMAC, 6/30/2009; A, 10/31/2011; A, 12/15/2020; A, 1/28/2025]