A teacher residency program established pursuant to the Teacher Residency Act shall include:

1. A. competitive admission requirements with multiple criteria;
2. B. rigorous department-approved teacher preparation program coursework, which shall be offered while the teaching resident undertakes a full academic year of guided apprenticeship in the classroom of a level two or level three teacher at the partner school district or charter school;
3. C. a co-teaching approach to expose teaching residents to a variety of teaching methods, philosophies and classroom environments;
4. D. clear criteria for the selection of level two and level three teachers based on measures of teacher effectiveness and the appropriate subject area knowledge;
5. E. providing level two and level three teachers with ongoing evidence-based training in coaching and mentoring teaching residents and compensation for time and added responsibility;
6. F. grouping teaching residents in cohorts to facilitate professional collaboration among residents and placing teaching residents in teaching schools or professional development programs that are organized to support a high-quality teacher learning experience in a supportive work environment;
7. G. measures of appropriate progress through the program;
8. H. for a teaching resident who is an undergraduate, a stipend of no less than sixty-five percent of the statutory minimum salary for a level one teacher and, for a teaching resident who has a bachelor's degree, a stipend of no less than eighty percent of the statutory minimum salary for a level one teacher;
9. I. a stipend of no less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) per year for level two and level three teachers participating in the program;
10. J. a stipend of no less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) per year for principals or head administrators at the partner school district or charter school;
11. K. funding of no less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) per year for teacher residency program coordinators at each department-approved New Mexico teacher residency program;
12. L. a post-completion commitment by teaching residents to serve a minimum of three years at a public school;
13. M. an expectation of an offer of employment to the teaching resident from the partner school district or charter school, depending on the district's or charter school's staffing needs and the resident's performance;
14. N. support for teaching residents for not less than one year following the resident's completion of the program through the provision of mentoring, professional development and networking opportunities; and
15. O. demonstration of the integral role and responsibilities of the partner school district or charter school in fulfilling the purpose of the program.

History: Laws 2020, ch. 25, § 4; 2022, ch. 17, § 2; 2026, ch. 51, § 1.

ANNOTATIONS

The 2026 amendment, effective May 20, 2026, provided that the amount of the stipend for a teaching resident be set at a percentage of the statutory minimum salary for level one teachers based on the resident's qualifications, provided that a teaching resident may work at any public school after the residency instead of the previous requirement of working at a public school in the sponsoring school district, and provided that a partner school district or charter school shall be expected to offer employment to a teaching resident depending on the district's or charter school's staffing needs and the resident's performance; in Subsection H, after the subsection designation, added "for a teaching resident who is an undergraduate", after "no less than" deleted "thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000) per year for teaching residents", and added the remainder of the subsection.

The 2022 amendment, effective May 18, 2022, increased the stipend for teaching residents from twenty thousand dollars to thirty-five thousand dollars, provided a two thousand dollar stipend to partnering classroom teachers, provided a two thousand dollar stipend to principals or head administrators at partner schools, and provided a minimum of fifty thousand dollars for teacher residency program coordinators at each teacher residency program; in Subsection B, after "apprenticeship in the classrooms of", deleted "an expert" and added "a level two or level three"; in Subsection C, after "a", deleted "team mentorship" and added "co-teaching"; in Subsection D, after "for the selection of", deleted "expert" and added "level two and level three"; in Subsection E, after "providing", deleted "expert" and added "level two and level three"; in Subsection H, after "no less than", deleted "twenty thousand dollars ($20,000)" and added "thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000)"; added new Subsections I through K and redesignated former Subsections I through L as Subsections L through O, respectively; and in Subsection L, after "residents to serve", added "a minimum".