NM governor proposes $4 million for college prep

Posted at: 12/28/2011 6:35 PM
By: Heather Mills, KOB Eyewitness News 4

Governor Susana Martinez said she wants more students to graduate high school and go on to college.

Wednesday afternoon she announced a plan that would add more than $4 million to the education fund.

Governor Martinez plans to ask lawmakers for that money in the upcoming legislative session. Here's how it breaks down:

- About $700,000 would go toward AP programs across the state. It would also allow all 10th grade students to take the PSAT for free.

- A million would be used for students enrolled in dual credit programs, for books and instructional material. Those programs allow students to earn high school and college credit at the same time.

- The bulk of the funds would go toward short-cycle assessments.

"They're called short-cycle assessments. They're offered throughout the year and they give a teacher an indication of the progress students are making or the lack thereof," said Education Secretary Hanna Skandera.

"Daily this happens so the teacher is able to assess the progress from one day to the next, one week to the next, etc," Martinez added.

The goal is to individualize education and not let any children slip through the cracks. Governor Martinez said some school districts across New Mexico already do short-cycle assessments. That means any funds they previously put toward the tests could go elsewhere.

Skandera said $27 million is allocated toward education each year. The funds for this proposal would come from a small budget surplus for the upcoming year.

Source: http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s2431256.shtml?cat=504

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