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House lawmakers stall critical literacy legislation despite overwhelming public support.
SANTA FE, N.M– After two unanimous committee approvals in the Senate and an overwhelming floor vote in its favor, the future of Senate Bill 242: Advancing the Science of Reading Act remains uncertain. Sponsored by Senator Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque), SB 242 is a model piece of legislation designed to strengthen literacy instruction statewide.
“Today, legislators had the chance to ensure our students and teachers have the tools they need to improve New Mexico’s reading outcomes,” said Amanda Aragon, Executive Director of NewMexicoKidsCAN. “Instead, parents and community members are left wondering about the fate of Senate Bill 242.”
SB 242 aligns teacher preparation programs with the Science of Reading, bans balanced literacy, requires parent notification for struggling readers, and mandates individual reading improvement plans, ensuring that students receive the support they need to become strong readers. The bill incorporates best practices that have led to meaningful literacy gains in states like Mississippi and Louisiana. Mississippi, which ranked 49th in 2013, rose to 22nd in 2022 and now stands 9th in the nation for 4th-grade reading. Similarly, Louisiana climbed from 50th in 2019 to 16th in 4th-grade reading and from 45th to 29th in 8th-grade reading.
During this morning’s House Education Committee hearing, lawmakers failed to act on the bill despite over two hours of discussion, including an hour of public testimony. 40 minutes of which came from teachers, parents, and community leaders speaking in support.
The 2018 Yazzie-Martinez ruling found that New Mexico failed to provide sufficient public education and in the court’s findings of fact affirmed the need for teachers to use direct, explicit, sequential, and systematic reading instruction. SB 242 aligns with this finding.
Lauren Scott, a kindergarten teacher from Albuquerque, emphasized the bill’s importance in teacher preparation: “If new teachers understand WHY they are teaching reading in this way through thorough preparation, they will stay committed and see the impact of their efforts. Teachers remain in the classroom when they feel effective, and being adequately prepared to teach is a key factor in that.”
Jessica Castro-Buelna, a kindergarten teacher from Las Cruces, highlighted the critical role of structured literacy in bilingual education:”Structured literacy is very important for all grade levels and has critical alignment with bilingual education, an important piece of New Mexico. As I think about my student Yesenia, I am grateful she has the opportunity to be in a bilingual school. When she started kindergarten, her home language was a mix of English and Spanish. As the first days came around, we could not understand what she was saying. We would try to grasp as much as we could, but most of the time, we failed. Yesenia now [with the support of Structured Literacy] speaks both languages fluently with minor errors and is proud of who she is.”
Among those speaking in support were teachers and administrators from the Gadsden Independent School District (GISD). GISD has embraced the Science of Reading and produced incredible gains for all students, including English learners. Many of the district’s schools, such as Anthony Elementary (37%) and La Union Elementary (44.1%), outperform the state’s average reading proficiency for English learners, which stands at just 18.9%.
The need for this legislation is urgent. The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results show that 56% of New Mexico’s 4th graders scored below basic, meaning they lack fundamental reading skills. Additionally, statewide assessments indicate that only 39% of students are reading at grade level. A recent survey of New Mexico parents revealed that over 80% believe their children are reading at or above grade level, highlighting a major perception gap.
The full committee hearing can be found here, and begins at 9:44:43 and ends at 12:30:54.
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About NewMexicoKidsCAN: Launched in 2018, NewMexicoKidsCAN is a local non-profit organization that advocates for community-informed, student-centered and research-backed education policies. Connecting policy, instructional practice and politics the organization works to reimagine what is possible in New Mexico’s public education system to ensure New Mexico students become the future community, civic and business leaders New Mexico needs.
To learn more, visit www.nmkidscan.org.