SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) Education Secretary Hanna Skandera says New Mexico is taking steps to improve its system for evaluating public school teachers but that decreasing its reliance on students' test scores won't be one of them. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Skandera told a legislative study committee Monday that steps being taken include assigning a Public Education Department liaison to each school district and charter school and increasing training on how the system works. But Skandera indicated that the department will not compromise on use of student measurements that make up 50 percent of a teacher's evaluation.
Republican Sen. Gay Kernan of Hobbs told Skandera that the state should consider decreasing the percentage, and Democratic Rep. Mimi Stewart of Albuquerque called the current percentage a “disservice'' to teachers.
