Purpose
In January 2019, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an Executive Order to “work with stakeholders to identify and implement a more effective method for assessing teacher performance” (NM EO 2019-002). The Executive Order further charged the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) with pursuing ratings and assessments that offer support for educators to improve their practice, provide more time for instruction, and conserve resources. It specified a collaborative approach that would include input from the NMPED, teachers, administrators, parents, students, and recognized experts in the field of teacher assessment.
The Task Force created purpose statements that serve as guiding principles for the evaluation system design recommendations. Task Force members ensured that broad stakeholder input was reflected in these guiding principles, in the system design, and in the recommendations for each component of the system and ensured that the design and components were consistent with the stated system purpose.