The New Mexico Public Education Department believes literacy is a fundamental civil right and applies to all students in New Mexico. While teaching children to read in the early grades (K-3) has been a major focus of the state, it is essential to continue this focus into the secondary grades, including middle and high school.
When considering the importance of literacy in the secondary grades, the focus expands into all subjects and classes. This expansion is commonly referred to as “disciplinary literacy,” which is a term the PED frequently uses to discuss topics within secondary literacy. Disciplinary literacy teaches students to use literacy skills to engage in goals and practices unique to each academic discipline. Several studies conducted across multiple content areas have demonstrated that disciplinary literacy instruction can lead to positive outcomes for diverse students on content knowledge and literacy achievement measurements.
The resources provided here are to assist secondary (6-12) educators, administrators, and parents in providing the best instruction for all New Mexico students.
- The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts (ELA) include literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. These standards are linked to the College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading. A note reads, “Reading is critical to building knowledge in history/social studies as well as in science and technical subjects. College and career-ready reading in these fields requires an appreciation of the norms and conventions of each discipline, such as the evidence used in history and science, an understanding of domain-specific words and phrases, attention to precise details, and the capacity to evaluate intricate arguments, synthesize complex information, and follow detailed descriptions of events and concepts in history/social studies, for example, students need to be able to analyze, evaluate, and differentiate primary and secondary sources.”
- The New Mexico Statewide Literacy Framework (NMSLF) is intended to support districts, schools, and teachers as they implement a comprehensive literacy system from birth through high school that ensures all students are prepared for meaningful post-secondary opportunities, including further education, meaningful employment, and lifelong learning.
- The NMPED K-12 Writing Structures Guide seeks to provide educators with tools to develop a culturally and linguistically responsive writing program for any grade level. Effective writing instruction is especially important for our secondary students because they must leave high school equipped with the skills to express their thoughts and ideas effectively in various forms of writing to be college—and/or career-ready.
- The NMPED Secondary Literacy Guide for Families was made with New Mexico families in mind. This guide aims to help families support their middle and high school students’ reading and writing development at home. It also explains important literacy skills needed to be college and/or career-ready and provides simple literacy activities families can do with their students.
- Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Practice Guides: These guides provide evidence-based recommendations for best practices and interventions to address challenges in classrooms and schools serving the secondary grades.
- Achieve the Core – Text Complexity Toolkit: This collection includes tools to help with each step and research to support teachers’ understanding of text complexity.
- All About Adolescent Literacy: AdLit is a national multimedia project providing educators and families with resources to support readers and writers in middle and high school.
- Keys to Literacy – Content Writing Resources: This page offers various writing resources for educators, including information about The Writing Rope (grades 3-12)
- The Reading League – Science of Reading: Defining Guide (download): This guide provides a firm definition of the science of reading and what it is not, and how all stakeholders can understand its potential to transform reading instruction.
- WestEd – Reading Apprenticeship: Reading Apprenticeship is a professional learning model that seeks to engage students through four interactive dimensions of learning. These dimensions are developed through metacognitive conversation that explores students’ thinking processes.
- NMPED Assessment Home Page
- NMPED 2023-24 Assessment Schedule
- NM-MSSA Resources Home Page
- NM-MSSA Performance Level Descriptors (PLDS) represent intended interpretations of solid student achievement on the assessment (NM-MSSA) for intended uses of test scores.
- NMPED College and Career Readiness Bureau (CCRB) Home Page
- NM Graduation Requirements includes links to graduation requirements in statute and rule, high school graduation requirements guidance documents, and course requirements documents.
- The FAFSA Help page, created by the CCRB, contains many useful links related to the FAFSA and other financial topics.