AFT President Randi Weingarten on NM Governor’s First Executive Orders

WASHINGTON—Statement of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s first executive orders to replace the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers standardized test, known as PARCC, and transition away from New Mexico’s overreliance on value-added methodology as a measure of educator effectiveness:

“The executive orders by Gov. Lujan Grisham make clear that, at least in New Mexico, the days of reducing students to a test score and rating educators with a faulty algorithm are over. The governor recognizes what renowned scientists have been saying for years—that an overreliance on standardized testing turns schools from welcoming learning sanctuaries to testing factories.

“It’s telling that the first action by Gov. Lujan Grisham is focused on strengthening public education by first and foremost helping students and their educators. After years of former Gov. Susana Martinez’s obsession with testing over teaching, New Mexico now has a governor who wants to work with educators, not against us, and do what works for kids, parents and schools. Elections matter. Thank you, governor.”