NM
New Mexico House Bill HB282

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HB282 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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2828 HOUSE BILL 282
2929 57
3030 TH LEGISLATURE
3131 -
3232
3333 STATE
3434
3535 OF
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3737 NEW
3838
3939 MEXICO
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4141 -
4242 FIRST SESSION
4343 ,
4444
4545 2025
4646 INTRODUCED BY
4747 Eleanor Chávez and Yanira Gurrola
4848 AN ACT
4949 RELATING TO EDUCATION; REQUIRING EMPLOYEE RIGHTS IN THE
5050 WORKPLACE TO BE TAUGHT TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.
5151 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
5252 SECTION 1. Section 22-13-1.1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1986,
5353 Chapter 33, Section 5, as amended) is amended to read:
5454 "22-13-1.1. GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS--NEXT-STEP PLANS.--
5555 A. The purpose of the New Mexico diploma of
5656 excellence is to demonstrate that a student is ready for
5757 success in post-secondary education, gainful employment and
5858 citizenship and is equipped with the skills to be a lifelong
5959 learner. The purpose of the state's minimum graduation
6060 requirements is to establish rigorous expectations to support
6161 that success.
6262 B. School districts and charter schools are
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9090 encouraged to make available courses and programs of study that
9191 allow students to pursue a range of post-secondary
9292 opportunities and workforce opportunities and gain knowledge in
9393 entrepreneurship principles, as determined by the student's
9494 next-step plan and the school district's or charter school's
9595 graduate profile.
9696 C. At the end of grades eight through eleven, each
9797 student shall prepare an interim next-step plan that sets forth
9898 the coursework for the grades remaining until high school
9999 graduation. Each year's plan shall be aligned to the graduate
100100 profile of the student's school district or charter school,
101101 shall be completed on a department-approved template, shall
102102 explain any differences from previous interim next-step plans,
103103 shall be filed with the principal of the student's high school
104104 and shall be signed by the student, the student's parent and
105105 the student's guidance counselor or other school official
106106 charged with coursework planning for the student.
107107 D. Each student must complete a final next-step
108108 plan during the senior year and prior to graduation. The plan
109109 shall be aligned to the graduate profile of the student's
110110 school district or charter school, shall be completed on a
111111 department-approved template, shall be filed with the principal
112112 of the student's high school and shall be signed by the
113113 student, the student's parent and the student's guidance
114114 counselor or other school official charged with coursework
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143143 planning for the student.
144144 E. An individualized education plan that meets the
145145 requirements of Subsections C and D of this section and that
146146 meets all applicable transition and procedural requirements of
147147 the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for a
148148 student with a disability shall satisfy the next-step plan
149149 requirements of this section for that student.
150150 F. A local school board or governing body of a
151151 charter school shall ensure that each high school student
152152 develops a next-step plan based on reports of college and
153153 workplace readiness assessments, as available, and other
154154 factors and is reasonably informed about:
155155 (1) curricular and course options, including
156156 honors or advanced placement courses, international
157157 baccalaureate courses, dual-credit courses, distance learning
158158 courses, career clusters and career pathways, pre-
159159 apprenticeship programs or remediation programs that the
160160 college and workplace readiness assessments indicate to be
161161 appropriate;
162162 (2) opportunities available that lead to
163163 different post-high-school options; and
164164 (3) alternative opportunities available if the
165165 student does not finish a planned curriculum.
166166 G. The secretary shall:
167167 (1) establish specific accountability
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196196 standards for administrators, counselors, teachers and other
197197 appropriate school district or charter school employees to
198198 ensure that every student has the opportunity to develop a
199199 next-step plan;
200200 (2) promulgate rules for accredited private
201201 schools in order to ensure substantial compliance with the
202202 provisions of this section;
203203 (3) monitor compliance with the requirements
204204 of this section; and
205205 (4) compile such information as is necessary
206206 to evaluate the success of next-step plans and report annually,
207207 by December 15, to the legislative education study committee
208208 and the governor.
209209 H. Once a student has entered ninth grade, the
210210 graduation requirements shall not be changed for that student
211211 from the requirements specified in the law at the time the
212212 student entered ninth grade.
213213 I. For students entering the ninth grade beginning
214214 in the 2009-2010 school year, at least one of the units
215215 required for graduation shall be earned as an advanced
216216 placement or honors course, a dual-credit course offered in
217217 cooperation with an institution of higher education or a
218218 distance learning course.
219219 J. The department shall establish a procedure for
220220 students to be awarded credit through completion of specified
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249249 career technical education for certain graduation requirements,
250250 and districts may choose to allow students who successfully
251251 complete an industry-recognized credential, a certificate or a
252252 degree to receive additional weight in the calculation of the
253253 student's grade point average.
254254 K. Successful completion of the requirements of the
255255 New Mexico diploma of excellence shall be required for
256256 graduation for students entering the ninth grade beginning in
257257 the 2009-2010 school year. Successful completion of a minimum
258258 of twenty-four units aligned to the state academic content and
259259 performance standards shall be required to earn a New Mexico
260260 diploma of excellence. These units shall be as follows:
261261 (1) four units in English, with major emphasis
262262 on grammar, nonfiction writing and literature; provided that
263263 department-approved work-based training or career and technical
264264 education courses that meet state English academic content
265265 performance standards shall qualify as one of the four required
266266 English units;
267267 (2) four units in mathematics, of which one
268268 shall be the equivalent to or higher than the level of algebra
269269 2, unless the parent submitted written, signed permission for
270270 the student to complete a lesser mathematics unit; and provided
271271 that a financial literacy course or department-approved work-
272272 based training or career and technical education course that
273273 meets state mathematics academic content and performance
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302302 standards shall qualify as one of the four required mathematics
303303 units;
304304 (3) three units in science, two of which shall
305305 have a laboratory component; provided that department-approved
306306 work-based training or career and technical education courses
307307 that meet state science academic content and performance
308308 standards shall qualify as one of the three required science
309309 units;
310310 (4) three and one-half units in social
311311 science, which shall include United States history and
312312 geography, world history and geography, government and
313313 economics and one-half unit of New Mexico history;
314314 (5) one unit in physical education, as
315315 determined by each school district or charter school, which may
316316 include a physical education program that meets state content
317317 and performance standards or participation in marching band,
318318 junior reserve officers' training corps or interscholastic
319319 sports sanctioned by the New Mexico activities association or
320320 any other co-curricular physical activity;
321321 (6) one unit in one of the following: a
322322 career cluster course, workplace readiness or a language other
323323 than English; and
324324 (7) seven and one-half elective units that
325325 meet department content and performance standards. Career and
326326 technical education courses shall be offered as an elective.
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355355 Student service learning shall be offered as an elective.
356356 Financial literacy shall be offered as an elective. Pre-
357357 apprenticeship programs may be offered as electives. Media
358358 literacy may be offered as an elective.
359359 L. For students entering the eighth grade in the
360360 2012-2013 school year, one-half unit in health education is
361361 required prior to graduation. Health education may be required
362362 in either middle school or high school, as determined by the
363363 school district or charter school. Health education courses
364364 shall include:
365365 (1) age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault
366366 awareness and prevention training that meets department
367367 standards developed in consultation with the federal centers
368368 for disease control and prevention that are based on evidence-
369369 based methods that have proven to be effective; and
370370 (2) lifesaving skills training that follows
371371 nationally recognized guidelines for hands-on psychomotor
372372 skills cardiopulmonary resuscitation training. Students shall
373373 be trained to recognize the signs of a heart attack, use an
374374 automated external defibrillator and perform the Heimlich
375375 maneuver for choking victims. The secretary shall promulgate
376376 rules to provide for the:
377377 (a) use of the following instructors for
378378 the training provided pursuant to this paragraph: 1) school
379379 nurses, health teachers and athletic department personnel as
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408408 instructors; and 2) any qualified persons volunteering to
409409 provide training at no cost to the school district or charter
410410 school that the school district or charter school determines to
411411 be eligible to offer instruction pursuant to this paragraph;
412412 and
413413 (b) approval of training and
414414 instructional materials related to the training established
415415 pursuant to this paragraph in both English and Spanish.
416416 M. For students entering the ninth grade in the
417417 2017-2018 school year and subsequent school years:
418418 (1) one of the units in mathematics required
419419 by Paragraph (2) of Subsection K of this section may comprise a
420420 computer science course if the course is not used to satisfy
421421 any part of the requirement set forth in Paragraph (3) of that
422422 subsection; and
423423 (2) one of the units in science required by
424424 Paragraph (3) of Subsection K of this section may comprise a
425425 computer science course if the course is not used to satisfy
426426 any part of the requirement set forth in Paragraph (2) of that
427427 subsection.
428428 N. Final examinations shall be administered to all
429429 students in all classes offered for credit.
430430 O. Beginning with students entering the ninth grade
431431 in the 2025-2026 school year, successful completion of a
432432 minimum of twenty-four units aligned to the state academic
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461461 content and performance standards shall be required for
462462 graduation and the award of a diploma of excellence. These
463463 units shall be as follows:
464464 (1) four units in English, which shall include
465465 a three-unit sequence; provided that department-approved work-
466466 based learning, career technical education or English language
467467 development courses that meet state English or English language
468468 development academic content and performance standards may
469469 qualify as required English units;
470470 (2) four units in mathematics, two of which
471471 shall include a sequence of algebra 1 and geometry or another
472472 integrated pathway of mathematics equivalent to algebra 1 and
473473 geometry; provided that financial literacy courses or
474474 department-approved work-based learning or career technical
475475 education courses that meet state mathematics academic content
476476 and performance standards may qualify as required mathematics
477477 units; and provided further that algebra 2 shall be offered as
478478 a mathematics course;
479479 (3) three units in science, two of which shall
480480 have a laboratory component; provided that department-approved
481481 work-based learning or career technical education courses that
482482 meet state science academic content and performance standards
483483 may qualify as required science units;
484484 (4) four units in social science, which shall
485485 include United States history and geography, which course
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514514 content contains New Mexico history; government and economics
515515 and personal financial literacy, which course content contains
516516 civics; provided that, beginning with students entering the
517517 ninth grade in the 2026-2027 school year, the course contents
518518 shall include information on employee rights in the workplace,
519519 including information on the Human Rights Act, the Public
520520 Employee Bargaining Act, the federal National Labor Relations
521521 Act, the United States equal employment opportunity commission
522522 and labor organizations ; and world history and geography;
523523 (5) one unit in physical education, as
524524 determined by the school district or charter school, which may
525525 include a physical education program that meets state academic
526526 content and performance standards or participation in marching
527527 band, dance programs, junior reserve officers' training corps
528528 or interscholastic sports sanctioned by the New Mexico
529529 activities association or any other co-curricular physical
530530 activity;
531531 (6) one-half unit in health education;
532532 provided that this one-half unit may be earned in either middle
533533 or high school;
534534 (7) five and one-half elective units that meet
535535 department academic content and performance standards and that
536536 shall include a two-unit pathway concentration of the student's
537537 choice in a language other than English, including American
538538 sign language; fine arts; health; military career preparation;
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567567 a career technical education program; or community or service
568568 learning, a capstone course or work-based learning; provided
569569 that financial literacy, computer science, student service
570570 learning, career technical education courses and a sequence of
571571 languages other than English shall be offered as electives; and
572572 provided further that media literacy and pre-apprenticeship
573573 programs may be offered as electives; and
574574 (8) two units set by each local school board
575575 or governing body of a charter school that meet department
576576 academic content and performance standards.
577577 P. If a high school student who has taken one or
578578 both units provided in Paragraph (8) of Subsection O of this
579579 section moves from one school district or charter school to
580580 another, the receiving school district or charter school shall
581581 accept those earned units toward the student's graduation.
582582 Q. For students entering the ninth grade in the
583583 2025-2026 school year, one-half unit of health education is
584584 required prior to graduation. Health education courses shall
585585 include:
586586 (1) age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault
587587 awareness and prevention training that meets department
588588 standards developed in consultation with the federal centers
589589 for disease control and prevention that are based on evidence-
590590 based methods that have proven to be effective; and
591591 (2) lifesaving skills training that follows
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620620 nationally recognized guidelines for hands-on psychomotor
621621 skills cardiopulmonary resuscitation training. Students shall
622622 be trained to recognize the signs of a heart attack, use an
623623 automated external defibrillator and perform the Heimlich
624624 maneuver for choking victims. The secretary shall promulgate
625625 rules to provide for the:
626626 (a) use of the following instructors for
627627 the training provided pursuant to this paragraph: 1) school
628628 nurses, health teachers and athletic department personnel as
629629 instructors; and 2) any qualified persons volunteering to
630630 provide training at no cost to the school district that the
631631 school district determines to be eligible to offer instruction
632632 pursuant to this paragraph; and
633633 (b) approval of training and
634634 instructional materials related to the training established
635635 pursuant to this paragraph in both English and Spanish.
636636 R. Nothing in the minimum graduation requirements
637637 specified in Subsection O of this section affects:
638638 (1) a school district's or charter school's
639639 authority to require more units for graduation than provided in
640640 this section; or
641641 (2) a student's opportunity to take advanced
642642 placement or honors courses, international baccalaureate
643643 courses or distance learning courses offered by the public
644644 school or dual credit courses offered in cooperation with
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673673 institutions of higher education.
674674 S. Subject to the department's academic content and
675675 performance standards and other provisions of this section,
676676 every school district and charter school shall develop a
677677 graduate profile:
678678 (1) that is specific to each community;
679679 (2) that articulates the core academic
680680 competencies and subjects that are key to graduates' post-high-
681681 school success; and
682682 (3) to which required units are aligned.
683683 T. Units earned in health, algebra 1 and geometry
684684 prior to enrolling in high school shall satisfy unit
685685 requirements required to earn a New Mexico diploma of
686686 excellence.
687687 U. The department shall adopt and promulgate rules
688688 to implement graduation requirements by no later than December
689689 31, 2024. The rules shall include revisions to expand course
690690 offerings so that students have access to a range of rigorous
691691 academic options and career technical education courses and to
692692 establish guidance for the development of graduate profiles.
693693 V. As used in this section:
694694 (1) "capstone course" means a multifaceted
695695 academic and intellectual experience that may take a wide
696696 variety of forms and that culminates in a final product,
697697 performance or presentation explaining how the final product,
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726726 performance or presentation explicates the chosen course to an
727727 evaluation panel convened by the public school to evaluate the
728728 quality of course and the final product, performance or
729729 presentation;
730730 (2) "career technical education" means
731731 organized programs offering a sequence of courses, including
732732 technical education and applied technology education, that are
733733 directly related to the preparation of students for paid or
734734 unpaid employment in current or emerging occupations requiring
735735 an industry-recognized credential, a certificate or a degree;
736736 (3) "career technical education course" means
737737 a course with content that provides technical knowledge, skills
738738 and competency-based applied learning and that aligns with
739739 educational standards and expectations as defined in rule;
740740 (4) "career cluster" means a grouping of
741741 occupations in industry sectors based on recognized
742742 commonalities that provide an organizing tool for developing
743743 instruction within the educational system;
744744 (5) "career pathways" means a sub-grouping
745745 used as an organizing tool for curriculum design and
746746 instruction of occupations and career specialities that share a
747747 set of common knowledge and skills for career success;
748748 (6) "final next-step plan" means a next-step
749749 plan that shows that the student has committed or intends to
750750 commit in the near future to a four-year college or university,
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779779 a two-year college, a trade or vocational program, an
780780 internship or apprenticeship, military service or a job;
781781 (7) "graduate profile" means a document that a
782782 school district or charter school uses to specify the
783783 cognitive, personal and interpersonal competencies that
784784 students should have when they graduate;
785785 (8) "interim next-step plan" means an annual
786786 next-step plan in which the student specifies post-high-school
787787 goals and sets forth the coursework that will allow the student
788788 to achieve those goals; and
789789 (9) "next-step plan" means an annual personal
790790 written plan of studies developed by a student in a public
791791 school or other state-supported school or institution in
792792 consultation with the student's parent and school counselor or
793793 other school official charged with coursework planning for the
794794 student that includes one or more of the following:
795795 (a) advanced placement, international
796796 baccalaureate or honors courses;
797797 (b) dual-credit courses offered in
798798 cooperation with an institution of higher education;
799799 (c) distance learning courses;
800800 (d) career technical education or work-
801801 based learning courses; and
802802 (e) pre-apprenticeship programs.
803803 W. The secretary may establish a policy to provide
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832832 for administrative interpretations to clarify curricular and
833833 testing provisions of the Public School Code."
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