New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 6 - PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
Chapter 60 - SCHOOL PERSONNEL - GENERAL PROVISIONS
Part 5 - COMPETENCY TESTING FOR LICENSURE
Section 6.60.5.7 - DEFINITIONS

A. "NMCKA" means the New Mexico content knowledge assessments, which are the teacher-tests approved by the PED which individuals must take and pass in order to receive endorsements on an initial license or as an option to add endorsements to an existing license in language arts, reading, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts (music or visual arts), modern, classical and native languages, (Spanish, French, German); health, physical education, library/media, teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), and family and consumer sciences, or to receive initial licensure in elementary education from grades K-8 or special education pre K-12.

B. "NMTA" means the New Mexico teacher assessments, which are the tests approved by the PED that all individuals must take and pass in order to receive initial educator licensure; the NMTA consists of the New Mexico assessment of teacher basic skills, the New Mexico assessment of teacher competency (at the early childhood, elementary and secondary levels), and the New Mexico content knowledge assessments ("NMCKA"); it shall include any test materials related to a testing applicant's taking of or registration for the NMTA.

C. "Test administrator" means the business entity, namely, the national evaluation systems, inc. or NES that developed the NMTA, administers the NMTA at testing centers throughout New Mexico, scores the NMTA, and reports NMTA testing results to the PED.

D. "Testing applicant" means a person who has filed an NMTA registration form with the test administrator, or who has not yet taken a portion of the NMTA.

E. "Testing irregularity" means any circumstance within or beyond the control of a testing applicant that, in the sole opinion of the PED or NES raises doubts about the propriety of a testing applicant's NMTA registration, NMTA score, or conduct during an NMTA test.

F. "Withheld NMTA score(s)" means the suspension of use by and disclosure to a testing applicant of an NMTA score(s) for up to 120 days upon a determination made by the PED professional licensure bureau director that a testing irregularity is likely to have occurred.

G. "Voided NMTA score(s)" means the cancellation, invalidation and non-disclosure of a testing applicant of an NMTA score(s) after a final determination of testing irregularity by the PED's professional licensure bureau director or by a hearing officer of the secretary of education.

H. "Rules of test participation" means any written rules in the applicable NMTA registration bulletin that a testing applicant has expressly agreed to comply with as a condition of registering for or taking the NMTA.

I. "Educator licensure application" means an application for any professional teaching, administrator, or instructional support provider license, excluding licensure for an athletic coach, educational assistant, or substitute teacher.

J. "Core academic subjects" language arts, reading, mathematics, science, modern and classical languages, except the Native American languages and cultures of New Mexico tribes or pueblos, the arts, including music and visual arts, and social studies which includes history, geography, economics, civics and government, and modern and classical languages.

K. "Highly qualified", under this rule, means a teacher of the core academic subjects who has met all license or endorsement requirements and is not teaching under an endorsement waiver.

L. "Specialty area examination" means the New Mexico specialty area assessments, which are the tests approved by the PED for instructional support providers and administrators, which identified providers must take and pass in order to receive licensure as instructional support providers or administrators.