Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
The NMTA consists of two generic categories of assessments.
The first category is the basic skills and competency assessments identified at
Subsection A of 6.60.5.8 NMAC below. The second category is the content
knowledge assessments ("CKA"), sometimes called content tests, identified at
Subsection B of 6.60.5.8 NMAC below.
A. Beginning July 30, 1999 except for those
individuals covered by Subsection C of 6.60.5.8 NMAC, below all applicants for
initial licensure in addition to meeting all other licensure and background
check requirements of the PED, are required to take the basic skills and
competency assessments of the NMTA, which consist of the following tests and
obtaining the following passing scores:
(1)
assessment of teacher basic skills: passing score = 240; and
(2) either:
(a) assessment of teacher competency,
elementary level (for those seeking elementary K-8 licensure, middle level 5-9,
special education pre K-12 licensure or grade pre K-12 licensure): passing
score = 240; or
(b) assessment of
teacher competency, secondary level (for those seeking secondary 7-12 licensure
including special education pre K-12 licensure, middle level 5-9 or grade pre
K-12, or special education pre K-12): passing score = 240; or
(c) assessment of teacher competency, early
childhood level (for those seeking early childhood birth-grade 3 licensure or
special education pre K-12 licensure): passing score = 240.
B. In addition to the
testing requirement above, all applicants for initial teacher licensure must
take and pass a test in their content area subject according to the following
schedule:
(1) Beginning with the September
2002, administration of the PED's content testing, if applicants are seeking
licensure in elementary K-8, they shall take and pass the PED's CKA in
elementary education prior to issuance of that license except as provided in
Paragraph (6) of Subsection B of 6.60.5.8 NMAC.
(2) Beginning with the September, 2002,
administration of the PED's content testing, if applicants are applying for
licensure in early childhood birth-grade 3 or elementary K-8 and are also
seeking an endorsement in reading, they shall take and pass the PED's CKA in
that content area prior to issuance of that endorsement.
(3) Beginning with the September, 2004,
administration of the PED's content testing, if applicants are applying for
licensure in early childhood birth-grade 3, elementary K-8, secondary 7-12,
middle level 5-9, special education pre K-12 or grade pre K-12, and are also
seeking an endorsement in the arts (music or visual arts) or modern, classical
and native languages (Spanish, French, or German) they must take and pass the
PED's CKA's in the respective content area prior to issuance of the
endorsement(s).
(4) Beginning with
the September, 2002, administration of the PED's content testing, if they are
applying for licensure in secondary 7-12, middle level 5-9 or grade pre K-12
and are also seeking endorsement in language arts, reading, mathematics,
science or social studies, or any combination thereof, they shall take and pass
the PED's CKA in that content area prior to issuance of that license.
(5) Beginning with the September, 2006,
administration of the PED's content testing if they are applying for licensure
in early childhood birth-grade 3, elementary K-8, secondary 7-12, middle level
5-9, special education pre K-12 or grade pre K-12, and are also seeking an
endorsement in the health, physical education, library/media, teaching English
to speakers of other languages (TESOL), or family and consumer sciences, they
must take and pass the PED's CKA's in the respective content area prior to
issuance of the endorsement(s).
(6)
An elementary K-8 licensed teacher who is new to the profession and who will be
teaching language arts, social studies, mathematics, or science in a middle
school or junior high school must either:
(a)
take and pass the PED's middle level CKA's in each core subject area the
teacher will be teaching; or
(b)
complete twenty-four semester hours of coursework, at least 6 hours of which
are upper division, in each core academic subject the teacher will teach and
take and pass the CKA in elementary education.
(7) If they currently hold a license and seek
to add an endorsement in language arts, reading, mathematics, science, social
studies, the arts (music or visual arts), modern, classical and native
languages (Spanish, French, or German), health, physical education,
library/media, teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), or
family and consumer sciences, they may be issued an endorsement in the content
area upon passage of the PED's CKA's in the respective content area except that
a candidate who has passed the TESOL, CKA or Prueba de Español para la
Certificación Bilingüe must also complete required coursework in
order to add the respective endorsement.
(8) Beginning with the September, 2007,
administration of PED's teacher testing if applicants are applying for
licensure in special education pre K-12, they shall take and pass the PED's
teacher content assessment in special education prior to issuance of that
license.
(9) Beginning with the
September, 2007, administration of PED's specialty area examinations, if they
are applying for licensure as a school counselor, educational diagnostician or
administrator, grades pre K-12, they shall take and pass the PED's specialty
area examinations as provided in PED rules governing those licenses prior to
the issuance of those licenses.
C. Applicants for an initial Spanish/English
bilingual endorsement to a teaching license must, in addition to meeting all
other PED requirements for the endorsement, pass Prueba de Español para
la Certificación Bilingüe by obtaining a score of 2 or higher on
any 12 of the 15 subsections. Applicants seeking this endorsement through
licensure reciprocity should consult 6.60.4 NMAC for guidance.
D. Applicants for alternative licensure with
teaching experience at the post-secondary level under Subsection C of 6.60.3.8
NMAC, shall be exempt from the teacher licensure testing requirements as long
as they meet all other requirements for licensure.
