New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 6 - PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
Chapter 61 - SCHOOL PERSONNEL - SPECIFIC LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR INSTRUCTORS
Part 12 - LICENSURE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, PRE K - GRADE 3
Section 6.61.12.7 - DEFINITIONS

A. "Adaptive living skills" means the development in several skill areas such as (1) living skills: eating, dressing, and toileting; (2) independence/safety skills: avoiding dangerous situations; and (3) environmental adaptation skills: adapting behavior as a function of the limitations or demands of the particular environment. Adaptive behavior means the effectiveness or degree with which the child meets the standards of personal independence and social responsibility expected of comparable age and cultural groups.

B. "Alternative means of communication" means other forms of communication, particularly non-vocal; such as the use of sign language with and without speech; communication boards; or other technological aids such as computers and speech output devices.

C. "Anti-bias" means actively confronting, transcending, and eliminating personal and institutional barriers based on race, ethnicity, language, gender sexual orientation, or ability.

D. "At risk" means the following as it applies to children birth to two years of age: A biological or medical risk is the presence of early medical conditions, which are known to produce developmental delays in some children. An environmental risk is the presence of physical, social, or economic factors in the environment, which pose a substantial threat to development as indicated by a discrepancy between chronological age, after correction for prematurity, and developmental age in two or more areas of development as documented by the evaluation process. A determination of environmental risk shall be made by an interagency team and shall not be based upon behavior related to cultural or language differences.

E. "Diverse abilities" means any young child with an identified disability, developmental delay, or who may be "at risk" for learning challenges, as well as children who may be challenged as second language learners, or with cognitive, social/emotional, motor, language, or mental health/well-being differences.

F. "Inclusion/inclusive" is a philosophically based approach to providing accessibility and participation in typical early childhood settings for children with diverse abilities.

G. "Inclusive practices" are those strategies, which educators, administrators, and families implement to ensure accessibility and full participation of children with diverse abilities in all activities.

H. "Individual education program" (IEP) means a plan that describes the delivery of services to a child with a disability, age three to 21. The plan serves as a communication vehicle between parents and school personnel and enables them, as equal participants, to decide jointly what the child's needs are, what services will be provided to meet those needs, what the anticipated outcomes may be, and how the child's progress towards meeting the projected outcomes will be evaluated.

I. "Individualized family service plan" (IFSP) means a plan that describes the delivery of services to a child with a developmental delay or at risk for a developmental delay, birth to two years of age, and the child's family. Components of the plan include a statement describing the child's level of functioning in developmental areas; major outcomes including criteria, procedures, and timelines to determine the degree of progress and revision of the plan; specific services needed to achieve outcomes, other services needed by the child and family, name of service coordinator, a transition plan, and an optional statement of family concerns, priorities and resources.

J. "Integrated curriculum" means an approach to curriculum that recognizes that content areas in instruction are naturally interrelated, as they are in real life experiences. In the resulting integrated curriculum, learning is regarded as a process rather than a collection of facts. Learning about math, science, social studies, health, and other content areas are all connected through meaningful activities.

K. "Intervention strategies" means various techniques utilized in teaching a child a particular skill such as physical or verbal prompts and cues, visual aids, modeling, imitation, repetition, task analysis, environmental or stimulus prompts and cues. These strategies are attempts to facilitate learning when the presentation of information or the arrangement of an environment is insufficient in assisting the developmental learning process. The proper design of intervention strategies requires careful observation, individualization, and data keeping. The goal of this approach is to systematically fade the particular technique utilized as the child demonstrates abilities to practice, initiate, and generalize the skill.

L. "Least restrictive environment" is that environment which all children are most generally found in a public education setting (i.e., general education classroom). Children with identified disabilities are to have access to the general education curriculum and have the opportunity to participate fully with their peers without disabilities to the maximum extent possible. Supports may be necessary for the "least restrictive environment" to be most successful.

M. "Variations across cultures/cultural diversity" means the curriculum, environment, and learning materials are reflective of distinct groups that may differ from one another physically, socially, and culturally.

N. "A highly qualified beginning early childhood teacher", under this rule, means a teacher who is fully qualified for teaching children from age three to grade 3, who is new to the profession, who has pursued a standard route to licensure, and who: