NEW MEXICO

New Testing Guidelines in Effect

We reported in the last edition of the newsletter that the New Mexico State Department of Education had drafted new testing guidelines for home schoolers. We have confirmed that those guidelines have been adopted and are now in effect for the 1995-96 school year.

To recap the changes, first, the home school operator may elect to use the Bob Jones University Press testing service instead of testing their student through the local school district. The operator may request the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Form 11. It is the home school operator's responsibility to make the arrangements to pay for this service and provide for the testing, as well as his responsibility to send copies of the student's score report to the Assessment and Evaluation Unit at the New Mexico Department of Education. Verification of test completion must also be sent to the local school district office. Any home school operator who desires to avail himself of this option must notify the school district by January 15.

Second, there is now a statement indicating that if a home schooler does not provide for the testing according to the guidelines, the school district should pursue the family as a case of truancy.

And third, the previous provision in the guidelines which required the local school district to cooperate with the home schoolers in arranging the test site and dates, has been deleted. Local school districts are being encouraged to choose the public school site for administration of the standardized achievement test to home schoolers and to not assess a fee for home school students tested at the school district. However, administration of testing off-campus is to be considered "special administration" and the school district "may wish to establish policy" to require a fee for off-campus testing.