September 25, 2025
Annual Title 1 Right to Know letter
Academic Achievement and Educator Qualifications
At the beginning of each school year, an LEA that receives Title I funds shall notify the parents of each student attending any school receiving Title I funds that the parents may request, and the
LEA will provide the parents on request (and in a timely manner), information regarding the
professional qualifications of the student's classroom teachers, including at a minimum:
- -Whether the student's teacher has met State qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
- -is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which State qualification or licensing criteria have been waived; and
- -is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher.
- -Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.
- -Timely notice that the student has been assigned or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet applicable state certification or licensure requirements at the grade level subject area in which the teacher has been assigned. This is currently the case with our grade 3 and Middle School Math classes that are being taught by Long Term Subs who are completing their degrees this year.
-Section 22-10A-16 NMSA 1978 expands this requirement to all public schools and adds a requirement to include in the notice information regarding the qualifications of school principals and teachers, such as the teacher’s degree major and any other license or graduate degree held by the teacher.
Testing Requirements
At the start of each school year, any LEA receiving Title I funds must notify parents that they may request information on State or LEA policies regarding student participation in required assessments. The LEA must also make assessment information widely available—by posting it clearly on the LEA and school websites (or through other public means if no website exists). This information should include the subject matter, purpose, source of the requirement, and, when available, details such as testing time, schedules, and how and when results will be shared.
Language Instruction
Each LEA using Title I or Title III funds to provide a language instruction educational program must, within 30 days of the school year’s start, notify parents of English learner students identified for participation in such a program. This notice must explain the reasons for identification, the student’s English proficiency level and academic status, instructional methods used, and how the program addresses the child’s strengths, needs, and progress toward English proficiency and academic standards. Parents must also be informed of program exit requirements, graduation expectations, and, for students with disabilities, how the program aligns with their IEP. Additionally, the notice must outline parental rights, including the ability to remove their child from the program, decline enrollment, or select another program if available. For students identified as English learners during the school year, parents must be notified within the first two weeks of placement in a language instruction educational program.
Parental Participation
Each LEA receiving Title I funds must implement effective outreach to parents of English learner students to inform them how they can be involved in their children’s education and actively support their progress in attaining English proficiency, achieving high levels within a well-rounded education, and meeting challenging state academic standards. This outreach includes providing notice of and holding regular meetings to gather and respond to parent recommendations related to Title I or Title III services. No student may be admitted to or excluded from any federally assisted education program based on surname or language-minority status, and all notices must be provided in a clear, uniform, and, when practicable, parent-understandable language.
Please contact your child’s principal or the MPS central office if you have any questions. Thank you.
Dr. Pedro “Pete” Vallejo, Superintendent