October 29, 2021

The New Mexico Public Education Department has released a new draft of Social Studies Standards, which were last revised in 2009. You can see a copy of the proposed standards and related information here. I share this information as an invitation to students, staff, and the community to review them and offer suggestions on this link and on the NMPED site. Note that the comment period will be closed on November 12, 2021.

As students, parents, teachers, and the community review these new standards, it is important to understand that the new draft Social Studies Standards shouldn’t be confused with critical race theory (CRT), which Farmington Municipal Schools (FMS) does not teach nor does it intend to teach.

We want to share with our community that FMS teachers have been invited to post comments on a survey while reviewing the proposed standards as a way for me to gather feedback that FMS can use in the letter that we will send from Team Farmington. As such, it is our intent to submit feedback to the NMPED on areas of concern along with solutions to better strengthen the overall standards and learning expectations of students throughout the state. The survey for teachers closed on November 1, 2021.

According to NMPED, the new draft standards will go through the New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC) rule development process throughout the Fall semester of the 2021-22 school year. The NMAC rule also includes opportunities for public comment.

Once the state has approved the new draft Social Studies Standards, the district will begin its own review, which will include teacher and administrative discussions, late next year and possibly well into 2023 before full implementation is realized for the SY2024. During the upcoming SY2023, the district will review topic and pacing guides, selection of curriculum, means of assessing student learning, professional development for teachers, and more. Farmington Municipal School will continue to collect data and follow our educational model of high-reliability schools. During this lengthy course, as the administration and School Board look at the information, the community will be invited to participate in the process.

In closing, weI want to share with you that we are proud of our community, for the way it responds to its needs, and for how it embraces our diversity and many cultures. The rich and vibrant fabric we know as Farmington is special and representative of a school community that has a reputation as the most diverse in all of New Mexico. Our staff is no different and they take every one of these conversations with a critical eye and look, compare and analyze information collected from our classrooms to make a decision that works best for all the students in our district.

For those interested, take the time to review the current FMS Social Studies Standards here.

More information on the work FMS is doing regarding the new social studies standards will be published on our website.