New Mexico schools are about to be graded.

By the end of this year, the A to F Schools Ratings Act will take affect, changing the basis for evaluating public school performance and affecting how schools receive funding.

The A to F Ratings Act, or House Bill 355, was sponsored in February by Rep. Dennis J. Roch, R-Texico, and backed by Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera, a Gov. Susana Martinez appointee who formerly worked as deputy commissioner of education under ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

During her time in Florida, Skandera led an education reform that the local Rio Grande Foundation said involved precise, stable state standards for education, alternative teacher certification and a prohibition on social promotion.

Florida "leveled the field" and closed the "opportunity gap," according to online news outlet ProPublica. Advanced classes were offered at poorer schools and students were uniformly given adequate tools for success. The results were immediate. On a national level, Florida's rank in education performance increased. The National Center for Education Statistics reported that the state's score on the National Assessment of Education Progress evaluation had increased for reading and math.

The American Legislative Exchange Council, in the 16th edition of its Report Card on American Education (published in 2010) ranked Florida as the third best state for education and the first best for education reform.

At an Oct. 31 public meeting in Maybury Hall of the Jerry Apodaca Building in Santa Fe, Skandera outlined proponents of the act to a an assembly of individuals who wanted to hear more about it and offer their input.

"There is something missing today in our current accountability system," Skandera said as she began a slideshow highlighting important points of the act. Skandera stated that, according to the way they're ranked through Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), a No Child Left Behind Act measurement system, "87 percent of [New Mexico] schools are failing."

"I don't believe that," she continued.

Believing this inspired her to propose the new system. The A to F Ratings Act will judge schools on progress and growth, potential room for improvement and the development of students. These multi-year assessments are very different from AYP's educational "snapshot" for classifying a school's success.

Of the 18 speakers who spoke at the Oct. 31 meeting, many came with documented research, handouts, printouts and reports that they wished Skandera and the audience would review.

Presenters spoke to the interests of the state, not just themselves, when they discussed the merits and flaws of the act.

Lisa O'Reilly, a teacher from the Albuquerque Public Schools said the new system will not help as many underprivileged children as lawmakers think it will.

O'Reilly, who has been a teacher for more than 30 years, told education leaders, "please, don't be politicians, be childrens' advocates."

Emily Steinbach, another Albuquerque Public Schools teacher, questioned the lack of specific text on how teachers' pay will be affected by this act.

"We, the educators in here, are everyday heroes," she said. Steinbach said that she does not believe standardized tests are an effective way of gauging a school's performance.

Sen. Vernon Asbill, R-Carlsbad, an initial supporter of the new law, delivered his thoughts on what made Florida and New Mexico different. He said that 7,000 new teachers were hired to help the failing schools in Florida; in New Mexico, the education budget is routinely slashed and positions for educators are often cut.

Lisa Durkin, a science teacher in Los Lunas, said that she felt the new system would not hold students and parents accountable. Charles Boyer, executive director of the National Education Association of New Mexico, said that schools already are one of the most accountable public institutions in existence. The new act "places too much emphasis on status," he said.

Many ideas were exchanged, but the thousands of educators who had to be teaching a class at that time lost an opportunity to speak out about their opinions, as did students.

Chris Eadie, Santa Fe High School director of the advanced placement program and school's only psychology teacher, said teachers and the schools should be made accountable for the education of students.

"Greater administrative oversight, where administrators are in the classroom more often on a standard basis to see if there is good-quality instruction," he said, would allow school officials to know how their teachers are performing and see what areas need change. Professional development and teachers working together could also improve accountability. "I think we're a great resource for one another," Eadie said.

Vaughn Fortier-Shultz is a senior at Santa Fe High School. You can reach him at moosemanxl@gmail.com.