Special Education Terms in New Mexico
What special education terms does New Mexico use?
New Mexico's special education system uses predominantly standard federal IDEA terminology, with a few state-specific terms and concepts worth knowing. The governing regulation is NMAC 6.31.2, and definitions are in NMAC 6.31.2.7. Key terminology notes: New Mexico uses 'Public Agency' and 'Local Education Agency (LEA)' interchangeably with the standard federal meaning — a school district, charter school, or other public entity responsible for providing special education. The IEP team is simply called the 'IEP team' (no unique NM name). The eligibility determination meeting is called the 'Eligibility Determination Team' meeting. The term 'Developmental Delay' applies for ages 3–9 with specific criteria (2 standard deviations below the mean or 30% below chronological age in five developmental domains). New Mexico uses 'Multi-Layered System of Supports' (MLSS) instead of the more common 'Multi-Tiered System of Supports' (MTSS), though the concepts are functionally identical. The 'dual discrepancy model' is New Mexico's SLD identification approach using MLSS/MTSS data. New Mexico references 'Educational Jurisdiction' to describe the geographic and institutional scope of an LEA's FAPE obligations, including residential treatment centers, detention facilities, and hospitals within the LEA's territory. The Puente para los Niños Fund is the state risk pool for high-cost students. New Mexico's statewide summative assessment is the NM-MSSA (New Mexico Measures of Student Success and Achievement); the alternate assessment is the DLM (Dynamic Learning Maps). NMPED is the abbreviation for the New Mexico Public Education Department; OSE is the Office of Special Education within NMPED.
What New Mexico Requires
NM uses 'Multi-Layered System of Supports' (MLSS) — functionally identical to MTSS used in most other states (6.31.2.10 NMAC).
IEP team is called 'IEP team' in NM — no state-specific alternative name.
Eligibility team is called the 'Eligibility Determination Team' in NM (6.31.2.10 NMAC).
Developmental Delay applies ages 3–9 with NM-specific criteria: 2 SD below mean or 30% below chronological age in developmental domains (6.31.2.7 NMAC).
Statewide assessment: NM-MSSA (grades 3–8); Alternate assessment: DLM (Dynamic Learning Maps) (NMPED Assessment Bureau).
NMPED = New Mexico Public Education Department; OSE = Office of Special Education (the IDEA enforcement authority within NMPED).