A driver's license. To most high school students, it's the ticket to freedom.
Starting next year, that ticket will become harder to get.
New Mexico students will have to achieve a "near-proficient" score or higher on the state's math and reading tests in eighth grade and maintain a 90 percent attendance rate in ninth grade to be eligible for a license.
Students who fall short of either will have to wait six months for a license; those who miss both will have a one-year delay.
Gov. Bill Richardson announced the education initiative to a roomful of freshmen at Sandia High School on Thursday afternoon.
He said the new rules are a bid to improve the state's test scores and graduation rates, among the lowest in the country.
"This is our effort to improve our education achievement in the state," he said.
Other initiatives the governor announced include:
- Up to one elective credit per year for students who participate in environmental conservation service-learning projects.
- An in-residence program for education experts from Asia and the Pacific Rim to help the state improve its math and science instruction.
- A "parent college" of weekend and evening classes to teach parents practical strategies for helping their children succeed in school.
- A databank that will allow teachers to view their peers demonstrating instruction of key math and science concepts.
- A board of 12 exemplary teachers to advise the state on developing education policies and best practices.
The eighth-grade performance standard would affect a significant number of students, based on 2005 data.
In that year, about 29 percent of Hispanic, 35 percent of Native American, 31 percent of African-American and 13 percent of Anglo eighth-graders in New Mexico failed to meet the "near proficiency" standard in math.
Richardson's license initiative drew a mixed response from his young Sandia High audience.
Freshman Calle Treppiedi, 15, welcomed the governor's concern about the state's high dropout rate. But she said it was inappropriate to tie driving, a predominantly social activity, to academics.
She also said the initiative might hinder struggling students without access to any other practical mode of transportation from participating in worthwhile activities after school or on weekends.
There were no such objections at the McGinnis School of Driving on San Antonio NE just west of Wyoming Boulevard.
"I think it's fair because (driving is) a privilege, not something that's just given to you," said Dominic Torres, 15, a freshman at La Cueva High School.
"(Driving) really is a privilege," said Ian O'Donoghue, 15, a freshman at Albuquerque Academy. "If they're not responsible enough to get good grades and show up, they shouldn't be allowed to drive."
O'Donoghue sounds a lot like Thomas McGinnis, owner of the driving school, who welcomed the governor's initiative.
Asked whether it might affect business, he said that if students aren't mature enough to show up for school regularly, they probably aren't ready for his class.
"If someone takes their schooling in a lackadaisical way, it's going to show up on our streets," he said. "Driving is something you need a 100 percent focus on."
State Education Secretary Veronica Garcia said the license initiative would start with next fall's eighth-graders. There's some question, though, about whether it will take action from the Legislature.
"Some of this we might have to put into law," said Rep. Rick Miera, D-Albuquerque, who chairs the Legislature's Education Committee and attended the governor's announcement.
Garcia said she hoped to begin the new initiatives administratively, without legislative action.
Sandia High Principal Mike Bachicha proudly noted that former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano were graduates of Sandia.
"Maybe one of you," he told the freshmen, "because you wanted to get your driver's license ... will be governor one day."
New driver's license rules
- Must score "near proficient" or higher on the state's math and reading tests in eighth grade.
- Must maintain a 90 percent attendance rate in ninth grade.
- Eligibility is delayed for six months if students fail to meet one of the conditions. One-year delay if students fail to meet both.
