A Legislative Finance Committee progress update presented Aug. 1 found New Mexico’s state-funded Pre-K is improving kindergarten reading proficiency—particularly for low-income students—and that some long-term benefits persist, but the state still faces gaps in instructional quality, data systems and provider capacity.

The report, delivered to the Legislative Education Study Committee by Dr. Sarah Rovang and Dr. Ryan Tolman of the Legislative Finance Committee, says beginning-of-year kindergarten Istation scores for students who attended New Mexico Pre-K have recovered from pandemic-era declines and that the “pre-K bump” is larger now than in pre-pandemic cohorts. The LFC also reports a statistically significant, persistent increase in high school graduation rates for pre-K participants across the three most recent cohorts examined.

Those findings matter because New Mexico’s Pre-K serves a higher share of low-income children and English learners than the statewide average, the report says, and because the state has sharply expanded access since 2005. “We are very pleased to share … findings which reaffirm that Pre-K continues to deliver strong academic results, especially for low income students,” Dr. Rovang told the committee.

Key findings
- Academic gains: LFC staff report that Pre-K participants are more likely to score proficient on the Istation beginning-of-kindergarten assessment than demographically similar peers; the effect is largest for students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Dr. Tolman said the committee’s longitudinal analysis shows the gains persist longer for low-income students.
- Classroom quality linked to outcomes: Beginning in school year 2023, the state used the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) across school and community providers. LFC matched CLASS instructional-support scores to kindergarten Istation data and found higher instructional-support scores are associated with better kindergarten reading outcomes. LFC reports that school-based Pre-K classrooms score, on average, roughly a full point higher on CLASS instructional support than community-based providers.
- Variation in provider types and scale: New Mexico Pre-K operates in public schools, nonprofit community programs, licensed homes and Head Start classrooms; the program’s growth means small providers and very large districts both carry the New Mexico Pre-K label. The report notes about one-third of community providers operate a single Pre-K classroom and another third operate two classrooms.
- Data and tracking limitations: LFC highlights that neither the Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) nor the New Mexico Longitudinal Data System is fully operational, limiting the state’s ability to follow individual children from Pre-K into K–12 and to evaluate which combinations of early childhood investments produce the largest returns. LFC calls the data fragmentation a barrier to accountability and targeted improvement.
- Funding context: LFC notes program funding has nearly quintupled since FY2018. The report cites a recurring FY2026 allocation of $55,000,000 from the Early Childhood Education and Care Fund and cites the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) estimate that closing the state’s final quality benchmark would cost about $25 million.

Recommendations and next steps
LFC’s report lists several recommendations, including that the legislature consider a statutory definition of kindergarten readiness (with a recommendation to come from the Early Childhood Education and Care Department), that ECECD present a plan to the legislature for using increased early childhood trust fund distributions focused on quality improvements by December 2025, and that the agency use Pre-K and kindergarten assessments—linked through longitudinal data—to track short- and long-term student success and inform quality-improvement efforts. The report also recommends full implementation of the state’s professional development information system to evaluate the impact of initiatives such as wage supplements and scholarship programs.

Agency response and discussion
Elizabeth Braginsky, Cabinet Secretary of the Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD), told the committee ECECD has implemented CLASS statewide and is working to replace and align observational assessment tools so results are comparable across school and community settings. The secretary said ECECD plans an RFP this summer to replace the current early childhood observation tool and described a pilot of the Minnesota Executive Function Scale in 19 programs, 50 classrooms and 617 children; average executive-function scores in the pilot hovered below the national median, providing baseline data for coaching and interventions.

Committee members pressed LFC and ECECD on statistical significance thresholds, the source of graduation data (LFC linked Pre-K enrollment to graduation records from the Public Education Department), and whether the state can avoid a “ketchup” or plateau effect after early gains. Dr. Tolman said LFC used a p<0.05 threshold and adjusted analyses for demographic and classroom factors; he also emphasized the report’s finding that gains persist longer for low-income students. Representative Block and others asked how the expanded funding should be directed to avoid plateauing outcomes, and Secretary Braginsky said the department is finalizing a five-year finance plan to align investments with quality and infrastructure needs.

What the report does not claim
The report does not ascribe causal mechanisms beyond the statistical associations shown, and it does not present an enacted statutory definition of kindergarten readiness. Where longitudinal links could not be made for community-provider students, the report notes the limitation rather than extrapolating results.

Evidence provenance
First related remarks in the transcript come from Dr. Sarah Rovang introducing the LFC presentation; the LFC presentation ends with recommended legislative actions and a handoff to the secretary for questions. The committee’s discussion and Q&A with ECECD followed the presentation and are cited in this article.

Speakers
[{"name":"Dr. Sarah Rovang","role_title":"Program Evaluator, Legislative Finance Committee","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Legislative Finance Committee","first_reference":{"timecode":"00:52","transcript_line_range":[3,6]}},{"name":"Dr. Ryan Tolman","role_title":"Program Evaluator, Legislative Finance Committee","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Legislative Finance Committee","first_reference":{"timecode":"08:49","transcript_line_range":[11,14]}},{"name":"Elizabeth Braginsky","role_title":"Cabinet Secretary, Early Childhood Education and Care Department","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"ECECD","first_reference":{"timecode":"27:48","transcript_line_range":[50,54]}},{"name":"Mr. Chair","role_title":"Committee chair","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Legislative Education Study Committee","first_reference":{"timecode":"27:06","transcript_line_range":[1,2]}},{"name":"Representative Block","role_title":"State Representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"New Mexico Legislature","first_reference":{"timecode":"37:37","transcript_line_range":[72,74]}},{"name":"Representative Garrett","role_title":"State Representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"New Mexico Legislature","first_reference":{"timecode":"45:16","transcript_line_range":[97,99]}},{"name":"Senator Ezell","role_title":"State Senator","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"New Mexico Legislature","first_reference":{"timecode":"46:39","transcript_line_range":[106,109]}},{"name":"Representative Torres Velasquez","role_title":"State Representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"New Mexico Legislature","first_reference":{"timecode":"56:06","transcript_line_range":[136,139]}},{"name":"Director Sena","role_title":"Director","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"(referenced by committee)","first_reference":{"timecode":"75:15","transcript_line_range":[187,189]}}]

Authorities
[{"type":"other","name":"LFC 2020 Pre-K program evaluation","citation":"LFC 2020 report","referenced_by":["Dr. Sarah Rovang"]},{"type":"policy","name":"New Mexico Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS)","citation":"ECIDS (state program)","referenced_by":["Dr. Ryan Tolman","Elizabeth Braginsky"]},{"type":"policy","name":"New Mexico Longitudinal Data System","citation":"NMLDS (state program)","referenced_by":["Dr. Ryan Tolman"]},{"type":"other","name":"CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System)","citation":"CLASS (national validated tool)","referenced_by":["Dr. Ryan Tolman","Elizabeth Braginsky"]},{"type":"other","name":"Istation assessment","citation":"Istation (early reading assessment)","referenced_by":["Dr. Ryan Tolman"]},{"type":"other","name":"Early Development Instrument (EDI)","citation":"Early Development Instrument (national observational tool)","referenced_by":["Dr. Ryan Tolman","Elizabeth Braginsky"]},{"type":"policy","name":"Early Childhood Education and Care Fund recurring distribution","citation":"FY2026 recurring allocation","referenced_by":["Dr. Sarah Rovang","Dr. Ryan Tolman"]},{"type":"other","name":"Minnesota Executive Function Scale","citation":"MEFS (pilot observational tool)","referenced_by":["Elizabeth Braginsky"]},{"type":"other","name":"National Institute for Early Education Research benchmarks","citation":"NIEER (2024) state benchmarks","referenced_by":["Dr. Sarah Rovang"]}]

Actions
[{"kind":"other","motion":"Approve meeting agenda","mover":"unnamed","second":"unnamed","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Housekeeping motion recorded during meeting"},{"kind":"other","motion":"Approve minutes of previous meeting","mover":"unnamed","second":"Representative Garrett","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Housekeeping motion recorded during meeting"},{"kind":"other","motion":"LFC recommendations for legislature and ECECD (statutory kindergarten readiness definition; ECECD plan for fund distribution by Dec. 2025; use Pre-K and K assessments for longitudinal tracking; implement PD information system)","mover":"LFC staff","second":"n/a","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"outcome":"no_action","notes":"These are staff recommendations for legislative or agency action, not formal committee votes"}]

Discussion_decision
{"discussion_points":["Pre-K participation linked to improved kindergarten reading proficiency, especially for low-income students","Instructional quality (CLASS instructional support) correlates with better kindergarten outcomes and differs between school-based and community providers","State data systems (ECIDS, NMLDS) are not fully operational, limiting longitudinal tracking and program evaluation","Program expansion raises questions about provider capacity, facilities, and consistent measurement across settings","Recurring FY2026 funding provides resources but requires targeted quality investments"],"directions":["ECECD to recommend statutory definition of kindergarten readiness after refreshing early learning guidelines","ECECD to develop and present plan for increased early childhood trust fund distribution focused on quality improvements by Dec. 2025","Implement professional development information system to measure impact of workforce investments"],"decisions":["Committee received the LFC progress report and held Q&A; no formal legislative actions recorded at the meeting"]}

clarifying_details
[{"category":"funding","detail":"Recurring FY2026 distribution to New Mexico Pre-K from the Early Childhood Education and Care Fund","value":55000000,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Dr. Sarah Rovang"},{"category":"program_size","detail":"Statewide Pre-K enrollment stabilized around 85% of slots as supply caught up with demand","value":85,"units":"percent","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Dr. Sarah Rovang"},{"category":"pilot_program","detail":"Minnesota Executive Function Scale pilot: 19 programs, 50 classrooms, 617 children; average EF near 40th percentile vs national 50th","value":617,"units":"children","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Elizabeth Braginsky"},{"category":"historical_evidence","detail":"LFC 2020 evaluation found Pre-K participation associated with improved early literacy, math, attendance and graduation rates","source_speaker":"Dr. Sarah Rovang"}]

proper_names
[{"name":"New Mexico Pre-K","type":"program"},{"name":"Legislative Finance Committee","type":"agency"},{"name":"Early Childhood Education and Care Department","type":"agency"},{"name":"Early Childhood Education and Care Fund","type":"program"},{"name":"Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)","type":"other"},{"name":"Istation","type":"other"},{"name":"Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS)","type":"other"},{"name":"New Mexico Longitudinal Data System","type":"other"},{"name":"Minnesota Executive Function Scale","type":"other"},{"name":"National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)","type":"organization"},{"name":"Albuquerque Public Schools","type":"agency"},{"name":"Head Start","type":"program"}]

community_relevance
{"geographies":["Statewide New Mexico","Albuquerque Public Schools","Tribal communities"],"funding_sources":["Early Childhood Education and Care Fund","land grant permanent fund","federal Head Start funds","Medicaid"],"impact_groups":["low-income children","English learners","3-year-olds","4-year-olds","community-based providers","school-based providers"]}

meeting_context
{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":25,"duration_minutes":135,"items_count":2},"implementation_risk":"medium","history":[{"date":"2020-01-01","note":"LFC issued an earlier Pre-K evaluation"},{"date":"2005-02-01","note":"Launch of New Mexico Pre-K"}],"notes":"Report builds on 2020 LFC evaluation; discussion included extensive Q&A from legislators"}

searchable_tags
["pre-k","early-childhood","ECECD","LFC","CLASS","Istation","data-systems","workforce","funding"]

provenance
{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"block_intro_rovang","local_start":0,"local_end":180,"evidence_excerpt":"Good afternoon Mr. Chair, members of the committee. Thank you so much for inviting us out to present to you this afternoon. My name is Doctor. Sarah Rovang and I'm a program evaluator with the Legislative Finance Committee.","tc_start":"00:52","tc_end":"03:02","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"block_finish_findings","local_start":0,"local_end":180,"evidence_excerpt":"And finally, the report recommends the agency use the new professional development information system to track the efficacy of the department's various professional development initiatives starting in the upcoming school year.","tc_start":"26:48","tc_end":"27:30","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}