New state platform offers downloadable lessons and activities aligned to standards, with materials reflecting New Mexico cultures

Organ Mountain News report

SANTA FE - New Mexico teachers now have free access to classroom-ready lessons and activities created by fellow educators through a new state website.

The Public Education Department launched the New Mexico Open Educational Resources platform at https://oer.ped.nm.gov/. The site includes lesson plans, classroom activities and multimedia resources aligned to state standards that teachers can download, adapt and share at no cost.

“These are lessons created by New Mexico teachers for New Mexico students,” Public Education Secretary Mariana D. Padilla said. “They reflect our state’s unique cultures and meet our students where they are.”

PED began developing the platform in 2023 as a centralized hub for teacher-vetted instructional materials. The department’s Black Education Act Bureau and Curriculum and Instruction Division led the project in partnership with the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education.

The site includes lessons from the Indigenous Instructional Scope, Black history curriculum and New Mexico history materials. PED also partnered with New Mexico State University, the New Mexico Historic Women Marker Program, the Sandia Mountain Natural History Center, the Acequias and Land Grant Education Project and museums and cultural entities under the Department of Cultural Affairs.

The platform supports implementation of the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act, Black Education Act, Hispanic Education Act and Indian Education Act.

Padilla said the work fulfills commitments in the Martinez/Yazzie Action Plan.

“Every New Mexico student needs access to high-quality, culturally responsive instructional materials,” she said. “This platform helps us meet that obligation.”