At an Albuquerque news conference yesterday, Gov. Susana Martinez announced a planned $4.2 million education package that would fund additional testing and instructional materials.

Thursday's Albuquerque Journal reports that Martinez introduced the plan yesterday at the University of New Mexico. She plans to introduce the $4 million education initiative as part of her budget proposal to the state Legislature next month.

According to a news release from the governor's office, here's the proposed breakdown:

• $2.5 million for "statewide short-cycle assessments for over 180,000 students from 4th through 10th grade" as a means of gauging students' progress throughout the school year
• $700,000 "to support [advanced placement] programs," cover AP test fees some for low-income students and "allow 10th grade students to take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) test for free"
• $1 million to purchase books and instructional materials for students in dual-credit (ie, high school plus college) programs

The proposal is bound to be controversial, given the ongoing debate over the role testing should play in public education.