State Releases First A-F Grades

Superintendent Winston Brooks addresses the APS community

January 10, 2012

As many of you know, the state’s Public Education Department has released letter grades for each school within Albuquerque Public Schools. Regardless of what your school’s scores may be, my message is simple: Keep striving for excellence.

Whether your school is assigned an A or a C or an F, it’s the constancy of the work of educators  – the dedication to measurable improvement -- that defines who we are, and what our schools produce.

I’ve been asked my opinion on this new grading system, and I try to respond the same way each time: It’s an interesting tool by which some may evaluate individual schools. I know these marks, based in large part on the Standards Based Assessment, are of intense interest and concern to some. But as we know, schools – not to mention children – are not easily defined by a single grade derived by a complex set of criteria.

If a student is making Ds or Fs, we work to make him or her better. If the kid is average, we ask that child to strive for academic progress, to reach beyond expectations or limitations. If a student gets an A, we don't call it a day; we ask for more, much more.

These daily, real-life monuments to improvement are created because it is the goal – not simply the grade – that motivates teachers, support staff, administrators and, for that matter, parents.

We believe in improvement. We believe in one another. We believe in our students.

I suppose one key reason I’m writing to you today is because I know how such evaluations can produce anxiety. I’ve seen principals, teachers and support staff crushed because AYP scores fell short of their hopes. Believe me, I’ve empathized with the disappointments and celebrated the successes, too. What I want to convey to you today is that the professionals within APS are about improvement, achievement, consistency. No single factor – not a letter grade, not a superintendent’s decision, not a headline or a news conference – changes that.

In my four years as superintendent of APS, I’ve seen our employees make that commitment. I get emotional as I think about the many things they’ve done to make our kids better. I see it in my school visits, I hear it from our students and parents. I’m struck by how professionals in this district never believe the sky is falling; they simply point our kids toward the sun -- the reality of improvement and success that make APS one of the best urban school districts in the country.

APS will work within the framework of this new system. That’s not up for discussion. You can be sure that we will evaluate grades in the coming weeks, make the necessary improvements, and continue to work toward success. In other words, we’ll work to make ourselves better, just as we always have.

I, for one, am honored to work with the people of APS, and I thank the entire APS community for its support from the bottom of my heart.

Let’s have a great 2012.

Sincerely,
Winston Brooks
Superintendent