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APS Test Scores Comparable to Big Cities
Averages in math, reading on par with other urban school districts
December 7, 2011
Scores for Albuquerque Public Schools students on a national math and reading exam were comparable to those in other urban school districts, challenging public perception that New Mexico has one of the worst public education systems in the country.
On average, APS fourth graders taking the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) scored better in math than their peers in large urban school districts. Average reading scores for fourth graders and average scores in both math and reading for eighth graders were about the same as those in other big cities.
The findings were provided by the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA), an extension of the NAEP that is administered to students from a sample of schools in 21 large urban school districts. The NAEP is often referred to as “The Nation’s Report Card” because results are comparable between states and school districts.
APS performed near the middle of the pack of the large school districts participating in TUDA, outperforming cities like Baltimore, Fresno, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland.
APS scores for math in both fourth and eighth grades were slightly better than the national average for all large city districts taking the NAEP, and were about the same for reading at both grade levels.
“These results are encouraging because they show that APS is doing at least as well, and in several cases better, than many of the nation’s urban school districts facing similar educational challenges,” said APS Superintendent Winston Brooks. “While we still have a lot of work to do, the TUDA results show that we are taking the right steps towards improving student success.”
This is the first year APS has volunteered to participate in the TUDA, providing the district a comparison to other big city school districts that have more in common with APS than most of the much smaller school districts in New Mexico.
The TUDA results, for example, show a comparable achievement gap for Hispanic and poor students among the 21 large city school districts including Albuquerque. “The gaps indicate that APS faces challenges in educating students of color and students in poverty that are similar to other large cities and the nation,” Brooks said.
By volunteering to take part in the TUDA, APS now has a baseline to measure academic achievement in years to come, making the district more accountable.
“The Albuquerque Public Schools, its leadership and staff deserve praise for their commitment to student achievement and transparency in volunteering for the nation’s toughest test,” said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, which represents the nation’s largest school districts. “Results show that the district performs similar to other major cities across the nation and out-performs New Mexico in most tested areas.”
To read the news release on NAEP scores for urban districts participating in the TUDA, go to http://www.cgcs.org/cms/lib/DC00001581/Centricity/Domain/4/TUDA_2011.pdf.
