APS Announces Standards Based Assessment Results

Seventeen schools make Adequate Yearly Progress for 2010-2011

August 2, 2010

See the results at the New Mexico Public Education Department website >>

Seventeen Albuquerque Public Schools, including 15 elementary schools and two alternative schools, met Adequate Yearly Progress on the New Mexico Standards Based Assessment. The comprehensive tests, which measure student proficiency in math and reading in accordance with the federal No Child Left Behind law and were administered last April, also reflect district-wide growth in the face of increasing federal objectives for proficiency.

“I’m again encouraged by the dozens of schools that are showing improvement in reading and math,” APS Superintendent Winston Brooks said. “We’ve asked students to do better and they have. AYP results are typically difficult to quantify because of the continually moving target that the government considers ‘proficient.’”

Brooks announced the AYP status results, based on preliminary numbers released by the New Mexico Public Education Department. The following elementary schools met AYP:

• Alameda
• Atrisco
• Bandelier
• Cochiti
• Georgia O’Keeffe
• Griegos
• Kirtland
• Matheson Park
• Mitchell
• North Star
• Oñate
• Osuna
• Petroglyph
• San Antonito
• Sunset View

In addition, Desert Willow Family School and Early College Academy, both alternative schools, met AYP.

Alameda, Atrisco, Bandelier, Cochiti, Kirtland and Petroglyph joined the list after not meeting AYP a year ago.

Overall, 83 schools showed gains in math over tests taken in 2009, while 47 improved in reading. A total of 41 schools showed improvement in both categories.

There are 16 schools that improved by at least 10 percentage points in math over last year, 10 that showed similar improvement in reading. Three—Kirtland and McCollum elementaries and Highland High School—made those remarkable gains in both categories.

The tests are administered to students in grades 3-8 and 11. To meet AYP this year, 67 percent of elementary, 61 percent of middle and 64 percent of high school students had to meet or exceed ‘proficient’ on the tests in reading. The Annual Measurable Objectives were 57, 48 and 53 percent, respectively, for math. The objectives, set by NCLB, raise the bar by four percentage points in reading and seven in math. For next year, they will increase by an average of 10 points in reading and 13 in math. Ultimately, every school in America is expected to reach 100 percent proficiency by 2014.

There have been many substantial gains this year. For example, Sandia Base Elementary improved by 14.87 percentage points in math and 6.69 in reading. Wilson Mid-School gained 2.25 points in math and 1.16 in reading, while Albuquerque High improved by .56 points in math and 6.11 in reading. Despite those gains, none of those schools met AYP.

“It’s important to keep raising the bar for students, but I’m more concerned with improvement,” Brooks said. “Each school has its own challenging but manageable targets to reach and we’ll have more complete results to share in a couple of weeks. It should be remembered that there is only one way to meet AYP but 37 ways to miss it.”

The standardized tests are based on 37 indicators, or subgroups, which include racial and ethnic categories, special education, English language learners and students living in poverty. There are also participation targets in elementary and middle schools and graduation rate for high schools. If any of those indicators is missed, the entire school does not meet AYP.

Nine APS elementaries, one mid-school and two high schools missed meeting AYP by just one subgroup.

Taken as an entire student body rather than a set of subgroups, AYP results for APS would be much better. A total of 64 schools—50 elementary, seven middle, five high and two alternatives—met proficiency standards when all students are considered as one group.

School-by-school results for APS and the rest of the state are available on the NMPED website at http://www.ped.state.nm.us/ayp2010/index.html.