APS Test Scores Improve

The average gain was 3.5 percentage points in English/language arts and 1.6 percentage points in math.

Albuquerque Public Schools saw improved scores on state-required tests with an average gain of 3.5 percentage points in English/language arts and 1.6 percentage points in math.

Public and charter school students in grades 3-11 took the Partnership for Assessment for College and Careers or PARCC assessments last spring.

APS test scores, which include state-authorized charter schools, improved for all grades in English/language arts. The greatest gains were seen in fourth grade, which improved 5 percentage points. Scores in sixth, seventh and 10th grade all improved by 4 percentage points or more.

Math scores improved in grades 3-7 and Algebra I with the greatest gains of 3 percentage points or more in third, fifth and seventh grades. Scores in eighth-grade math, geometry and Algebra II were down slightly.

The greatest three-year gains were made in seventh-grade English/language arts and fourth-grade math, which both increased by 6 percentage points. Eighth grade English/language arts saw a three-year increase of 5.7 percentage points.

More than half of all 11th-grade students now meet or exceed expectations in English/language arts.

The three APS schools identified by the state as in need of More Rigorous Intervention (MRI schools) all saw improved test scores. Los Padillas Elementary saw increases in the percentage of students who met or exceeded expectations on all assessment area. Hawthorne Elementary saw increases in every assessment area except for Grade 5 English/language arts.

“What’s impressive about the test scores for the MRI schools is that gains were made even before we started implementing our improvement plans for these three schools, and only a few months into the tenures of their new principals,” said APS Associate Superintendent Antonio Gonzales. “We fully expect the scores to improve even more this coming school year.”

Associate Superintendent Gabriella Blakey said the improved test scores are the result of the district’s commitment to high expectations and support for all students as well as focus on working as a community.

“We want to see more of our students meet or exceed expectations on these assessments, and we have made some changes in the past couple of years that we expect will help scores continue to climb,” Blakey said.

Some of the changes implemented under APS Superintendent Raquel Reedy include:

• Budgetary adjustments that have put more resources back into schools and classrooms
• The creation of Learning Zones designed to meet the unique needs of the school community through support, resources and professional learning
• The use of data, including test scores, to drive instruction, intervene when students fall behind and tailor programs to fit individual needs.

Associate Superintendent Troy Hughes also pointed to districtwide efforts to identify and address problems at struggling schools, everything from attendance and student mobility to language barriers and poverty to mentoring and training.

“One way we’ve been doing this is through instructional rounds, which are similar to rounds made by doctors,” Hughes said. “In our case, the associate superintendents and zone principals make regular visits to neighboring schools and provide valuable feedback.”

The district’s Academic Master Plan and its focus on five priorities – Early Learning, College & Career Readiness, the Whole Child, College and Career Readiness and Parent and Community Engagement – are designed to improve academic outcomes for all APS students, said Associate Superintendent Yvonne Garcia.

“While we are pleased to see test scores improve, we want to do better,” Garcia said. “We will continue to work to improve the education we provide for all of our students.”