Albuquerque Public Schools
APS Exceeds Annual Post-Secondary Readiness Goal
District on track for 2028 target, driven by dual credit and industry certifications, with new Academies of Albuquerque to expand opportunities.
Two and a half years ago, the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education adopted four five-year goals, including one aimed at ensuring that students are prepared for college or the career of their choice. At the halfway mark, APS has exceeded its annual target and is on track to meet the established goal.
“We’re past our target goal, so that’s really, really great,” Board Secretary Janelle Astorga noted during the progress monitoring portion of Wednesday evening’s board meeting. She and fellow board members asked how APS planned to build on that momentum and what strategies the district was employing to ensure that historically underserved students like those with disabilities were also part of the growth.
Dubbed the Post-Secondary Readiness Goal, Goal 3 calls for a 10 percentage-point increase in the number of APS graduates who earn credit in two or more Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Dual Credit courses, or earn an industry certification or Bilingual Seal. Specifically, it calls for an increase from 39.6% in September 2023 to 49.6% in September 2028.
The goal includes annual targets to ensure APS is on track to meet the established goal by 2028; this year’s target was 41.6%. In fact, 45.7% of 2024-2025 graduates completed two or more AP, IB or Dual Credit courses or earned an industry certification or Bilingual Seal, surpassing the annual target by 4.1 percentage points.
The overall growth was due to notable gains in graduates who successfully completed two or more Dual Credit courses and those who earned an industry certification.
Superintendent Gabriella Blakey and the Goal 3 team told board members that one key strategy for building on the momentum is their plan to launch the Academies of Albuquerque at all 13 of the district’s comprehensive high schools. The model was implemented this school year at Manzano, Highland and Cibola high schools with the implementation of the Freshman Academy.
APS is working with the United Way of Central New Mexico, local businesses and other partners on the model, which helps students explore careers. Students in these academies select career paths that match New Mexico's job market, such as engineering or health services. Through their chosen academy, they learn core subjects and gain real-world experience through career exploration, hands-on activities, internships and community partnerships, preparing them for college, trade school, the military or immediate employment.
“What we really want our kids to start with is, what kind of lifestyle are you looking for as you move forward, and then giving them the options that maybe they didn’t even know existed as possibilities for their future,” said Randy Mahlerwein, deputy superintendent for leadership and learning.
Blakey noted APS is able to overhaul the high school experience through initiatives like the Academies of Albuquerque because of recent changes to graduation requirements made possible by a new state law and the board signing off on revamped APS graduation requirements that allow students to take more electives.
“Without that, I don’t think we would be in a position to overhaul the high school learning experience in this way,” she said.
Several board members asked about strategies the district is employing to remove barriers for students and ensure that students with disabilities, among others, can also take advantage of these opportunities.
Marco Harris, assistant superintendent for high schools, said APS is working to ensure that all students know about these classes and to figure out how to remove financial barriers for such things as AP exams.
Teise Reiser, assistant superintendent for special education, said special education students spend a lot of time in career pathway classes. Several high schools already have strong partnerships with local employers that provide students with disabilities with internships, work experience and job shadowing opportunities. She said APS wants to build on that.
“We are working to have our teachers really talk about the bilingual seal and advanced courses and industry certifications,” she added.