APS 6th, 7th Graders Exceed Interim Math Targets

District on Track to Meet Five-Year Math Goal for Underserved Students.

For the second straight year, Albuquerque Public Schools middle schoolers identified in the Martinez-Yazzie court decision, plus African American students, met their interim math targets, putting the district on track to reach its five-year math goal.

“We should be celebrating,” APS Board Vice President Courtney Jackson said during Wednesday evening’s Board of Education meeting. “I understand that we are asking you guys very strategic questions, based on what you've provided us, but there is really good news in this report... You guys have done a great job, and we're on track.”

In 2023, the APS Board of Education adopted four five-year goals focused on literacy, math, college and career readiness, and skills, habits and mindsets for life success. The first two goals – focused on literacy and math – were geared toward improving academic outcomes for African American students and those identified in the Martinez-Yazzie court decision: Native American students, English language learners, students with disabilities and those who are economically disadvantaged. 

The goal calls for a 10 percentage point increase in grade-level math proficiency on the state mathematics summative assessment for eighth-grade students in these groups who have historically struggled academically. Specifically, it calls for an increase from 11.1% in May 2023 to 21.1% in May 2028.

To keep on track, the APS leadership team established interim goals focused on internal i-Ready testing, and the district regularly reports to the board on its progress toward achieving those interim goals.

On Wednesday, Superintendent Gabriella Blakey, Deputy Superintendent Antonio Gonzales, Chief Academic Officer Sheri Jett and Lead Assistant Superintendent for Middle Schools Chris Sanchez presented progress monitoring reports for Interim Goals 2.1 and 2.2. 

• For the 2024-2025 school year, the district surpassed its sixth-grade math end-of-year annual goal by nearly one percentage point. This is the second consecutive year in which targeted sixth-grade students have attained proficiency rates above 20%. The goal for the year was 19.6, and the students hit a 20.4% proficiency rate.
• Targeted seventh graders also exceeded the end-of-year goal of 16%, with 16.6% of those students achieving proficiency last school year.

“We have a year's worth of data now to look at, and we have a year's worth of stories behind that data,” Jett told board members. “... We're really looking for the best practices, we're leaning into what does make a difference in terms of improving student outcomes.”

Jett acknowledged that public schools might be headed for “lean times” in the coming years. The federal government recently froze Title II, III and IV funds that school districts across the country rely on to provide professional development to teachers and help English language learners, among other things. For APS, that translates to $11.8 million in anticipated funding that has yet to materialize.

“We have to get really targeted in terms of how we are working with our classrooms and our teachers and really what is going to have the highest return on learning,” Jett said.

Gonzales said one of the things APS is focused on as it works to improve outcomes for all students is figuring out how to get teachers the time they need to collaborate with one another, engage in professional development and analyze student data so they can provide their students with the instruction they need to become proficient.