Literacy Gains Mark Bright Spot in APS Assessment Data

Despite progress in reading, middle school math proficiency lags behind district targets for key student groups.

Yazzie-Martinez and African American students at Albuquerque Public Schools gained ground in early literacy this past school year, but they’re continuing to struggle in middle school math, according to interim assessment results presented to the Board of Education on Wednesday.

“We’re excited about the gains we’re seeing in early literacy but know we need to do more to help our middle school students in mathematics,” Superintendent Gabriella Durán Blakey said. “We are committed to doing everything we can to get our students back on track in math.” 

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 early literacy and middle school math – are geared toward improving academic outcomes for African American students and those identified in the Yazzie-Martinez court decision: Native American students, English language learners, students with disabilities and those who are economically disadvantaged. 

The early literacy goal calls for a 10 percentage-point increase in grade-level proficiency on the state English Language Arts summative assessment for third-grade students in these groups who have historically struggled academically. Specifically, it calls for an increase from 27.3% in May 2023 to 37.3% in May 2028.

The middle school math 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. Specifically, it calls for an increase from 11.1% in May 2023 to 21.1% in May 2028.

To stay on track, APS established interim goals focused on internal assessments, and the district regularly reports to the board on its progress toward achieving those interim goals.

On Wednesday, Superintendent Durán Blakey, Deputy Superintendent Randy Mahlerwein, Chief Academic Officer Sheri Jett, Executive Director of Accountability and Reporting Chris West, Associate Superintendent Anna Chavez and Associate Superintendent Chris Sanchez presented progress monitoring reports for the early literacy and middle school math interim goals.

Early literacy

This year marks the district’s first using Amira – the state-required literacy assessment for students in kindergarten through third grade – as an internal assessment tool. While still early in the implementation, the end-of-year data provides a snapshot of how students are progressing in foundational reading skills.

The results show APS is on track.

Among first-grade students in groups identified in the Yazzie-Martinez decision, along with African American students, 29.2% scored proficient or above at the end of the school year – more than 6.2 percentage points above the district’s annual Interim Goal 1.1 target.

Among second graders in the same student groups, 33% reached proficiency – more than 8.7 percentage points above the district’s annual Interim Goal 1.2 target.

Middle school math

Yazzie-Martinez and African American sixth- and seventh-graders also showed improvements in the internal i-Ready assessment over the previous year, but those improvements fell short of meeting the annual targets.

For Interim Goal 2.1, which is focused on sixth-grade students, APS recorded a 21.2% proficiency rate, a 0.8 percentage point increase from 2024-2025 but 1.4 percentage points short of the 22.6% target.

On Interim Goal 2.2, targeted seventh-grade students achieved 17.9% proficiency, a 1.3 percentage-point increase from 2024-2025. They fell short of the 19% goal by 1.1 percentage points. 

In its analysis, the Goal 2 team noted that many students struggle to move from basic arithmetic to algebraic thinking. Deficits in sixth-grade "numbers and operations" create a ripple effect, making it difficult for students to master expressions and equations in seventh grade. 

Among the other issues they cited was that students with disabilities were often pulled from general education classrooms for specialized services, limiting their exposure to grade-level standards and advanced math concepts.

APS leaders are taking several steps to get back on track.

They will begin active, daily tracking of leading skill indicators and specific missing student capabilities and work with school leadership teams to address those gaps. That includes deploying co-teachers to deliver targeted 10-minute mini-lessons to students who need it before main instruction begins, giving students the specific tools needed for that day’s work.

To make complex math easier to grasp, students will use physical objects and visual diagrams to model problems before moving on to formulas and written equations. This approach aims to help students build confidence by starting with concepts they can see and touch.

And special education and English Language resource staff will work with math teachers to provide integrated accommodations and language supports to help students understand the math concepts being taught.