A Majority of Aps Schools Don't Make Adequate Yearly Progess on Proficiency Tests

A Majority of Aps Schools Don't Make Adequate Yearly Progess on Proficiency Tests
By Martin Salazar
Journal Staff Writer
For the third consecutive year, nearly two-thirds of Albuquerque Public Schools failed to meet adequate yearly progress on annual standardized tests, continuing the district's trend of missed benchmarks under the Federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Of the 128 regular schools at APS, 64 percent failed to meet AYP. In 2006, the number also was 64 percent.
Designations released Friday revealed that more than half of APS elementary schools— 43 of 83— failed to meet standards on the 2006-07 tests, 26 of 27 middle schools didn't make the grade, and 13 of 17 high schools didn't measure up.
Information on Albuquerque Evening High School wasn't available.
APS spokeswoman Monica Armenta said the district will scrutinize the designations carefully to ensure their accuracy.
"We are going to go page by page, school by school, category by category," Armenta said.
Complete information on Albuquerque charter schools wasn't immediately available Friday. But of the 24 total charter schools on which information was available, half met AYP.
Statewide, more than 58 percent of New Mexico's schools didn't make adequate yearly progress. That figure is up slightly from 54.1 percent last year.
But state Education Secretary Veronica Garcia pointed out Friday that some schools found themselves on the failing list even though they met or exceeded proficiency standards in reading and math. Garcia pointed out 13 schools labeled as failing, even though they met proficiency targets for all students. Among those schools were Montessori of the Rio Grande and Twenty-First Century, both of Albuquerque.
"To label a school as failing— not making AYP for missing, for example, participation rate in one subgroup— and labeling the whole school as failing is very misleading to everyone," Garcia said. She said while the spirit behind the law is admirable, its implementation can be unfair.
The state Public Education Department released the results Friday afternoon. The ratings had been scheduled for release Wednesday, but difficulty in processing the reports forced a delay.
Proficiency scores for the state's schools will be released later this month, Garcia said.
The federal No Child Left Behind law requires schools to test students annually on standards set by the state for math and reading. New Mexico's standards are among the highest.
Scores from those tests— coupled with participation in the test and attendance and graduation rates— determine whether schools make adequate yearly progress.
Schools are judged in 37 categories, including whether English language learners, students with disabilities and different ethnic groups are meeting standards. If a school misses one of the 37 categories, it is labeled as failing to meet AYP.
Schools face progressively stiffer sanctions each year they fail to meet AYP. They can be required to offer tutoring, and districts must allow parents to transfer their students out of failing schools, with the district footing transportation costs.
After six years, the state can force a school to restructure, which could range from replacing staff to having it reopen as a charter school.
APS has 12 schools that have consistently missed AYP for at least six years.
Schools can shed designations if they meet AYP two years in a row.
Garcia congratulated the 14 schools that pulled off that accomplishment this year. Albuquerque schools accomplishing the feat were Alamosa, Mary Ann Binford and Painted Sky elementaries and Freedom High School.
Pat Woodard, principal at Painted Sky Elementary, said she and her staff worked hard to get off the list.
"At Painted Sky, we have a belief system that all kids can learn," Woodard said, adding that the school's goal is to have all of its students proficient in reading and math.
"I wanted to do the happy dance," said Shannon Apodaca, a fourth-grade teacher at Painted Sky.
Signed into law in January 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act states that all students must test at their grade level in reading and math by 2014. Requirements get more difficult each year.
The law is up for reauthorization this fall, and Garcia said if changes aren't made in how AYP is determined, "you would have probably zero schools making AYP" in 2014.
APS test results
These are individual schools' progress in meeting federally required testing standards.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
School Title I 2007 AYP 2006 AYP
Status Designation
A. Montoya No Met SI-1 Delay Not Met SI-1
Acoma Yes Band B Met Met
Adobe Acres Yes Band A Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Alameda Yes Band B Met Not Met
Alamosa Yes Band A Met Met CA delay
Alvarado Yes Band C Not Met Not met
Apache Yes Band B Met Met
Armijo Yes Band A Met Met
Arroyo Del Oso No Met Not Met
Atrisco Yes Band A Not Met Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring 1
Bandelier No Not Met Not Met
Barcelona Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
Bel-Air Yes Band B Met Not Met
Bellehaven Yes Band C Not Met Not Met
Carlos Rey Yes Band B Not Met Not Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring 1
Chamiza No Met Met
Chaparral Yes Band B Met Met
Chelwood Yes Band B Not Met Met
Cochiti Yes Band B Not Met Met
Collet Park Yes Band C Met Met
Comanche No Met Met
Corrales No Not Met Met
D. Chavez No Met Met
D. Gonzales Yes Band A Met Met
Double Eagle No Met Met
Duranes Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
E.G. Ross Yes Band C Met Not Met
East San Jose Yes Band A Not Met Met
Edward Gonzales Yes Band A Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Emerson Yes Band A Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Eubank Yes Band A Met SI-2 Delay Not Met SI-2
Eugene Field Yes Band A Met Met
G. O'Keeffe No Met Met
Governor Bent Yes Band B Not Met Not Met
SI-1 Delay SI-1
Griegos Yes Band C Met Met
H. Humphrey No Met Met
Hawthorne Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
Hodgin Yes Band A Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Inez No Met Not Met
John Baker No Met Met
Kirtland Yes Band B Not Met Met
Kit Carson Yes Band A Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
La Luz Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring 1
delay
La Mesa Yes Band A Not Met Met
Lavaland Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring 2
Lew Wallace Yes Band B Met Met
Longfellow Yes Band B Not Met Met
Los Padillas Yes Band A Met Met
Los Ranchos Yes Band B Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Lowell Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
M.A. Binford Yes Band A Met Met
Restructuring
1 delay
D. MacArthur Yes Band B Met Met
Manzano Mesa Yes Band B Met Not Met
Marie M. Hughes No Met SI-Delay Not Met SI-1
Mark Twain Yes Band B Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Matheson Park Yes Band B Not Met Met
McCollum Yes Band B Met Met
Mission Ave. Yes Band B Not Met SI-2 Met SI-1 delay
Mitchell No Met Met
Monte Vista No Met Met
Montezuma Yes Band C Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Mountain View Yes Band A Met Met
Navajo Yes Band A Not Met Not Met CA
Restructuring 1
Onate No Met Not Met
Osuna No Met Met
Painted Sky Yes Band B Met Met SI-1 delay
Pajarito Yes Band A Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Petroglyph No Not Met Not Met
Reginald Chavez Yes Band A Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
S.R. Marmon Yes Band B Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
S.Y. Jackson No Not Met Met
San Antonito No Met Met
Sandia Base No Met SI-1 Delay Not Met SI-1
Seven Bar No Not Met Met
Sierra Vista No Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Sombra Yes Band C Met SI-1 Delay Not Met SI-1
Del Monte
Tomasita Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
Valle Vista Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring 2
Ventana Ranch No Not Met SI-1 Not Met SI-1
Delay
Wherry Yes Band A Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Whittier Yes Band A Not Met Met
Zia Yes Band C Not Met Met
Zuni Yes Band C Met Met
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
School Title I 2007 AYP 2006 AYP
Status Designation
Cleveland No Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Desert Ridge No Not Met Met
Eisenhower No Not Met Not Met
Ernie Pyle Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring 2
Garfield Yes Band B Not Met Not Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring 1
Grant No Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Harrison Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring 2
Hayes Yes Band A Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Hoover No Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Jackson No Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Jefferson Yes Band C Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
James Monroe No Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Jimmy Carter Yes Band B Not Met Not Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring1
John Adams Yes Band A Not Met Not Met CA
Restructuring 1
Kennedy Yes Band A Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
L.B. Johnson No Not Met Not Met
Madison No Not Met Not Met
McKinley Yes Band B Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Polk Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring 2
Roosevelt No Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Taft Yes Band C Not Met Not Met
Taylor No Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Truman Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring 2
Van Buren Yes Band A Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Vision Quest Yes Band C Met Met
Alternative
Washington Yes Band A Not Met Not Met
Restructuring 2 Restructuring 2
Wilson Yes Band A Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
HIGH SCHOOLS
School Title I 2007 AYP 2006 AYP
Status Designation
Albq. Evening No n/a Not met SI-2
Albuquerque
High No Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Cibola No Not Met Not Met
Del Norte No Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Eldorado No Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Early College No Met Met
Freedom No Met Not Met SI-1
delay
Highland No Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
La Cueva No Met Met
Manzano No Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
New Futures Yes Band A Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Rio Grande Yes Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Sandia No Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
School on Wheels Yes Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Sierra Alternative Yes Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Valley High No Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
West Mesa Yes Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
K-12
School Title I 2007 AYP 2006 AYP
Status Designation
Family School No Met Met
CHARTER SCHOOL TEST RESULTS
School 2007 AYP 2006 AYP
Status Status
21st Century Learning Center Not Met Met
Amy Biehl Charter Met Met
Cesar Chavez Community Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Charter Vocational HS Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Charter Voc-Tech Center Met SI-1 Delay Not Met SI-1
Creative Ed Prep #1 Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
Creative Ed Prep #2 Not Met Not Met SI-1
East Mountain HS Met Met
AIMS Met Met
Horizon Academy NW n/a Not Met
Horizon Academy South Not Met SI-2 Not Met
Horizon Academy West Met Met
Horizon Academy Tech n/a Not Met
La Academia de Esperanza n/a Not Met SI-2
La Academia La Lengua
y Cultura n/a Not Met SI-1
La Luz del Monte
Learning Center Met Met
La Promesa Early
Learning Center Met Met
Los Puentes Charter Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
Montessori of the Rio Grande Not Met Met
Mountain Mahogany
Community School n/a Met
Nuestros Valores Charter Not Met CA Not Met SI-2
PAPA Met Met
Robert F. Kennedy Not Met Not Met CA
Restructuring 1
School for Integrated
Academics and Technologies Not Met Not Met
South Valley Academy Met Met
Southwest Primary Met Met
Southwest Secondary Met Met
Learning Center
The Learning Community Not Met SI-2 Not Met SI-1
YouthBuild Trade & Technology Not Met Missing Data
Source: Public Education Department
Definitions
TITLE I SCHOOLS: These schools receive additional money from the federal government because more than 50 percent of their students are low-income.
TITLE I BAND A: 75 percent or more are low-income.
TITLE I BAND B: 60 to 74 percent are low-income.
TITLE I BAND C: 50 to 59 percent are low income.
AYP: Adequate yearly progress.
SI-1: SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT 1: Two years of missing adequate yearly progress. Parents can transfer their child to another school that did make progress. The district pays transportation costs.
SI-2: SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT II: Three years of missing adequate progress. Schools must provide free after-school tutoring for eligible students and begin an "improvement plan."
CA: CORRECTIVE ACTION: Four years of missing adequate progress. Schools much provide professional development and a new curriculum. They can replace some staff and extend the school year or school day.
RESTRUCTURING I: Five years of missing adequate progress. Schools must develop "alternative governance" plan tht includes reopening as a charter school, replacing staff or turning over management of the school to the state.
RESTRUCTURING II: Six years of missing adequate progress. Start the alternative plan developed under Restructuring I.