| RRPS 2005 AYP Report | |||
On Monday, August 1, the New Mexico Department of Public Education released its annual school ratings for 2005. These ratings are based on the results of the New Mexico Standards-Based Assessments (NMSBA), achievement tests given to students in grades 3-9 and grade 11 in the spring of 2005. "It is important for parents to look beyond
the label to determine how well schools and districts are educating
children.
NEW, CHALLENGING TESTSOverall, students at all Rio Rancho schools did well on the tests, and we are very proud of our children and our teachers and staff." Dr. Sue Cleveland, Superintendent This year, the state adopted entirely new tests, supplied by a different testing company, that raise the bar for student achievement. These rigorous tests are based on the state standards that define what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. The new tests include multiple-choice questions, questions that require students to write an answer or explanation, and some questions that are a combination of the two. Some math questions require students to show their work and explain how they arrived at the answer. COMPARING APPLES AND ORANGES At Rio Rancho’s three middle schools, it is especially important to not compare scores. These schools last year were rated on the basis of the Mid-High School’s scores, since 6th and 7th graders did not take the test in 2003-04. WHAT IS AYP ANYWAY, AND HOW DO YOU MEET IT? In order for a school to meet AYP, ALL of the following criteria must be met. If a school fails to meet any one of the 37 data points set down in the criteria, the school is rated “AYP Not Met.”
DON’T LET THE LABEL FOOL YOU It is important to note that achievement tests like the NMSBA are a snapshot of how our students performed at one particular point in time. This test provides us with useful information about where our instruction is effective and where students need extra help. We use this data, along with information from the NWEA “levels tests” and student performance on assignments throughout the year, to adjust our instructional strategies for your child and our children in general. Individual data about each child’s performance and more information on each school’s performance will be available to parents early in the school year. WHY DID SOME SCHOOLS NOT MAKE AYP?
Click here to view individual school reports. WHAT IS A “SCHOOL IN NEED OF IMPROVEMENT,” AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? When a school fails to meet AYP for two consecutive years, regardless of the reason, it becomes designated as a “school in need of improvement.” This year, for the first time, Rio Rancho Public Schools has four schools that fall into this designation: Eagle Ridge Middle School, Independence HS, Rio Rancho Mid-High, and Rio Rancho HS. To learn more about this designation and what it means, please click here. If you have questions about your child’s or school’s test results, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or the school principal. They will be glad to work with you and your child to help you understand the results and apply them to help your child achieve academic success. |
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The
state’s accountability system makes no distinction between
schools that fail to meet AYP by just one or two data points and
those with problems across many areas. It is therefore important
for parents to look beyond the label of “AYP Not Met”
to determine how well schools and districts are educating children.
Overall, students at all Rio Rancho schools did well on the tests,
and we are very proud of our children and our teachers and staff.