RRPS 2008 AYP Report
On Friday, August 1, the New Mexico Department of Public Education released its preliminary school ratings for 2008. 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 2008.
Important: Test data is still under review and the preliminary ratings could change as the appeals process goes forward, resulting in additional schools earning “Meets AYP” ratings. Last year, the ratings of three Rio Rancho schools changed to “Meets AYP” as a result of this process.
Don't Let the Label Fool You
It is important for parents to look beyond the label 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 proud of our children and our teachers and staff.
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.
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.
PRELIMINARY OVERVIEW OF RIO RANCHO PUBLIC SCHOOLS RESULTS FOR 2007-08
The preliminary ratings indicate that two schools -- Enchanted Hills Elementary and Maggie M. Cordova Elementary -- made AYP in all areas. “AYP” means “adequate yearly progress” towards meeting federal and state goals that all students demonstrate grade-level proficiency in reading and math by the year 2014.
The major issue for Rio Rancho schools that did not make AYP in all areas continues to be results for students with disabilities. The provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) require, with very few exceptions, that students with disabilities take the same tests and achieve at the same level as all other students. Like many districts around the state and country, Rio Rancho has faced challenges helping our special needs students meet this high standard.
We are very concerned that at most schools the percentage of students with disabilities meeting the rigorous standards required of all students has not significantly increased, especially in reading. We are commissioning outside experts to come into Rio Rancho, analyze how we educate special needs students, and make recommendations for improvement. We will also bring together teachers from schools throughout Rio Rancho who have had exceptional success teaching special needs students so they can share their techniques with each other and with other teachers throughout the district.
It is important to note that most Rio Rancho students do well on the tests, and this is reflected in our overall results. Most schools met AYP in more than 90% of the areas on which they were rated -- that’s an “A” under the standard grading scale.
We would also note that every year the bar schools must meet in order to achieve AYP gets higher. This year, the state goals (called “annual measurable objectives” or AMO’s and measured in terms of the percentage of students demonstrating proficiency) went up about 10%. By 2014, the federal law states that 100% of students, regardless of economic status, disability, ethnicity, or fluency in English, must meet the same high standards of proficiency in reading and math. This is a formidable goal, and we are working hard to achieve it, but as the targets continue to get higher, it becomes harder to reach every one of the 18 possible academic targets schools must meet to earn a “Meets AYP” rating.
Click here to view individual school reports.
DON’T LET THE LABEL FOOL YOU
The state’s accountability system makes no distinction among schools that are providing a strong overall education but have issues in one or two areas, those with a weak overall educational program, and those with both weaknesses and strengths -- the same label, “AYP Not Met” is applied to them all. It is therefore important for parents to look beyond the label to determine how well schools and districts are educating children.
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.