Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Schools improve, but stay on probation

Audry Olmsted El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

Midway, Sarracino

meet standards, but

must do so another

year to get off list

Socorro Consolidated Schools has taken two steps closer to having all its schools meet standards set by the New Mexico Public Education Department, while Magdalena Elementary School stays on probation for the third year in a row.

Midway Elementary School and Sarracino Middle School will remain on probation for the 2004-2005 school year even though each school met its adequate yearly progress goals.

Both schools were placed on probation last year, Midway for the second year in a row and Sarracino for the first time in at least three years. To escape from probationary status, schools must meet standards for two consecutive years.

If Midway and Sarracino can meet their adequate yearly progress again for the 2004-2005 school year, they will be upgraded to meeting standards.

Socorro High School met standards for the year but were three points away from reaching the adequate yearly progress mark.

According to the New Mexico Public Education Department's Web site, adequate yearly progress is defined as representing annual academic performance targets in reading and math that schools must reach to be considered on track for 100 percent proficiency by the 2013-2014 school year.

Socorro High School Principal Dan Padilla said the school has implemented changes that began this year.

"There will be some modifications to get us to the next level," he said.

Padilla said he was not worried about the high school and that the kids are doing fine, and the teachers are working hard. He said he was confident that, with work, the school will exceed standards next year.

Although he did not know the specifics of why the school did not meet adequate yearly progress, Padilla said he would have more details from the public education department within the next couple of weeks.

This is the first year the New Mexico Standards-Based Assessment tests were used to rate the high school.

According to the Public Education Department's Web site, to reach adequate yearly progress, a school must achieve 95 percent participation on state assessments and they must reach proficiency or reduce non-proficiency. In elementary and middle schools, student attendance is factored into its progress and at the high school, the graduation rate is factored into its progress.

A schools that does not meet its adequate yearly progress, is encouraged to perform data analysis to determine the reason the school did not progress. They are also encouraged to amend their Educational Plan for Student Success and are asked to implement strategies to improve student achievement. The public education department does provide assistance to schools in these areas.

Magdalena Elementary School was placed on probation for the third consecutive year, meaning that corrective action will be taken to bring the school back up to standards.

Magdalena Municipal Schools Superintendent Doug Hulce said he was disappointed with the rating but said they would continue to "tweak" the school's programs every year until they are able to improve the school's rating.

Hulce said that most likely, a liaison for the public education department would come to the school later in the year to help them review school data and provide helpful suggestions and strategies so that the school can meet their adequate yearly progress.

He said that last year, the elementary school missed receiving a grade of meeting standards by one-half of a point and that the year before, it was only 1.6 percentage points from meeting state standards.

"I'm certainly proud of our staff and of their continued efforts and progress," he said.

Kitty Martin, principal of Magdalena Elementary School could not be reached for comment.

Socorro Consolidated Schools Superintendent Frank Jaramillo said he was pleased with the results for the schools.

"All of our schools gained," he said. "I'm very happy."

Jaramillo attributed the success for the schools, especially Midway and Sarracino, to hard work and teachers working together.

"I want to commend the teachers for a good job. They worked really hard," he said.

Secretary of Education Dr. Veronica C. García announced Aug. 30 that 508 of 768 schools in New Mexico met the requirements by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and state statute.

García urged everyone to not rush to judgment about a particular school if they did not meet adequate yearly progress.

"The reasons some schools did not meet AYP vary. Schools that traditionally have experienced high performance may have missed meeting AYP because of reasons unrelated to the schools' total performance," García said in a press release.

A total of 126 schools received a designation of needing school improvement, corrective action or restructuring.

"These schools are not alone," García said. "We will fully support their efforts to bring all students to proficiency."

García commended the efforts of schools, parents and communities for their efforts in and out of the classroom.

"These schools have shown that they are focused and moving in the right direction," she said.

aolmsted@dchieftain.com

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