Highlights of RRPS’s 2009 results:

Graduation:

• Rio Rancho’s districtwide graduation rate calculated under the new “cohort” method that tracks students through four years of high school, is 77.1%, well above both the state and national average.
• Rio Rancho High’s graduation rate is one of the highest in the state for large high schools (above 1,000 enrollment).  RRHS’s graduation rate, which does not include the 9th grade, is 86.3%.  With the 9th grade factored in, the rate is probably in the 77% range, still among the highest in the state.   
• Rio Rancho Cyber Academy’s graduation rate exceeded the state’s 52% target.

AYP School Ratings:

• The number of Rio Rancho schools that made AYP this year increased from two to four.
• Two schools that did not meet AYP in 2008 did so in 2009: Ernest Stapleton Elementary and the Rio Rancho Cyber Academy.
• Four schools made AYP – Stapleton, the Cyber Academy, Enchanted Hills Elementary, and Maggie Cordova Elementary.
• All Rio Rancho schools except Independence HS (an alternative school) made AYP overall (the “all students” subgroup) in both reading and math
• Puesta del Sol Elementary and Rio Rancho High both increased the number of data points on which they made the AYP targets
• Puesta del Sol showed an 8% gain in the percentage of all students demonstrating proficiency in reading
• The upward trend continues in mathematics proficiency at Rio Rancho High – this year, the percentage of students overall demonstrating proficiency in mathematics increased by 5% overall with every subgroup showing gains. Reading also showed gains.
• Although Rio Rancho Elementary did not meet AYP, there were large gains in the percentage of students demonstrating proficiency in both math and reading. The double-digit gains for American Indian and ELL (English-language learner) students are particularly noteworthy.
• Many Rio Rancho schools showed growth in the percentage of students achieving proficiency

Schools may achieve a rating of “Meets AYP” or “AYP Not Met” (click to view reports for each school).  AYP stands for “adequate yearly progress”, and refers to the federally-mandated goal that all students demonstrate proficiency in reading and math by the year 2014.  The academic data is reported in terms of the percentage of students testing at the “proficient” or above level.  In order to meet AYP, a school must meet the state targets (up to 37 are possible) for proficiency and participation for all subgroups in reading and math, plus additional indicators for attendance and graduation rates If a school does not meet 100% of the targets in all areas , it does not meet AYP.

Despite the fact that most Rio Rancho schools did not meet the very rigorous all-or-nothing criteria for being rated as making AYP, there is a lot of good news in this year’s AYP reports. RRPS scores at almost all schools continue to exceed state averages, often by a substantial margin, and some schools recorded substantial gains in the percentage of students demonstrating proficiency. Two schools – Ernest Stapleton Elementary and the Rio Rancho Cyber Academy – made AYP this year after not doing so last year. For further details, click here.

A school’s AYP rating is essentially a snapshot in time, not a comprehensive picture of all of the things that contribute to a school’s quality. We emphasize that parents should carefully consider all of the data for their child’s school, and if they have questions should feel free to discuss them with their 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.

How to Use This Guide:
To view a school’s results, click on the name of the school.  A chart will be displayed that provides an overview of the school’s results.  If a cell in the chart is shaded white, the school does not enroll enough students in that subgroup to receive an AYP rating (25 students for proficiency, 40 for participation).  You will also find links to several reports documenting the school’s results. These results are in the process of being updated with the latest data from the 2008-09 school year. For an explanation of what these reports are and how to read the data, click on the tab at the top of the page.

The following provides explanation about how each of our schools performed. For a full explanation of AYP means and what RRPS is doing about it, click here.

Puesta del Sol Parents: Information about Supplemental Educational Services...

Proficiency: Indicates whether the percentage of students demonstrating proficiency in the subject area met state targets.
Participation: Indicates whether at least 95% of the students in the subgroup completed the test.

Click on a school name below to view the AYP report for that school (or another name to switch views):

GRADUATION RATE CHANGES
This year, the State of New Mexico changed the way it reports graduation rates.  These changes are reflected for the first time in this year’s AYP results.  This year’s data reflects graduation rates for the class of 2008.

The state historically has calculated graduation rates as an “event” or “senior completion” rate, which measures the percentage of 12th grade students at the beginning of the senior year that graduate at the end of that year.  The new calculation is based on a “cohort” rate, which tracks the percentage of students entering ninth grade who graduate four years later.  The target percentage for making AYP for graduation rate is 52% and will increase to 90% by the year 2020.  The state average is 54% and the national average is 70%. 

Rio Rancho’s district-wide graduation rate calculated under the new methodology is the highest of any large district in the state, at 77.1%. 

Rio Rancho High’s graduation rate, at 86.3%, is the highest of any large high school (enrollment over 1,000) in the state.  However, it should be noted that this calculation does not include ninth graders, since in 2008 and 2009 Rio Rancho High was a grade 10-12 school.  The actual graduation rate is probably closer to the district average of 77.1%, but this still ranks the school second among large four-year high schools, behind Los Alamos High.  (Clovis High, which also showed strong results, like Rio Rancho High is a three-year high school.)

Rio Rancho Cyber Academy’s graduation rate of 57.1% also exceeds the state average and the target percentage for meeting AYP. 

Independence High School’s graduation rate of 30.5% does not meet AYP.  However, it should be noted that Independence’s mission is to help students who face challenges in earning a high school diploma to do so.  Many Independence High School students might otherwise not make it through high school without the support they receive at IHS.  Therefore, their graduation rate in some respects represents success in dropout prevention. 

Since the new graduation rate reflects students who drop out in all of the grades they are enrolled in a high school, as opposed to just the senior year, graduation rates are lower than they were with the old methodology.  For example, Rio Rancho High’s “event” graduation rate reported in the 2008 AYP statistics was 96.6%; the “cohort” rate in the 2009 report is 86.3%. 

For more information on graduation rates, click here.  [this is the state’s AYP Q and A on the graduation rate sent as a separate document]

About the New Mexico New Mexico Standards-Based Assessment (NMSBA): 
The New Mexico Standards-Based Assessment (NMSBA) is given annually in the spring to students in grades 3-8 and in Grade 11.  The NMSBA tests students in reading, math, and science.  The percentage of students demonstrating proficiency on the NMSBA determines a schools rating for purposes of the state accountability system and compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.  For more information on how the NMSBA determines a school’s rating, click here.

Each state develops and administers its own achievement tests, and each state determines how well students must score on the tests to be considered “proficient.”  This makes state-to-state comparisons New Mexico’s standards and tests, especially in math, are considered to be among the toughest in the nation.

Based on the results of the New Mexico Standards-Based Assessment (NMSBA), schools may achieve an annual rating of “Meets AYP” or “AYP Not Met”.  AYP stands for “adequate yearly progress”, and refers to the federally-mandated goal that all students demonstrate proficiency in reading and math by the year 2014.  The academic data is reported in terms of the percentage of students testing at the “proficient” or above level. 

Results of the NMSBA are reported for all students in a school, and are further broken down by and reported for eight different “subgroups” of students: five ethnic classifications (African-American, American Indian, Asian American, Caucasian, and Hispanic), English-language learners (ELL), students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students.  All students, regardless of ethnicity, disability, or other factors are expected to achieve at the same level in order to be considered “proficient.”  Schools must have at least 25 students in a subgroup to receive an AYP rating based on academic results, and at least 40 students in a subgroup to receive a rating for participation.

In order for a school to meet AYP, the percentage of “proficient” students must meet or exceed the state targets in every area where the school is rated.  In addition, at least 95% of students overall and in every “subgroup” must take the test (called “participation”), and the school must meet targets for attendance or graduation rate.  A school can be rated on as many as 37 separate measures.  If the school falls short in any area -- even just one -- it does not make AYP. 

  
The issue for the majority of Rio Rancho schools that did not make AYP 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. 

It is important to note that most Rio Rancho students do well on the tests, and this is reflected in our overall results.  The majority of schools met AYP targets in 90% or more of the areas on which they were rated -- that’s an “A” under the standard grading scale. 

The NMSBA is just one indicator of a school’s quality -- a snapshot based on how students did on one particular day on one particular test.  Rio Rancho Public Schools uses many other tools to measure student and school success, including other assessments and the exams, projects, and assignment grades students receive throughout the year.  Some of these other indicators are included on this Web site. 

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 target schools must meet to earn a “Meets AYP”.

- Click here to view RRPS District Report Cards
- View last year's 2008 AYP Progress Reports

About the NWEA “levels tests”: These computer-generated assessments were developed by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) and are aligned with the New Mexico Standards, Benchmarks, and Performance Standards that define what students should know and be able to do at each grade level.  Students in grades 3-8 take these tests, in language arts, reading, and math, twice each year, in the fall and in the spring.  The assessments are used to measure how much students learn during the year.  The charts for each individual school show how students in various grade levels performed compared to growth targets set by NWEA.

The NWEA tests are called “levels tests” because they determine at what “level” students perform.  As a student takes the test on the computer, the program adjusts the difficulty of the questions on the test.  If a student answers a question correctly, the next question will be more difficult, and vice versa.  In this way, the NWEA assessment program can determine with great accuracy how well a student performs particular skills and whether or not the student is performing at grade level.

NWEA results are expressed in RIT scores, which permit comparison of scores across grade levels.  The higher the score, the more advanced the material the student knows. 

The following chart provides a rough idea of how RIT scores translate into grade-level proficiency at the end of a school year:

About the ACT:
The ACT is one of the two major college entrance and readiness exams and is the one taken by a large majority of college-bound students in New Mexico. 73% of 2008 Rio Rancho seniors took the ACT, so the data reflects student performance for a significant percentage of Rio Rancho’s Class of 2008.

The average scores for RRHS students on the ACT exceeded the state averages in all areas and the national average in all areas except mathematics (where for the past several years, RRHS’s average scores have steadily increased). The charts provide trend data showing how RRHS performed against the state and national averages overall and in individual subject areas.

The final chart in this section indicates the percentage of students whose performance on the ACT suggests they are ready to master college-level work. Here again, though the results show that RRPS has a long way to go in assuring every student is college ready, RRPS’s results exceeded the state averages in all areas and the national average in all areas except for mathematics.

RRPS ACT Reports:

• College Ready
• Composite Scores for 2007-08
• Trend Data

Quality of Education Survey:
Parents of Rio Rancho Public Schools students are asked to fill out the Quality of Education Survey every spring. This survey provides Rio Rancho Public Schools with feedback from parents on how they feel their child’s school is doing. The first ten questions on the survey are mandated by the state and are the same for each school in New Mexico.

The second five questions are developed by the school district and are the same for every Rio Rancho school. For a district-wide overview and trend data for the Quality of Education Survey, please click here.

Be sure to check out the sites and resources listed below for more information:

• www.ped.state.nm.us/2008AYP/index:  The State of New Mexico Public Education Department AYP Web site includes detailed information on how school accountability under No Child Left Behind works in New Mexico and a variety of additional data
  
  
• http://164.64.166.20/aypdl/DocLibrary.aspx:  State database providing 2008 school ratings and results for every public school in New Mexico
  
  
• http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2008/01/10/index.html:  The Education Week 2008 “Quality Counts” report includes the survey of state assessment standards.
  
  
• http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/18845034.html  The Hoover Institute/Education Next study on state standards across the nation
  
  
• http://www.edexcellence.net/detail/news.cfm?news_id=376:  The Thomas B. Fordham/Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) 2007 study on state proficiency standards in states that use the NWEA for evaluation of student performance and growth.
  
  
• To view the Public Education Department (PED) reports on individual schools, click here.