近距离内射合集

Albuquerque Public Schools has met its three-year goals for underserved students in first and second grade reading but fell short in middle school math.

According to assessment data from the end of the school year, 34% of first graders and 38.6% of second graders were proficient in reading. Though this means the majority of students in both grades still did not meet the benchmark, these are the highest scores reported since at least 2021.

鈥淭hese results reflect steady growth over the past three years and demonstrate that our early literacy initiatives are moving us in the right direction,鈥� Superintendent Gabriella Dur谩n Blakey said at Wednesday鈥檚 Board of Education meeting.

At the end of the 2024-25 school year, 28.5% of first graders and 32% of second graders were proficient in reading.

In first grade, Native American students showed some of the biggest gains of any demographic 鈥� 27.4% of Native American first graders were proficient in reading, compared with 15.3% at the end of last school year. At the end of the 2021-22 school year, the share of Native American first graders proficient in reading was just 7%.

The 2018 Yazzie-Martinez decision ruled that the state of New Mexico has a constitutional obligation to provide every student with an equal opportunity and a sufficient education, especially Native American students, English language learners, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students 鈥� all of whom make up around 70% of New Mexico鈥檚 student population, according to the Public Education Department.

First graders included in Yazzie-Martinez and Black first graders 鈥� who are not specifically named in the lawsuit, but are included in the group by APS 鈥� scored a reading proficiency rate of 29.2%, up from 23.2% the year before. 

These scores mean the district has met the goal it set for itself three years ago 鈥� to raise first grade reading proficiency among students named in Yazzie-Martinez and Black students from 17% in May 2023 to 23% in May 2026.

Second graders reported similarly positive gains. A share of 38.6% of second grade students were proficient in reading, compared with 32% at the end of last school year. The only group across both grades to see a decline was English language learners in the second grade, whose reading proficiency dropped by 0.8% since the end of last school year.

Among Yazzie-Martinez and Black second graders, reading proficiency was 32.6%, up from 25.7% the year before, indicating the district has again exceeded its goal 鈥� to raise second grade reading proficiency from 18.3% in May 2023 to 24.3% in May 2026.

Reading proficiency for third grade students is measured using the state assessment, for which results have not yet come back, APS officials said.

Dur谩n Blakey said Wednesday the gains were the result of a district-wide effort to improve reading outcomes through classroom instruction, summer reading institutes for struggling students and more professional development for teachers.

鈥淚n education we often want something to be a singular answer,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut there are so many different factors that really influence what happens in the classroom. The primary is the teacher, so I think a lot of the work that our teachers have been doing, particularly focused on reading (in) elementary (school), has really shown results.鈥�

For first and second graders, reading assessments are taken using the artificial intelligence-powered software Amira, of which some teachers and staff have questioned the accuracy. 

APS staff members told the Journal in April they had concerns over the program鈥檚 inconsistent scoring and inability to decipher the speech of children with impediments or foreign accents. 

Board member Rebecca Betzen said Wednesday that she was cautious to accept the positive results because of the issues with the testing program, adopted this year and required for evaluations by the Public Education Department.

鈥淚 am a little apprehensive because we changed the test, so I'm still not 100% on board that it is aligned,鈥� Betzen said. 鈥淚'm hoping it is, because that would be great news.鈥�

Before this school year, students used Istation, a testing software without AI. The company was acquired by Amira.

In math, students did not show the same progress. Of sixth graders, 30% were proficient in math, the same as last year. 

Yazzie-Martinez and Black sixth graders showed marginal gains in math 鈥� these students scored 0.8% higher than at the end of last school year, but the progress wasn鈥檛 enough for the district to meet its goal of 22.6% proficiency by May 2026.

Among seventh graders, math proficiency dropped by 0.1% since last school year, for a total proficiency rate of 25.1%. Yazzie-Martinez and Black students reported a proficiency rate of 17.9%, indicating the district had fallen just short of its goal of 19% proficiency by May 2026.

These students were in first and second grade during the COVID pandemic, as noted by board member Courtney Jackson, meaning they missed crucial school years early on.

The so-called 鈥淐OVID slide鈥� of pandemic learning loss impacts student learning forever, Dur谩n Blakey said. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 never just going to go away,鈥� she continued.

Though results indicate a majority of the tested students at APS are not proficient in reading and math, the scores are still better than the dismal statewide results from fourth and eighth graders, who scored 50th in the country on a national exam.

New Mexico ranked last in a 2024 report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which showed only 20% of fourth graders were proficient in reading and 23% were proficient in math.

In middle school, scores were worse: 19% of eighth graders showed proficiency in reading and 14% in math.

The state Legislature passed a pair of bills last session designed to bolster reading and math instruction that will take effect when the new school year starts in August. Senate Bill 37, the first of the two measures, mandates that teachers use an instructional method called 鈥渢he science of reading,鈥� which uses an approach similar to phonics, and places literacy coaches at low-performing elementary schools. 

Senate Bill 29 requires teachers to take additional coursework in math instruction before getting their teaching license. Both bills require regular assessment and progress reports to parents.

As the state鈥檚 largest district, APS accounts for about 22% of New Mexico鈥檚 public school students, said Thomas West, executive director of the district鈥檚 Office of Accountability and Reporting. In order for New Mexico鈥檚 test scores to climb, APS will need to play a significant part, he said.

鈥淚f numbers go up in APS, numbers go up in the state,鈥� West said.

Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.