ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Following the release of student test scores from the 2022-2023 school year, Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) is announcing improvements in some scores. But many schools actually scored worse this year.
APS saw a 13% increase in the percentage of students who were proficient in English and language arts. That’s compared to the previous year and includes grades 3 through 8.
Although they’ve seen a boost, APS says the majority of students who took the test are still not proficient in English and language arts. In the 2022-2023 school year, about 60% of students were not proficient in the subject.
Across the district, and when taking all test takers into account from grades 3 through 8, mathematics proficiency is largely unchanged from the previous year, APS data shows. On the whole, science proficiency (which includes grade 5, grade 8, and grade 11) didn’t change much.
APS did see some gains among certain cohorts. Science proficiency did increase a bit for grade 5 and grade 8 students. Science proficiency fell among grade 11 students.
APS provides a more detailed breakdown of the test data online, including data from individual schools. You can access a data dashboard at this link.
Schools varied widely across the district in terms of performance. For example, of the 139 schools that have test data from both the 2021-2022 school year and the 2022-2023 school year, 77 of the schools saw a decrease in mathematics proficiency. Two dozen schools saw a decrease in English and language arts proficiency, the data shows.
The numbers come from two tests. Students in grades 3rd through grade 8th received the Measures of Student Success and Achievement test. The science component of that test was also given to high school juniors. To measure reading and math proficiency for high school juniors, APS relies on the SAT School Day Grade exam.
“We’re happy about our improvements and grateful to our teachers and the rest of our staff who show up every day and work hard to make a difference in the lives of our students,” APS Superintendent Scott Elder said in a press release. “But we recognize that we need to do more to raise proficiency rates across the board. We must do better.”
APS points to continued impacts from the pandemic as one reason for low performance. APS says they are working on several initiatives to boost performance, such as a new district-wide strategic plan, free online tutoring through the company Paper, extended instructional time, and having one associate superintendent focus specifically on literacy rates as well as one associate superintendent focus specifically on mathematics proficiency.
