7 Bernalillo Schools Fail ; Santo Domingo Meets Standards

The release of the state’s school accountability report brought mixed news for the Bernalillo district, which has struggled for years to improve academic performance.

The bad news was that seven of its 10 schools are not meeting standards.

The triumph for Bernalillo Public Schools came with the announcement that Santo Domingo Elementary continued to meet state standards. The school was considered failing for many years and met state standards in 2004.

Superintendent Barbara Vigil-Lowder praised the progress at Santo Domingo Elementary.

“Santo Domingo has taken positive steps to look at data and make decisions,” she said. “They have provided extensive professional development and stayed focused to make changes.”

The state on Monday released its report designating schools as meeting or not meeting “adequate yearly progress,” which is the federal definition of whether a school is making adequate improvements.

The state rates a school by looking at student scores on the state criterion-referenced test. The exam tests student performance on the state standards in the subjects of math and science. Students in all subgroups — minority, English Language Learners, special education and economically disadvantaged — must meet standards in math and reading or the school does not meet adequate yearly progress.

Additionally, at least 95 percent of the students in those subgroups at each school must take the test in order for a school to meet adequate yearly progress.

Schools not meeting adequate yearly progress in the district are Algodones Elementary, Bernalillo High, Bernalillo Middle, Carroll Elementary, Cochiti Elementary, Cochiti Middle and Santo Domingo Middle.

Carroll Elementary failed to make the grade because it did not have adequate special education test scores in math and reading. At Cochiti, the poor performance of English language learners in reading earned the schools its failing grade.

Poor academic performance was more widespread at Bernalillo High School. Native American, English language learners and special education subgroups failed to meet academic standards in math and reading.

Santo Domingo Middle School failed to meet academic standards in any subgroup in math and reading.

Vigil-Lowder said principals had just received the data.

“We are going to look at the data and come up with a plan of action,” she said. “We have not had a chance to look at them and then meet as an administrative team.”