SANTA FE — The New Mexico Public Education Department today released school ratings for the 2023-2024 school year, highlighting important gains for New Mexico’s schools.
Five additional New Mexico schools are now rated as high performing, according to evaluation results, and 70% fewer schools were identified as in need of targeted, comprehensive, or rigorous support.
"We are excited to celebrate the incredible work happening in our classrooms to boost student performance,” Public Education Secretary-Designate Mariana Padilla said. “While there's still much to be done, it's essential to honor the progress and victories we're achieving along the way, especially considering the benchmarks for progress have become more challenging.”
Schools were rated on a point system based on the following indicators:
- Math, reading, and science achievement/assessment results
- Growth in math and reading across time
- Student attendance
- Progress towards English language proficiency for students that are English learners
- Post-secondary readiness*
- Graduation rates*
- Graduation rate growth*
- Spotlight–Highest recognition; schools among the top 75% of schools
- Traditional–Good standing; not in designation
- Targeted Support & Improvement –Schools with consistently underperforming student groups
- Additional Targeted Support & Improvement –Schools in need of support with one or more of the lowest performing groups of students
- Comprehensive Support & Improvement –Schools scoring in the bottom 5% of Title I schools overall or that have a graduation rate below 67
- More Rigorous Interventions –Schools not exiting CSI status after 3 years of receiving support
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In the state’s prior ESSA plan accountability model (2019), identified schools were held in their status for three years and were not allowed to exit, even if improvements were made in subsequent years. New Mexico amended its accountability model to allow schools to exit identification annually.
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The 2024 amendment also modified the way the state awarded points to schools for student growth in math and reading. Using a methodology called “student growth percentiles,” points are now awarded to schools based on the change in a student’s achievement (change in scale score on the test) from one year to the next. The use of student growth percentiles allows the state to award points for growth towards proficiency–vs proficiency alone.
