Most Clovis schools miss AYP mark

Three quarters of Clovis Municipal schools received a failing grade from the state Monday.

Of the district’s 16 schools, 12 didn’t reach the goal of making “adequate yearly progress,” or AYP, under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Last year, six of the district’s 16 schools made AYP.

Those numbers put Clovis in line with the rest of the state. According to test results from the Public Education Department, 644 schools, or 77.9 percent, didn’t reach the goals for increasing student performance — up from 68.2 percent last year.

Ranchvale, Zia, Barry and Mesa elementary schools all made AYP, as they did last year. Parkview and Sandia elementary schools missed benchmarks this year after reaching them the year before.

Clovis’ middle school (Yucca, Marshall) and high school campuses (CHS, CHS Freshman Academy) did not meet AYP.

Schools are evaluated mainly on student performance and participation in math and reading tests administered in grades three through eight, with high school tests administered to junior classes. Other factors in the ratings are graduation rates for high schools and attendance rates for elementary and middle schools.

Under the federal law, states are to increase their performance targets each year until 100 percent of students are proficient on tests by the 2013-2014 school year.

A school will not meet the adequate yearly progress goal if any one of several subgroups of students — black, white, Hispanic, American Indian, “economically disadvantaged” or poor, special education and students with limited English language skills — fail to meet performance or participation targets on tests.

A school has a subgroup if it has 25 or more students taking the test in that category. Every Clovis school that made AYP had three or fewer subgroups (Caucasian, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged). Clovis High School, which has never made AYP, had six subgroups measured.

“I think what’s important that people realize all the components,” said Cindy Martin, CMS’s deputy superintendent of instruction. “It may look like a certain group of kids didn’t do well, but they may have increased their scores by 10 or 12.”

Schools that consecutively miss AYP are subject to interventions, classified as School in Need of Improvement (SI-1 for two consecutive years, SI-2 for three consecutive years). Corrective action is required after four consecutive years, and school restructuring is slated for schools that miss AYP for five consecutive years.

Marshall and the freshman academy are slated for SI-2 status. The Arts Academy at Bella Vista and La Casita Elementary are scheduled for corrective action, and restructuring is slated for Clovis High and Cameo and Lockwood elementary schools.

“(Affected schools will) have to create an educational plan, which we always do,” Martin said. “It will just have extra components.”

If the state rejects a school’s plan, Martin said, it will include suggestions for an acceptable plan.

Results were mixed across Curry County.

It was a good day for Melrose, which made AYP marks in all three schools. That pleased Superintendent Jamie Widner, who was principal last year when Melrose High School did not make standards. A repeat would have put the high school in SI-1 status.

“We’re satisfied,” Widner said. “Last year was the first time we hadn’t met AYP at the high school. I’m happy that we didn’t miss it.”

Widner thinks last year’s junior class might have just had a bad testing day, but this year teachers emphasized reading — the area MHS failed last year.

It wasn’t such a good day in Texico, where Texico Middle School missed the mark. The school did not meet AYP due to reading scores for its economically challenged subgroup.

“That was a big surprise for us, even though some of these students had a little trouble in elementary school,” Texico Superintendent R.L. Richards said. “I lost a teacher in the middle of the year, and that might have kept us from hitting some of those benchmarks.”

Grady, which did not have any subgroups, made AYP at all three of its schools.

In De Baca County, Fort Sumner High made AYP, but the elementary and middle schools did not.

A breakdown of how area schools fared on 2009 adequate yearly progress tests, according to the Public Education Department.

Clovis Municipal Schools

Made AYP

• Barry Elementary

• Mesa Elementary

• Ranchvale Elementary

• Zia Elementary

Failed to make AYP

• The Arts Academy at Bella Vista

Reading: African-American, Hispanic, Economically Disadvantaged

Math: Economically Disadvantaged.

• Cameo Elementary

Reading: Hispanic and Economically Disadvantaged.

• Highland Elementary

Reading: all students.

• James R. Bickley Elementary

Reading: Caucasians, Hispanic and Economically Disadvantaged

Math: Hispanic and Economically Disadvantaged.

• La Casita Elementary

Reading: Hispanic, Economically Disadvantaged and English Language Learners

Math: Hispanic, Economically Disadvantaged and English Language Learners.

• Lockwood Elementary

Reading: Caucasian, Hispanic, English Language Learners, Economically Disadvantaged

Math: Economically Disadvantaged.

• Parkview Elementary

Reading: Hispanic and Economically Disadvantaged

Math: Hispanic and Economically Disadvantaged.

• Sandia Elementary

Reading: Economically Disadvantaged.

• Marshall Middle School

Reading: Hispanic, English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, Economically Disadvantaged

Math: African-American, Hispanic, English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, Economically Disadvantaged.

• Yucca Middle School

Reading: Hispanic, English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, Economically Disadvantaged

Math: Hispanic, English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, Economically Disadvantaged.

• Clovis High School

Reading: African-American, Hispanic, English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, Economically Disadvantaged

Math: Caucasian, Hispanic, English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, Economically Disadvantaged.

• CHS Freshman Academy

Reading: Hispanic, English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, Economically Disadvantaged

Math: Caucasian, Hispanic, English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, Economically Disadvantaged

Fort Sumner Municipal Schools

Made AYP

• Fort Sumner High School

Failed to make AYP

• Fort Sumner Elementary

Math: Economically Disadvantaged.

• Fort Sumner Middle School

Math: Hispanic and Economically Disadvantaged.

Grady Municipal Schools

Made AYP

• Grady Elementary

• Grady Middle School

• Grady High School

Melrose Municipal Schools

Made AYP

• Melrose Elementary

• Melrose Middle School

• Melrose High School

Texico Municipal Schools

Made AYP

• Texico Elementary

• Texico High School

Failed to make AYP

• Texico Middle School

Reading: Economically Disadvantaged.