Three of the 30 schools in the Santa Fe Public School District met New Mexico's adequate yearly progress goals for educating students.

But the AYP scores are a measurement of success or failure that's easily misunderstood and misinterpreted, administrators said.

Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez said she is pleased with the advances made within individual schools and even among some demographic groups. "Are we where we need to be as a whole? No," Gutierrez said. "We have a long way to go."

Acequia Madre Elementary, Carlos Gilbert Elementary and the Academy For Technology and the Classics charter school met AYP goals in math, reading and attendance or graduation.

But Acequia Madre barely made AYP. The school's 34 Hispanic students didn't test above the AYP goal, but made enough progress that Acequia Madre was granted a "safe harbor." A group in which at least 10 percent of students improve their test scores, but still don't make the AYP goal, is given a reprieve for a year. If that one group had not been given safe harbor, the school would not have made AYP.

Meanwhile, Wood Gormley Elementary barely missed making AYP goals. The school made AYP goals for all but one area. Its 30 students with disabilities made the AYP math goal, but not the reading goal.

The issue points to one problem with judging schools based on AYP assessments: One or two students within one subgroup can make the difference between a school making the grade and failing to hit the mark.

Other problems:

• A student who does not attend school on the right days — when students are testing — or is not enrolled the full year, won't be counted for AYP testing.
• A student who is enrolled, but whose parents won't allow testing, is counted against the school — the test is a zero.
• AYP can show how well students at a school are learning math and reading, but show nothing about the progress individual classrooms and individual students are making. "Every classroom is different, and in public schools you are teaching to extremes," Gutierrez said.

Both Capital l and Santa Fe high schools failed to make AYP goals for the sixth year in a row.

Carlos Gilbert Elementary met AYP goals for at least the second straight year. The K-6 school has a diverse mix of students. "This is a real cross-section of Santa Fe," said parent Julie Murray. "We have students from every socioeconomic group, families who live in the neighborhood and families who interzoned from other schools."

Murray said involved parents, experienced teachers and consistent administration has helped the school succeed.

One small thing the parents did that made a big difference a couple of years ago — make the eight grueling days of testing more fun.

They launched the "Spectrum of Success," giving each test day a different color. Students were told to try their best and show what they know on the exams. Those who worked at it diligently, regardless of the score, were handed a coupon by their teacher at the end of the test day. The coupons were good for prizes, such as a root beer float or a cookie.

Parents took coffee and doughnuts around to teachers each test day. And at the end, the school held a dance party for everyone. "It sort of motivates kids during testing," Murray said. "And it doesn't cost a lot of money."

Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.

By the numbers

37: number of ways schools make or don't make AYP

0: number of ways schools can miss and still make AYP

3: number of schools that made AYP in 2010

27: number of schools that did not make AYP in 2010


ON THE WEB

Find each school's accountability report from the New Mexico Public Education Department at www.ped.state.nm.us and click on AYP school results.

A group of students, in which at least ten percent improve their test scores to near proficient, can be given "safe harbor", even if the group as a whole doesn't make AYP goals.