(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.)- Changes are coming to middle schools for the upcoming school year, according to Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) Communications Manager Martin Salazar.
Photo Credit: Facebook/Taylor Middle School
On July 31, Salazar told OpGov.News, APS is systematically shifting away from traditional, isolated instructional models. The change comes as teaching styles have changed after the pandemic, education in New Mexico is scrutinized, and students are learning differently.
Changes will impact multiple middle school campuses before the upcoming school year. Salazar provided specific information about the new tools for the upcoming school year via email.
“Fifteen of our campuses are now implementing the Middle School Redesign environment, which utilizes multi-educator teams,” Salazar said. “Across all middle schools, Instructional Councils are using 90-Day Plans to track leading skill indicators in short cycles.”
The moves come after a recent APS School Board meeting revealed a 5.6 percent decline in math proficiency among middle school students. Salazar said the decline in math proficiency was connected to seventh-graders only.
“Our data analysis indicates this slide is driven by an inconsistent vertical articulation between sixth-grade foundational arithmetic concepts and the transition to seventh-grade abstract proportional reasoning and algebraic expressions,” Salazar said. “Our sixth-grade African American students actually saw a 3.4 percentage point increase this year.”
Despite the progress among sixth-graders, schools are trying to help students improve their math skills. Multiple teachers are filling classrooms to help students learn and meet their academic goals.
Salazar said other changes are coming, including helping bilingual students in classrooms.
"Our data shows English Learners lag 20 to 25 percentage points behind in math because traditional frameworks treat language as a remediation deficit,” Salazar said. “We are changing that state of affairs by embedding bilingual visual glossaries and structured peer discourse protocols directly into Layer 1 instruction.”
The change was sparked by the Yazzie-Martinez decision in New Mexico.
Photo Credit: Yazzie Martinez website
According to web.ped.nm.gov the Martinez/Yazzie Action Plan is New Mexico’s formal response to a landmark court ruling that found the state failed to meet its constitutional obligation to provide a uniform and sufficient education for all students, particularly Native American students, English learners, students with disabilities, and students experiencing poverty. The Martinez/Yazzie Action Plan went into effect in 2018.
OpGov.News reached out to other teachers for their perspective on the decline in math proficiency for seventh-graders.
“I can't speak too much on middle school math, but I am not aware of any district-wide training for middle school math such as us elementary teachers were required (but paid extra) to do,” Adriana Sandoval, who is a third-grade dual-language teacher, said.
Sandoval highlighted the strides that have been made in literacy proficiency. She believes that literacy and math go hand in hand.
The platform reported positive improvements in literacy for first and second graders at the July 15 Albuquerque School Board meeting.
She told OpGov.News, 6 out of 20 of her students made 2 whole grade-level gains in either ELA (English language arts) and/or math according to district assessment data.
“I think that when students can read and comprehend better, it has a direct impact on other content areas, such as math, so the improvement in elementary literacy skills should start to spread into math literacy as well,” Sandavol said.
Sandavol also said building strong literacy skills at the elementary level can help students when they start middle school.
OpGov.News reached out to APS Chief Academic Officer Sheri Jett.
Albuquerque Public Schools starts on August 7 for grades 1–12 and August 11 for Pre-K and Kindergarten.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact jorden.h@lead4earth.org.
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