Oct. 20 -- Santa Fe Public Schools' recently released data from state standardized testing shows some bright spots but also a persistent gap in results between schools on the city's south side -- which tend to have higher numbers of low-income students and English language learners -- and those in other areas of the district.
Overall, the district reported a two-point increase in students proficient in reading in the 2023-24 school year, to 40%, while math scores stagnated, with 22% of students showing proficiency.
On the north and east sides of Santa Fe, top performers like Acequia Madre and Carlos Gilbert elementary schools, and Mandela International Magnet School boasted around 70% of students proficient in reading and 50% in math, according to numbers the district released last week.
On the south side, schools that were already falling behind in proficiency rates reported some growth but not enough to bridge the geographic gap, with many schools continuing to report around 25% of students proficient in reading and 15% in math.
"The data shows where we've made some progress and where we've kind of stalled a little bit. But it also gives us a roadmap to make improvements to really address the areas of need," district Superintendent Hilario "Larry" Chavez said in an interview.
The district's scores are up from before the coronavirus pandemic -- with overall reading and math proficiency rates at 32% and 18%, respectively, in 2018.
"Pre-pandemic numbers were pretty static for everybody, not just Santa Fe Public Schools," Chavez said. "Then we went through the pandemic and remote learning and everyone regressed. And so for those schools who did not regress pre-pandemic to current day, I think we have to make note of that as well."
One of the largest post-pandemic changes was the district's 2022 shift to standards-based instruction, which prioritizes student learning within grade-level curriculum. Erica Martinez-Maestas, principal of Chaparral Elementary School, credited her school's six-point jump in English Language Arts proficiency to a "tireless" commitment to those grade-level standards and differentiated instruction to "best meet the needs of all students."
Chaparral, which serves the midtown area west of St. Francis Drive, also invests in family engagement, she said, inviting parents to the school for game nights or to eat lunch with their child, which she said brought "huge turnout." The school found family engagement was the best avenue to support student well-being.
The district also has instituted programs that are intended to target the district's divides, including improved bilingual education, attendance initiatives and free summer programs. Teacher vacancies, something the district has been proud to see a decline in, have also plagued south-side schools more than those farther north.
"Our east-side and north-side schools have stability in their workforce," Chavez said. "And so now we're hoping that we see that stability in the midtown to south-side schools as well."
Chavez noted one south-side school, Piñon Elementary, is a "shining star" thanks to its stability and teacher retention rate. Piñon beat local trends to grow several points in its proficiency rates, almost reaching north-side rates at 53% in reading and 38% in math.
Piñon is one of the data's outliers, alongside Nava Elementary School's 22-point jump in reading proficiency. Nava is a small school, but alone is responsible for an overall point of districtwide growth in reading proficiency.
"In a school of our size, even minor shifts in student numbers can have a disproportionate impact on our overall proficiency percentages," said Tesuque Elementary School Principal Amy Thomas, whose school has just 62 students. "The difference between the number of students proficient in ELA from last year to this year is less than five students."
The difference in scores between north- and south-side schools partly reflects long-standing economic inequalities. While there is a correlation between wealth and educational outcomes, last year's five best-performing schools in English language arts, all located on the city's north side, experienced declines in reading proficiency, something Chavez attributed partly to "not much room for growth."
Mandela International Magnet School, which serves middle and high school students and offers an International Baccalaureate program, declined several points in math and reading but still reported rates almost twice the district and statewide averages.
"We are happy with our growth in math but know it's far from where we want to be," said Melissa Kovac, principal of Sweeney Elementary School, a south-side school that doubled its rate of students proficient in math, to 10% from 5%.
Kovac, who started at Sweeney last year, said she "began by addressing students' needs by adjusting the dual-language model and focusing on implementing high-quality instruction in classrooms."
Chavez thinks the district's initiatives are starting to pay off and scores will go up soon.
"It's not just one-size-fits-all. ... I think it has to be kind of a melting pot of ingredients in order to get outcomes," Chavez said. "That growth might not meet what is considered proficiency, but the students are making progress. They just need a little more time."