By Santa Fe Data Team

According to the non-profit group GreatSchools, “third grade is the year of reading mastery”. Third-graders are expected to learn from books they read, and to use their comprehension skills to build a “knowledge bank”, as it were. Third-grade reading focuses on teaching children how to think and talk about what they read. For this reason, it was considered by Opportunity Santa Fe to be important to track reading proficiency by the end of third grade.
The data that were reported to the New Mexico Public Education Department for PARCC testing assessed at five different levels. According to the New Mexico Public Education Department website, the rubric for proficiency is as follows:
· Level 1: Did not yet meet expectations
· Level 2: Partially met expectations
· Level 3: Approached expectations
· Level 4: Met expectations
· Level 5: Exceeded expectations
Per the New Mexico Public Education Department website: “A student earning a performance level of 4 or 5 on the PARCC assessment means the student meets or exceeds expectations for their grade level as determined by the New Mexico State Standards for all public school students.”
According to data gathered by Santa Fe Public Schools (SFPS) and the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED), statewide reading proficiency (levels 3-5) has remained generally flat (varying between 48.5% and 50.5%) since New Mexico transitioned to PARCC testing. By way of comparison, SFPS have improved from 45.3% to a high of 54.6% since the PARCC transition.
Students at levels 4 or 5 in New Mexico as a whole ranged between 24.2% and 31% after the PARCC transition. Students attending SFPS at proficiency levels 4 or 5 improved at approximately the same rate, from a low of 25%, to a high of 31%.
The data that were reported to the New Mexico Public Education Department for PARCC testing assessed at five different levels. According to the New Mexico Public Education Department website, the rubric for proficiency is as follows:
· Level 1: Did not yet meet expectations
· Level 2: Partially met expectations
· Level 3: Approached expectations
· Level 4: Met expectations
· Level 5: Exceeded expectations
Per the New Mexico Public Education Department website: “A student earning a performance level of 4 or 5 on the PARCC assessment means the student meets or exceeds expectations for their grade level as determined by the New Mexico State Standards for all public school students.”
According to data gathered by Santa Fe Public Schools (SFPS) and the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED), statewide reading proficiency (levels 3-5) has remained generally flat (varying between 48.5% and 50.5%) since New Mexico transitioned to PARCC testing. By way of comparison, SFPS have improved from 45.3% to a high of 54.6% since the PARCC transition.
Students at levels 4 or 5 in New Mexico as a whole ranged between 24.2% and 31% after the PARCC transition. Students attending SFPS at proficiency levels 4 or 5 improved at approximately the same rate, from a low of 25%, to a high of 31%.