Board approves provisional annual report for Deming de Chavez Charter High School pending state test scores

The Deming Public Schools Board of Education on Sept. 25 voted to accept a provisional annual monitoring report for Deming de Chavez Charter High School while the New Mexico VISTA achievement scores that complete the report remain pending. The board acted after Samantha (Sam) Gonzales, the district’s contracted charter monitor, told trustees she completed an April 8 site visit and review of the school’s performance‑framework indicators but could not finalize the report until the state assessment data are released. "Because the school is a high school, their VISTA only captures how their [grade bands] performed ... the report is provisional pending those scores," Gonzales said. Why it matters: The provisional status means the board will revisit the report when the state assessment results are available and could alter any compliance finding or follow‑up, including whether the school’s performance framework needs amendment. Gonzales told the board she found improvements in the school’s data systems and reporting but flagged specific issues: the school did not test all students required by its contract on an interim assessment; the performance framework sometimes mixes different assessments (interim assessments vs. NMVISTA participation) in ways that make consistent measurement difficult; and two mission‑specific goals in the draft appeared duplicated (one should apply to seniors, the other to grades 9–11). "If it says all, it means all," she said when describing the contract language on testing. Gonzales provided outcome data in the provisional report showing seniors met a credit‑earning mission goal at 87% while ninth‑through‑eleventh graders achieved 65%, falling about 5 percentage points short of the board’s stated 70% threshold. She recommended the board consider aligning the performance framework measures with the assessments the school actually uses and, if necessary, consider a contract amendment to clarify expectations. Board discussion focused on using Gonzales’s broader monitoring services going forward. The superintendent said the district intends to make fuller use of the monitor’s technical assistance to support charter compliance and student outcomes. Action: A motion to approve the provisional annual report carried on a recorded roll call (board members recorded as voting yes included Mister Kroll; Missus Cameron; Missus Paez; Missus Crumley; Mister Roscoe; Mister Crowe). The report will be finalized and returned to the board after the New Mexico VISTA scores are entered. Next steps: The board will receive the final version of the monitoring report when state assessment data are available and may consider any recommended contract amendments at that time.