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District staff outline major ESSA accountability changes and warn pandemic impacts persist
Summary
Executive director Happy Miller presented methodological changes to New Mexico's school accountability model, the district highlighted changes to proficiency and growth calculations and Superintendent Dr. Vissu Cleveland and board members discussed a study finding roughly 40% of students were adversely affected by the pandemic.
Dr. Happy Miller, the district’s executive director for accountability and assessment, presented the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education with the state’s revised Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) accountability model and cautioned that methodological changes mean year-to-year point comparisons are not valid.
Miller said the state’s new technical rules (including PED guidance and an amendment approved by the U.S. Department of Education) change how proficiency and growth are calculated. Key points Miller presented: 80% of elementary/middle school accountability points come from proficiency and growth (50% proficiency across ELA, math and science; 30% growth), 10% from English learner progress (ACCESS) and 10% from regular attendance (the inverse of chronic absenteeism). The state now uses a proficiency index (nearing proficient = 0.5 points; proficient = 1 point; advanced = 1.25 points) instead of a simple percent proficient. Growth is computed using student growth percentiles for grades 4–8 and a school’s median growth percentile.
Miller also reviewed high-school metrics (college-and-career readiness and graduation) and said graduation cohort definitions and federal reporting rules have changed. He directed the public to nmvistas.org for the published school data and noted the state releases data in stages and sometimes with appeals or disclaimers.
Superintendent Dr. Vissu Cleveland and board members discussed a district study with the University of New Mexico examining COVID-era effects on learning. Cleveland summarized preliminary phase-one results, saying the study found roughly “40 percent of our students were pretty adversely affected by the pandemic,” and warned the effects persist for many students and may have cognitive and emotional consequences. Board members and district officials said that informed the district’s continued investments in counselors and student supports.
Why it matters: The technical changes alter how schools’ points and state designations are calculated, affecting comparisons, designations and the interpretability of school performance. The district’s discussion of the UNM study frames the pandemic impact as an ongoing instructional and social-emotional challenge affecting a sizable share of students.
Questions and next steps: Board members asked clarifying questions about alternate assessments, accountability populations and alternative high school graduation measures. Miller said PED removed a prior state target construct from the points calculation and that some appeals on January data remain open. The district will publish a required accountability report card link and provide context in the local paper, per statute.
