Thirteen of 17 schools in the Rio Rancho school district received the dreaded “F” score and failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP), according to guidelines set by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Colinas del Norte, Martin Luther King Jr., Puesta del Sol, Rio Rancho and Vista Grande elementary schools did not make AYP.

Enchanted Hills, Ernest Stapleton and Maggie Cordova elementary schools, however, made the grade. All three middle schools — Eagle Ridge, Lincoln and Mountain View — failed, as did Independence High, Rio Rancho Mid-High and Rio Rancho High. Rio Rancho Cyber Academy made AYP, after missing it last year.

While Rio Rancho Public Schools Associate Superintendent Carl Leppelman wasn’t pleased with the results, he said AYP status doesn’t tell the whole story.

“This is not acceptable. We need to have more schools make AYP,” he said. “But, we have demonstrated significant growth and have closed the achievement gap. Overall, the district made progress in many areas, but we have opportunities for improvement.”

Rio Ranchoans shouldn’t feel alone in not making AYP as 69 percent of public schools in New Mexico failed to make adequate yearly progress.

Making AYP is a difficult and complex process. Schools are gauged primarily on student performance and participation in math and reading tests in grades 3-8 and 11th grade. Graduation rates are included for high schools, while attendance rates are used for middle and elementary schools.

No Child Left Behind does not measure only the entire student body, but also subsections. Subsections include Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian/Pacific, English-language learners, Native Americans, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students.

Each subsection had to have a certain percentage of students be proficient in several categories.

All students are given the same test with no preferential treatment to students with mental disabilities or students who just don’t test well.

While receiving the news that only Seven of the 13 failing schools missed AYP by two categories. Those schools include Independence High, Mountain View Middle School, Vista Grande, Sandia Vista, Cielo Azul, Colinas del Norte and Martin Luther King Jr. elementaries.

Rio Rancho High School, Rio Rancho Mid-High and Puesta del Sol missed AYP by three categories.

Rio Rancho Elementary and Lincoln Middle School missed AYP by four categories. 

Eagle Ridge Middle School missed the most AYP categories of any school in the district — six. 

For detailed information on Rio Rancho Public School’s AYP report, visit ped.state.nm.us.