Are Albuquerque’s young students reading better? Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) says elementary schools are showing improvements.
In its latest news release, APS reports “encouraging” progress in early literacy, especially among historically underserved student groups.
Superintendent Gabriella Blakey shared midyear results from the district’s early literacy monitoring reports during a recent Board of Education meeting. The data shows the district’s progress toward ensuring students read proficiently by third grade.
The district is using Amira for the first time this year, the state-required literacy assessment for kindergarten through third grade. Midyear data offers an early look at how students are progressing in foundational reading skills.
APS reports the district is on track.
Early-Grade Reading Progress
At midyear, 24.4 percent of first-grade students in Yazzie-Martinez equity groups and African American students scored proficient or above. This is more than a percentage point above the district’s three-year goal.
Moreover, among second graders in the same student groups, 32.5 percent reached proficiency. That exceeds the district’s three-year goal by more than eight percentage points.
“These early-grade checkpoints are important because they tell us whether our youngest learners are developing the foundational skills needed to become confident, fluent readers,” Blakey said during the meeting.
The district recognized several schools before reviewing the progress monitoring reports. These schools showed some of the largest gains in reading proficiency so far this year.
First Grade Reading Gains
The following schools achieved reading proficiency gains of 20 percentage points or more among first-grade students in the targeted student groups:
- SY Jackson Elementary School
Increase of 25.9 percentage points (from 27% to 52.9%)
Principal: Jack Vermillion
Vermillion said the improvement reflects a coordinated effort across the entire school.
“Our gains are the result of a coordinated, schoolwide effort to close literacy gaps,” Vermillion said. “Teachers are implementing strong Tier 1 instruction aligned to evidence-based practices, and our interventionist provides targeted support using research-based literacy strategies.”
He also credited the school’s librarian and intervention support for helping accelerate growth among students needing extra help.
- Barcelona Elementary School
Increase of 23.5 percentage points (from 12.5% to 36%)
Principal: Rae Lynn Dooley
“At Barcelona, we have focused on rigorous grade-level instruction and helping students embrace challenges that lead to growth,” Dooley said. “Our teachers use data-driven collaboration and engage students in conversations about their own progress.”
- Tres Volcanes Community Collaborative
Increase of 21.2 percentage points (from 22.9% to 44.1%)
Principal: Hannah Manifola
“Our teachers attribute this growth to consistency with foundational skills, daily literacy routines, and maintaining high expectations for students,” Manifola said.
- Bellehaven Elementary School
Increase of 20.5 percentage points (from 11.1% to 31.6%)
Principal: Sara Carrillo
- Manzano Mesa Elementary School
Increase of 20.2 percentage points (from 35.4% to 55.6%)
Principal: Shannon Dickson
Dickson said collaboration among teachers played an important role. “Our first-grade team uses assessment data during teacher collaboration time to plan explicit phonics and decoding instruction,” Dickson said. “That allows us to provide consistent, targeted support for students who need it most.”
Second Grade Reading Gains
The following schools saw reading proficiency gains of 20 percentage points or more among second-grade students in the targeted groups:
- Double Eagle Elementary School
Increase of 29.5 percentage points (from 43.8% to 73.3%)
Principal: Shayna Kagan
Kagan said teachers analyze assessment data closely and tailor instruction to meet student needs. “Flexible small-group instruction aligned to monthly assessment data allows us to provide targeted reading support,” Kagan said. “At the same time, structured literacy instruction strengthens decoding and builds fluency.”
- Hubert H. Humphrey Elementary School
Increase of 27.5 percentage points (from 42.9% to 70.4%)
Principal: Adam Dodge
“This year we focused on integrating social-emotional strategies into reading and math instruction,” Dodge said. “Those strategies help students build perseverance, self-efficacy, and confidence as learners.”
- Petroglyph Elementary School
Increase of 21.1 percentage points (from 19.4% to 40.5%)
Principal: Kristina Romo
Romo said the school achieved progress by closely monitoring student data andproviding consistent classroom instruction. “Our teachers analyze data monthly and discuss every student,” Romo said. “We focus on strong core instruction and small-group targeted support.”
- Chaparral Elementary School
Increase of 20.5 percentage points (from 14.5% to 35.0%)
Principal: Michelle Tudor
Tudor said the school’s growth resulted from ensuring students consistently used the Amira literacy tutoring program.
APS Acknowledges Efforts Supporting Young Students
District leaders extend appreciation to the educators, support staff, and families who help students succeed every day.
“I also want to recognize the teachers, educational assistants, support staff, and families who make this kind of progress possible,” Blakey said. “And of course, our students. We know how hard they are working, and it is exciting to see that effort paying off.”
The district will continue tracking literacy progress all year. It aims to ensure every student reads proficiently by third grade.