ALAMOSA — Two schools in the Alamosa School District (ASD) – Alamosa Elementary 3-5 (AES 3-5) and Ortega Middle School (OMS) – have been ranked among the 2024 Best Elementary and 2024 Best Middle Schools by the U.S. News & World Report.  The rankings were determined after a review of data from more than 79,000 public elementary and middle schools across the country.

AES 3-5 is ranked No. 253, placing the school in the top third nationally. In Colorado, 253rd out of a total 1,412 public elementary schools puts the school in the top 18% statewide. Ortega is ranked No. 151, also in the top third nationally. In Colorado, out of 964 public middle schools in Colorado, Ortega places in the top 16%. 

“We’re very excited about this news,” says Dr. Diana Jones, ASD superintendent. “It’s a reflection of all the hard work being done by our students and staff.”

“This means a lot to us because this measures our ability to educate all students,” says Dr. Luis Murillo, ASD’s assistant superintendent.

But why the emphasis on “all”?

WHAT DOES THE RANKING REALLY MEAN?

Truly great elementary and middle schools are considered great because they educate all of their students coming from all socioeconomic backgrounds and create conditions for all of those students to be successful.

Schools were ranked based on two areas, starting with how students scored on state assessments. What percentage of students were proficient or above proficient in math and in reading and language arts?

Both Jones and Murillo freely state that proficiency scores are not yet where they need to be and ASD is implementing new, far-reaching practices to address the situation. But they also stress that the scores mirror what is happening across the state.

The second factor related to socioeconomic background of the students, which is measured by how many students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.  The reasoning is simple: numerous studies have proven that students’ socioeconomic background can have a significant impact on a student’s academic success.

Since ranking a school’s performance could not be made without taking socioeconomics into account, half of the ranking formula included the proficiency scores and the other half incorporated those test results in the context of socioeconomic demographics.

Socioeconomics is a big factor at ASD. In fact, of all students enrolled at ASD, three out of four are eligible for free or reduced lunch. That’s significantly higher than many other districts in Colorado.

Taking all factors into consideration, there’s a reason the two schools were ranked so high. Scores on state tests were not where educators want them to be, but they were largely the same as the rest of the state. Put those scores in the context of a district that has three out of four students who are economically disadvantaged, and the resiliency and determination to overcome obstacles and succeed becomes apparent.

The U.S. News & World Report put it best. “Schools ranked at the top are all performing well and are also successful at educating all their students.”

That emphasis on reaching all of the students (“all means all” has become ASD’s moniker)  has been at the core of ASD’s philosophy since Jones and Murillo stepped in as top administrators in the district. And it’s that philosophy, which is actually incorporated in the district’s strategic plan, that has helped set the stage for ranking assigned to AES  3-5 and OMS.

In the larger picture, perhaps the greatest indicator of the success experienced by ASD students is found in a different report called the District Performance Framework, a Colorado Department of Education report that does a much deeper dive into what’s going on in a school district.

Of all the school districts in the state – which are many - that have similar student socioeconomic demographics as ASD, only one other district scores as high as Alamosa.

As Murillo says, “It’s more difficult to educate kids who come from poverty.” And, as their programs show, that only makes ASD staff more determined to do so.

DATA’S IMPORTANT. BUT WHAT IS ASD DOING

THAT MAKES THE RANKING MAKE SENSE?

In order for students to succeed, school districts need to be strong organizations. There are numerous indicators that illustrate the strength of ASD.

Teachers employed by ASD are experienced in their profession with an average of twelve years spent in the classroom. Also, more than half of the teachers have their master’s degree.

At first glance, it would also appear that ASD has implemented a plethora of “feel good” programs and practices, but all of these initiatives are put in place with deliberation – “deliberate practice”, as Jones describes it - and are tied to specific outcomes.

A prime example relates to attendance.

Since teachers can’t teach and students can’t learn when students aren’t in school, initiatives have been put in place to encourage attendance. One such addition is the Family Center. Located in the Shooting Stars Cultural and Leadership Center, the Family Center is a student/family-friendly location where parents – some of whom come from families that have experienced generational trauma in dealing with the school district in the past – can feel safe, comfortable and welcome.

It’s also important for teachers to connect and create relationships with families, Murillo says, but not everyone is comfortable with someone from the school coming into their home. The creation of “Voice Visits” addresses that hesitation.

“Voice visits between teachers and parents can happen anywhere,” he says. “Teachers can meet parents in the family center or the park or even in the grocery store, if they happen to see each other.”

The result of these programs designed to build relationships?  While other schools are reporting concerns over low attendance, ASD’s attendance rate is steady at 93%.

ASD is also focused on “healthy students and staff”. One approach to achieving this goal involves access to counselors for both students and teachers, with counseling staff located on all campuses.

Another key step implemented long overdue improvements in environments.  Making much needed improvements to the environment at OMS is another example.

“There was old, dingy carpeting from the 1960s on the floor,” Supt. Jones says. “There was dim lighting. And there was no air exchange – literally, the school failed an inspection of air quality.”

That led to some crucial changes. “We ripped out all that old carpeting. We brought in some light. And we brought in fresh air. Common sense things but they all made such a big difference,” she says.

ASD is also restructuring the way core competencies are taught. Groups of teachers are meeting to identify essential stands and priority skills by both subject and grade level. The result clarifies educational expectations for both teachers and students. ASD will then provide training for teachers that models how to implement the new methodology.

All of that is predicted to be put in place within the next school year with an expected positive, measurable impact on proficiency levels.

And all of that is just a glimpse of what ASD is doing to offset the effect socioeconomics has on student achievement.

“We have a lot of work to do but we know that this is what it’s all about,” Murillo says. “We’re working the work. And the rankings show that it’s having an impact.”