NM Vistas, developed by the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) in 2019, serves as a public reporting data website that showcases school performance aligned to the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)-- U.S. Department of Education mandate. (ESSA) require state education agencies to implement a system of annual school identification and to disseminate report cards that provide information on State, LEA, and school performance and progress.

The PED’s beliefs that all students are capable of growth and that all schools are capable of improving are the driving force behind NM Vistas. Just as a single test score does not represent everything about a child, NM Vistas does not tell a complete picture about a single school, district, or state charter school. The realities, challenges, and successes that local students, educators and parents face could never be reflected on a single website. NM Vistas serves as only part of the story about a school. PED endeavors to tell part of each school’s story through high-quality data, as published on NM Vistas.

The designation metrics provided on this website for each school is produced by PED’s Assessment, Research, Evaluation and Accountability Division and vetted by districts and charters before going public. The quality of this data is dependent on district and charter school data submissions to the PED and the quality of the data validation conducted by both PED and its schools.

ESSA Accountability Technical Manual

PED’s ESSA-compliant business rules for calculating school designations are available in 2023-24 NMPED Accountability Technical Manual. The 2023-24 ESSA Accountability Model was calculated in the 2024-25 school year.

Masking

New Mexico’s publicly reported information is masked for any group less than 10 students (i.e., a minimum n-size of 10). For groups greater than 10, these rules apply

Long-term Goals and Measures of Interim Progress

New Mexico’s long-term goals and measures of interim progress support the agency’s Strategic Plan, the agency’s Martinez-Yazzie Plan, and ESSA principles of closing achievement gaps, as all students in each student group are identified to have persistent and unprecedented gains informing long-term goals and measures of interim progress.

The baseline for each student group is based on the average of SY 2021–22 and SY 2022–23 data and culminates in 2032–33.

Language Arts

Methodology:

The long-term goals used in New Mexico’s ESSA Accountability System are intended to reduce non-proficiency rates by 50% over a period of 10 or fewer years for all students and each student group.

Language arts measures of interim progress for 2023–24

Mathematics

Methodology:

The long-term goals used in New Mexico’s ESSA Accountability System are intended to reduce non-proficiency rates by 50% over a period of 10 or fewer years for all students and each student group.

Math measures of interim progress for 2023–24

Progress in English Language Proficiency

Methodology:

The long-term goal for English Learners is to reduce by 50% the percent of English learners not on track to achieve English language proficiency within five years of initial classification over the next 10-year period. The specific long-term target for New Mexico represents the percent of English learners meeting their annual growth target. Students meeting these targets are on track to achieve English language proficiency within five years of initial classification.

English language proficiency measure of interim progress for 2023–24

Key Decisions & Rationale

Topic: PED Policy Change in EL Exit Criteria

Description of decision: In a March 2023 memorandum to schools, the PED announced a change to the EL exit criteria based on partnership work conducted with Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southwest Report: Effects of Reclassifying English Learner Students on Student Achievement in New Mexico, which replaced the State Policy EL Identification, ELP Placement, and Exit Criteria Memorandum dated April 24, 2017. The NMPED collaborated with the REL Southwest who analyzed student-level data for SYs 2017–18 and 2018–19 for ACCESS for ELLs, language arts, and mathematics assessments. On average, students in the study sample that scored 4.7 or higher performed above the statewide grade-level average in language arts and mathematics.

Date of decision: March 16, 2023

Other information: EL policy is managed by the PED Language & Culture Division. This updated EL exit criteria will be reflected in NM’s 2024 Consolidated State Plan Addendum.

Graduation Rate

Methodology:

Coherent with the academic long-term goals, the graduation rate goals are based on student group-specific starting points based using historical data from SYs 2021–22 and 2022–23. The long-term goals for the 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (AGCR) reflect a 50% reduction in non-graduates in 10 years.

In addition to the required 4-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate goals, NMPED set long-term goals and measures of interim progress for the 5-year and 6-year adjusted cohort graduation rates.

It is important to note that the long-term goals for graduation rate (4-year, 5-year, and 6-year) were updated using baseline graduation rate data that historically included students who earn a diploma through alternate pathways, referred to as Modified or Ability options. Per feedback from the U.S. Department of Education, these diplomas are not to count toward the adjusted cohort graduation rate. As such, current baseline rates – as subsequent long-term goals – are inflated. The NMPED is working to update the baseline data with plans to adjust the specific targets appropriately. However, the overarching goal will not change: to reduce the percent of students who do not graduate within five or six years by half in 10 years.

4-year adjusted cohort 2023–24 graduation rate target by student group

5-year adjusted cohort 2023–24 graduation rate target by student group

6-year adjusted cohort 2023–24 graduation rate target by student group

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does New Mexico rate its schools?

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, reauthorized as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires state education agencies to develop accountability systems that annually differentiate among schools. Those systems are documented in each state’s consolidated state plan (CSP). The New Mexico Public Education Department’s accountability model for rating schools was approved by the U.S. Department of Education on October 18, 2024.

How are schools rated?

Schools are rated on a point system based on the following indicators:

• Math, Reading, and Science Achievement / Assessment Results
• Growth in Math and Reading across time
• Student attendance
• Progress towards English language proficiency for students that are English learners
• Post-secondary readiness*
• Graduation rates*
• Graduation rate growth*

*applies to high school ratings only

What are the school designation categories?

How does PED support schools in need of improvement?

NMPED assists districts and schools in identifying, creating, and improving the essential district conditions required to grow, support, and engage school leaders, teachers, students, and community stakeholders, through site visits and executive and professional learning. The PED identified these essential district conditions through numerous interviews with successful district leaders, school leaders, and educators throughout the state of New Mexico:

1. Equity and Culture
2. Leadership
3. Instructional Infrastructure
4. Talent Management
5. Support and Accountability

Questions About NM Vistas & ESSA Accountability

For questions, please contact ped.accountability@ped.nm.gov

Information on school improvement funds under ESEA section 1003