Erroneous Melrose graduation rate overturned by state

An error that led to Melrose High School not meeting adequate yearly progress was overturned recently after state officials corrected the school’s graduation rate.

Melrose High originally did not meet state standards because the school’s graduation rate was incorrectly labeled at 21 percent for the 2003/2004 school year.

Melrose High Principal Jamie Widner said the graduation rate was 100 percent, and a data-entry error at the state Public Education Department led to the incorrect status.

If a school fails to meet state standards for a second straight year, the school would be placed on “school improvement” status and be forced to develop an improvement plan. If problems persist, the state could take over the school.

Graduation rate is one of several categories tracked by the state as part of an accountability plan state officials implemented to track school progress. The accountability standards are a product of the No Child Left Behind Act, one of President Bush’s federal programs.

Widner said high school officials entered data on the Internet that 24 students at Melrose High graduated. But state officials called Melrose officials back to get graduation numbers on special education students, which ended up being five.

Widner believes state officials somehow divided five into 24 to get the incorrect graduation rate.

“We had nothing to do with that problem,” Widner said. “It concerned me more than anyone else in the community. But I know there are people in the area who are concerned, who think Melrose isn’t as good as Grady or Elida or Texico or other ones.”

Don Watson, assistant secretary for assessment and accountability for New Mexico public schools, said Widner’s reasoning could be correct, but he was unsure exactly why Melrose High was labeled as failing.

Watson said state officials are applying a new statewide grading system that is complicated.

He said 11 of the roughly 700 public schools in New Mexico had their status changed after re-evaluation of data since August.

Of the schools graded in August, he said 139 requested a review of their grades. He said 51 schools experienced some data problems, but the changes made were insufficient to their overall grades.

“It is embarrassing, and having been through this system we will be better next year because we will be consistent,” he said. “Most folks in the districts and even folks here were thinking in terms of the old system.”

The new system of grading schools allows for schools to miss meeting adequate yearly progress if they fail just one of several categories.