
The New Mexico Public Education Department’s letter grades for the Deming district’s 10 schools have Columbus improving to a B in 2013-2014 – from an F the year before.
Principal Armando Chavez credits his dedicated teachers and staff members, whom he says work tirelessly to prepare and implement lesson plans, then monitor students’ progress, in an effort to make certain a quality education is provided.
Chavez said he wants the public to understand how good the school, staff and students in Columbus really are.
The Columbus improvement from F to B was the only leap in Deming’s school letter grades, but four other district schools moved up a grade: Red Mountain Middle School improved from a C to a B, Chaparral Elementary improved from a D to a C, and Bataan and Torres elementaries both improved from Fs to Ds.
Three schools showed no letter-grade change: Deming High School remained at a B, Memorial Elementary remained at a D, and Bell Elementary remained at an F.
And two schools dropped in letter grades. Deming Intermediate School fell from a C to an F, and Cesar Chavez Charter High School went from a C to a D.
School grade calculations reportedly include a number of factors, including college and career readiness measures, student survey results, academic growth of lowest and highest achieving students, and parental involvement.