Navajo Mid tops N.M. in testing gains

Navajo Middle School will be honored this week in Santa Fe for making the greatest one-year gains in the state among eighth-grade students taking the 2010 New Mexico Standards Based Assessment test.

The Public Education Department and the New Mexico Math and Science Advisory Council will honor school representatives in a ceremony before the New Mexico Legislature on Friday.

Last year's eighth-graders are now freshmen at Navajo Pine High School, but teachers have recommended eight of them to accompany Donna Manuelito, the school administrator, to the state Capitol.

On the math portion of the NMSBA, 36.59 percent of NMS students passed, up from 29.6 percent the previous year.

The improvement in reading scores was even more impressive - the proportion that passed rose to 41.46 from 27.6 the previous year.

Manuelito gave credit to her predecessor for the success.

"This was really the work of Pauletta White, the principal who was here before I started this year," Manuelito said, noting that she was familiar with White's work ethics and standards, a lot of which has been carried on by the teachers and staff.

"I've been here seven months and the teachers really show they're dedicated to teaching their students and it shows with the after-school programs where they tutor students," she said.

She's no stranger to the area and it's problems.

"I'm from here," she said. "I grew up here."

She gives credit for the testing success also to parents who get involved with their children's education.

There are 12 teachers and 118 students at Navajo Mid. When Manuelito arrives for work around 6:50 a.m., she said, there are always some students waiting for the doors to open. The last ones don't leave until 5:30 p.m.

The school is housed in a two-story complex in the former lumber mill town. Classrooms are located on the second floor with administration offices, the library, cafeteria, gym, computer labs and parent-teacher meeting rooms on the first floor.

An elevator provides access for those who can't walk up the stairs, but is otherwise not used.

Manuelito credits the teacher interactions with students for creating a welcoming environment that encourages kids to achieve.

The students in Joshua Guiterrez's sixth-grade science class were split into groups to work on a science assignment. The atmosphere was relaxed and everyone seemed engaged in the task at hand as their the teacher circulated among the work stations, answering questions and providing guidance.

The last time the community of Navajo was in the news was when a Catholic nun was found beaten to death in her residence at St. Berard Parish in November 2009. The suspect, now awaiting trial, is a youth who grew up in the community.

This time, the news is something to smile about, and the middle school - and the youth - are the reasons for that.

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