FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CLOVIS, NM – On Jan. 21-22, 2026, Clovis Municipal Schools participated in a Focused Monitoring Visit conducted by the New Mexico Public Education Department, the state’s education agency. The visit served as an important benchmark for the district’s commitment to transparency, continuous improvement and educational excellence.
The review focused on the Language, Culture and At-Risk Services department and the district’s English Learner and Bilingual programs. Over two days, state officials examined student growth data, program implementation and instructional systems designed to ensure equitable access and academic success.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT AND VISION
Clovis Municipal Schools remains guided by its vision: “Igniting Innovation. Pursuing Excellence. Empowering Wildcats.” English Learner and Bilingual Multicultural Education Program initiatives are fully integrated into the district’s core instructional framework, recognizing linguistic diversity as an asset that strengthens learning.
The district maintains a five-day instructional week, distinguishing it regionally and supporting consistent engagement for students. Thirteen of the district’s 16 schools operate under a Comprehensive Title I designation, underscoring the importance of targeted academic support and strong instructional systems.
DEMOGRAPHIC CONTEXT
District programming reflects the unique demographics of Curry County:
Population served: 48,000 residents
Linguistic diversity: 26% speak a language other than English
Hispanic student representation: 64%
Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility: 62%
English Learners: 10% of the student body
Military-connected students: 11%, contributing to higher mobility rates
These factors inform responsive, culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate instruction across all campuses.
DATA-DRIVEN RESULTS
Monitoring findings affirm the district’s focus on measurable growth and instructional precision:
Academic growth: English Learner students outpaced non-English Learner peers in average scale score growth on NM-MSSA assessments in grades 3-6 and 7-8 in both English language arts and math.
Significant gains: The district achieved an average scale score gain of 29 points. Barry Elementary and James Bickley Elementary recorded gains of 63 and 55 points, respectively. Parkview and La Casita achieved the greatest number of English Learners “on target” to reach English proficiency within the state’s three to five-year goal.
Targeted monitoring: ACCESS for ELLs and NM-MSSA data guide the district’s 90-day planning process, ensuring instruction aligns to student proficiency movement.
SCHOOL-SITE INNOVATION
School leaders implement district standards through site-based strategies tailored to student needs.
Arts Academy at Bella Vista uses daily “I See, I Think, I Wonder” routines, visual sentence stems and full-sentence expectations to strengthen academic language across content areas.
Parkview Elementary protects a 45-minute daily English Learner block focused on oracy across the curriculum. This year, the school reclassified 11 students, compared with one the previous year.
SYSTEMIC SUPPORTS
The district has strengthened its Multi-Layered System of Supports by shifting from a reactive model to a proactive approach emphasizing early identification and intervention.
For students dually identified as English Learners and students with disabilities, the district implemented several improvements:
English Language Development teachers and TESOL-certified administrators now participate in Individualized Education Program meetings.
A two- to four-week intervention window ensures rapid response when needs are identified.
A sheltered instruction framework helps maintain access to grade-level content while providing specialized language support.
Ongoing professional development aligned to WIDA standards reinforces these systems and builds instructional capacity across campuses.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Findings from the monitoring visit are informing the district’s 2025-26 English Learner Plan. Priorities for the coming year include:
Transitioning to electronic English Learner cumulative folders to ensure secure and accessible documentation.
Strengthening collaboration between English Language Development-certified teachers and general education staff.
Expanding the districtwide focus on oracy before writing to deepen academic discourse.
Clovis Municipal Schools remains committed to ensuring every Wildcat receives the support, rigor and opportunity needed to succeed.
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