Crunch Time For 4th And Eighth Graders

High-stakes testing begins today for fourth and eighth graders attending
Louisiana public schools. Assistant Superintendent of Education Scott
Norton says the essay portion of the LEAP exam will be given today.  Students will take the rest of the LEAP exam during the second full week
of April. Norton says this is the second year that LEAP is given at two
different times.  LEAP tests began in 1999 and the goal is to make sure students master
basic skills before advancing to the next grade level. Norton says the
percentage of students that have passed the exam has increased over the
years...(Last year 86-percent of fourth-graders passed and 80-percent of
eighth graders.)