Lafayette Public School Teachers Rank High In Evaluations, Improve From ‘C’ to ‘B’ Rating

EDIT 4:46 p.m. The Lafayette Parish School System released a statement on today's release of teacher evaluation data.

The LPSS improved from a "C" to a "B' rating, also ranking No. 1 in the state for the greatest increase in number of students with college-ready ACT scores. The students also significantly improved their performance in advanced placement classes.

Lafayette Parish also ranked high in teacher evaluations, with 89 percent of teachers evaluated falling within the top two rankings of "highly effective" or "effective/proficient."

Head to the Louisiana Department of Education's website for the full report.

4:24 p.m. New data released by the Department of Education today revealed a majority of Louisiana's public school teachers earned an "effective" rating under the state's new teacher evaluation system, with 32 percent of classroom teachers considered "highly effective" and another 57 percent rated "effective proficient."

"The most important thing to say today is a word of thanks to the educators across the state who have really embraced this challenging Compass process and made it work for themselves and their students," said State Superintendent of Education John White.

Based on the new teacher evaluation system, only four percent of public school teachers are considered "ineffective."

Principals and assistant principals were also evaluated. White said 28 percent of school administrators rated highly effective, while two percent are considered ineffective.

According to the evaluators, White said, most teachers and principals "are on the right track."

The ratings are based on classroom observation, whether students reached certain learning targets and whether students show improvement on standardized tests. White said the report shows school districts that performed well had a higher percentage of highly effective teachers, while teachers at under-performing schools had lower evaluation levels.

Some educators have been vocal opponents of Compass, the new educator-evaluation system that measures teacher performance half on student scores and half on “observations by principals or trained designees using the state’s Compass teacher rubric,” according to the Louisiana Department of Education’s website.

St. Martin Parish School Board Superintendent Lottie Beebe, along with Sen. Fred Mills, R-St. Martinville, and other representatives from the St. Martin Parish School System, visited KPEL last week to discuss the evaluation system after the parish lost more than 60 teachers this year because of it, Beebe said.

“We know that if we’re going to impact student achievement, we need the quality teachers in the classroom,” said St. Martin Parish School Board Superintendent Lottie Beebe. “But many of our quality teachers are leaving because of the (Common Core) reform initiatives, particularly Compass.”