Louisiana Department Of Education Releases Annual School Report Cards

The Louisiana Department of Education has released its annual school report cards and found statewide gains in student achievement. Superintendent John White says the distribution of school and district letter grade ratings has improved. He credits this to an improvement in student results.

“LEAP skills are up, the graduation rate is up, the average ACT score is up. More students are earning industry credits, advanced placement credits and dual enrollment credits.”

The number of school districts receiving an “A” grade is 16, up from 10 last year. White says at the same time, there are both challenges and successes that the school grading system does not fully reveal. He says the system doesn’t fully reflect the gains made by many schools that are making process, especially with low-achieving students.

“Should a school where low performing students hit the mark 66% of the time still be rated a D? That is a question that we need to wrestle with as we define what quality is.”
The percentage of students scoring Mastery on LEAP Tests in grades third through six has increased six percentage points from last year. White says students and teachers are stepping up.

“The successes and improvement in our schools are undeniable. Every major indicator of student success and opportunity is up.”