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Public education has long been listed as a problem in Louisiana. However, improvement in standardized testing scores and graduation rates has administrators claiming advancements.
Lafourche and St. Mary parishes’ public schools passed a major milestone this year by moving from “C” to “B” grade levels in each respective district. The Terrebonne Parish School District set a personal goal that would have moved it into the “B” ranking for 2012, but it fell 0.4 of a point short on state test results to maintain a high “C.”
All school districts are also faced with state reforms that include placing greater controls and accountability on teachers and principals. It is a measure the Louisiana Department of Education identifies as progress, but has also sparked mixed reaction among educators.
“We are still trying to interpret exactly what some of it means,” Terrebonne Parish School District Superintendent Philip Martin said. “I think what has created the most anxiety among teachers is the unknown. As we move through the process and see exactly what that means I am seeing a reduction in that anxiety. It is one thing when legislators make laws, but enacting laws and policies can offer clarity.”
“There are always questions of what is expected and how it will work out,” St. Mary Parish School District Assistant Superintendent Keith Thibodeaux said. “There are so many questions about where we are going that to say it is not different would be a lie. We do have an excellent staff that stays ahead of the game and we have done things to address some of the changes that the state has made.”
Terrebonne Parish School District misses a B
As for classroom performance, Terrebonne Parish students moved from a district score of 97.6 in 2011 to 104.6 in 2012. “We set a growth target and said we want to grow by 7.4 points. That [would] get us to 105 and a “B” district.”
Students and teachers in Terrebonne Parish schools wore T-shirts and made the number 7.4 their rally cry while preparing for multiple standardized tests. Falling short was less than expected.
“I was extremely disappointed, but proud at the same time,” Martin said. “To get so close and not make it, but it is still an improvement.”
Martin noted that the school district’s performance score of 104.6 for 2012 is a notable 21.7 point improvement from its 82.9 score in 2007. Terrebonne Parish also remains above the state average, which in 2012 was 100.5 points.
“What is stopping us from growing as we would like is not having resources to expand on the programs we have,” Martin said.
The Terrebonne Parish superintendent said he is looking into ways to increase finances for the school district. Earlier this year he was expected to recommend an ad valorem tax increase.
“We are not looking at anything that eminent right now,” Martin said. “We are looking at something down the road, but I will go to the board to suggest a millage increase request.”
If the school district was able to generate increased revenue, Martin said money could be used to upgrade facilities. “There is subliminal message that is sent out about the community when you look at old school buildings,” he said. “It tells the value that community places in public education. It probably shouldn’t be that way, but in all reality it is.”
Martin said the true stakeholders of schools in Terrebonne Parish are the parents. Although he contends he has never met parents that did not want something better for their children, he understands the need for greater commitment by parents in promoting the academic success among students.
“When a healthy partnership exists between the parent and the school it is beneficial for the child,” Martin said. “In cases where that may not be as healthy as we would like it to be, we still focus on the child and what we need to do to help that kid.”
The Terrebonne Parish school superintendent said a 7-point gain on testing is a highlight for his year. The greatest challenge for the coming year is securing revenue to enhance future improvements.
“Growth without some help is not going to be sustainable,” Martin said. “We are at a crossroads where we have reduced more than 500 [jobs mainly through attrition during the past three years]. We have to begin looking long-term for public education. Where do we want it to be 10 years from now? If we allow it to deteriorate it will take generations to get back to where we are. We should be No. 1 in the state and there is no reason we can’t be.”
Lafourche Parish
School District
When it came to standardized testing of students in Lafourche Parish, that district posted a B with an 11.89 percent performance increase from 2011 and a score of 107.3 to top the Tri-parish region.
South Lafourche High School became the first in that district to be listed as an “A” grade level school. The remaining two high schools carry a letter grade of “B” after having been at a “C” level in 2011.
While enjoying its accomplishment the district is also being straight forward regarding new challenges.
“The secret to success in our district has been based on the accomplishments of our teachers, staff members and students,” Lafourche Parish School District superintendent Jo Ann Matthews said. “They are looking at taking an in-depth look at the curriculum and what the kids need.”
Matthews said state reforms have increased challenges in her district. “With the new accountability anxiety is high [among teachers]. They are concerned because the new system will take on higher heights in dealing with compensation in the future and if teachers will maintain their jobs. So the [performance] testing with the changes is a challenge.”
The Lafourche superintendent said she supports the idea of teachers being compensated based on performance, but said she anticipates adjustments will need to be made to make it a fair approach.
“I have no problem with the pay by performance,” Matthews said. There are a lot of fantastic teachers out there. It just is coming at a difficult time [with new testing systems]. Just as in the marketplace you want to compensate your best staff accordingly. You just want to make sure everyone has the ability to achieve and make sure the formula is fair”.
Matthews said with new state reforms schools will see greater freedom to customize programs, and increased accountability for teachers and principals.
St. Mary Parish School District
“Progress in education starts at the teaching level,” Thibodeaux said. “We have focused on moving the kids forward.”
St. Mary Parish moved from a “C” to a “B” level during 2012 with an 8.79 percent performance increase from the previous year to secure a score of 105.2 for the testing period.
Thibodeaux said implementing state reforms means his school district is working on salary scale for teachers. “The problem is when things are thrown on you at a late hour and you have to put on all these things and make it fit within your budget. That becomes an issue.”
St. Mary Parish educators are working with neighboring parishes to combine notes and determine how they can move forward as a region.
The St. Mary Parish School District has approximately 9,600 students and 700 teachers.
“The financial issues are plaguing everybody,” Thibodeaux said. “We have reserve funds we can fall back on in the short term. We did make some cuts by not replacing people that retired and we hope we can stay ahead.”
“We continue to make progress and have a good foundation,” Thibodeaux said. “You always strive to be better. With so many changes from the state we will have to see how that falls out, but we still believe we are going to make progress. We are going to continue to improve.”
Greater Expectations
Tri-parish public school administrators agree that their celebration of accomplishment is short lived because they have more to achieve.
During the 2011-12 academic year, regional districts were among 48 of Louisiana’s 71 districts that saw gains in students performing at or above basic levels.
Although neighboring districts surpassed Terrebonne in overall performance, it still ranks No. 8 in the state for greatest gains since 2008.
Changes for public schools include the addition of ACT testing for 11th grade students, which will be included in performance calculations for high schools. Each of the Tri-parish’s top administrators said they support the ACT addition, but realize it will mean extra work for students and teachers.
“Education faces enormous challenges,” Martin said. “It is our job as educators to not make excuses, but to find solutions that will work with each individual kid. Every child can learn. It is up to us to figure out how to make that happen.”
Mulberry Elementary cafeteria worker Marie Foret, left, serves chicken tenders and tater tots to first-graders Ramsee Leboeuf and Jolie Lafleur. Foret has worked in the school’s cafeteria for three years.
