Public school testing scores improve

Emphasizing more disciplined teaching among younger students, with the theory they grow to achieve higher performance levels as they advance than their predecessor students did, could be paying off for Tri-parish schools.

According to a statewide testing report released by the Louisiana Department of Education, Terrebonne, Lafourche and St. Mary Parish school districts all showed improved testing results from spring 2011 to spring 2012, with each performing at or above the state level.

Terrebonne Parish public schools were list among the top of the state’s 71 school districts in terms of greatest improvement in students performing at or above their grade levels.

While overall state performance was posted at a 68, two points better than in 2011, Terrebonne had 71 percent of its students performing at or above grade level during spring testing for 2012, three points better than the previous year.

St. Helena Parish School District took the top spot for greatest improvement by posting a 13 percent gain, but overall, students in that district saw only 43 percent performing at or above their grade level.

Terrebonne was among 13 school districts tied for fourth position in the state for greatest gains.

In terms of overall testing performance in 2012 alone, Terrebonne placed 23rd of all 71 districts. St. Mary students had the 29th best grade in the state for the year, and Lafourche finished at 33rd

“This kind of summarizes the essence of testing,” Terrebonne Parish School District Superintendent Philip Martin said. “Our impact is substantial, but we have only scratched the surface of our potential.”

The Lafourche Parish School District saw students performing at or above their grade level improve from 66 percent in 2011 to 68 percent for 2012. Lafourche offered scores that placed it among the top 10 that improved by two percent from one year to the next.

St. Mary Parish School District Assistant Keith Thibodeaux predicted during May 2011, that 2012 would see a marked improvement in overall testing for that school district. “We are not where we need to be, but we are going in the right direction,” he said.

Thibodeaux’s prediction panned out as that school district posted a one percent gain from 68 percent of students performing at or above their grade levels to 69 percent.

Like Martin, Thibodaux has agreed that performance levels by themselves are less than acceptable, but noted that Tri-parish students stand as an example that the strategy toward improvement is working.

Overall, the statewide two percent improvements in student performance is the largest increase in three years. On a statewide level the results indicate approximately 10,000 more Louisiana students performed at or above their grade level in 2012 than did in 2011.

“These outcomes, and Louisiana’s ongoing progress, demonstrate all students can achieve academic success with the support of dedicated and capable educators,” Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White said.

A total 48 of Louisiana’s 71 school districts posted gains between 2011 and 2012. The number is up from the previous year when 42 districts improved between 2010 and 2011.

In 1999, fewer than 45 percent of all Louisiana public school students were performing at or above their grade levels. By 2008 the state number improved to 60 percent and made an eight percent gain during the past four years.

While noting their success, administrators admitted that approximately 225,000 students across the state are still not performing at their respective grade levels.

State officials credit improvements to aggressive reform initiatives and implementation of pilot programs including Compass, Student-Based Budgeting, Trailblazer and Value-Added.