LPSS has received the latest data from the Louisiana Department of Education regarding our performance. These results are a measure of state tests taken in the school year 2020-21 as well as opportunities for our graduates to take advanced coursework and earn industry-based credentials in school year 2019-20. LPSS has seen some improvement in student scores.
Highlights
LPSS saw notable growth in many areas as measured by Louisiana’s accountability system. Academically, high school ELA scores increased to a five-year high, based on tests taken this past year. We attribute this growth to our students participating in face-to-face instruction. In-person learning was possible due to the number of mitigation measures that were in place on our school campuses to slow the spread of the virus and help keep our students and staff safe.
In two other critical measures of the accounting system, we saw an entire letter-grade increase from a “B” to an “A” in cohort graduation rate and strength of diploma. Growth in these two areas are critical first steps in our district of realizing the overall goal of moving to an “A” in 2024. To learn more about the calculation of our district’s performance score, please view page 17 of our “Pathway to an A” document.
Based on data from the 2019-20 school year, our cohort graduation index increased from a 85.1 (B) to 94.1 (A). This index reflects the number of seniors that graduated on time within the allotted four-year period. This accounts for 20% of the high school performance score.
Based on the outcomes of our graduates from the 2019-20 school year, our strength of diploma index increased from 89.8 (B) to 101.1 (A). Strength of diploma is defined as the number of students completing advanced coursework including college-level classes and/or industry-based credentials. This accounts for 25% of the high school performance score.
Why is this data from testing important?
Standardized LEAP 2025 tests are important for a number of reasons including that it is a graduation requirement. For teachers, it signals where to accelerate and where to remediate. With these results, our school leaders and teachers can more readily target gaps in learning and opportunities for our students.
For district leaders, it helps guide strategic decisions on planning and delivering instruction for the upcoming school year. It also assists in making necessary instructional support decisions to ensure students have mastered the subject area. Fundamentally it is the standard against which the district is measured.
We want to thank our teachers and coaches who understand the importance of testing and gathering measurable data for our students. We thank them for their tireless effort not only to push our students to learn, but also to identify the gaps and remediate our students even through the most challenging of times.
Closing
In the end, the LEAP scores are one piece of data that the district uses to assess the progress of learning for our students. The district recognizes there are many opportunity gaps among our student population, and we strive every day to close those gaps. We will continue with our initiatives to support our students such as before- and after-school tutoring, remediation, extensions, and increased summer-learning programs.