Public school report cards are out and the state’s overall performance score is up slightly, but more work needs to be done to improve struggling schools.
16 percent of schools scored an A, 32 percent a B, 29 percent a C, 14 percent a D, and nine percent a failing grade. Superintendent of Education John White compares that to last year.
“There is a slight tilt in the direction of more A-rated schools, and a slight tilt in the direction of fewer F rated schools,” says White.
The total number of school systems that earned an A rating jumped from four last year to nine this year.
By state metrics, the overall quality is up, but a new federal rating metric, the Every Student Succeeds Act, has identified hundreds of problematic schools.
“219 schools were identified across Louisiana under the new federal law as persistently struggling,” says White. “These were schools that had achieved low marks for at least two consecutive years,” says White.
571 schools were identified under ESSA as having achieved low marks for two consecutive years in achievement for certain disadvantaged groups within the school.
White touts the work done to address problematic schools. He says 36 percent of those schools identified under ESSA have seen a three-point grade increase, compared to only 29 of schools overall.
“That is an indication that schools that have been identified in the plan are improving at a faster rate than are other schools across the state,” says White.
All 571 schools identified under ESSA must submit an action plan on how to address their overall problematic performance or their problematic performance with certain populations.
