St. Landry public schools ranked 61st in Louisiana

The St. Landry Parish public school district ranked 61st out of 74 school districts in the state in district report cards released to the public Thursday.
The release included district and state report cards.
St. Landry Parish received a C for the 2014-15 report card with a score of 71.1, down from 78.5 the previous year when the grade also was C.
The state average is a B with 88.8 points, down from 89.2 points the previous year.
This is the final transition year in which the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education provides a period where letter grades remain stable.
In a conference call Thursday, State Superintendent John White said, “Basically, this is an issue of expectations and our expectations for quality has been for years a basic level of academic skill. We are raising it to a college and workforce level skill. That’s a different level of expectations. That is an issue that impacts A-rated districts, F-rated districts and everyone in between.”
White said schools systems are getting ready for the change.
“I’ve been impressed with districts and school leaders around our state embracing the change, setting the higher bar and focusing on the needs of all children,” he said.
On most academic indicators scores are weaker, he said.
“We are still performing low relative to other states on most high school indicators, but our progress is undeniable and it is owed in great part to educators and parents raising the bar for our kids,” he said.
Acadia Parish received a B with an 87, down from 89.7 the previous year. Acadia Parish ranked 36th in the state.
Evangeline Parish ranked 55th in the state with a C and score of 76.3, down from 88.7 the previous year.
In St. Landry Parish, 3 percent of the schools had an A, 27 percent had a B, 39 percent had a C; 24 percent had an D; and 6 percent had an F.
Nineteen percent of third through eighth grade St. Landry Parish students performed at the mastery level on state assessments compared to 27 percent in the state. Fifty-nine percent scored at least basic compared to 65 percent in the state.
Fifty-four percent of St. Landry Parish students were proficient on end-of-course exams compared to 62 percent in the state.
The average ACT score in St. Landry Parish was 18.6, compared to 19.2 in the state and 19.7 in the nation.
Seventy-five percent of the St. Landry Parish students graduated in four years with a diploma, the same as in the state, but lower than the 81 percent nationally.
St. Landry Parish’s student population was counted at 14,174, 11 percent special education and 79 percent economically disadvantaged.
St. Landry Parish Superintendent issued the following statement.
  “As a district, St. Landry Parish worked diligently in preparing for the assessments of Spring 2015.  Through hard work with fidelity to implementation of best practices, the district has maintained a letter grade of C showing academic growth in the areas of ACT Assessment Index, Dropout Credit Accumulation Index, Strength of Diploma, and Cohort Graduation Rate. 
 “The district has eleven schools that have increased their letter grade:  moving from an F to D:  Washington Elementary; from D to C:  North Central High, Lawtell Elementary, Northwest High, Grand Coteau Elementary, and Eunice Junior High; from C to B:  Leonville Elementary, Palmetto Elementary, Krotz Springs Elementary, and Port Barre High; and from B to A:  Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts. 
  “We have six schools that have been identified by the Louisiana Department of Education as Top Gains Schools for 2015 (schools showing growth in excess of 10 points):  Eunice Junior High, Lawtell Elementary, Leonville Elementary, Port Barre High, Grand Coteau Elementary, and Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts.
 “ Moving forward in preparing for the Spring 2016 assessments, each school in the district has developed and will implement on January 4, 2016 a Strategic Plan for Improvement based on a thorough analysis of the school’s assessment data in the four content areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.”
Other school district grades included: Lafayette Parish, B with 89.2, down from 90; Acadia Parish, B with 87, down from 89.7; and Evangeline Parish, C with 76.3, down from 88.7.
Grades are given on a 150-point scale with 100 to 150 an A; 83.9 to 99.9 a B; 66.2 to 83.8 a C; 45.2 to 66.1 an D; and 0 to 45.1 an F.
Eunice school grades included:
Central Middle School, C with 66.7, down from 72.5.
East Elementary School, B with 92.3, down from 109.3.
Eunice High School, C with 79.9, down up from 75.7.
Eunice Junior High School, C with 81.5, up from 65.2. The school is listed as a “Top Gains School.”
Glendale Elementary School, B with 87.8, down from 97.9.
Highland Elementary School, D with 64.8, down from 82.1.
Eunice Elementary School, B with 95.1, down from 108.
Other St. Landry Parish schools:
Opelousas Senior High, D with 68, up from 62.1.
North Central High School, C with 70.3, up from 61.7.
Beau Chene High School, C with 83.1, up from 79.7.
Northwest High School, C with 79.8, up from 67.6.
Port Barre High School, B with 88.6, up from 78.3.
Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts, A with 103.7, up from 93.5.
Cankton Elementary School, C with 70.8, down from 80.3.
Grand Coteau Elementary, C with 78.8, up from 67.3.
Grand Prairie Elementary School, B with 84.3, down from 95.9.
Grolee Elementary School, D with 49.9, down from 58.1.
Krotz Spring Elementary School, B with 84.5, up from 78.4.
Lawtell Elementary School, C with 77.6, up from 65.1.
Leonville Elementary School, B with 95.6, up from 83.6.
North Elementary School, D with 49.5, down from 52.4.
Northeast Elementary School, D with 45.8, down from 52.5.
Opelousas Junior High school, F with 44.6, down from 61.5.
Palmetto Elementary School, B with 84.6, up from 81.8.
Park Vista Elementary School, C with 72.7, down from 76.3.
Port Barre Middle School, C with 72.6, down from 73.8.
South Elementary School, F with 41.1, down from 44.8.
Southwest Elementary School, D with 48.8, down from 57.1.
Sunset Elementary School, C with 77.5, up from 74.
Washington Elementary School, D with 55.5, up for 47.2.
Arnaudville Elementary School, B with 90.5, down from 95.7.
Plaisance Elementary School, D with 53.3, down from 66.5.
Area school grades included:
Basile High School, B with 97.8, down from 100.
Iota High School, A with 100.8, up from 89.6.
Church Point High School, C with 79.5, up from 71.7.
Mamou High School, B with 85.2, down from 91.2.
In the conference call, White said, “The letter grades themselves tell a story. The story is one of some successes, but it also tells a story of the need to continue to raise the bar.”
As for what is happening in schools to raise the bar, White said, “First, we’ve upgraded our standards in our early childhood system. Secondly, we’ve helped districts to upgrade the quality of curriculum and the training they are giving to teachers. Third, there has been a relentless focus on providing school choices and turning around low-achieving schools. Fourth, districts are preparing and evaluating educators in a way that helps them be truly prepared for their profession. And, fifth, the state and its local school systems have established pathways to the middle class for all families through revitalizing the career education system and insisting on kids who go to college having TOPS. Those are significant changes in our system that all contributed to some of the improvement that students have experienced here in our state.”