Two Eunice schools get 'A'; parish earns 'C'

Two Eunice schools graded “A” and one graded “D” on report cards released Tuesday by the Louisiana Department of Education.
The reports summarize and evaluate academic achievement for the 2013-2014 school year.
Each school report card includes information used to calculate school letter grades and provides parents and educators information on the performance of schools statewide.
The state performance (2013-2014) reported an annual school performance score of 89.2 with a state letter grade of B.
The 2014 District Performance scores for the Tri-Parishes are
St. Landry Parish: letter grade of C with a 78.5 performance score.
Acadia Parish: letter grade of B with performance score of 89.7
Evangeline Parish: letter grade of B with performance score of 88.7.
Eunice schools’ 2014 letter grades, along with performance scores, are as follows:
Central Middle, C, 72.5
East Elementary, A, 109.3
Eunice Elementary, A, 108.0
Eunice High School, C, 75.7
Eunice Junior High, D, 65.2
Glendale Elementary, B, 97.9
Highland Elementary, C, 82.1
Some other St. Landrya school grades include:
Lawtell Elementary, D, 65.1
Opelousas Junior High, D, 61.5
Opelousas Senior High, D, 62.1
Northwest High, D, 67.6
Acadia Parish grades included:
Church Point High, C, 71.7 performance score
Crowley High, C, 72.5
Iota High, B, 89.6
Iota Elementary, B, 94.9
Iota Middle School, B, 92.9
Evangeline Parish grades included:
Basile High School, A, 100.0
Chataignier Elementary, C, 80.2
Mamou Elementary, A, 100.1
Mamou High School, B, 91.2
Statewide, the number of schools earning a letter grade ratings of “A” increased by 54, resulting in 241 “A” schools in 2014 compared to 187 in 2013.
The 2014 report cards are part of the state’s multi-year transition to higher academic expectations. During the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years, educators, parents, and students are learning the new expectations, as the state’s tests and accountability system adjust.
In 2015, students in grades 3-8 will take the same English and math tests as roughly 5 million students in other states. Test results will then be used to establish a “baseline,” and each year henceforth it will be more challenging for schools to maintain a high performance score.
By 2025, a school rated “A” will average “mastery” on grade 3-8 tests rather than today’s standard of “basic.”
Because of this transition to higher expectations, even though test scores remained steady, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) added an additional layer of stability to the report card letter grade system during the 2014 and 2015 transition process, requiring that the overall distribution of letter grades awarded to schools would not indicate lower performance than in 2013.
While schools may improve on their own, BESE guaranteed that there would not be fewer A-rated schools or fewer B-rated schools in 2014, for example, than in 2013. Of the 1,335 schools statewide, 21 (1.6 percent) had letter grades increased as a result of this policy.
Because of the new and special nature of this policy, State Superintendent John White has asked for an external review of its implementation by the Legislative Auditor’s Office, which will start immediately and will be presented at the December BESE meeting.
“School and school district report cards are tools that parents and educators can use to understand what is happening in their schools and what choices they can make in response,” said Superintendent White.
“Student performance statewide was steady in 2014, and letter grade ratings reflect this. As the state transitions gradually to higher expectations, it will become more challenging for schools and districts to maintain high ratings.”