BATON ROUGE (AP) -- Fourth- and eighth-graders in Louisiana public schools showed "marked improvement" this spring in scores on standardized tests that are required for promotion to the next grade, state education officials said Tuesday.
High school students taking the state graduation exit exam showed small gains in math and English, but scores in science fell and there was little change in social studies, according to the figures released at a Baton Rouge news conference.
The promotion test improvements included New Orleans schools that were taken over by the state and placed in the state Recovery School District after Hurricane Katrina.
"We've made significant progress this year," state Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek said.
Statewide, 76 percent of fourth-graders passed the 2008 promotion test — the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program exam — compared to 74 percent in 2007. Sixty-nine percent of eighth-graders passed the LEAP this year compared to 66 percent in 2007.
In New Orleans, scores of fourth-graders in the state-run system improved by 12 percentage points. Scores for eighth-graders improved by 4 percentage points.
Still, the figures showed how far those schools have to go. Despite the improvements, the percentage of fourth-graders passing was only 48 percent, up from 36 percent last year. Thirty-six percent of eighth-graders met the promotion standard, up from 32 percent last year.
"I think we're off to a good start. This really gives us a sense of optimism," the RSD superintendent, Paul Vallas, said at a New Orleans news conference. He said he expects further improvement next year, as more reforms are implemented, including a longer school year and longer instructional day.
Despite the better scores, Pastorek and others at Tuesday's news conference said there were many areas where improvement is needed.
There are four levels to the complicated scoring system used to decide who can get promoted or, in the case of high school students, who can graduate: Advanced, mastery, basic, and approaching basic.
The education department says that a student at the "basic" level is considered on track to be ready for a career or college.
When the state's accountability program began in the late 1990s, fourth- and eighth-graders had to reach the "approaching basic" level in English and math to be promoted. Higher standards were phased in and students at those grade levels now must score at least "basic" in either of the two subjects to be promoted.
And the state's goal is to have all students at the "basic" level by 2014 — a goal that Pastorek said "will be very challenging." He called on the Legislature to fund new literacy and math initiatives that the department is launching.
As for the graduate exit exam, Pastorek said the state is working to "dramatically reshape our high schools" to improve performance on the tests, which measure knowledge of English, math, science and social studies.
This spring, 83 percent of students scored approaching basic or above in English, the same as in 2007; 58 percent scored basic or above, compared to 56 percent last year.
In math, 81 percent of the high school students scored approaching basic or above, compared to last year's 80 percent; 65 percent scored basic or above, compared to 64 percent last year.
In science, 82 percent of the GEE test-takers scored approaching basic or better, down from 84 percent; 56 percent scored basic or above, down from 60 percent.
Eighty-four percent of the GEE students scored approaching basic or above, the same as last year; 62 percent scored basic or better, down from 64 percent last year.
Comments
Posted by PYT on May 6, 2008 at 5:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is ridiculous!
I don't want to hear the propaganda. This LEAP exam is impacting our students! Way too many of them.
These changes/improvements - not buying them.
How many kids are left in 4th grade or 8th grade b/c they aren't good test takers, but they can do everything else?
This is unfair! It's biased! And it's a shame that not enough people in Baton Rouge (Black and White) care enough to do something about it.
Instead, most Baton Rouge parents just send their kids to private school and turn the other cheek to such an atrocity.
Why? B/c we believe that it's not going to affect us.
What a cop-out! What a shame!
One day, we will all realize that these same children that we are ignoring and turning our cheeks to will one day shape and mold our future. In one way or another. It will happen.
And yes. I will do something about it. Like Call Mr. Pastorek himself. But I probably will get his voicemail and they'll probably just ignore me.
But I'll just have to keep on calling. And hopefully, many of you will too.
And how is it even remotely fair that students matriculating at private schools are NOT subjected to these types of tests? Must be nice to have a rich parent.
I wonder if Pastorek's kids were products of public school systems???? Better yet- new rule! If you work in government or at the LA Dept. of Education, your child must go to public school.
Just think - If you were OR one of your kids/grandkids were forced to take this type of test at grades 4 and 8 and failed? What would you do? What would you do if there were NO private schools? Would you be more interested in what Pastorek, et al has to say? Would you be motivated to make changes? What would you do?
Do something. Just because things don't impact you personally or directly, doesn't mean that they won't EVER impact you later on down the road.
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