LDOE addresses disparity in education rankings

Rankings released this month by Education Week and StudentsFirst have positively reflected on Louisiana’s progress in education. However, even the same Education Week rankings place Louisiana 48th nationally with an “F” for student achievement. In a climate in which increasing emphasis is being placed on measuring student performance through testing, how does the Louisiana Department of Education respond to the disparities in such national rankings? “The findings validate the courage and boldness of Louisiana’s policymakers, voters, and educators,” LDOE press secretary Barry Landry says in an email. “Our schools are improving as a result, but we still have a lot of work left to do until every child is on the path to earning a college degree or succeeding in a professional career.” The K-12 student achievement ranking from Quality Counts was based on factors including kindergarten enrollment, elementary reading levels, middle school math scores, and high school graduation rates. Landry says more Louisiana students are performing at grade level and that ACT scores are up. “Still, with all our progress, we are working with urgency to increase the outcomes for the 225,000 students across Louisiana who are still not at grade level,” Landry says. He adds that student outcomes in the state already reflect that the state is moving on the right path in education policy-making. —Matt Randolph