Report card gives 44% of La. public schools a ‘D’ or ‘F’

The annual report card for Louisiana’s public schools came in from the Department of Education this afternoon, and it’s got a lot more grades on the low side of average than on the top. Under the state’s new letter-grade evaluation system, just 28% of public schools earned an “A” or “B” grade, while 44% earned a “D” or “F.” The report card shows the usual mixed bag of results for the state’s public schools, yet there is measurable improvement in many schools and in many categories. The Department of Education says more than 91% of the state’s schools achieved gains in their scores. However, officials say, the improvements aren’t being made quickly enough. For example, about a third of all students in public schools still aren’t performing at what is labeled the “basic” level. Schools have been getting performance scores for years under an accountability plan adopted in the 1990s. The letter-grade system implemented in today’s report replaces a 200-point scale and five-star system and is designed to make the evaluations easier for parents to understand. Gov. Bobby Jindal will discuss the letter grades at the Governor’s Mansion at 3:10 p.m. and call for reforms, his office says. Report cards for each school can be found here. (Site is slow to load.)