The Louisiana Department of Education has released initial data showing student progress results from the 2017-18 school year. As part of this first year of implementation of Louisiana’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Plan, school performance will be measured using a revised approach. School Performance Scores will now incorporate student growth as a critical element of the formula using a new component called the Progress Index. Student growth measures students’ improvement from one year to the next on state assessments. This measure complements student achievement, as measured by performance on the most recent state assessments, to provide a more complete picture of student learning.
Source: Louisiana Department of Education
2017-18 School and District Performance Scores will be released later this fall, including Progress Index scores. The Department’s release yesterday provides an informative, initial snapshot of school-level progress results using the percentage of students demonstrating “top growth” on ELA and math LEAP 2025 assessments by school. The percentage of students showing “top growth” is a companion metric to the percentage of students scoring Mastery and above on the LEAP 2025 assessment, which was released last month.
Students’ results are classified as “top growth” if they meet one of the following three criteria:
- Progress that demonstrates the student is on track to achieve Mastery by 8th grade, for K-8 schools, or by 10th grade, for high schools.
- Progress that demonstrates the student grew at a rate faster than similar statewide peers, as measured by Louisiana’s value-added model.
- Performance on the LEAP 2025 assessment that demonstrates the student is already performing above grade level.
In New Orleans, the citywide average of 46% of grade 4-12 students demonstrating “top growth” in math is three percentage points higher than the state average of 43%. In ELA, New Orleans tied with the state average of 48%.
- New Orleans ranks 17th out of 69 districts across the state based on the percentage of 4th-12th grade students showing “top growth” in math. For ELA, New Orleans ranks 22nd out of 69 districts.*
- More than one-third of New Orleans schools showed a “top growth” percentage at or above the state average in both subjects. An additional one-third of schools showed a “top growth” percentage at or above the state average in one of the two subjects.
Percentage of Students Demonstrating “Top Growth” in ELA and Math
* For math, New Orleans’ ranking of 17th is tied with two other districts that also have averages of 46% “top growth”. For ELA, New Orleans’ ranking of 22nd is tied with six other districts that also have averages of 48% of “top growth”.
A Closer Look: Subgroup Progress Results
New Orleans outperformed the state “top growth” average for grade 4-12 students in ELA and math combined for all four historically disadvantaged groups reported on by the state: African-American students, economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and English Language Learners.
Percentage of Students in Subgroups Demonstrating “Top Growth” in ELA and Math Combined
Celebrating Success: Schools with Highest Percentage of “Top Growth” Students in ELA and Math
Congratulations to the following schools with the highest “top growth” percentages in ELA and math! These schools are the top five open enrollment schools in each subject area for grades 4-12 in terms of student progress.
ELA
Math
Individual School Results: Percentage of Students with “Top Growth”
Elementary and Middle Schools
High Schools
*Selective admissions school
**Alternative school
***Not reported due to total of less than ten students tested
Notes: In both the elementary/middle school and high school tables, schools are ranked by the percentage of students demonstrating “top growth” in ELA. Also, the five schools that were closed or transformed after the 2017-18 school year have been excluded.
Celebrating Success: KIPP Renaissance Shows Significant Growth in AP Exam Performance
The Louisiana Department of Education also recently released 2017-18 Advanced Placement (AP) exam results. In New Orleans, KIPP Renaissance High School showed the most improvement between 2017 and 2018 in the percentage of students achieving college-credit qualifying scores. Students earning scores of 3, 4, or 5 increased from 16% in 2017 to 22% in 2018. The 2018 results also represent a total increase of twelve percentage points since 2016, when the percentage of students with college-credit qualifying scores was 10%.
Congratulations to KIPP Renaissance!
For more information, please review the Louisiana Department of Education’s press release, which includes further information about the new accountability system and statewide performance as well as links to all available progress results data.
Please also review Orleans Parish School Board’s release on the “top growth” which includes a statement from Superintendent Henderson Lewis and Board President Brown.