NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It's report card time in Louisiana — not for students, but for public schools and school districts.
State Education Superintendent John White said the report cards posted Thursday are a tool for parents, allowing them to see how schools are performing.
"These are indicators for us as adults as to what we need to continue and what we need to improve," White said during a telephone news conference.
Earlier in the week, the state education department issued online guides for interpreting the report cards.
The report cards include the performance score and letter grade earned by each school and district. Those grades and scores are based on a variety of factors for different types of schools. Report cards for high schools, for example, include measures of student proficiency on end-of-course tests and the ACT college preparatory test now required for all students.
Earlier in the week, the state education department issued online guides for interpreting the report cards.
Student performance on standardized tests is an element in the performance scores.
The report cards summarize district and school scores released earlier in the year and White touts them as a useful tool as the state gradually raises the bar for school performance.
Statewide results this year showed that only 22 percent to 40 percent of Louisiana public school students show what state officials consider "mastery" of their subject matter, depending on grade and subject matter.
The state considers "mastery" the level at which students are ready for post-secondary education, State Education Superintendent John White reiterated in an afternoon news conference.
And while schools and districts can currently earn an "A'' grade in the state accountability system when the average score is the lower "basic" level, schools and districts will have to average out at the "mastery" level to do that well in 2025.
– by AP Reporter Kevin McGill