BATON ROUGE (AP) — A return to in-person learning is a factor in a small rebound in standardized test scores for Louisiana students, the state Education Department said Wednesday.
The percentage of students in grades 3 through 8 who achieved levels of mastery or proficient on overall subject matter reached 31%. That’s up 1 percentage point from the year before on the exams, which are known as the LEAP 2025 tests.
Although the overall percentage was up, a review of scores by The Advocate shows that it’s still down from 34% in 2019. That’s the last year the tests were given before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Math and English mastery-or-better scores rose 3 percentage points over the last year — to 30% and 42%, respectively. Science was up 2 percentage points to 27% over last year, while social studies mastery was the same as last year at 25%.
“K-12 education is on the rise in Louisiana because we kept schools open, strategically allocated resources, and developed innovative solutions to recover and accelerate student learning,” state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said in a news release.
Brumley told The Advocate he was not surprised by the social studies scores, blaming the stagnant scores on an outdated curriculum, which is being replaced by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Achievement levels fall into one of five categories: unsatisfactory, approaching basic, basic, mastery and proficient. Students who score mastery or proficient are ready for the next grade level, officials said.
Statistics on LEAP 2025 results for this year and past years can be seen on the state Department of Education’s website.
