Most Louisiana school systems scored higher on this year’s LEAP tests overall, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
The data shows 36% of students across all grades and subjects passed, up 2 percentage points from last year.
It's the highest rate in the state’s history, the department said in a press release.
A recent study found that after falling during the COVID-19 pandemic, reading and math scores have improved faster in Louisiana than in most other states, echoing earlier research.
Based on the new data, reading scores could be leveling off. The overall pass rate for grades 3-8 has been 43% for the past 3 years. In math, the state’s rate improved by one point, but two-thirds of students are still behind.
New Orleans public schools were among the most improved in the state, extending the district’s upward trajectory.
“The last few years, you have continued to churn out growth, and you are helping us push this entire state forward,” state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley told school leaders during a briefing on test results, according to a press release.
Thirty-one percent of students scored at or above grade level, up 3 percentage points from last year — and a point higher than East Baton Rouge and Jefferson parishes' scores.
Almost 40% of New Orleans students in grades 3-12 passed the state’s reading tests, compared to 28% in math.
“These outcomes show that our schools are moving in the right direction,” New Orleans head of schools Fateama Fulmore said in a press release. “We are encouraged by this momentum yet remain focused on the important work ahead to accelerate student learning, especially in math, so that every child receives the high-quality education they deserve.”
Three Baton Rouge-area school districts also made the state’s top gains list: Baker, East Feliciana Parish and St. Helena Parish.
Baker’s public schools, like New Orleans, are all charters after the state took over some of them last year.
Nearby, Ascension and West Feliciana took first and second place in the state for overall test scores. The two, along with Plaquemines Parish, were the only systems with an overall pass rate above 50%.
“I’m proud of the progress Louisiana students continue to make, and grateful to the educators making it possible,” Brumley said in a press release. “At the same time, we cannot be satisfied and must build on this success as we raise expectations.”
Louisiana is raising the bar it uses to judge schools based on test scores, and plans to award fewer A and B-letter grades in the fall.
This story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Alabama, WWNO and WRKF in Louisiana and NPR.
