LEAP summer results released at 11th hour

Students who took the fourth and eighth grade LEAP summer retest had to wait until the 11th hour to find out what grade they would attend in the school year that began today.
The state Department of Education released summer retest results Wednesday morning.
St. Mary Parish Superintendent Donald Aguillard said 44 percent of fourth graders who retested in the summer met passing standards as did 50 percent of eighth graders. Gains between the spring and summer tests showed an additional 27 fourth graders and 53 additional eighth graders achieving the state standard for promotion, Aguillard said in a news release.
This brought the total of St. Mary Parish students passing to 88 percent of fourth graders and 81 percent of eighth graders when including both the spring and summer tests, Aguillard said.
Analysis of this summer’s performance data indicates that students are truly benefitting from the concentrated small group instruction, Aguillard said.
Louisiana’s promotion standards for grades four and eight require students to attain scores of Approaching Basic and Basic in English Language Arts and math in order to advance to the next grade level, St. Mary Parish Accountability Manager Robbi Gouaux said.
Upon release of summer retest results, schools had the information needed to appropriately schedule students for this school year. Parents were informed immediately by their child’s school of the retest results as well as any updates in grade placement, she said.
“A small percentage of students qualified for various state-approved overrides that allow students to be placed in the next grade or in the district’s transitional remediation program,” Gouaux said.
Aguillard added, “Creating a strong summer program to meet the individual needs of struggling students is an essential component of our instructional program … Our students are to be congratulated for realizing the magnitude of improving their knowledge and skills in English Language Arts and mathematics through successful remediation. As we begin another school year, it is essential for these students to have the foundational skills needed for continued success.”