Student test results delayed

The Louisiana Department of Education recently informed local school districts that scores for end-of-course tests in English 2, English 3, Algebra 1 and geometry will be delayed following the Dec. 2 to 18 testing, St. Mary Superintendent Donald Aguillard said.
The exam replaces the cumulative nine weeks test traditionally given in these courses and counts as 15 percent of the entire course grade average for most students, he said.
The delay in reporting English and mathematics scores, Aguillard said, means that students enrolled in English 2, English 3, Algebra 1 and geometry during the 2013 fall semester will receive an incomplete for the exam portion and final grade on report cards issued Jan. 9.
Aguillard said report cards will indicate student grades for each nine weeks, however, students cannot receive a final grade for the course until test scores are calculated. Report cards for these students will be reprinted and distributed following score release in late January.
Guidance counselors will determine re-scheduling needs of the four courses based on each student’s nine week grades and the best interests for students involved, he said. Further changes in class schedules will be formulated, if necessary, following the state’s reporting of test results.
Beginning in the 2013-14 school year, end-of-course tests in English language arts and math were aligned to the Common Core State Standards, resulting in a need to validate performance standards and revise achievement level descriptors for the upcoming 2014-15 test administrations, according to the superintendent.
As a result, the state’s reporting of results to schools and districts will be withheld until late January 2014, he said.
The state Department of Education needs additional time to receive all current test results and perform a statistical analysis of results. The additional time will ensure that current and past test results are correlated, according to the superintendent.
The department intends to maintain the same minimum scores for Poor, Fair, Good and Excellent achievement levels. The delay is a one-time event. Once the statistical analysis of results is compiled, test results will flow the same as in past years, Aguillard said.
End-of-course test results for biology and U.S. history, as well as the spring and summer testing results, will not be delayed, according to the superintendent.
For more informatin, contact individual high schools for an appointment.