BRAC Education Report Card

A Regional Analysis of K-12
Education Performance for
the 2011-2012 School Year
Introduction
Education defines regional competitiveness for economic development. The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC)
strives to support gains in education performance through policy advocacy. In late October 2012, the Louisiana
Department of Education (LDOE) released the School Performance Scores (SPS) and District Performance Scores
(DPS) for the 2011-2012 school year. However, gains are difficult to follow through the maze of state performance
data. This report analyzes the regional data to help make clear the district-by-district outcomes in the Baton Rouge
area, as well as overall regional performance.
Making School Data Transparent
School performance data is explained in terms of what
percentage of students are below “basic.” Yet, for the
general public, it is often unclear what “basic” means
in terms of student achievement. According to the
LDOE, the “basic” achievement level means a student
has demonstrated only the fundamental knowledge
and skills needed for the next level of schooling.
This writing sample is an example of a “basic” writing
response on the fourth grade Louisiana Educational
Assessment Program (LEAP) test.
Letter Grades
In “F” schools, the vast majority of students lack the
fundamental skills necessary for the next grade level.
Letter Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Source: Louisiana Department of Education, 4th Grade LEAP ELA
released test items and LEAP achievement level descriptors
School Performance
Range
Approximate % of
Students Below Basic
120.0 - 200.0
0% - 12%
105.0 - 119.9
13% - 24%
90.0 - 104.9
25% - 36%
75.0 - 89.9
37% - 61%
0 - 74.9
62% - 100%
Below Basic Range
(Out of 100%)
A Regional Analysis of K-12 Education Performance
for the 2011-2012 School Year, Page 1 of 5
The Capital Region Saw
Across-the-Board Improvements
During the 2011-2012 school year, all twelve districts
in the region posted improvements. St. Helena Parish,
the lowest performing district in our region, gained the
most points (+13.8), followed by Zachary Community
(+13.4), which is the highest performing district in our
region and the state. The East Baton Rouge Parish
School System (EBRPSS) went from a “D” to a “C”
district.
In terms of school-level growth, almost 86 percent
of public schools in the region improved compared
with the 2010-2011 school year. Nearly 41 percent of
schools received the “Top Gains” designation, which is
awarded to schools that improved their school scores
by or beyond a pre-determined growth target. Among
the lowest performers, thirty-five of over two hundred
schools in the region earned “F” grades.
Furthermore, the Baton Rouge area and EBRPSS are
outpacing the state in terms of growth. Over the past
five years, the Baton Rouge area’s performance scores
grew at an annual rate of 4.1 percent, while EBRPSS
grew at an average rate of 4.6 percent, compared to the
state’s annual growth rate of 3.0 percent.
While this growth is indeed positive, there remains
room for improvement. While EBRPSS has improved
into a “C” district, that letter grade still indicates that
between one-third and one-fourth of students are below
“basic,” meaning they lack the fundamental skills and
knowledge for the next level of schooling.
Spotlight on Zachary
Community School District
Since its creation in 2002, Zachary Community
has been recognized as a model of excellence.
It has been Louisiana’s top performing district
for eight straight years. The district continues
to strive for excellence. Its District Performance
Score grew by 11 percent during the 2011-2012
school year.
WEST
FELICIANA
PARISH
124.3, A
EAST
FELICIANA
PARISH
83.8, D
POINTE
COUPEE PARISH
87.2, D
WEST
BATON ROUGE
PARISH
105.5, B
IBERVILLE
PARISH
88.2, D
ST.
HELENA
PARISH
71.8, F
EAST BATON
ROUGE PARISH
92.9, C
CITY OF BAKER
77.0, D
CENTRAL
COMMUNITY
124.1, A
ZACHARY
COMMUNITY
134.7, A
LIVINGSTON
PARISH
117.4, B
ASCENSION
PARISH
121.2, A
2012 Scores and Letter Grades
Growth from 2011
0-5%
5-10%
10-15%
110
15%+
4.1%
3.0%
100
4.6%
90
80
70
District Performance Scores
2008-2012
The across-the-board growth in all twelve
districts for the past two years gives the
Baton Rouge area reason for optimism.
60
Note: The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) shows the
annualized growth rate since 2008.
40
2008
*Baton Rouge area’s score is the average of the DPS of all
districts in the MSA.
10.4%
50
2009
2010
Baton Rouge Area*
Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish
Recovery School District
2011
2012
CAGR
A Regional Analysis of K-12 Education Performance
for the 2011-2012 School Year, Page 2 of 5
District Performance Annual Growth Rates
Percentage Points
2010-2011
2009-2010
St. Helena Parish
1.2
-13.7
City of Baker
-6.0
1.7
-0.3
1.3
West Baton Rouge Parish
2.3
Livingston Parish
-0.4
2.8
East Baton Rouge Parish
Pointe Coupee Parish
12.8
1.3
11.0
3.7
10.7
3.4
9.9
0.5
9.2
3.3
8.8
5.1
-3.0
7.8
4.7
1.3
East Feliciana Parish
14.4
2.2
2.6
Zachary Community
West Feliciana Parish
23.8
7.2
Central Community
Ascension Parish
2011-2012
3.6
3.1
0.6
Iberville Parish
3.2
Top Performing
Schools in EBRPSS
EBRPSS Magnet School Assignments
While EBRPSS is a “C” district, it
has some of the highest performing
schools in the state, some of which
are high-performing, high-poverty
schools. For example, Forest
Heights Academy is an “A” school,
and while it is a magnet school,
78 percent of students receive
free or reduced lunch. Yet, we
see an unmet demand for magnet
school education, especially at the
elementary school level. During the
2012-2013 school year, 35 percent
of students (1,230 of 3,480 students)
who applied to attend a magnet
school were denied a spot.
7.3
2.3
2010-2013
850
706
596
51
116
624
744
Elem. Middle
2010-2011
241
114
139
142
814
High
856
698
682
Elem. Middle High
2011-2012
Assigned to Magnet School
845
644
761
Elem. Middle High
2012-2013
Applied But Not Assigned
Source: “Analysis of Magnet School Lottery for School Years 2010-2012”
by Joseph White Associates prepared for EBRPSS
A Regional Analysis of K-12 Education Performance
for the 2011-2012 School Year, Page 3 of 5
The Region’s Disparity is
a Call to Action for More
Aggressive Growth
Our region has five of the top ten school districts
in Louisiana (and four of the seven “A” districts in
the state). While all districts showed growth during
the 2011-2012 school year, the region still has some
districts that have the greatest need for reform. The
region has equal numbers of “A” and “B” districts as
it has “D” and “F” districts, with one “C” district in the
middle. BRAC has supported implementing education
reform and Louisiana has been ranked number one
in states’ environments for passing laws to reform
education by StudentsFirst. We need aggressive
reforms to ensure all students in the region are
receiving excellent educations.
Students Attending “D” or “F”
Schools, October 2011
*Students not counted in total of school’s 2011-2012 School
Performance Scores data or October 2011 enrollment data
was unavailable.
2012 District Rankings
DPS
Grade
Rank
(of 71)
Zachary Community
134.7
A
1
West Feliciana Parish
124.3
A
3
Central Community
124.1
A
4
Ascension Parish
121.2
A
7
Livingston Parish
117.4
B
10
West Baton Rouge Parish
105.5
B
27
East Baton Rouge Parish
92.9
C
55
Iberville Parish
88.2
D
58
Pointe Coupee Parish
87.2
D
59
East Feliciana Parish
83.8
D
63
City of Baker
77.0
D
70
St. Helena Parish
71.8
F
70
Recovery School District
58.9
F
71
District
Baton Rouge
Area
36,419 out of 117,069,* or nearly 3 out of every 10 Baton Rouge area students, attend “D” or “F” schools
East Baton
Rouge Parish
22,905 out of 41,759,* or nearly 6 out of every 10 East Baton Rouge Parish students, attend “D” or “F” schools
A Regional Analysis of K-12 Education Performance
for the 2011-2012 School Year, Page 4 of 5
Graduation Rates
Improving, But
Dropout Rate Needs
to Be Curbed
75
Cohort Graduation Rates
73
2007-2011
71.0%
70.9%
71
69
67
65
The cohort graduation rate is a measure
based on the percentage of students
who enter the ninth grade and graduate
four years later. From 2007 to 2011, East
Baton Rouge Parish saw a decline and
then rise in their cohort graduation rate
to 62.3 percent in 2011. The region’s
average cohort graduation rate is more
on par with the state at around 71 percent,
and has been growing fairly steadily over
the past four years.
63
62.3%
61
59
57
55
2007
2008
Baton Rouge Area*
College Readiness
Remains Flat, But ACT
Scores Included in
New Peformance Formula
Despite the school and district
improvements, student college readiness
has remained stagnant over the past
five years, and the region’s public
school students continue to lag behind
both Louisiana and the nation. These
scores are especially important because
ACT scores will be part of the school
performance formula for high schools
during the 2012-2013 school year as a
means to encourage high schools to
make college readiness a greater priority.
2010
Louisiana
2011
East Baton Rouge Parish
*Average cohort graduation rate for the school districts in the Baton Rouge MSA
22
To BRAC’s concern, in terms of dropouts,
the cohort dropout rate in EBRPSS
was approximately 20 percent in 2011,
meaning only eight out of ten ninth
graders were still in school by their
expected graduation date. In 2011, the
average rate for the region was 16.8
percent, and the state’s rate was 14.6
percent.
2009
Average ACT Scores
2008-2012
21.1
21
20.3
20
20.0
19
2008
2009
Nation*
2010
Louisiana*
2011
2012
Baton Rouge Area Average**
*Includes both public and non-public school students
**Includes only public school students
The Capital Region needs to see
faster school and district performance
Looking
growth to ensure that all students are
receiving excellent educations. BRAC
Forward
will actively advocate for measures that
will aggressively improve growth rates
and students outcomes at all levels.
BRAC will also continue to monitor
regional progress as the state implements reform policies and
new formulas to measure performance.
Source for all data charts and tables (unless otherwise indicated):
Louisiana Department of Education; BRAC analysis
A Regional Analysis of K-12 Education Performance
for the 2011-2012 School Year, Page 5 of 5