Caddo Superintendent Dr. Geral Dawkins highlights measures being taken to move district forward. 

The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) today issued its list of schools identified for improvement, revealing areas of gain and needed focus for the state’s school districts.  In Caddo Parish, one school, J.S. Clark MicroSociety, exited AU status this year.  

Nineteen schools are in various stages of Academically Unacceptable (AU) status.  

Of those, six showed improvement over the previous year.  This is the first year for alternative schools to be included in the accountability process. 

We just recently received the information and are continuing to review it, said Superintendent Dr. Gerald Dawkins.  However, we can already see clearly that there are areas of tremendous concern and several schools with unacceptable accountability scores. The bar is continuing to rise.  We can’t change that.  What we can change are the things we are doing that are not producing positive results, Dawkins added.  LDOE recently raised the minimum required school performance scores from 60 to 65, resulting in an additional five Caddo schools falling under the AU 1 category. In 2012, the minimum jumps to 75.  The state also released a list of schools under Academic Watch, including 15 Caddo schools, designed to ensure that districts are focusing attention and resources needed to improve scores in anticipation of the change.  These schools are not considered AUS. 

Among the immediate steps being taken to improve Caddo’s AU schools: 

* A top-to-bottom comprehensive academic audit to ensure that we are appropriately utilizing people and resources to best address the needs of students.  This includes a complete review of leadership, instructional and support staff, programs and attendance.

* A recommendation to the board regarding the district’s alternative schools, including a complete review of their effectiveness, both academically and fiscally.  The recommendation will include restructuring, up to and possibly including the outsourcing of alternative services.

Four Caddo schools — Fair Park, Green Oaks, West Shreveport Elementary and Woodlawn have recently been awarded a total of $5.1 million in School Improvement Grants for the upcoming school year.  The goals of the SIG program are to significantly raise student achievement, graduation rates and college enrollment rates through targeted intervention strategies that increase student attendance and enrollment in advanced courses, improve school culture and climate, strengthen the quality of school staff and instruction and ensure the availability of social service and community support for students.  This effort will be the most intensive turnaround effort ever undertaken in this district and the best practices learned from this endeavor will benefit all of our schools.

District-wide assessments at the start of school are to identify the strengths and weakness of every student and teacher, identifying gaps and implementing interventions. 

School Performance Scores are derived from test data (LEAP, iLEAP, GEE), attendance data, dropout data and graduation data, if applicable.  When a school receives a score of less than 65 – but non-consecutively – the school earns the AUS 1 label.  Every consecutive year that a school is labeled AUS, it moves to a higher level, ranging from AUS 1 – AUS 6+. As schools proceed to higher levels, the consequences become more stringent.  When schools reach the level of AUS 4, they become eligible for placement into the state’s Recovery School District. 

2010-11 Caddo schools identified as Academically Unacceptable by the state are: 

AUS 1

Barret Paideia Academy 64.4

Central Elementary 61.3

Huntington High School 62.2

Werner Park Elementary 60.2

Westwood Elementary 62

AUS 2

Atkins Technology Elementary 60.3

Sunset Acres Elementary 62.5

Midway Professional Development Center 57.3

MJ Moore Math/Science Magnet Middle 62.1

Newton Smith Visual/Performing Arts Middle 59.2

AUS 5+

Bethune Math/Science Middle Academy 55.1

Fair Park College Prep High School 46.6

Green Oaks Performing Arts Academy 52.2

Booker T. Washington New Technology High 58.6

Woodlawn Leadership Academy 46.4

Alternative Schools in AUS

Hamilton Terrace Learning Center 2.5

Hosston Alternative School 36.7

Alexander Learning Center 45.4

Academic Recovery and Career Discovery Center 33.8 

For additional details and a comprehensive list of schools in Academic Watch, visit the LDOE website, http://www.doe.state.la.us/data/school_accountability_reports.aspx

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