2013 School Performance Scores Released

New Orleans Gains Continue!

I am amazed and awed by the continued academic improvement of our schools and students. In 8 years:

  • New Orleans has gone from 62% of students attending failing schools to 5%.
  • We have moved up in the state rankings from 67th to 38th.
  • We have shown robust improvement on the ACT.
  • We have more high performing, high poverty schools than anywhere else in Louisiana.

Congratulations to the remarkable educators across the city. Incredibly well done!

Only 5% of students now attend a failing school –
down from 62% in 2005. 

In 2004-05, 78 public schools in New Orleans, enrolling over 38,000 students, were failing. Today, only 9 schools in the city, enrolling 2,481 students, are failing.*

The End of Failing Schools in New Orleans Is In Sight
Percent of students in failing schools 2005 vs. 2013
Percent_in_failing_schools_05_vs_13_3

70% of students attend A, B, or C schools – up from 20% in 2005.*

Percent in A, B, or C Schools
2005 vs. 2013
Percent_in_A_B_C_Schools_05-13

View 2013 School Performance Scores
.

New Orleans has moved up in the state rankings from 67th to 38th.

The District Performance Score (DPS) is the most comprehensive measurement of school and student performance. It includes all students, all tests, and all grade levels. The DPS for New Orleans includes all RSD and OPSB schools, both charter and direct-run.

New Orleans has a combined District Performance Score of 83.4 and received a letter grade of C.* We are now just 1.6 points shy of a B, and we are rapidly moving up in the state rankings.

New Orleans District Rank Over Time
2005
 67th out of 68 districts – second to last
2012
 51st out of 69 districts – in the bottom third
2013
 38th out of 69 districts – close to the middle

Both OPSB and RSD deserve congratulations:

  • OPSB would be ranked #2 in the state with a DPS of 108.2 and a grade of A.
  • RSD-New Orleans is no longer failing! It received a DPS of 71.9 and a grade of C, and it would be ranked 58th out of 69 districts.

We have shown robust improvement on the ACT.

The state also released ACT results. This year, Louisiana became one of 9 states to require all high school graduates take the ACT, and the increased participation caused Louisiana’s score to go down from 20.3 to 19.5.

  • The 2013 citywide (RSD + OPSB) composite ACT score is 18.1, compared to the state score of 19.5 and the national average of 20.9.
  • OPSB’s composite is 19.7, and RSD’s is 16.3.

Comparing to prior ACT performance

In 2005, the composite ACT score for Orleans Parish was 17.0. Today it is 18.1, so we know we have improved.

This improvement is understated, however, because in 2005 not all juniors and seniors had to take the ACT. What might our real growth be on an “apples to apples” basis? There are two ways to estimate it.

The first way is to use a 2004 statewide equating study from the Louisiana Department of Education that compared performance on the Graduation Exit Exam (GEE) to performance on the ACT. The study showed a strong correlation between how a student scored on the GEE with how they would perform on the ACT.

Using New Orleans’ average performance on the GEE in 2005 (a tad higher than Approaching Basic), we can estimate that New Orleans would have had an ACT score between 16 and 16.5 if all juniors and seniors had been required to take the test.

The second way is to compare New Orleans performance relative to the other districts that were also very low performing in 2005.

Comparing ACT Results
2005 DPS Rank Parish 2013 ACT Score
68 St. Helena 15.6
67 New Orleans 18.1
66 Madison 15.3
65 East Feliciana 16.5
64 City of Baker 16.3

The four other parishes average around a 16 ACT, and New Orleans (OPSB + RSD) now outperforms them all with an 18.1 ACT.

New Orleans has likely seen close to a 2 point gain on the ACT since 2005 – a HUGE improvement in a test where nationally scores have not increased since 2005.

We have more high performing, high poverty schools
than anywhere else in Louisiana.

It is incredibly hard work to have high performing schools with very high percentages of poor students. Statewide, there were 341 open-enrollment schools that had 90% or more of their students receiving free or reduced lunch. Only 22 received a letter grade of A or B. Ten of these schools – almost half – are in New Orleans.

Special shout-out to these 10 high performing, high poverty schools.
They are doing a fabulous job!
High Performing, High Poverty Schools 2013
Grade
% Free or Reduced Lunch
Arthur Ashe Charter School
B
96%
Einstein Charter School B 93%
John Dibert Community School B 94%
KIPP Central City Academy B 98%
KIPP McDonogh 15 School for Creative Arts B 96%
Lagniappe Academy of New Orleans B 97%
Mahalia Jackson Elementary School B 95%
Mary Bethune Elementary Literature/Tech B 98%
Sci Academy B 93%
Sophie B. Wright Learning Academy B 96%


School Performance Scores – The Details

Here is the breakdown of New Orleans schools by letter grade and SPS score.*

New Orleans Schools

Grade SPS Range*
# of Schools % of Total Enrollment
A 100-150 6 12%
B 85-99.9 18 25%
C 70-84.9 25 33%
D 50-69.9 19 17%
F Below 50 9 5%
No SPS 11 8%
TOTAL 88

Congratulations to these 24 high performing A and B schools.

High Performing Schools
2013 SPS
2013 Grade
Benjamin Franklin High School 138.5 A
Lusher Charter School 132.6 A
Lake Forest Elementary Charter School 125.3 A
Edward Hynes Charter School 107 A
Audubon Charter School 106.4 A
International School of Louisiana 105.3 A
KIPP Central City Academy 96.9 B
Benjamin Franklin Elem. Math and Science 96.1 B
Einstein Charter School 95.4 B
Warren Easton Senior High School 95.3 B
Alice M. Harte Elementary Charter School 94.2 B
Eleanor McMain Secondary School 94.2 B
Edna Karr High School 93.8 B
Martin Behrman Elementary School 92.1 B
Arthur Ashe Charter School 90.2 B
KIPP McDonogh 15 School for the Creative Arts 89.9 B
Sci Academy 88.6 B
Sophie B. Wright Learning Academy 88.5 B
Mahalia Jackson Elementary School 88.1 B
Mary Bethune Elementary Literature/Technology 88.1 B
John Dibert Community School 87.8 B
O. Perry Walker Senior High School 85.7 B
New Orleans Military/Maritime Academy 85.2 B
Lagniappe Academy of New Orleans 85 B

School Growth

This year schools earned bonus points if they demonstrated significant academic growth with their lowest performing students – students identified as non-proficient (performing below grade level).

Schools could earn up to 10 bonus points if they made significant progress with their lowest performing students. We know many of our students enter school already behind. These schools are doing a great job helping their students catch up.

31 schools received the maximum of 10 bonus points.

Congratulations to these high growth schools.

High Growth Schools
Arthur Ashe Charter School
Batiste Cultural Arts Academy at Live Oak Elem
Benjamin Banneker Elementary School
Cohen College Prep
Crescent Leadership Academy
Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School
Einstein Charter School
Eleanor McMain Secondary School
Esperanza Charter School
Fannie C. Williams Charter School
G.W. Carver High School
Gentilly Terrace Elementary School
Harriet Tubman Charter School
John Dibert Community School
Joseph A. Craig Charter School
KIPP Central City Academy
KIPP McDonogh 15 School for the Creative Arts
KIPP New Orleans Leadership Academy
Lafayette Academy
Langston Hughes Charter Academy
McDonogh #32 Elementary School
McDonogh #35 College Preparatory School
McDonogh City Park Academy
Miller-McCoy Academy for Mathematics and Business
Nelson Elementary School
Reed Elementary School
Samuel J. Green Charter School
Sarah Towles Reed Senior High School
SciTech Academy at Laurel Elementary
Sophie B. Wright Learning Academy
William J. Fischer Elementary School

2012-13 was a great year!!  Congratulations!!

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* SPS Assumptions and Calculations
   Enrollment: Educate Now! used self-reported enrollment numbers to estimate the percent of students in failing schools. The official 10/1 enrollment count will be released later this year. Unless stated otherwise, 2013 schools include OPSB and RSD, both charter and direct run, as well as Type 2 charters.
   T Rated Schools: In 2013, there are 8 schools that received an SPS but were too new to receive a letter grade. These schools were given a “T” by the state, but for the purpose of this analysis, Educate Now! assigned unofficial letter grades based on their SPS. This added 4 F schools, 2 D schools and 2 C schools to our count.
   Comparing 2005 to 2013: In 2005, schools were given stars (1 to 5) not letter grades. For the purpose of comparison, Educate Now! equated 4 and 5 stars with an A, 3 stars with a B, 2 stars with a C, 1 star with a D, and the 2005 rating “Academically Unacceptable” with an F.
  No SPS: This year, there are 11 schools with no SPS. They were either new charters (2), schools that were recently transitioned to charters or given new charter operators (5), or schools that had insufficient testers for an SPS (4).
  New SPS Scale: In 2013, Louisiana recalibrated the school grading scale from a 200+ point range to a 150 point range to better align with a typical A through F grading scale. This year represents a new baseline for both SPS and DPS calculations.