Friday, October 7, 2011, 2:00 pm
Since 2005, New Orleans has improved more than
any other school district in Louisiana.
District Performance Highlights
Educate Now! calculates that the combined DPS for New Orleans should be around 82.4. This means that New Orleans has grown a stunning 25.5 points – 49% – between 2005 and 2011!
#1 in Growth Since 2005
District Performance Score = All students, all grades, all tests
The 2011 combined DPS for New Orleans was calculated by Educate Now!
Read More »
Tuesday, September 6, 2011, 12:23 pm
What are End of Course Tests (EOCs)?
Louisiana is phasing out the Graduation Exit Exam (GEE) and replacing it with specific End of Course tests, or EOCs.
There are six EOC exams. Beginning with the freshman class of 2010-11, students must pass at least three of the tests to graduate:
- English II or English III
- Algebra I or Geometry
- Biology or American History
Like the GEE, if a student does not pass the test on their first attempt, they have other opportunities to take the test.
Last year, the state tested students in Algebra I, English II, and Geometry. Tests for Biology, English III and American History will be phased in over the next two years.
The Louisiana Department of Education recently released the 2010-11 End of Course test results for Algebra I, English II and Geometry. Educate Now! analyzed student performance for New Orleans schools, focusing specifically on Algebra I and English II.
How did our students do?
Algebra I: New Orleans (all OPSB and RSD schools) outperformed many other school districts, posting its highest ranking relative to other school districts on any state administered test- ever! Read More »
Monday, August 29, 2011, 9:23 am
In this edition of In the News:
- Debating Reforms
- Louisiana News
- National Education Stories
- ACT Scores Rising Slowly
- Miller-McCoy in the Spotlight
- Other Local News
Debating Reforms
The School Reform Deniers
Reuters – August 21, 2011
After years of studying the school reform debate, Steven Brill has published a new book, Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America’s Schools. In this column, Brill summarizes his findings and takes on the reform deniers, who use the tactic of repeating things that are plainly untrue enough times so they start to seem true, or at least become part of the debate. Brill outlines a set of facts and simple questions with obvious answers that should guide America’s school reform efforts. Read More »
Monday, August 15, 2011, 8:07 am
In this edition of In the News:
- Politics and Education
- Local News
- Around Louisiana
- Looking at Charter Management Organizations
- National Education Studies
Politics and Education
Louisiana Education Leaders Need to Step Up
The Times-Picayune – August 10, 2011
Louisiana’s movement toward charter schools, test-driven accountability and performance-based teacher evaluations is being challenged by teacher unions, school boards and superintendents. It is also being undermined by a lack of clear leadership on the part of the administration. Read More »
Monday, August 8, 2011, 8:35 am
Closing the Gap
New Orleans Public School Achievement Gap is Narrowing
The Times-Picayune – August 7, 2011
Black students in New Orleans performed better than black students statewide. New Orleans’ poor students and students with disabilities are also rapidly closing the performance gap compared to state performance. The numbers include all students in any OPSB or RSD school (traditional or charter) who took the state standardized tests this spring. According to The Education Trust, a national organization whose mission is to close achievement gaps, “This is really meaningful progress.”
Editor’s note: In 2004, of 68 school districts, Orleans Parish ranked 68th – last – in the performance of its black students. To now outperform the state average is a major milestone as public education in New Orleans continues to improve. Read More »
Tuesday, August 2, 2011, 9:41 am
New Orleans students are closing the achievement gap!
Some of the most persistent achievement gaps in New Orleans – between black and white, the poor and the well-off, those with and without special needs – are shrinking, and at a pace that is much faster than ever before.
- This year, for the first time since Louisiana began keeping track, African-American students in New Orleans performed better than African-American students statewide.
- New Orleans’ poor students and students with disabilities are also rapidly closing the performance gap compared to state performance.
According to The Education Trust, a national organization whose mission is to close achievement gaps, “This is really meaningful progress.” Read More »
Tuesday, July 19, 2011, 12:24 pm
In this edition of In the News:
- No Excuses for Reformers
- NEA Takes Stand Against TFA
- State of Public Education in New Orleans
- Lessons Learned from Louisiana
- Fallout from Atlanta Cheating Scandal
- In Other News
- Voucher Program Follow-up
No Excuses for Reformers
No, Seriously: No Excuses
New York Times – July 7, 2011
In a thoughtful essay, Paul Tough challenges the education reform movement. He acknowledges that turning around failing schools is hard, as is educating students who are years behind their grade level. But it’s not impossible. Still, some “no excuses” reformers are now giving excuses. To bring reforms to scale, Paul Tough argues the education reform movement must acknowledge the whole range of factors that hold poor students back and make providing low-income students with a robust system of academic, emotional and psychological support part of their reform agenda.
Read More »
Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 7:39 am
Voucher Program Faltering: Accountability and Performance Standards Needed
Educate Now! analyzed student test scores from voucher schools and compared them to New Orleans Recovery School District (RSD) schools. We found that for the second year in a row, students participating in the voucher program performed worse than students in the RSD!
STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Comparing 3rd, 4th and 5th graders
- Statewide: 75% performed on grade level (Basic or above)
- RSD schools: 49% performed on grade level
- Voucher schools: Only 38% performed on grade level
Read More »
Tuesday, July 5, 2011, 11:46 am
In this edition of In the News:
- Facilities Master Plan Revised
- New Orleans Receives National Attention
- The Question of Academic Gains
- In the National Spotlight
- Louisiana Education News
Facilities Master Plan Revised
New Orleans School Construction Blueprint Revised
The Times-Picayune – June 30, 2011
Education officials have released a revised School Facilities Master Plan, the blueprint for spending the remainder of almost $2 billion in federal aid set aside to rebuild and renovate city schools. Read More »
Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 9:34 am
In this edition of In the News:
- Louisiana Education News
- RSD News
- Examining the Education Reformers
- Charter News
- Latest Education Research
- Proposed Governance Model in the News
Louisiana Education News
46% of Schools Get ‘D,’ ‘F’ in New System
The Advocate – June 15, 2011
Nearly half of Louisiana’s public schools would get a “D” or “F” if a controversial school grading system that begins later this year were in effect today. Read More »
