In this edition of In the News:
Here are three articles from June that highlight what’s working in education. Continue reading
Two years ago, Louisiana enacted the Student Scholarship for Educational Excellence Program, a pilot voucher program in New Orleans designed to offer students an alternative to attending a failing public school. The voucher program gives parents of eligible students in New Orleans the choice of attending non-public schools that have agreed to participate in the program, and the state pays the tuition.
As a district of choice, Orleans families have multiple education options, including the voucher program. There has been great focus on the reforms inside the Recovery School District (RSD) and the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB). With the recent test score release, we now have data to begin evaluating the performance of voucher students. Continue reading
If we look at the high school data from 2005 to 2010, we can come to certain conclusions:
Pre-Katrina, the state measured the annual dropout rate for each district by analyzing the October 1 student counts to determine how many students dropped out from one year to the next. Back in 2005, New Orleans had an annual dropout rate of 11.4%, compared to a state average of 7%. (For every 100 high school students enrolled in 2004, 11.4 of them dropped out of school by 2005 – a total of 2139 students!) This was the third worst dropout rate in the state behind two small rural parishes – Red River and East Carroll. To view the 2004-2005 dropout report, click here. Continue reading
Historically, New Orleans did a dismal job helping their seniors cross the finish line. In fact, in spring, 2005, the last year all the schools were under the Orleans Parish School Board, only 79% of New Orleans seniors graduated, tying Madison Parish for the worst record in the state. Thus, for every 100 seniors, 21 did not get to walk across the stage and receive diplomas.
The percent of seniors graduating has risen dramatically since 2005.
This year, 90% of seniors graduated, allowing 270 additional seniors to proudly participate in graduation ceremonies.
In 2005, 79% of seniors graduated.
In 2010, 90% of seniors graduated – an 11 point increase.
For a list of post-Katrina (2007-2010) graduation rates by school, click here.
The GEE
The Graduation Exit Exam (GEE) tests 10th and 11th graders in English, Math, Science and Social Studies.
Since 2005, New Orleans test results have grown more than the state in all subjects.
Pre-Katrina, high schools in New Orleans were sharply divided between high performing, selective admissions schools and low performing (many the lowest in the state) open admissions high schools.
In 2005, 67% of high schoolers (grades 9-12) attended a failing school.
While a failing school has a School Performance Score (SPS) of less than 60, the majority of New Orleans’ failing high schools were the worst schools in the state, with scores below 30.
The high schools governed by the Orleans Parish School Board were the first to reopen after the storm. Some of their highly selective schools reduced or eliminated their admissions criteria to help get students back in school and to bring their student enrollment closer to pre-Katrina levels. This change in student make-up contributed to a drop in their SPS scores.
As a result, today we have fewer 3, 4, and 5 star schools and more 1 and 2 star schools.
The good news: Significantly fewer students are attending failing schools.
Using either the 2009 SPS scores or the spring 2010 test
scores, Educate Now! estimates that in 2010 only 36% of students in grades 9-12 attended failing schools. This is marked improvement!
View 2005 high schools with student population and performance rankings.
View 2010 high schools with student population and performance rankings.
In addition to the schools that were one star or higher in 2009, Educate Now! calculated three additional high schools should have a 2010 Growth Performance Score* of 60 or higher:
O. Perry Walker, Algiers Technical Academy and Thurgood Marshall Early College High School. Congrats to all three!
Unfortunately, while the percent of students attending a failing high school has dropped, so has the percent of students attending a high performing high school – from 21% in 2005 to 10% in 2010.
We can and should be able to have non selective high schools that are high performing. Educate Now! wants to shine the spotlight on Sci Academy. Their 10th grade GEE scores were excellent -the third highest in the city behind Ben Franklin and Lusher. Sci Academy proves that open admission high schools can excel; our challenge is for more of them to do so.
* Growth performance scores use only the most recent year of data. A school performance score averages two years of data.
The high school landscape in New Orleans is very different now than it was pre-Katrina, but it is still possible to make valid comparisons between 2005 and 2010 to determine how education reform is affecting our high school students.
There are critics who claim that New Orleans high school students are no better off, and may be even worse off, than they were before Katrina. This is not correct.
Without a doubt:
1. High Schools Are Better
In 2005, 67% of high school students (grades 9-12) attended a failing high school. In 2010, this percentage dropped to 36%* – a huge improvement!
2. More Students Are Performing Basic or Above:
In 2005, only 40% of students scored Basic or above on the English section of the Graduation Exit Exam (GEE), compared to 52% this year. Math gains are even more impressive, with a 21 point gain: 39% in 2005 to 60% in 2010.
3. Senior Graduation Rates Are Up:
In 2005, only 79% of seniors graduated. This year, 90% of seniors graduated – an 11 point jump.
Our high schools are far from perfect, but the improvements in school and student performance provide a basis for optimism.
* This is an estimate based on 2010 test scores. See below for more details.
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