Fourth and eighth graders in Bossier Schools fared well on the 2013-14 LEAP state assessment exams, with nearly 680 more students being tested this year compared to last and after implementation of a new curriculum.
An additional 595 fourth graders enrolled in Bossier Schools took the LEAP test, yet the pass rate remained the same at 87-percent. Eighth grade scores dipped four points to a 78-percent promotional rate with an additional 81 students taking the LEAP.
Bossier Schools Superintendent D.C. Machen said, “We anticipated there would be a decrease in test scores statewide as we moved to align with Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) and are pleased there was no decline in the fourth grade promotional standard and a minimal decrease in the eighth grade promotional standard.”
Vicky Lynch, Supervisor of Accountability, School Improvement and Testing, noted the scores were reflective of a number of gains and tremendous improvement.
“In third grade English Language Arts (ELA), Bossier went from 32-percent in 2011-12 to 41-percent this year for Advanced/Mastery,” Lynch said. “This growth reflects the results of instruction based on CCSS. District-wide the percentage of students scoring Advanced and Mastery in ELA is 34-percent compared to the state 27-percent; and in Math, 30-percent compared to the state 26-percent.”
At the middle school level, all three grade levels increased anywhere from two to five-percent in the number of students achieving Mastery and Advanced. Lynch credited the professional development implemented under a Math Science Partnership grant for gains in math as well as a six-percent increase in science scores among seventh graders.
“We are extremely proud of these gains each of these schools and students attained,” Superintendent Machen said. “This clearly indicates our teachers have worked extremely hard to ensure the daily instructional strategies used better prepare our students to become 21st century learners.”
