Ascension Parish students score among the best in state assessment tests – The Advocate

When the Louisiana Department of Education recently released statewide data showing participation and achievement levels on state assessments during the 2020-21 school year, Ascension public schools, along with Central and Zachary, led the state in the percentage of students who achieved mastery and advanced in all grades and all subjects.

In addition, Ascension and St. Tammany had the highest percentage of students with disabilities who scored mastery and advanced in all grades and all subjects.

"We applaud our students who put forth a tremendous amount of effort, our teachers who were directly responsible for student learning, and all of the people who protected and supported the work in our classrooms and in virtual learning environments, especially during a global pandemic," Superintendent David Alexander said.

"Of course, we are happy to see the achievement levels our students were able to reach, but the statistic I am most proud of is that 99.5% of students participated in state testing. That speaks directly to their perseverance and commitment to academic improvement.

"We will use this data to inform our work this year in closing achievement gaps and preparing students to successfully pursue the careers of their choice."

Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today.

In addition to state testing participation and achievement rates, the Department of Education released high school performance metrics. The graduation rate for Ascension Public Schools grew from 88.7% in 2019 to 91.1% in 2020, far surpassing the state average of 84%. Also, 67.5% of all Ascension graduates earned either an advanced or basic credential and 63.5% enrolled in college in the fall immediately after graduation.

"The commitment and effort of our teachers, staff, and students are not defined by statewide assessments," Alexander said. "However, we are very grateful that their commitment and effort resulted in such great outcomes which will be used to inform our work."

LEAP 2025 includes assessments of English language arts, math, science and social studies for grades 3-12. The tests measure the knowledge and skills defined by the states content standards for each grade. Student scores are reported on five levels: unsatisfactory, approaching basic, basic, mastery or advanced. Students scoring mastery and advanced are considered proficient, or ready for the next grade level.

Read this article:

Ascension Parish students score among the best in state assessment tests - The Advocate