Louisiana students maintain LEAP gains made over last two years

By Emily Burleigh

Following two years of student proficiency growth, Louisiana students “maintained recent gains.”

The Louisiana Department of Education released LEAP results for the 2023-24 school year Wednesday morning.

LEAP is the state test that measures core subject proficiency. The data indicated the progress the state made in recovering COVID-19-related learning loss has plateaued.

The state’s overall mastery rate — the percentage of students who scored mastery or above on LEAP — for students in grades 3 through 8 is 34 percent and for high school is 36 percent. The combined mastery rate is 35 percent. According to the LDOE, these are the same rates as last year.

“Obviously, we understand that in a state that has been long challenged, we have a long way to go,” said state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley. “But we have made progress over the last few years, and we are pleased to report that our students have maintained those gains.”

ELA mastery rates for grades 3, 5, 6 and 7 are an area of improvement. ELA mastery rates declined for grades 4 and 8.

For math and science, students in grades 3 through 8 maintained previous mastery rates.

Notably, the number of students scoring the lowest achievement level, unsatisfactory, decreased when compared to last year in grades 3 through 12.

Additionally, the overall mastery rate for students with disabilities in grades 3-8 improved for the third year in a row.

Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Ronnie Morris said in a release that the 2024 LEAP data is “encouraging,” stating that the State’s focus on literacy initiatives and foundational skills is “beginning to bear fruit.”

“The influence of those efforts will only increase, and while work remains to be done, our state remains steady on the path to improve outcomes and close achievement gaps,” he said.

“Certainly we believe with some of the policies that we’re putting in place for next academic year, that once again we’ll see an increase moving forward,” Brumley said.

These changes include the “let teachers teach” initiative, revised accountability system and high-dosage tutoring.

Social students’ results were not available for 2024, as LDOE is developing an assessment for the State’s new social studies standards.

Local scores

The Calcasieu and Cameron parish school districts were highlighted for statewide top performance.

The Cameron Parish system ranked as a top system for achievement, with a 44 percent achievement rate. For the 2023-24 school year, Johnson Bayou High was recognized as a top school for growth with a 13-point improvement.

In Calcasieu Parish, Pearl Watson Elementary was also ranked as a top school for growth with 13 points of growth. T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet is a top school for achievement, with 91 percent scoring Mastery or above.

New CPSB Superintendent Jason VanMetre said in a release that Pearl Waston and T.S. Cooley’s rankings do “not come as a surprise.”

“We know the level of work being put in on these campuses, and others, daily,” he said. “We look forward to seeing even more progress this next year as we continue to focus our efforts on both student growth and teacher growth.”

Three other elementary and middle schools showed “significant growth:” LeBleu Settlement by 7 points, and S.P. Arnett Middle and Gillis Elementary by 6 points. Barbe High School showed the highest growth in proficiency with a 4-point increase.

The statewide percentage of students in grades 3 through 8 scoring Mastery or above in ELA, Math and Science remained the same, at 34 percent. The Cameron Parish school district also remained the same with 41 percent of students scoring Mastery and above.

Allen and Calcasieu parish school districts improved by one percentage point; 36 percent of Allen Parish and 40 percent of Calcasieu Parish students in grades 3 through 8 scored at least mastery.

The Beauregard, Jefferson Davis and Vernon Parish school districts performed lower by one percentage point: Beauregard at 35 percent, Jefferson Davis at 35 percent and Vernon at 38 percent.