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Gov. Bobby Jindal continued his school visits today in Calcasieu Parish at Westlake High School. Both Westlake High School and Calcasieu Parish as a whole are utilizing education reforms pushed by Jindal, and they are adopting innovative programs to improve graduation rates and prepare students for success in college and in the workforce.
As the Governor puts together his education reform plan, he is visiting schools around the state to meet with educators and get a firsthand look at how Louisiana schools are pursuing innovative reforms that improve student outcomes. At these visits, the Governor is seeking input from superintendents, school board members, administrators, principals, teachers, students and parents about how best to improve Louisiana’s education system.
Westlake High School is one of the best performing schools in Calcasieu Parish, and in the entire state, with a School Performance Score of 121.7, up from 105.3 in 2010, and also above the statewide average of 93.9. Westlake High School not only met its School Performance Score Growth target for 2011, but has already surpassed the statewide goal for 2014 of 120.
“I got a call from the governor with a request to visit a school in Calcasieu Parish,” said Wayne Savoy, Calcasieu Parish Superintendent. Westlake High was chosen as the school after recommendations and considerations. Principal Lee Crick made the decision to send him to Morgan Bertrand’s biology class.
More than 74 percent of students are performing on grade level, higher than the statewide average of 67 percent, and Westlake High School earned an A-plus on the new letter grade reports Governor Jindal signed into law. The plus sign indicates that not only does Westlake High School have high student achievement, but it also met its growth target for 2011.
Jindal said, “Today we visited Westlake High school to see how school and parish leaders have implemented reforms to improve graduation rates and prepare students for continued success in college and the workforce. Educators here have embraced and enacted reforms, including the Link Crew and the Ninth Grade Academy, to help entering freshman acclimate to high school and put them on a path toward graduation.
“Calcasieu Parish as a whole has also taken steps to give students greater flexibility to take courses after normal school hours at alternative locations like the facility at the Prien Lake Mall, at the school library, or in the students’ own homes through virtual education.
“Calcasieu Parish has also been a state model for Advancement Placement courses and exam passage rates. Utilizing a grant to train teachers in the AP curriculum, Calcasieu Parish now has one of the highest numbers of AP trained teachers, one of the highest numbers of AP courses offered, and some of the highest AP test passage rates of any parish in the state. Westlake High also has strong dual enrollment relationships with McNeese and SOWELA.”
The AP and dual enrollment programs not only offer students the opportunity to receive college credit while they are in high school, but the exposure to college level material better prepares them for success as they further their studies.”
Westlake High School operates a senior-freshman mentoring program called the Link Crew. The Link Crew is a high school transition program created by the Boomerang Project whose purpose is to welcome freshmen, make them more comfortable in their first high school year, and guide and advise them towards success. It aims to increase attendance, decrease discipline referrals and improve academic performance.
Westlake High School is also participating in the Ninth Grade Academy Program, or Everybody Graduates. Everybody Graduates. teaches districts how to use data to identify at-risk students and then provides them with interventions to ensure they advance on time and ultimately graduate with their ninth grade class. The graduation rate at Westlake High School is 86.3 percent, which is above the state average of 70.9 percent.
At Westlake High School, Governor Jindal met with Calcasieu Parish Superintendent Wayne Savoy, Westlake High School Principal Lee Crick, Westlake High School Assistant Principal and Ninth Grade Academy Coordinator Jon Powers, Westlake High School Assistant Principal Carl McGee, Westlake High School Guidance Counselor Cheryl Havard, Westlake High School Curriculum Director Pat Deville, and Westlake High School Director of Career and Technical Education Roger Creel. Governor Jindal visited a tenth grade biology class taught by Morgann Bertrand.
Gov. Bobby Jindal continued his school visits today in Calcasieu Parish at Westlake High School. Both Westlake High School and Calcasieu Parish as a whole are utilizing education reforms pushed by Jindal, and they are adopting innovative programs to improve graduation rates and prepare students for success in college and in the workforce.
As the Governor puts together his education reform plan, he is visiting schools around the state to meet with educators and get a firsthand look at how Louisiana schools are pursuing innovative reforms that improve student outcomes. At these visits, the Governor is seeking input from superintendents, school board members, administrators, principals, teachers, students and parents about how best to improve Louisiana’s education system.
Westlake High School is one of the best performing schools in Calcasieu Parish, and in the entire state, with a School Performance Score of 121.7, up from 105.3 in 2010, and also above the statewide average of 93.9. Westlake High School not only met its School Performance Score Growth target for 2011, but has already surpassed the statewide goal for 2014 of 120.
“I got a call from the governor with a request to visit a school in Calcasieu Parish,” said Wayne Savoy, Calcasieu Parish Superintendent. Westlake High was chosen as the school after recommendations and considerations. Principal Lee Crick made the decision to send him to Morgan Bertrand’s biology class.
More than 74 percent of students are performing on grade level, higher than the statewide average of 67 percent, and Westlake High School earned an A-plus on the new letter grade reports Governor Jindal signed into law. The plus sign indicates that not only does Westlake High School have high student achievement, but it also met its growth target for 2011.
Jindal said, “Today we visited Westlake High school to see how school and parish leaders have implemented reforms to improve graduation rates and prepare students for continued success in college and the workforce. Educators here have embraced and enacted reforms, including the Link Crew and the Ninth Grade Academy, to help entering freshman acclimate to high school and put them on a path toward graduation.
“Calcasieu Parish as a whole has also taken steps to give students greater flexibility to take courses after normal school hours at alternative locations like the facility at the Prien Lake Mall, at the school library, or in the students’ own homes through virtual education.
“Calcasieu Parish has also been a state model for Advancement Placement courses and exam passage rates. Utilizing a grant to train teachers in the AP curriculum, Calcasieu Parish now has one of the highest numbers of AP trained teachers, one of the highest numbers of AP courses offered, and some of the highest AP test passage rates of any parish in the state. Westlake High also has strong dual enrollment relationships with McNeese and SOWELA.”
The AP and dual enrollment programs not only offer students the opportunity to receive college credit while they are in high school, but the exposure to college level material better prepares them for success as they further their studies.”
Westlake High School operates a senior-freshman mentoring program called the Link Crew. The Link Crew is a high school transition program created by the Boomerang Project whose purpose is to welcome freshmen, make them more comfortable in their first high school year, and guide and advise them towards success. It aims to increase attendance, decrease discipline referrals and improve academic performance.
Westlake High School is also participating in the Ninth Grade Academy Program, or Everybody Graduates. Everybody Graduates. teaches districts how to use data to identify at-risk students and then provides them with interventions to ensure they advance on time and ultimately graduate with their ninth grade class. The graduation rate at Westlake High School is 86.3 percent, which is above the state average of 70.9 percent.
At Westlake High School, Governor Jindal met with Calcasieu Parish Superintendent Wayne Savoy, Westlake High School Principal Lee Crick, Westlake High School Assistant Principal and Ninth Grade Academy Coordinator Jon Powers, Westlake High School Assistant Principal Carl McGee, Westlake High School Guidance Counselor Cheryl Havard, Westlake High School Curriculum Director Pat Deville, and Westlake High School Director of Career and Technical Education Roger Creel. Governor Jindal visited a tenth grade biology class taught by Morgann Bertrand.
