LAKE CHARLES–The preliminary test scores were released on Wednesday, and Calcasieu Parish test takers posted the best test scores ever according to Calcasieu Parish School Superintendent Wayne Savoy.
“If you look at the data, you are going to see that Calcasieu Parish has done very well,” Savoy said.
“It’s probably one of the best times in our educational lives as it relates to the performance of children. We are very proud of our success in the 30 areas we test in.”
Of the 30 assessments taken by Calcasieu Parish students between the third grade and high school, the parish saw improvement in 24 of the tests with only three tests that declined in scores from 2008.
“That is absolutely phenomenal,” said Calcasieu Parish Accountability Coordinator Judy Vail on the improvement of the test scores.
Subjects that saw a decline in test scores were sixth grade science, eighth grade math, and 11th grade social studies.
One of the most improved groups in Calcasieu were the the seventh graders who took the iLEAP. There was improvement in the percentage of students who took the seventh grade iLEAP and made a basic or above in every subject from 2008, including a 12-percent improvement in math.
In the high stakes tests, the parish saw a one-percent decrease in the amount of failures in the fourth grade from a 19-percent in 2008 to an 18-percent in 2009. In the eighth grade, the district saw a two-percent increase in the amount of failures from 23-percent in 2008 to 25-percent this year.
One of the biggest findings in this year’s test scores was that students in every grade from three through eleven improved on their total test score. This has never happened under Savoy as superintendent.
“What I’m excited about is that we are continually trying to improve,” Savoy commented on the improvement.
“It’s about continuous improvement and that’s the way a district needs to go. And I’m very pleased with that.”
The parish also saw an increase in the amount of mastery or advanced scores for eighth graders. For Calcasieu, there was a five-percent increase from nine-percent in 2008 to 14 percent in 2009 in the amount of students who tested in the mastery or advanced range.
The school reports which measure the growth and baseline will not be issued until the fall.
Major improvements for Calcasieu Parish:
•Fourth and eighth Grade LEAP Assessments: Gains in six of eight tests from 2008 to 2009
•10th and 11th Grade GEE Assessments: Gains in three of four tests from 2008 to 2009; one declined
•iLEAP Scores: 15/18 assessments increased from 2008 to 2009
•Fourth Grade LEAP: Percent failing students decreased from 2008 to 2009
