Louisiana Department of Education

Louisiana Department of Education Post Office Box 94064 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804-9064 (225) 342-3600 Fax: (225) 342-0193 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: August 3, Contact: Doug Myers, (225) 342-3600, Fax: (225) 342-0193 LIST OF LOUISIANA PUBLIC SCHOOLS THAT MUST OFFER CHOICE RELEASED BATON ROUGE, La. Students in at least 151 and up to 180 of Louisiana s 1,525 public schools must be offered the right or choice to transfer to other public schools, according to preliminary school accountability results released Wednesday. Local school districts where these schools are located are required to cover the costs for transportation for students requesting choice transfers. In addition, 56 of the schools must also offer students the opportunity for tutoring from stateapproved vendors, or Supplemental Educational Services (SES), based on federal regulations. SES is defined by the U.S. Department of Education as tutoring or extra help provided to students in reading, language arts/english, and math from approved providers. This extra help can be provided before or after school, on weekends, or during the summer Louisiana s Accountability System calls for continuous improvement in student achievement, attendance and dropout rates. s receive numerical scores known as Performance Scores based on their students test scores on LEAP/GEE and The Iowa Tests, as well as their dropout and attendance records. s scoring below 60 are considered Academically Unacceptable. Overall, 175 or about 12 percent of Louisiana s 1,525 public schools have been deemed Academically Unacceptable. Altogether, 151 must offer choice and will be in Improvement 2 (SI2) or higher. For the remaining 24 Academically Unacceptable schools, the Department of Education is recommending that the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education grant them a 1-year waiver because these schools were Academic Warning s in 2004 but have a 1-year growth Performance Score of 60 or above. If the waiver is granted, these schools will not face SI2 sanctions, including school choice, for the -2006 school year. Another five schools failed the Subgroup Component for two or more consecutive years in the same subject and therefore may have to offer choice if they are Title I schools. (s recommended for this waiver are listed in a table on Page 3 of this release.) While the 175 school figure is an increase over the 78 schools identified as Academically Unacceptable in 2004, the increase is due to rising standards in the Accountability Program. In 1999, a school was Academically Unacceptable if it had a Performance Score of 30 or below. In 2003, the bar was raised to a score of below 45. This year, any school with a Performance Score below 60 is Academically Unacceptable. The total number of Academically Unacceptable s is significantly less than what state officials predicted last year when it was estimated as many as 250 schools would be Academically Unacceptable under the new, higher standard. 1

It is also far fewer than the 456 schools or 33 percent that scored below 60 when they were first judged under the state s Accountability System (388 K-8 schools in 1999 and 68 high schools in 2001). We continue to raise our standards and our schools continue to rise to our higher expectations, and I am very proud of that, State Superintendent of Education Cecil J. Picard said. This is clearly evidenced by the drop in the numbers and percentages of schools scoring below 60 since we began our school improvement journey. Although I realize much still needs to be done, I am encouraged by this trend. The principle behind our accountability system is simple reward schools that grow academically and assist schools and students who need help and our nationally acclaimed Accountability System is accomplishing just that, State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Glenny Lee Buquet said. With our track record, I expect many of these schools can exit Improvement in years to come, but it won t be easy. Local and district leadership must take this seriously and increase their targeted efforts. Academically Unacceptable schools enter Improvement 2 and are required to offer choice, in addition to revising their Improvement Plan and being provided a District Assistance Team. In each consecutive year that an Academically Unacceptable school does not meet its Growth Target, or year-to-year goal, the school moves to a higher level of Improvement. Each higher level of Improvement has more stringent consequences for the school. s identified for Improvement 2 through subgroup criteria must offer choice if they are Title I schools. Non-Title I schools will not have to offer choice but will have to implement other requirements for Improvement 2 such as school improvement plans and District Assistance Teams. The state plans to release Performance Scores and Subgroup Component results for the remaining public schools later this year. In order for students to be offered the choice to attend other public schools or to receive free tutoring services at the beginning of the school year, the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires schools that have not met AYP and are in Improvement be identified by the beginning of each school year. Results for these schools are preliminary and will be verified for the final release later this year. More schools could be identified as Academically Unacceptable at that later release. Of the 180 schools in Improvement 2 or higher, 73 are in Parish. The others are located in the following districts, including: 22 in East Baton Rouge Parish 18 in Caddo Parish 15 in Parish 4 in City of Monroe District 3 each in Calcasieu Parish, Concordia Parish, East Feliciana Parish, Natchitoches Parish, Pointe Coupee Parish, Rapides Parish, and Tangipahoa Parish 2 each in Avoyelles Parish, Iberia Parish, Madison Parish, Morehouse Parish, Richland Parish, and St. Helena Parish 1 each in Ascension Parish, DeSoto Parish, East Carroll Parish, Franklin Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lafourche Parish, Ouachita Parish, St. James Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Mary Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Union Parish 1 BESE Special Louisiana for the Deaf 2

2 Charter schools East Baton Rouge Arts and Technology and Milestone SABIS Academy of New One-hundred and seventy-five of the 180 schools entering Improvement 2 or higher for were identified because their Performance Score was below 60. Five other schools were identified through subgroup criteria requiring schools to improve in each of nine subgroups in English/Language Arts and Math for two consecutive years in a row. Additionally, 48 of the Academically Unacceptable s did not meet the Subgroup Component requirements in addition to being Academically Unacceptable. The following table contains those schools with a Growth above 60. The Department of Education is recommending that BESE grant these schools a waiver from accountability sanctions, as it has done in prior years when standards have increased. Avoyelles District 2004 Growth Goal Improvement Level Louisiana for the Agricultural Sciences 56.2 61.3 62.4 59.1 2 Caddo Atkins Elementary 53.4 63.7 59.7 58.9 2 Caddo Ingersoll Elementary 58.7 61.2 64.3 59.1 2 Caddo Westwood Elementary 55.4 66 61.5 59.3 2 East Baton Rouge Banks Elementary 47.6 61.4 54.1 55.3 2 East Baton Rouge Delmont Elementary 48.4 63.6 55.1 58.1 2 East Baton Rouge Greenville Elementary 54.9 60.3 60.8 53.6 2 East Baton Rouge Lanier Elementary 58.7 63.6 64.5 58.7 2 East Baton Rouge Merrydale Elementary 54.9 60.9 60.9 55.4 2 East Baton Rouge Polk Elementary 55.2 63.1 61.2 59 2 East Feliciana Jackson Elementary 56.5 61.4 62.3 55.7 2 Iberia Hopkins Street Elementary 56.6 67.7 62.1 59.5 2 Natchitoches Natchitoches Junior High 57.7 61.3 63.4 59.7 2 Ray Abrams Elementary 46.8 62.9 53.6 55.2 2 Agnes L. Bauduit Elementary 48.2 68.1 54.7 56.1 2 Bienville Elementary 53.4 63.1 59.7 57 2 A.D. Crossman Elementary 54.4 67.5 60.1 59.6 2 Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial 55.1 60.2 61 57.5 2 Little Woods Elementary 51.6 63.7 58 57 2 Benjamin Banneker Elementary 55.9 61.5 61.3 58.9 2 Avery Alexander 58.5 60.5 64.5 57.8 2 Pointe Coupee Upper Pointe Coupee Elementary 49.3 60.2 55.6 55.6 2 Richland Rayville Junior High 54.6 65.6 60.6 58.8 2 City of Monroe District Lincoln Elementary 57.9 66.8 63.6 59.2 2 In the following tables: * denotes alternative school ** indicates a closed school. Districts are required by BESE policy to consult with the Louisiana Department of Education to determine that the needs of students transferred from closed schools in SI2 or higher are met. There are another 95 schools that are Academically Unacceptable that must implement the requirements of Improvement 2, which include offering public school choice, rewriting their Improvement Plan, being provided a District Assistance Team, and setting aside 10 percent of Title I funds for professional development. 3

District 4 2004 Growth Goal Improvement Level East Baton Rouge Capitol Senior High** 39.4 46.7 46.7 44.3 2 Ascension Donaldsonville High 57.9 57.6 63.5 59.1 2 Avoyelles Bunkie Middle 62.5 49.2 67.8 56.8 2 Caddo Barret Elementary 47.5 56.8 53.9 48.3 2 Caddo Caddo Heights Elementary 49.9 53.9 56.4 51.1 2 Caddo Central Elementary 49.6 52.8 56.1 50.6 2 Caddo J. S. Clark Middle 47.7 46.7 54.1 47.7 2 Caddo Fair Park High 48.2 48.5 54.5 48.8 2 Caddo Green Oaks High 54.8 52.6 60.5 56.2 2 Caddo Linear Middle 47.9 47.6 54.5 49.6 2 Caddo Linwood Middle 46.3 49.1 52.9 47.5 2 Mooretown Elementary Professional Caddo Developmental 48.4 56.1 55.4 50.2 2 Caddo Oak Park Elementary 50 53.4 56.4 51.7 2 Caddo Queensborough Elementary 55.8 54.6 61.7 54.5 2 Caddo Sunset Acres Elementary 49.1 52 55.7 49.6 2 Caddo Booker T. Washington High 49.4 50.6 55.7 55.2 2 Caddo Woodlawn High 45.1 44.1 51.6 49.2 2 Calcasieu Lake Charles/Boston High 58.6 57.4 64.1 57.1 2 Calcasieu Ray D. Molo Middle Magnet 53.1 59.6 59.1 56.9 2 Calcasieu Reynaud Middle 45.5 48.9 52 49.3 2 Concordia Ferriday Junior High 52.8 54.5 59.1 54.2 2 Concordia Ferriday Lower Elementary 53.5 59.1 59.8 55.7 2 Concordia Ferriday Upper Elementary 53.5 59.1 59.8 55.7 2 DeSoto Mansfield Middle 63.7 56.4 68.8 59.9 2 East Baton Rouge Capitol Middle 48.8 45.2 55.3 48.5 2 East Baton Rouge Claiborne Elementary 51.8 58.8 58 56.6 2 East Baton Rouge Crestworth Middle 49.2 45.4 55.8 48 2 East Baton Rouge Dalton Elementary 48.5 56.4 55.3 51.1 2 East Baton Rouge Eden Park Elementary 56.1 50.8 62 51.6 2 East Baton Rouge Highland Elementary 55.3 58.6 61.1 57.4 2 East Baton Rouge Howell Park Elementary 52.4 57.6 58.6 53.7 2 East Baton Rouge Istrouma Senior High 50.9 54.4 57.2 57.2 2 East Baton Rouge Kenilworth Middle 54.3 53.3 60 53.2 2 East Baton Rouge Park Elementary 50.4 50.4 56.9 49.5 2 East Baton Rouge Park Forest Middle 54.7 53.3 60.6 53.4 2 East Baton Rouge Winbourne Elementary 46.7 49.6 53.4 45.7 2 Community For Apprenticeship East Baton Rouge Learning 41.1 49 47.9 47.5 2 East Carroll Lake Providence Junior High 51 47.3 57.6 51.7 2 East Feliciana Clinton High 57.2 53.6 63.2 58.4 2 East Feliciana Jackson Middle 59.4 57.2 64.9 58.9 2 Franklin Winnsboro Elementary 46.4 45.6 53 46 2 Iberia Jeanerette Middle 56.6 57.7 62.3 58.2 2 Gretna Middle 49.2 52.1 55.3 52.5 2 L.W. Higgins High 59.1 49.1 64.7 57.5 2 Lincoln Elementary 46.5 48.2 53.4 47.3 2 Kate Middleton Elementary 48.4 55.4 54.8 52.3 2 L.W. Ruppel Elementary 38.7 52.8 46.1 46 2 West High 64 38.3 69.1 53.8 2 Woodmere Elementary 59.3 58 64.9 58.6 2 Lucille Cherbonnier Elementary 55.7 58 61.6 56.4 2 Ralph J. Bunche Middle 48.9 50.8 54.9 50.3 2 Lafayette N. P. Moss Middle 49.5 54.2 55.9 52.8 2

Madison Reuben McCall Junior High 49.4 50 56 51.9 2 Madison Tallulah Junior High 52.2 47.4 58.6 47.8 2 Natchitoches North Natchitoches Elementary 55.7 59.5 61.5 57.1 2 Natchitoches George L. Parks Elementary 52 53.2 58.2 55.2 2 Martin Behrman Elementary 47 54.5 53.8 49.9 2 Village de l'est Elementary 55.3 57.5 60.5 54.9 2 Lawrence D. Crocker Elementary 53.4 54.3 59.6 54.6 2 Paul L. Dunbar Elementary 45.7 49.9 52.7 49.5 2 Thomas Alva Edison Elementary 49.7 49.4 56.4 49.3 2 William Frantz Elementary 51.6 46.8 57.8 47 2 Oretha Castle Haley Elementary 48.7 51.4 55.5 47.3 2 Harney Elementary 36.8 53.5 44.7 46.3 2 Murray Henderson Middle 32.5 40.9 40.6 38.7 2 Andrew Jackson Elementary 44.2 57.8 51.3 56 2 Laurel Elementary 55.2 43.6 61.1 44.5 2 Barbara Jordan Elementary 64.2 55.5 69.2 58 2 Lorraine Hansberry Elementary 47.3 47.1 53.9 49 2 Julius Rosenwald Accelerated 56.1 59.6 62 56.4 2 John A. Shaw Elementary 47.7 40.9 54.6 44.4 2 Langston Hughes Elementary 48.1 55.4 55.1 54.8 2 Sylvanie F. Williams 48.8 51.8 55.3 51.5 2 Andrew H. Wilson Elementary 47.7 57.4 54.5 49.5 2 Frances Gaudet Elementary 49.4 53.4 56.1 49.4 2 James M. Singleton Charter Middle 34.6 49.9 42.9 42.4 2 New High Signature Centers 37.9 59 45.7 49.4 2 Ouachita Richwood High 50.9 50.7 57.3 50.2 2 Pointe Coupee Rosenwald Elementary 47.9 57.8 54.3 49.4 2 Rapides Arthur F. Smith Middle Magnet 58.1 59.6 63.7 57.4 2 Rapides Reed Avenue Elementary 63.7 59.8 68.6 56.1 2 Rapides Alma Redwine Elementary 54.5 55.9 60.7 51.9 2 Richland Delhi High 58.5 53.7 64.5 54.9 2 St. Helena St. Helena Central High 64.8 42.5 69.8 54.2 2 St. Helena St. Helena Central Middle 56 44.2 61.8 51.4 2 St. James Romeville Elementary 49.3 55.2 55.6 50.5 2 St. John the Baptist Glade 57.1 58.7 62.7 57.7 2 St. Mary Thomas Gibbs Elementary 53 50.7 58.8 53.5 2 Union Lillie Middle** 53.4 58.8 59.6 57 2 Tangipahoa Roseland Elementary 59.4 58.7 64.9 59.9 2 City of Monroe District Carroll Junior High 52.3 50.8 58.5 54.4 2 City of Monroe District Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle 53.3 58.6 59.4 57.8 2 Louisiana for the Deaf Louisiana for the Deaf 50 33.5 53.5 35 2 East Baton Rouge Arts and Technology East Baton Rouge Arts and Technology 60.4 48.5 66 49.1 2 Milestone SABIS Academy of New Milestone SABIS Academy of New N/A N/A N/A 55 2 There are four additional schools in Improvement 2 because they did not meet the Subgroup Component requirements, even though they have Performance Scores above 60. Stella Worley Junior High in Parish is also in Improvement 2, although it met the Subgroup Component requirements this year. According to NCLB, once a school enters Improvement 2 for not meeting Subgroup Component requirements for 2 consecutive years, the school must meet these requirements for 2 consecutive years before the school can exit Improvement 2. If any of these schools are a Title I school, they must offer choice in addition to the requirements listed above for all Improvement 2 schools. Any of these schools that are not Title I schools are not required to offer school choice. 5

Lafourche Terrebonne Alfred Bonnabel High John Ehret High Stella Worley Junior High Raceland Middle Ellender Memorial High Twenty schools are in Improvement 3. They must continue to offer school choice and rewrite their Improvement Plans with the support of a District Assistance Team. They are eligible for a Distinguished Educator if their district enters into a partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education. If these schools are Title I schools, they must also offer Supplemental Educational Services, which is defined by the U.S. Department of Education as tutoring or extra help provided to students in reading, language arts/english, and math from approved providers. This extra help can be provided before or after school, on weekends, or in the summer. District 2004 Growth Goal Improvement Level Frederick Douglass Elementary 42.8 48.5 49.5 45.3 3 Bonella A. St. Ville Elementary 34.3 43.7 41.8 40.8 3 Gretna #2 Kindergarten Center 42.8 48.5 49.5 45.3 3 Morehouse Career Center* 15.1 19.6 24.4 22.5 3 Morehouse Morehouse Alternative * 32.6 26 40.6 29.5 3 Marion Abramson Senior High 29.4 30.6 37.7 31.2 3 Mary Church Terrell Elementary 42.8 42.8 50 46 3 Helen S. Edwards Elementary 44.9 50.6 51.7 47.8 3 Fisk-Howard Elementary 39.3 52 46.3 46.4 3 L.B. Landry High 27.9 39.3 36.2 36.2 3 Louis Armstrong Elementary 40.7 43.5 48.1 38.9 3 McDonogh #42 Elementary 38.6 50 45.8 43.8 3 Vorice Jackson Waters Elementary 34.6 49.9 42.6 40 3 Albert Wicker Elementary 37.6 36.2 45.3 40.8 3 Sarah Towles Reed Senior High 39.1 41.3 46.5 42.7 3 O. P. Walker Senior High 34.4 40.7 42.4 41.1 3 Martin L. King Middle 35.6 45.5 43.6 41.3 3 Pointe Coupee Pointe Coupee Central High 41.1 43.1 48.1 43 3 Tangipahoa Northwood High * 31.2 20.4 38.9 29.8 3 City of Monroe District Sherrouse Academic Center* 32.9 28.2 41.2 27.4 3 Twenty-eight schools are in Improvement 4. They must continue to offer school choice. If they receive Title I funds, they must also offer Supplemental Educational Services. In addition, they must now develop a Reconstitution Plan and submit it to BESE for approval by Dec. 31, as well as select some other improvement measure from the Corrective Action List in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. They remain eligible for a Distinguished Educator if their district enters into a partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education. District 2004 Growth Goal Improvement Level 6

Caddo Bethune Middle 40.8 43.2 47.9 42.9 4 East Baton Rouge Glen Oaks Middle 44.2 41.7 51.1 44 4 Florence J. Chester Elementary 33.9 38.4 41.5 35.9 4 Joseph S. Clark Senior High 17.9 14.7 27.3 14.6 4 Walter L. Cohen High 16.9 22.7 26.2 21.4 4 Joseph A. Craig 42.8 59.9 49.8 53 4 Alcee Fortier High 16.3 16.6 25.7 17 4 F.W. Gregory Junior High 41.8 47.4 49.3 44.6 4 Joseph A. Hardin ** 39 31.6 46.4 33.6 4 James Weldon Johnson 37.7 44.1 44.9 41.9 4 Valena C. Jones Elementary 36.3 42.4 44.2 40.3 4 John F. Kennedy Senior High 25.3 26.9 34.3 26.1 4 Lafayette Elementary 42.7 47.3 49.8 44.4 4 Lawless High 28.8 31.6 36.9 30 4 McDonogh #28 Middle 33.9 65.4 41.6 49.5 4 Johnson C. Lockett Elementary** 38.6 44.3 46.2 41.5 4 Morris F.X. Jeff Elementary 36.3 40.7 43.9 40.8 4 McDonogh #32 Elementary 37.7 45.3 45.4 40.1 4 John McDonogh Senior High 25.4 26.1 33.8 25.1 4 Fredrick A. Douglass High 16.7 15 25.9 15 4 George O. Mondy, Jr. Elementary** 34.6 41.4 42.5 36.3 4 Booker T. Washington ** 13 19.8 22.1 15 4 Dr. Charles Richard Drew Elementary 37.2 37.4 44.9 37.7 4 Phillis Wheatley Elementary 40.4 28 48 33.8 4 Carter G. Woodson Middle 36.8 55.5 44.2 50.4 4 Fannie C. Williams Middle 39.8 46.6 47 43.5 4 G. W. Carver High 23.3 25.6 32.3 26.5 4 Tangipahoa Crystal Academy* 29.1 36.5 38 32.4 4 Five schools are now in Improvement 5. They must continue to offer school choice and must offer Supplemental Educational Services if they are Title I schools. They must also continue with the improvement measure selected from the Corrective Action List while in Improvement 4 and must now implement their BESE approved Reconstitution Plan. They remain eligible for a Distinguished Educator if their district enters into a partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education. District 2004 Growth Goal Improvement Level East Baton Rouge Prescott Middle 38.4 29 45.6 33.3 5 Andrew J. Bell Junior High** 20.3 20.6 29.5 19.2 5 A.P. Tureaud Elementary 41.4 29.1 48.3 35.5 5 John W. Hoffman Elementary** 44.7 51.1 51.2 46.3 5 Livingston Middle 29.8 24.4 38 29.2 5 Three schools are now in Improvement 6. They must choose one of the following remedies: o Reopen as a "public charter;" o Replace all or most of school staff (may include principal), o Enter into a contract with an entity having a demonstrated record of effectiveness to operate the public school; or o Begin any other major restructuring of a school's governance arrangements that makes fundamental reform. 7

District 2004 Growth Goal Carver Middle 29.4 27.2 37.6 26.4 Charles J. Colton Middle 24.8 30.6 33.3 26.5 Israel Meyer Augustine Middle 21.2 23.3 29.9 21.3 The following schools in Parish were in Improvement in 2004- and have been taken over by the state as of July 1,. Four different charter school operators will operate these schools as Type 5 Charter s in the state s Recovery District. These state takeovers occurred as the result of a constitutional amendment overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature in spring 2002 and on the ballot in fall 2003. Under this amendment, chronically failed schools can be subject to management by BESE if they remain academically unacceptable for four or more years. Name 2004- Charter Operator Improvement Level Nelson Elementary SI4 New Beginnings Foundation Green Middle SI5 Middle Advocates Phillips Middle SI5 Knowledge is Power Program Sophie B. Wright Middle SI4 Institute for Academic Excellence For more information, call the Department of Education's toll-free Helpline to answer questions about the program at 1-877-453-2721. #### 8