Zachary schools lead state in LEAP scores
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ZACHARY — The Zachary Community School District improved at all grade levels except one in recent state accountability testing, the district’s testing coordinators told the School Board Thursday.
Accountability Testing Director Michelle Clayton said the fourth grade slipped “two-tenths of a point” from last year’s score, but she said a drop was anticipated because last year’s fourth-graders were an outstanding group.
“I was expecting a much bigger decrease. Two-tenths is not much of a drop in the grand scheme of things,” she said.
Despite the decrease, Zachary still posted the second-strongest fourth-grade scores in the state. The students led the state for the highest percentage of students scoring at the advanced and mastery levels on the English-language arts portion of the LEAP test and highest percentage of students scoring at the advanced level in science.
Clayton computed estimated scores for grade levels in much the same way the state Department of Education calculates scores for the purpose of assigning district performance scores: by assigning a specific number of points for each student scoring at the advanced, mastery, basic and approaching basic levels.
Zachary has had the highest performance score in the state for four consecutive years. The district score is based on test results, as well as other factors, including attendance and dropout rates.
“I’m extremely pleased with the high school. It looks like our ninth grade — for the first time — will score the highest in the state,” Superintendent Warren Drake said.
Clayton also said with high rates of advanced and mastery performances on the test, the eighth grade “left everybody in the dust” with an estimated score of 108.4, well above Orleans and Plaquemines parishes.
Other testing highlights reported to the board:
- Eighty-nine percent of the fourth-graders met the state promotional standards and tied with Catahoula Parish for third place in the state, behind Plaquemine and Orleans parishes.
- Eighty-four percent of the eighth-graders met the state promotional standards, putting Zachary in fourth place behind three tied for first place, Orleans, Plaquemine and West Carroll.
“We’re kind of wondering what’s really going on with these,” Accountability Supervisor Karen Lawless said of the unexpected entry of Plaquemine and Orleans into the upper tier of school districts.
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