LOUISIANA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT SHOWS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT PROGRESS

Low-Income, Minority Students Benefit from Schools Being Accountable for Results

BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Department of Education today released an annual report detailing results from the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program. This year's report shows the percentage of Scholarship students scoring Basic or above on the LEAP and iLEAP rose 2.4 percentage points, from 41.6 percent in 2012-2013 to 44 percent in 2013-2014. This progress continues a long-term trend of improvement. Between 2010 and 2014, the percentage of students in the program scoring Basic or above has improved from 31 percent to 44 percent.

The Scholarship Program is part of the state's comprehensive strategy to expand educational options for parents and to hold all publicly-funded schools accountable for student learning. Scholarships are available to low-income families for students who have attended or would attend struggling schools. Of the 6,778 students enrolled in the 2013-2014 school year, 89 percent are minority students and nearly 3,000, or 43.2 percent, received Scholarships for the first time. Of students entering the Scholarship Program from public school for the first time, 70.7 percent previously attended a D or F public school. In 2013-2014, 46 percent of Scholarship students were enrolled in a tested grade and 34 percent of those students were first-time Scholarship recipients.

Among the reasons for sustained academic improvement in spite of these challenges is the strong accountability system put in place by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and the Department of Education to ensure taxpayer dollars fund schools providing a viable academic alternative for families. Students in the Scholarship Program take the same state tests as students in public schools. Participating schools serving an average of 10 or more Scholarship students per grade served or a total of at least 40 students enrolled in tested grades receive a Scholarship Cohort Index (SCI) calculated in the same way as a public school's School Performance Score. For the 2013-2014 school year, 28 participating schools received an SCI, compared to 23 schools in 2012-2013. It is projected that number will increase to 42 participating schools eligible to receive an SCI in 2014-2015.

If a school receives an SCI below 50 in the second year of participation, or any year thereafter, the school cannot enroll additional Scholarship students. Based on the 2013-2014 results, 15 participating schools did not earn an SCI above 50 and will not be permitted to enroll new Scholarship students next year. In 2013-2014, the number of schools achieving an SCI of 50 or greater increased 4 percent from 2012-2013.
 

*First Year in Program
**School closing after the 2014-2015 school year

In addition, schools which have participated in the program for at least two years, have at least ten tested students (and a minimum of 40 tested units), and achieve a proficiency rate less than 25 percent on state assessments are not permitted to enroll additional Scholarship students for the next year. Based on 2013-2014 results, eight schools will not be permitted to enroll new Scholarship students for the 2015-2016 school year.
 

To read the 2013-2014 Louisiana Scholarship Program Annual Report, please click here.

To see the list of Scholarship schools available in New Orleans via OneApp, please click here.
 

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