{"id":806,"date":"2015-10-30T09:15:02","date_gmt":"2015-10-30T14:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/?p=806"},"modified":"2015-10-30T09:20:56","modified_gmt":"2015-10-30T14:20:56","slug":"local-high-schools-make-the-grade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/?p=806","title":{"rendered":"Local high schools make the grade"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Katie

Katie McClenahan works on editing a video in her broadcast journalism class at Captain Shreve High School Thursday afternoon.
(Photo: Henrietta Wildsmith\/The Times)<\/p><\/div>\n

Northwest Louisiana high school students are showing improvement in their academic abilities\u00a0along with the rest of the state, according to Louisiana School Performance Scores released Thursday.<\/p>\n

Locally, Captain Shreve High School stands out for earning a B, rising from a C letter grade year-over-year, an increase of 15 percentage points. It was the largest increase in the Caddo district.<\/p>\n

via Shreveport Times<\/a>
\nThe state\u2019s letter grades released Thursday were based on student performance on end-of-course tests, graduation completion rates, ACT scores, students\u00a0earning a 3+ on AP exam and the number of students\u00a0earning dual enrollment credit.\u00a0Schools scores range from 0-150 and are graded on an A-F scale. Bossier Parish School Board, Webster Parish School Board and Desoto Parish School System also had gains in high school performance scores.<\/p>\n

Schools across northwest Louisiana saw significant\u00a0gains in school letter grades and student performances, but some maintained C and F grades \u2014 showing room for improvement. Some of the gain schools were C.E. Byrd High School, Benton High School, North Desoto High School and North Webster High School. Schools among the C and F caliber were North Caddo High School, Woodlawn Leadership Academy,Fair Park College Preparatory Academy, Southwood High School and Northwood High School.<\/p>\n

Nicole Vasquez,an English teacher at Captain Shreve High School, said her students have worked hard to get this far and was thrilled to see it evidenced in the state scores released Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI track the standards that they are acquiring and the standards that they are struggling with,\u201d said Vasquez, Caddo and Louisiana High School Teacher of the Year. \u201cIt just shows me trends in my classroom, so I see if one standard is not being met by the majority of the students or even a good portion \u2014 I know I\u2019m not doing it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keith Burton, Caddo schools Chief Academic Officer for Caddo said the district has used graduation coaches and put more attention on ACT prep, mentoring opportunities and interventions to produce results seen Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we are not yet where we want to be, we will get there and our principals and staff have the knowledge base and wherewithal to ensure every child is college and career ready,\u201d he said in a press release.<\/p>\n

Only two schools in Caddo were awarded the Top Gains distinction \u2013 Captain Shreve High and Caddo Parish Magnet. Top Gains means they met or exceeded federal expectations. Both schools received high letter grades in all categories.<\/p>\n

Speaking for colleagues and herself, Maureen Barclay, an AP English teacher at Captain Shreve, said\u00a0students there are more important than test scores and her focus will continue to be on providing a \u201cholistic education.\u201d<\/p>\n

North Caddo High School was one of two area schools that remained steady or decreased in overall performance.<\/p>\n

The school received the same C letter grade 2013-2014. While the school saw marked improvements in ACT scores and graduates earning dual enrollment, minority student proficiency on end-of-course exams and students earning a diploma in four years declined.<\/p>\n

Minden High School in Webster Parish was the second of the two schools to remain steady or decrease. The school maintained a C with a slight decrease in its percentage. The school saw improvements in the number of students graduating in four years, but ACT and end-of-course exams declined along with students earning dual enrollment.<\/p>\n

Webster had one Top Gains distinction school, North Webster High School, which earned a B.<\/p>\n

Bossier\u2019s Benton High School also received a Top Gains\u00a0recognition with an A letter grade. Mansfield High School in Desoto Parish also was recognized for its improvements. It was ranked fifth in improvements on end-of-course exams.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very proud of the improvements achieved at Benton and Parkway High Schools and commend the staff and students for a job well done,\u201d said Bossier Schools Superintendent D.C. Machen. “We feel confident we will continue to see these trends of improvement reflected in our remaining high schools as well, once their School Performance scores and letter grades are released by the LDOE.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barclay said the scores released Thursday speak to her students\u2019 hard work, but a test is just a test.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what level students are at, as long as they are ready for life outside of high school,\u201d she said. \u201cWe aren\u2019t just worried about test scores, we\u2019re worried about making sure our students are ready for college or university, career and military.\u201d<\/p>\n

School Performance Scores for all remaining schools, elementary, middle and combination schools, will be released in December.<\/p>\n

Here are how Caddo Schools performed:
\n<\/span><\/strong>C.E. Byrd High School
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: A, 103.0
\n<\/span>Previous grade: B, 93.4<\/span><\/p>\n

The school made improvements in end-of-course exams overall and within categories: minorities, economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities. There was also an improvement in ACT scores. The school declined in graduates scoring 3+ on the AP exams and graduates earning dual enrollment. It remained steady in the number of graduates earning a diploma in four years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caddo Parish Magnet High School (Top Gain)
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: A, 132.0
\n<\/span>Previous grade: A, 124.4<\/span><\/p>\n

The school made improvements in end-of-course exams, graduates scoring 3+ on AP test and graduation completion in four years with diploma. The school remained steady in ACT score 18 or higher. It declined in graduates earning dual enrollment credit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Captain Shreve High School (Top Gain)
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: B, 97.7
\n<\/span>Previous grade: C, 82.3<\/span><\/p>\n

The school improved in end-of-course exams, ACT scores, graduation completion in four years and graduates earning a 3+ on AP test. The school declined in end-of-course exams with Students with disabilities and with graduates earning dual enrollment. The school remained steady in end-of-course exams with economically disadvantaged students.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fair Park College Preparatory Academy
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: F, 41.3
\n<\/span>Previous grade: F, 33.6<\/span><\/p>\n

The school made improvements in end-of-course exams in all categories and ACT scores. The school remained stead in graduates scoring 3+ on AP exam and declined in student graduation completion in four years, graduate earning dual enrollment credit.<\/span><\/p>\n

North Caddo High School
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: C, 73.7
\n<\/span>Previous grade: C, 73.3<\/span><\/p>\n

Improvements were made in ACT scores and graduates earning dual enrollment credit. The school remained steady in end-of-course exams, graduates scoring 3+ on AP exam. Declines were in minority students proficiency on end-of-course exams and the number of students graduating in four years with a diploma.<\/span><\/p>\n

Northwood High School
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: C, 82.1
\n<\/span>Previous grade: C, 70.1<\/span><\/p>\n

Improvements were made in ACT scores, students with disabilities proficiency on end-of-course exams, graduates earning dual enrollment credit and percentage of students graduating in four years with a diploma. The school declined in end-of-course exams overall, including minorities and economically disadvantaged students. There is a steady remain in graduates scoring 3+ on AP exam.<\/span><\/p>\n

Southwood High School
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: C, 75.8
\n<\/span>Previous grade: D, 62.4<\/span><\/p>\n

Improvements were made in the number of students graduating in four years and the overall performance on end-of-course exams. Declines were in ACT scores, graduates scoring 3+ on AP exam, graduates earning dual enrollment credit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Woodlawn Leadership Academy
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: F, 39.5
\n<\/span>Previous grade: F, 34.8<\/span><\/p>\n

Improvements were made overall on end-of-course exams and ACT scores. Declines were in graduates earning dual enrollment credit and in the number of students gradating with a diploma in four years. The school remained steady in graduates scoring 3+ on AP exam.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are how Bossier Schools performed:
\n<\/span><\/strong>Benton High School (Top Gain)
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: A, 111.9
\n<\/span>Previous grade: B, 98.6<\/span><\/p>\n

Improvements were made overall on end-of-course exams, ACT scores, and graduation completion in four years. The school saw declines in graduates earning 3+ on AP exam and dual enrollment credit among graduates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Parkway High School
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: B, 95.8
\n<\/span>Previous grade: B, 90.0<\/span><\/p>\n

The school made improvements on ACT scores, graduates scoring 3+ on AP exam and number of students graduating in four years. The school declined in end-of-course exams, and graduates earning dual enrollment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is how Webster Schools performed
\n<\/span><\/strong>Minden High School
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: C, 71.1
\n<\/span>Previous grade: C, 72.5<\/span><\/p>\n

The school saw declines in end-of-course exams proficiency, ACT scores and graduates earning dual enrollment. The school remained steady in graduates scoring 3+ on AP exam. The school saw improvements on the number of students graduating in four years.<\/span><\/p>\n

North Webster High School (Top Gain)
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: B, 86.2
\n<\/span>Previous grade: C, 75.8<\/span><\/p>\n

The school saw improvements on end-of-course exams overall, ACT scores and the number of students graduating in four years. Declines were in graduates scoring a 3+ on AP exam and in earning dual enrollment credit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how Desoto Schools performed
\n<\/span><\/strong>Mansfield High School (Top Gain)
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: B, 93.8
\n<\/span>Previous grade: D, 67.3<\/span><\/p>\n

Improvements were made in end-of-course exams overall, ACT scores, percentage of students graduating in four years and graduates earning dual enrollment credit. The school remained steady on graduates scoring 3+ on AP exam. There were no declines.<\/span><\/p>\n

North Desoto High School
\n<\/span><\/strong>2014-2015 letter grade: A, 100.5
\n<\/span>Previous grade: B, 91.3<\/span><\/p>\n

Improvements were made in number of students graduation in four years, ACT scores, graduates earning dual enrollment credit and scoring 3+ on AP exam. The school remained steady on end-of-course exams and there were no declines.<\/span><\/p>\n

by\u00a0Segann M March<\/a>
\nsegann.march@shreveporttimes.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Northwest Louisiana high school students are showing improvement in their academic abilities\u00a0along with the rest of the state, according to Louisiana School Performance Scores released Thursday. Locally, Captain Shreve High School stands out for earning a B, rising from a C letter grade year-over-year, an increase of 15 percentage points. It was the largest increase […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ka5C-d0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=806"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":810,"href":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806\/revisions\/810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblog.captainshreve.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}