St. Tammany schools receive high ratings

COVINGTON — The St. Tammany Parish public school system maintained its “A” rating in 2015 even as Louisiana switched to tougher national mathematics and English exams in elementary and middle school. The state Education Department released the information on December 17.
Mandeville High topped the St. Tammany list, improving to 115.1 points on a 150-point scale. In all, 40 percent of the parish’s school made an A. As in 2014, there were no D or F schools, a remarkable achievement.
Letter grades send a strong message to parents and communities about how good their schools are. Practically, they determine whether schools may be taken over by the state. In New Orleans, 17 charter schools risked closure this year if they didn’t meet the mark.
Louisiana grades schools on a 150-point scale. Through the sixth grade, the score comes entirely from standardized test scores. Middle schools also measure how many credits their graduates earned in ninth grade. High schools use graduation rates and test scores, including the ACT. Schools may earn extra points for helping students who were behind. The state’s parent-friendly school report cards single out many of these components, along with information about the performance of disadvantaged students.
After doing the math, the Education Department converts those scores to a letter grade. For the second year, grades were assigned on a curve. That’s to protect schools during the changes to Common Core and the different tests.
That curve barely mattered last year, affecting only 21 schools. This year, it barely touched the standalone high schools: three had their grades curved.