Terrebonne and Lafourche school districts saw a slight improvement in their school performance scores released today.

Each had a one percentage point higher score at the mastery level or greater in combined subjects, according to a report from the Louisiana Department of Education.

Across the state, 70 percent of school districts improved by at least one percentage point in their combined test performance. The statewide average was 35 percent, while Terrebonne saw 39 percent of test scores reach mastery and Lafourche saw 44 percent.

Performance on the LEAP tests, short for the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program, affect the letter grade the state issues to school districts each year. They are administered from third grade to 12th grade and assess a student's understanding of English, math, science and social studies.

The state's goal is to have all schools with "A" letter grades to have an average performance of mastery on tests rather than basic.

The five achievement levels are unsatisfactory, approaching basic, basic, mastery and advanced. While students can move on to the next grade level with a basic score, the state views mastery as proficient.

State Superintendent of Education John White said the results from the science LEAP tests were delayed because this was the first year the test was given.

White said the growth shows the public school system is making steady incremental improvement. He also noted the challenges presented by low-performance scores in social studies and the decrease in performance on math tests as students progress into higher grade levels.

In response to the low scores in social studies, the state will be piloting a joint LEAP assessment in four parishes that will incorporate English and social studies.

"The results released today show our students and educators are making gains year over year," said White. "The results also illuminate the challenges ahead, in particular the needs of struggling students who are often falling behind as math concepts get more complex or because they have not mastered the fundamentals of reading."

Broken down to the different subjects, Terrebonne saw its largest improvement in its math LEAP scores that achieved at least a mastery level. That percentage increased from 36 percent to 39 percent this year.

Lafourche saw its largest increase in math as well, improving by two percentage points from 38 percent to 40 percent. It was also one of only 35 school districts to improve its percentage points for social studies tests, increasing by one. There are 72 school districts in the state. 

Neither school district saw their number of tests scoring a mastery or better decrease in any subject. 
