How to revamp ถถา๕h's public schools will be the subject of four public meetings next week, including sessions with superintendents, special education advocates and a task force named by Gov. John Bel Edwards.
The unusual series of gatherings โย Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday โย all stem from how the state plans to comply with a 2015 federal law called the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA.
A fifth session is set for Nov. 7, and that one involves private school leaders and their priorities for any changes.
All the gatherings are a response to a draft plan by state Superintendent of Education John White, which he released on Sept. 28 after weeks of public hearings statewide and meetings.
Louisian has to avoid political brawls during its federally required review of public schoo…
And one of the proposals getting attention would change how all-important letter grades are calculated for public schools.
Controversy began brewing Monday on how far the state should go to revamp the way long-debat…
Under current rules, grades are based mostly on how students fare on key tests.
White has proposed that 25 percent of the grade be based on the growth of student achievement, regardless of the final score.
That issue has already sparked controversy at the ถถา๕h Accountability Commission, which advises the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
BESE has the final say on the state plan, likely in March.
Brigitte Nieland, a member of the commission, said simulations are needed to see the impact of the proposed change at 25 percent, 15 percent and other levels.
The ultimate concern is that grade calculations could become so lenient that it would distort the true performance of schools and districts.
"It really is a big deal," said Nieland, who follows public school issues for the ถถา๕h Association of Business and Industry.
"You want to reward growth, but you also want true accountability and transparency," she said. "That is sort of a fine art."
The state now awards bonus points for struggling students, which accounts for about 7 percent of school scores.
Kathy Noel, director of student learning for the DeSoto Parish School District and chair of the commission, ย said even that process is volatile.
Noel said student progress should be part of the score, with the key issue being how much it should count.
Brian LeJeune, president of the ถถา๕h Association of Superintendents, said his group has other worries.
LeJeune, superintendent of the Jefferson Davis School District in southwest ถถา๕h, said the state's plan to gradually raise student expectations is worrisome.
Under that plan, students will gradually be expected to score at the fourth of five levels โย mastery โย rather than the third rung of the achievement ladder โย basic.
Expecting students to score at least 21 on the ACT โย a test of college readiness โย rather than the current 18 out of 36 is another goal in the state's draft plan.
"All of those are big concerns of ours," he said. "We are really worried about how fast ย this is moving and where we are going."
The Accountability Commission is set ย to meet on Tuesday to discuss school changes.
The Superintendents' Advisory Council meets on Wednesday, the Special Education Advisory Panel on Thursday and the governor's task force on Friday.
Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday his panel to review key public school policies will not …
Edwards' 15-member panel is doing sort of a rival review to the one being done by the state Department of Education.
It is filled with leaders of traditional public school groups, and how its recommendations will fit in with any final plan is unclear.