Letter Grade Policy for State, District and School Performance

History

The letter grade policy was enacted by lawmakers in the 2010 Regular Louisiana Legislative Session.  The legislation was sponsored by House Education Chairman Austin Badon, with the expressed intent to give parents and others a clearer measure of how a school is performing.  The legislation was signed by Governor Bobby Jindal and became Act 718.

Policy

In December 2010, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) set standards for schools to earn letter grades based on their annual School Performance Scores (SPS).  Under the new system, a top-performing school with an SPS of 120 or above will earn an "A."  Schools that have an SPS below 65 for the 2010-2011 school year will receive an "F".  The letter grades will be assigned as follows: 

Letter Grade	SPS Range (2010-2011)	Number of Schools	Approx. % of Students Below Basic	Average Graduation Rate
A	120.0 – 200.0	75	0 - 12%	91.9
B	105.0 – 119.9	236	13 - 24%	82.4
C	90.0 – 104.9	375	25 - 36%	76.9
D	65.0 – 89.9	513	37 - 61%	66.2
F	0 – 64.9	81	62 - ~100%	51.6
Letter Grade	SPS Range (2011-2012)	Number of Schools	Approx. % of Students Below Basic	Average Graduation Rate
A	120.0 – 200.0	75	0 - 12%	91.9
B	105.0 – 119.9	236	13 - 24%	82.4
C	90.0 – 104.9	375	25 - 36%	76.9
D	75.0 – 89.9	355	37 - 48%	67.8
F	0 – 74.9	239	52 - ~100%	59.1

Schools will also receive a plus (+) or minus (-) sign that  indicates growth and is determined by comparing a school’s prior year Baseline School Performance Score to its current Growth Performance Score.  A plus sign (+) signifies a school has improved enough to meet Its 2011 assigned growth target. A minus sign (-) indicates a school’s current Growth Score has declined by at least one-tenth of a point from its previous Baseline Score.  If a school does not receive a plus (+) or minus (-) sign, that signifies it has either shown no growth, or it improved its Baseline Score, but not enough to meet its current Growth Target.

The letter grades replace the state's current "star" rating system and schools will receive their first letter grades in October 2011, when School Performance Scores are released.

For more information on Louisiana's Accountability System and School Performance Scores, please click here.