Louisiana’s Priorities XXX Parish/School Plan Louisiana Student Standards and Instruction Student Assessment Results Tools and Resources Agenda 1

THE FOLLOWING SLIDES PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT LOUISIANA’S PRIORITY AREAS FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR, AS WELL AS SCHOOL AND SCHOOL SYSTEM ACCOMPLISHMENTS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. SCHOOLS CAN USE THESE SLIDES AS PART OF THEIR PRESENTATION OR REPLACE THEM WITH SLIDES ABOUT THE SCHOOL OR SCHOOL SYSTEM. 2

Louisiana’s students—all of them, no matter race, disability, or creed—are as smart and capable as any in America. They have gifts and talents no lesser than those given to any children on this earth. As educators, we have a powerful role to play in helping them overcome the challenges they will experience on the way to leading healthy and productive lives as adults. Unify child care, Head Start, and prekindergarten to prepare every student for kindergarten. Align standards, curriculum, assessment, and professional development that are as challenging for students and educators as any in America. Prepare every educator under a mentor educator through a professional residency. Create opportunity for every graduate through Jump Start, Advanced Placement, and other early college pathways to a funded education after high school. Focus relentlessly on students in persistently struggling schools by transforming those schools and creating new options. Louisiana’s Beliefs and Priorities 3

Evidence of Progress for All Students 4 Louisiana’s students are demonstrating that they are indisputably as capable as any in America. Louisiana fourth-grade students achieved the highest growth among all states on the 2015 NAEP reading test and the second highest growth in math. In 2013, Louisiana’s low-income fourth-grade readers trailed low-income students nationwide in reading at proficient levels by five percent. As of 2015, there is no gap. The Louisiana class of 2015 showed greater improvement on the ACT than did any senior class in states using the ACT as their state test. Since 2012, the number of African American students achieving a college-going ACT score has increased by 40 percent. Louisiana’s 2015 high school graduation rate was an all-time high of 77.5 percent. African American students led the state in 2015, increasing graduation levels by 3.5 percent. Louisiana’s class of 2015 Advanced Placement® results showed greater annual improvement than any state other than Massachusetts. The number of African American students earning credits since 2012 has increased by 160 percent.

Challenges Persist In spite of great progress, data indicate that challenges to achieving prosperous adult lives persist for many Louisiana students. Many students graduating from high school are required to repeat high school coursework when they arrive in college because they have yet to master fundamental skills. As we raise expectations to better prepare students for life after high school, we risk widening achievement gaps among student groups. Disadvantaged students experience not only these gaps but also less access to enriching experiences that may spark lifelong interests. And they are more likely to attend schools that struggle year after year. These challenges can be met through academic improvements in Louisiana’s schools and schools systems, as well as improvements to our state’s accountability system and policies.

Louisiana’s Priorities XXX Parish/School Plan Louisiana Student Standards and Instruction Student Assessment Results Tools and Resources Agenda 6

INSERT SPECIFIC SCHOOL OR SCHOOL SYSTEM GOALS AND PRIORITIES FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. Our Goals and Priorities

Louisiana’s Priorities XXX Parish/School Plan Louisiana Student Standards and Instruction Student Assessment Results Tools and Resources Agenda 8

Educational Standards Set clear and consistent learning expectations for students and teachers Define what students should know and be able to do in a particular subject at each grade level Help set high goals for all students Louisiana Student Standards 9 Why are standards important? Standards ensure that all students, regardless of their address, background, or ability, have a clear roadmap to success in college or a career. Clearly defined goals help families and teachers work together to ensure that students succeed, have access to extra assistance when they need it, and are challenged appropriately.

Standards in the Classroom Student Learning Develop deep understanding, skill, and fluency in math Think critically in math through speaking, writing, and solving problems Apply math to real-world problems and tasks Build knowledge, discuss, and write about topics, themes, and ideas in complex texts Support thoughts and opinions about complex text using evidence What will teachers and students see in the classroom this year as a result of the new standards?

Supporting Student Learning How can parents support student learning at home? Learning should not end in the classroom. You play an important role in setting high expectations for learning. You can help your child become successful both in and outside the classroom. Support starts with meaningful conversations: Find out what your child knows. Discover what your child should be able to do. Talk to your child regularly about schoolwork. Meet and speak with your child’s teacher(s) regularly.

Supporting Student Learning: Student Conversation Take the time each week to talk with your child about what your child is learning. Ask your child questions: What are you learning in _______ class? Do you understand what you are learning? Do you want to learn more about a particular subject or lesson that you are doing really well in? Is there anything in this subject that you didn’t understand?

Supporting Student Learning: Teacher Conversation Your child’s teacher is a wonderful resource for helping you support learning at home. The teacher can help you to identify opportunities for tutoring, to get involved in clubs after school, or to find other resources. Ask the teacher questions: Is this work on pace with where my child should be at this point in the year? Can you show me my child’s sample work or classroom test results? If so, what can we do to challenge my child to the next level? If not, what can we do to help my child improve?

INSERT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL’S CURRICULUM CHOICES FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR, OR ANY OTHER INSTRUCTION-RELATED INFORMATION. Our Curriculum 14

Louisiana’s Priorities XXX Parish/School Plan Louisiana Student Standards and Instruction Student Assessment Results Tools and Resources Agenda 15

USE THIS SLIDE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON WHEN PARENTS WILL RECEIVE ELA AND MATH RESULTS. IF SCIENCE RESULTS HAVE NOT YET BEEN SENT HOME, PLEASE INCLUDE THAT INFORMATION AS WELL. HERE IS A SAMPLE: The week of August 8, parents and students will receive two student reports, one for ELA and one for math, that will outline how the student performed on these tests. The reports include the following measures: An overall score in math and in English A breakdown of the child’s performance into specific skills for each subject area How the child is performing in comparison to other students in the same school, district, and state Release of Spring 2016 LEAP Student Reports for ELA and Math 16

Sample Spring 2016 LEAP Student Report 17 This is an ELA sample. The math performance areas also use a three- star rating system.

Overall Score Numerical score Summarizes the student’s overall level of performance Performance Level Five levels of performance: 1–Unsatisfactory; 2–Approaching Basic; 3–Basic; 4–Mastery; 5–Advanced Performance-Level Description Identifies how well students demonstrate understanding of subject and their readiness for the next level of study, and whether additional support may be necessary moving forward Overall Performance Section 18

How to Read Performance Breakdown: ELA 19 Each subcategory will include a description of the student’s performance and where the student will need support to improve in the specific skill.

How to Read Performance Breakdown: Math 20 Each subcategory will include a description of the student’s performance and where the student will need support to improve in the specific skill.

Percentage of students falling into each performance level shown by school, district, and state Includes general descriptions of what is expected at each level How to Read Percent-of-Students Table 21

Each set of ELA and math student reports will be accompanied by a Parent Guide to the LEAP Student Reports [link] that will provide information on how to read the results and use them to support student learning at home. These scores will help teachers identify where students need extra support or a greater challenge in specific subject matter. They will also be used to measure how well schools and districts are helping students achieve higher expectations. Results on these tests will not impact student promotion or negatively impact students or teachers in any way. This test is just one measure of how well your child is performing academically. Other information, such as grades, teacher feedback, and scores on other tests, will help determine your child’s academic strengths and needs. How to Use the Student Results 22

Here are some helpful questions to ask when discussing the results with your child’s teacher(s): Where is my child doing well and where does he or she need improvement? What can be done in the classroom to help improve his or her area(s) of weakness? What can be done to appropriately challenge my child in areas where he or she exceeds the expectations? How can I help support my child’s learning at home? How do we ensure that my child makes progress? Questions to Guide Teacher Conferences 23 The test results will help you, as a parent, talk to your child’s teacher(s) about additional supports or enrichment that may be needed in class and at home.

Assessments This school year students will see the following changes in state tests: Students in grades 5 through 8 will take the LEAP tests for ELA, math, and social studies online. Students in grades 3 and 4 will have the option to take the LEAP tests in ELA, math, and social studies online or on paper. The LEAP science test will be given only on paper for all grades. The LEAP social studies tests will be new this year and will require students to use source documents (an excerpt from a historical document, map, timeline, etc.), along with their social studies knowledge, to answer questions about a topic. High school End-of-Course tests will NOT change this school year.

Louisiana’s Priorities XXX Parish/School Plan Louisiana Student Standards and Instruction Student Assessment Results Tools and Resources Agenda 25

Tools and Resources to Support Parents Below are additional resources that you can access to further support your child’s learning at home. Louisiana’s Family Support Toolbox LibraryLouisiana’s Family Support Toolbox Library: information on standards, test results, and links to PTA and Eureka Math parent guides Great Kids MilestonesGreat Kids Milestones: free, online collection of videos showing what success looks like in reading, writing, and math in grades K–12 “Be a Learning Hero” Learning Tools“Be a Learning Hero” Learning Tools: learning activities in math and English to use at home with your child Louisiana Student Standards Library

Please contact your child’s teacher to request a conference to discuss this information in more detail. Or contact the LDOE directly at with questions about assessment scores and Questions 27