New Orleans School Performance Scores Reports and Revelations
Failing Schools 2013 According to Bobby Jindal (compared to 62% in 2005)
Some of you may have seen reports in the Picayune or from Leslie Jacob’s “Educate Now” organization touting an educational resurgence taking place in New Orleans. One of the claims is that only 5% of students are now in “failing” schools. I’ve had a little time to look at her stats and the reporting put out by the State and thought I’d make my own fancy graphs and charts and point out some glaring logic flaws, but instead I decided to just look at the raw numbers. I will publish my data for you to critique. I don’t have access to all the data, but that Leslie Jacobs can get with her friendly relationship with John White and LDOE, but I can still deduce a few things, and I have been accumulating files from folks who had older reports, that LDOE removed from their website, archived on their local machines.
Let’s examine one of Leslie’s claims before showing you what I’ve found:
Claim:Only 5% of students now attend a failing school – down from 62% in 2005.
Only 5% of students now attend a failing school – down from 62% in 2005. In 2004-05, 78 public schools in New Orleans, enrolling over 38,000 students, were failing. Today, only 9 schools in the city, enrolling 2,481 students, are failing.*
As evidence for this claim Leslie uses enrollment from 2013-2014 for school still open. However the test scores and grad numbers come from the previous school year, 2012-2013. She uses the 2004-2005 enrollment figures for the 2005 SPS score comparisons so it is clear this is not a simple “oversight” but an intentional misrepresentation. Much of the press release is filled with accurate numbers but interpreted creatively. If we planning on using the enrollment of the year the scores are released, the 2005 SPS scores would have related to a total enrollment of just 5800 students.
For instance, Educate Now assumes ever school without a score is a non-failed school by definition. It’s not really clear why many of the schools without scores or grades were given passes this year. The explanation in the footnote is not sufficient to explain why so many schools that had students on October 1 of 2012 did not take tests or have test results reported for tests given in April of 2013. I have chosen not to automatically assume these charters are “passing” and have assigned them failing grades, which for all we know they may very well be. It is absolutely certain we cannot claim they are passing schools as the press release claims and they may very well be failing schools. Only LDOE knows, and for some reason they are not telling, which I find telling. When I add those schools into the failing category, use the apples to apples test scores of last year, include the proper enrollment from 2012-2013 to make an “apples to apples” enrollment comparison, and include schools that were closed for sucking I get a more modest 22% enrollment of potentially failing schools.
When I add in schools graded D or F I get close to 52% of the students in inadequate schools. As Leslie points out in her own release, we did not have an A –F scale in 2005, so she made an assuming about what would have been assigned an “F”/”Failing” grade. Since Bobby Jindal and John White see schools graded “C” and below as inadequate enough to warrant giving parents school choice, the actual failing percentage by the metric LDOE uses for granting parents a school choice option, the actual substandard percentage rises to 69% now compared to 62% in 2005. Who am I to argue with what they themselves have already defined as the failure of our public school systems to provide an adequate education?
White said the 2013 scores for voucher students were low because of the large influx of students from failing schools. The voucher program, officially called the Louisiana Scholarship Program, started in New Orleans in 2008 and expanded statewide just this school year. It is open to low-income students who are either entering kindergarten or who have been attending a public school graded C, D or F. This year, 61 percent of test-takers were in their first year at their voucher school.
| October 1 Enrollment | True Grade | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 7786 | A | 18% |
| 5502 | B | 13% |
| 7452 | C | 17% |
| 12992 | D | 30% |
| 9664 | F | 22% |
| 43396 |
Bobby Jindal has openly called C schools “failing schools” as recently as 5 days ago when defending his voucher program from federal oversight.
“The Obama administration wants to deny a voice to the very people who will be harmed by this ridiculous lawsuit,” Jindal said in a statement, accusing the department of “trying to muzzle parents who simply want to express an opinion about why their children should have the opportunity to escape failing schools.”
Vouchers, officially called the Louisiana Scholarship Program, let low-income children who are new to the public school system or who attend C-, D- or F-schools attend participating private schools at taxpayer expense.
But just for argument’s sake, let’s see what Leslie is calling a New Orleans non-failing school, shall we?
A “C” average New Orleans elementary school gets something magical, called bonus points. Apparently 43% of their students score below basic on standardized tests compared to a statewide average of 32%. Frankly I’d call that above average (underachievement), but obviously I’m not a LDOE mathematician, just a parent. Best to stop looking at numbers and focus on the fact my F was curved (altered) to a “C” and that this mess is displayed in an almost unreadable sickly green.
Apparently non-failing high schools in New Orleans get bonus points too! A non-failing high school (in New Orleans) has almost 13% of their students getting a “Good” or better! That is good! (the LDOE geniuses obviously failed basic math and think putting <5% hides the fact only 1% is left when you add the other 99% together. ) Of course the state average is 59%, but who’s counting right? It’s the arbitrarily calculated “passing D” (after New Orleans bonus points) that matters, right? I’m just a simple parent, so obviously I need lots of unreadable bright color, but I wonder how this school manages to swing a 74% graduation rate when 60% of their students are scoring in the lowest possible category on the very state tests needed to graduate? I know those graduation counts factor into the SPS scores, and graduating is good an all, but I do have to wonder at the quality of the diplomas being issued. . . We have incentivized schools to churn out graduates, and their very existence depends on pushing out as many of those as they can manage. Do you think some of them might be graduating students who simply attend 4 years? I wonder if John White and BESE removing the GEE (graduate exit exam) has something to do with this impressive grad rate coupled with a dismal set of performance scores? Here’s my data in case you were curious how I came to my conclusions. (I had to look up every single fricken school individually to determine its physical address since LDOE did not include a Parish code, so I hope you appreciate the work I put in on this.) There’s only so much LDOE can reveal before the cracks begin to show. There is a reason they are hiding historical info and source info, folks. Fortunately they don’t have a clue what most of the data means so they accidentally release more than they intend to.
| Enrollment Site Code | Site Name | Total | TrueGrade | OldGrade | NewGrade | NO | OldSPS | NewSPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 036005 | Audubon Charter School | 808 | A | A | A | Y | 127 | 106 |
| 036005 | Mary Bethune Elementary Literature/Technology | 380 | B | B | B | Y | 107 | 88 |
| 036013 | Einstein Charter School | 475 | B | B | B | Y | 106 | 95 |
| 036035 | Warren Easton Senior High School | 929 | A | A | B | Y | 139 | 95 |
| 036043 | Benjamin Franklin High School | 794 | A | A | A | Y | 197 | 138 |
| 036056 | Alice M. Harte Elementary Charter School | 681 | B | B | B | Y | 114 | 94 |
| 036060 | Edward Hynes Charter School | 636 | A | A | A | Y | 124 | 107 |
| 036064 | Edna Karr High School | 974 | A | A | B | Y | 129 | 94 |
| 036079 | Lusher Charter School | 1,697 | A | A | A | Y | 172 | 133 |
| 036064 | Edna Karr High School | 974 | A | A | B | Y | 129 | 94 |
| 036088 | McDonogh #35 College Preparatory School | 855 | C | C | Z | C | 100 | 84 |
| 036089 | Mahalia Jackson Elementary School | 109 | B | B | B | Y | 107 | 88 |
| 036096 | Eleanor McMain Secondary School | 766 | B | B | B | Y | 118 | 94 |
| 036132 | Youth Study Center | 34 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 036149 | Robert Russa Moton Charter School | 346 | D | D | D | Y | 89 | 62 |
| 036158 | Lake Forest Elementary Charter School | 500 | A | A | A | Y | 152 | 125 |
| 036161 | Benjamin Franklin Elem. Math and Science | 698 | B | B | B | Y | 108 | 96 |
| 036163 | New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics HS | 369 | B | B | C | Y | 118 | 85 |
| 036186 | McDonogh 35 Career Academy | 94 | C | C | C | Y | 91 | 64 |
| 036187 | ENCORE Academy | 190 | D | D | D | Y | 88 | 65 |
| 300001 | Pierre A. Capdau Learning Academy | 401 | F | F | F | Y | 74 | 49 |
| 300002 | Nelson Elementary School | 501 | C | C | C | Y | 95 | 80 |
| 300003 | Lake Area New Tech Early College High School | 657 | C | C | C | Y | 102 | 74 |
| 300004 | Gentilly Terrace Elementary School | 456 | D | D | C | Y | 86 | 74 |
| 331001 | International School of Louisiana | 743 | A | A | A | Y | 124 | 105 |
| 347001 | New Orleans Center for Creative Arts | 119 | A | A | A | Y | 161 | 115 |
| 334001 | Milestone SABIS Academy of New Orleans | 419 | D | D | D | Y | 83 | 63 |
| 344001 | International High School of New Orleans | 418 | C | C | D | Y | 102 | 67 |
| 347001 | Lycee Francais de la Nouvelle-Orleans | 341 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 348001 | New Orleans Military/Maritime Academy | 219 | A | A | B | Y | 130 | 85 |
| 360001 | The NET Charter High School | 150 | F | F | F | Y | 40 | 9 |
| 361001 | Crescent Leadership Academy | 159 | F | F | F | Y | 36 | 25 |
| 362001 | John McDonogh High School | 389 | F | T | T | Y | 30 | 9 |
| 363001 | Harriet Tubman Charter School | 520 | F | T | T | Y | 82 | 73 |
| 364001 | Fannie C. Williams Charter School | 550 | D | T | T | Y | 86 | 76 |
| 366001 | Lagniappe Academy of New Orleans | 131 | C | C | B | Y | 95 | 85 |
| 367001 | Edgar P. Harney Spirit of Excellence Academy | 373 | D | D | D | Y | 76 | 64 |
| 368001 | Morris Jeff Community School | 310 | C | C | C | Y | 101 | 84 |
| 369001 | Batiste Cultural Arts Academy at Live Oak Elem | 678 | F | F | D | Y | 61 | 60 |
| 369002 | SciTech Academy at Laurel Elementary | 694 | F | F | C | Y | 72 | 75 |
| 369003 | Reed Elementary School | 690 | D | D | T | Y | 74 | 64 |
| 369004 | ReNEW Accelerated High School, City Park Campus | 191 | F | F | F | Y | 22 | 5 |
| 369005 | ReNEW Accelerated High School, West Bank Campus | 178 | F | F | F | Y | 17 | 2 |
| 373001 | Arise Academy | 387 | D | D | C | Y | 77 | 72 |
| 374001 | Success Preparatory Academy | 410 | D | D | C | Y | 86 | 80 |
| 375001 | Benjamin E. Mays Preparatory School | 361 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 376001 | Pride College Preparatory Academy | 323 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 379001 | Crocker Arts and Technology School | 279 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 380001 | The Intercultural Charter School | 385 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 381001 | Akili Academy of New Orleans | 385 | D | D/td> | C | Y | 86 | 72 |
| 382001 | Sci Academy | 367 | A | A | B | Y | 129 | 89 |
| 382002 | G. W. Carver Collegiate Academy | 103 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 382003 | G. W. Carver Preparatory Academy | 110 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 384001 | Miller-McCoy Academy for Mathematics and Business | 387 | F | F | D | Y | 67 | 60 |
| 385001 | Sylvanie Williams College Prep | 358 | D | D | C | Y | 84 | 72 |
| 385002 | Cohen College Prep | 502 | D | D | D | Y | 84 | 64 |
| 388001 | Andrew H. Wilson Charter School | 616 | D | D | D | Y | 77 | 63 |
| 390001 | James M. Singleton Charter School | 645 | D | D | D | Y | 83 | 57 |
| 391001 | Dr. Martin Luther King Charter School for Sci/Tech | 760 | C | C | C | Y | 102 | 78 |
| 391002 | Joseph A. Craig Charter School | 382 | F | T | T | Y | 61 | 50 | 392001 | McDonogh City Park Academy | 422 | D | D | C | Y | 87 | 78 |
| 393001 | Lafayette Academy | 939 | D | D | C | Y | 84 | 80 |
| 393002 | Esperanza Charter School | 460 | D | D | C | Y | 81 | 75 |
| 393003 | McDonogh 42 Charter School | 446 | F | T | T | Y | 55 | 39 |
| 395001 | Martin Behrman Elementary School | 714 | B | B | B | Y | 112 | 92 |
| 395002 | Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School | 603 | D | D | C | Y | 82 | 80 |
| 395003 | William J. Fischer Elementary School | 674 | D | D | C | Y | 80 | 76 |
| 395004 | McDonogh #32 Elementary School | 438 | D | D | C | Y | 78 | 71 |
| 395005 | O.Perry Walker Senior High School | 903 | B | B | B | Y | 109 | 86 |
| 396003 | Algiers Technology Academy | 238 | D | D | D | Y | 82 | 52 |
| 395007 | Benjamin Banneker Elementary School | 404 | F | F | D | Y | 62 | 54 |
| 396004 | Walter L. Cohen High School | 119 | F | F | F | Y | 50 | 41 |
| 396009 | Paul B. Habans Elementary School | 354 | F | F | F | Y | – | – |
| 396010 | Murray Henderson Elementary School | 80 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 396012 | James Weldon Johnson School | 282 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 396017 | Sarah Towles Reed Senior High School | 259 | F | – | – | Y | 51 | 57 |
| 396019 | A.P. Tureaud Elementary School | 246 | D | D | D | Y | 89 | 68 |
| 396026 | G.W. Carver High School | 169 | F | F | D | Y | 61 | 63 |
| 396029 | F.W. Gregory Elementary School | 85 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 396031 | L. B. Landry High School | 466 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 396034 | H.C. Schaumburg Elementary School | 564 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 396037 | Mary D. Coghill Elementary School | 597 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 396203 | Abramson Science and Technology School | 294 | F | – | – | Y | – | – |
| 397001 | Sophie B. Wright Learning Academy | 484 | C | C | B | Y | 101 | 88 |
| 398001 | KIPP Believe College Prep (Phillips) | 617 | C | C | C | Y | 100 | 78 |
| 398002 | KIPP McDonogh 15 School for the Creative Arts | 766 | C | C | B | Y | 102 | 90 |
| 398003 | KIPP Central City Academy | 407 | B | B | B | Y | 108 | 97 |
| 398004 | KIPP Central City Primary | 513 | C | C | C | Y | 92 | 75 |
| 398005 | KIPP Renaissance High School | 513 | C | C | D | Y | 95 | 50 |
| 398006 | KIPP New Orleans Leadership Academy | 528 | D | D | D | Y | 79 | 71 |
| 399001 | Samuel J. Green Charter School | 515 | D | D | C | Y | 87 | 78 |
| 399002 | Arthur Ashe Charter School | 490 | C | C | B | Y | 99 | 90 |
| 399003 | Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School | 435 | D | D | T | Y | 86 | 58 |
| 399004 | John Dibert Community School | 476 | C | C | B | Y | 92 | 88 |
| 399005 | Langston Hughes Charter Academy | 647 | D | D | C | Y | 87 | 81 |
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