ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) – Public school grades have been released by the Louisiana Department of Education.
And a school district right here in Acadiana showed the most growth in the entire state.
Here’s the good news first: The St. Landry Parish School District rose its District Performance Score by more than 13 points over the past year.
The not so good, the district hasn’t always been so successful; in 2013 the grade was a D.
But new leadership has proven to be beneficial.
Superintendent of St. Landry Parish Schools, Patrick Jenkins, took over the district in 2016.
Back then, the performance level sat as 73.1 percent.
Fast forward two years later, the score has grown more than any school district in the state.
“First of all, I want to thank all of our parents, students and all of our stakeholders”, Jenkins said.
The Department of Education changes its grading scale every few years, this year happens to be one of them.
Using the old scale, in 2017 the district scored a 71.7 percent.
In 2018, 85 percent; a growth of 13.3 percent.
The superintendent explains what they’re doing to excel.
“Just providing professional development for teachers to enhance the things they were currently doing, doing teacher academies, having instructional specialist into the classrooms and providing professional development not only for teachers but for our administrative staff.”
Adding to the success of the district, Magnet Academy of Cultural Arts.
Principal Karen Olivier, students, and staff have maintained an A average over the past four years.
“We have the best team of teachers and staff that I could ask for. Our kids are just on board with what we are wanting to accomplish, academically as well as in the performance area”, Olivier said.
Superintendent Jenkins says the simple goal is to continue to grow.
He says building upon professional development and providing resources for teachers in the district can provide a high-quality education for all the students of the parish.
Jenkins says he hopes the district will reach “A” status (grade level) in the next 3 to 5 years.