For the first time since Louisiana’s current accountability system took effect in 2017, St. Charles Parish Public Schools earned an A rating from the Louisiana Department of Education. This is the fourth consecutive year that the district saw an increase in its district performance scores.
The district’s performance score grew from 89.7 to 90.0 this year. The district showed growth in the English Language Arts and Math Progress Indicator, which measures how much individual students improve in these core subject areas from one year to the next. St. Charles Parish students rank second in the state for early literacy and third in math for grades 3-8.
Dr. Ken Oertling said in a press release that earning an A is a historic accomplishment for the school system.
“It reflects the hard work, consistency and dedication of our entire school community,” he said.
This year, two sets of performance scores were published: one calculated under the outgoing accountability system and a set of simulated scores aligned to Louisiana’s new school accountability system, which will take effect moving forward.
Under the new system, the district earned a B rating.
“We know that a letter grade, whether under the old system or the new one, captures only part of the story,” Dr. Oertling said.
Under the new system, 75 percent of a high school’s score is based on six end-of-course assessments. Measures of college and career readiness, such as industry-based certificates and dual-enrollment coursework, now account for 8.3 percent of the score, down from 25 percent in the outgoing system. Other factors, like ACT scores and graduation rates, count for less under the new formula.
In St. Charles Parish, many of those measures have increased compared to the Class of 2022; basic industry-based certifications have increased 14 percentage points, dual enrollment credits have increased 4.9 percentage points, and Advanced Placement credits have increased 2.9 percentage points.
For elementary and middle schools, the new system places greater weight on how much students grow academically each year based on performance on LEAP 2025 assessments in English, math, science, and social studies. Previously, the focus was on overall performance compared to state standards.
The new accountability system also places a particular focus on growth targets for students scoring in the bottom 25 percent, and the system places greater emphasis on students whose families may speak other languages at home becoming fluent English speakers, readers, and writers
In June 2024, the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved the new accountability model, which sets letter grades on a bell curve designed to raise statewide expectations. Data released by the LDOE shows that 32 percent of schools statewide would see a decline in letter grades under the new grading criteria.
In St. Charles Parish 27 percent of schools received a lower simulated letter grade under the new system. But the district stressed that these shifts reflect the new formula and are not reflective of a decline in school performance.
Regina McMillan, a spokesperson for the parish, said that to establish the new letter grade scale, the performance of the top 10 percent of districts was used to determine the threshold for an A, the next 20 percent for a B, the middle 40 percent for a C, the next 20 percent for a D, and the bottom 10 percent for an F. This approach created the baseline for a more rigorous grading scale moving forward.
“Regardless of how the state calculates accountability ratings, St. Charles Parish Public Schools will continue to focus on what matters most to our community: diverse course offerings, competitive athletic programs, rich experiences in the arts, and high-demand career and technical education pathways,” McMillan said. “These opportunities help prepare students for the futures they choose, whether that is college, a career, or service.”
