What does the Calcasieu Parish School Board plan to do to address the failing schools in the district?

In response to the question, Holly Holland, spokeswoman for the school system, provided The Informer with a list — running just over four pages — titled “Efforts in the Past Three Years to Improve the Persistently Struggling Schools in CPSB.”

The items on the list, introduced during a School Board committee meeting in September, are grouped under three headings. Excerpts from the document:

Create a positive school culture in each school as a foundation to recruit and retain certified teachers and build student academic success

Placed the most positive, motivated, and hard-working men and women available in administrative positions at each school.

Provide all newly appointed administrators with support and training pertaining to best practices for creating a positive school culture and improving teacher satisfaction.

Have coordinated with local media outlets to provide news coverage of positive events happening at our low-performing schools in an effort to improve the public’s perception of each school and increase attendance.

Strategically targeted focus schools whose faculty members received training on cultural competency, sensitivity, de-escalation and classroom management strategies.

Worked to improve the physical appearance and upkeep of all of our schools to instill a sense of order and pride.

We have made an increased effort the past two years to enforce the mandatory attendance laws and work with the District Attorney’s Office to reinstitute Truancy Court.

Recruitment and retention of effective teachers and administrators

Offer high school courses designed to provide practical teaching experiences to seniors in an effort to encourage them to choose education as a career.

Heavily recruit Education Graduates from Colleges throughout the state.

Recruit students graduating from college with Basic Studies Degrees into an Alternative Teaching Certification Program.

Created a position on the salary schedule called Springboard that gives Long Term Substitutes with good evaluations an additional year to complete their certification requirements.

Pay a supplement each semester to any teacher who has perfect attendance.

We have added Targeted Aggressive Behaviors (TAB) positions in most of our Persistently Struggling Schools and Deans of Discipline in those schools where discipline data shows a need for additional administrative support.

Academic support

Math STEM Coach and Lead teacher collaborated with Math and Math enhancement teachers to plan lessons with rigor which included hands on activities, strategies to create a systematic approach to problem solving activities using Mathematical Practices to increase student achievement.

We have dramatically increased the number of students successfully taking CLEP and Work Keys Assessments at two high schools. ACT scores and Graduation Rates have increased and the School Performance Scores of each school have steadily increased over the past three years. Both schools are on the verge of being rated “C” schools.

Implemented unannounced Snapshot observations throughout the school year in an effort to provide meaningful and constructive feedback to teachers pertaining to instructional practices in a non-evaluative format.

Added part-time Reading Interventionist in over 20 of our lowest performing schools to imbed needed supports for struggling students during the school day.

We continue to improve the process of creating and delivering District Common Assessments in an effort to implement a guaranteed and variable curriculum across all of our classrooms.

We have gradually and incrementally begun to hold our administrators and teachers to higher expectations through the COMPASS Evaluation process with our focus being on providing them with accurate and meaningful feedback on instructional practices.

For more info: www.cpsb.org.

 

The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.