[StBernard] St. Bernard schools rank 8th statewide, earning overall A

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard schools rank 8th statewide, earning overall A
Print John Pope, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By John Pope, NOLA.com | The
Times-Picayune 
Email the author | Follow on Twitter 
on October 24, 2013 at 1:00 PM, updated October 24, 2013 at 4:31 PM

St. Bernard Parish public schools' performance in 2012-13 vaulted the system
to eighth place statewide with an overall A ranking, according to data
released Thursday by the state Education Department. Scores rose at four
schools and stayed the same at six others. (Search the database by school or
school system.)

"We're ecstatic," Superintendent Doris Voitier said. "Our teachers and
administrators have done an outstanding job and we're all tremendously
excited. ... We're working very hard to improve, and it shows in our
scores."

The four schools with higher grades were Andrew Jackson Middle, which went
from a C to a B; J.F. Gauthier and Joseph J. Davies Elementary schools, each
of which rose from a B to an A; and W. Smith Jr. Elementary School, which
went from a D last year to a C this year.

Keeping their same grades as last year were Arabi and Chalmette elementary
schools, B; Chalmette High, A; N.P. Trist and St. Bernard Middle schools, B;
and C.F. Rowley Alternative School, which received an F, the same mark it
was given last year. Rowley's score was low, Voitier said, because it is
designed for middle- and high-school students who have been recommended for
expulsion from their regular schools.

"Instead of expelling them, we work with them on an individual basis," she
said. "The basis for the Rowley program is to work from behavioral and
social perspectives so they can work academically."

The school's goal, Voitier said, is to return Rowley students to the schools
where they had been enrolled.

A new system was used to score this year's tests. An explanation is online.

In the spreadsheet containing the statewide scores, the state Education
Department reported this year's scores under the old and new systems. For
exact comparison, this year's grades under the old system are compared with
those from last year.

By using the old system, the new Lacoste Elementary School received a B.
However, under the new system, it earned an A.