By LEONARD GRAY

LULING – While LEAP and GEE scores in St. Charles Parish showed a slip in English scores in eighth grade and a slightly higher failure rate in 10th grade English, school officials were generally happy with the reports.

The scores for the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program tests and the Graduate Exit Exam tests place the school district in fourth place among Louisiana’s highest-ranking, according to the Department of Education. Math scores “continue to be the greatest challenge,” said Rachel Allemand, executive director of curriculum and instruction. “We’re pleased to see we’re chipping away.”

The math scores improved for fourth- and eighth-grades, but 10th-graders showed an increase in failure rates. Fourth-graders, though, continued to improve across the board. Allemand said she especially liked how LEAP tests for math, using word problems adapted from relevant, real-life situations.

The LEAP grades, however, are slightly off, with some students mislabeled as either regular or special education students and other even labeled twice.

“This is preliminary data,” Allemand said. “It might change a point, more or less.

“We’re just looking at overall rates, scheduling principal meetings to increase passing rates, but we haven’t gotten that far, awaiting corrections from the testing company.”

Among fourth-graders, for English/Language Arts, 7 percent graded at Unsatisfactory in 1999, staying at 7 percent in 2000, 8 percent in 2001 and dropping to 6 percent this year.

In math, fourth-graders went from 18 percent Unsatisfactory in 1999, to 12 percent in 2000 and 2001, and 14 percent this year. Among eighth-graders for English Language Arts, the students slipped slightly, starting at 9 percent Unsatisfactory in 1999, improving to 5 percent in 2000 and 2001, but slipping to 6 percent this year.

In math scores, eighth-graders continued to improve, from 21 percent Unsatisfactory in 1999, to 18 percent in 2000, 15 percent in 2001, to 12 percent this year.

On the Graduate Exit Exam for 10th graders, students in this category had a 12 percent failure rate this year, compared to 9 percent in 2001. In the math portion, students had a 23 percent failure rate this year, compared to 14 percent in 2001.

Summer school dates for grades four and eight students are June 10-July 10 at Hurst Middle School; and for grade 10 students are June 10-28 at Hahnville High School.

Meanwhile, the Iowa Tests reports showing the national percentile rank of average standard scores show third-graders and ninth-graders down slightly, while fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders showing slight improvements.

Third-grade students went from 61 percentile in 1999, stayed there through 2001, then dropped to 60 percent. Fifty percentile represents the national average.

Fifth-grade students went from 56 percentile in 1999, up to 57 in 2000 and have stayed at 58 in 2001 and this year. Sixth-grade students went from 55 percentile in 1999, up to 59 in 2000, up again to 61 in 2001 and up yet again this year to 63.

Seventh-grade students went from 55 percentile, up to 57 for 2000 and 2001 and up again to 58 in 2002.

Eighth-grade students went form 55 percentile in 1999, up to 59 in 2000, down slightly to 57 in 2001 and down again to 55 this year.

Statewide scores were not available at press time.