Sources close to the school system say the state Department of Education's 1 p.m. announcement regarding school district letter grades will reveal that Lafayette Parish has been upgraded from a C' district to a letter grade of B.' The state Department of Education is releasing district and school letter grades during a press conference at 1 p.m., and sources close to the Lafayette Parish School System say LPSS will be upgraded from the C grade it earned last year to an overall letter grade of B.
Letter grades for schools and districts across the state were introduced last year as a way to simplify for parents how their children's respective schools and districts are performing. The letter grades are based largely on standardized test scores, while also using attendance for elementary and middle schools and graduation rates for high schools as other factors in determining performance grades.
The increase in LPSS' performance brings the district one step closer to its goal of becoming an A' district within the next six years, as outlined by Superintendent Pat Cooper's six-year district turnaround plan.
Click here to see 2010-2011 school report cards as listed on DOE's website.
Watch the 1 p.m. news conference live here.