Comments

By  D. Scott Hughes, Executive Director Alliance For Education

Beginning in March and ending in April students in Louisiana public schools will be sitting down to take the iLEAP test.  This is the test that largely sets the stage for the annual issuance of School Performance Scores in the fall and tells children, especially those in the high stakes years of 4th and 8th grade if they get to promote on to the next grade with their peers.  The results of the State testing program will be released on May 18.  For those who succeed this will be a joyous day.  For those who fail it will be the first date in a string of days that will begin a process called "remediation" in education circles.  This means those students will get additional instruction to help them on the re-take date of June 28.  The period between the end of school in a given district and June 28 is often referred to as Summer School.  And Summer School this year in Louisiana is in a world of chaos. 

The Louisiana Department of Education mandates summer remediation for those children who fail to pass the iLEAP in 4th and 8th grade.  They mandate 100 hours (50 for Math and 50 for Language Arts).  Traditionally this mandate has been accompanied with funding to assist local districts implement this task.  This summer there is no funding.  Summer school has become an unfunded mandate from the State to local districts.  This now places all the accountability on the districts, with very specific rules and no funding.  And with many districts struggling financially, the prospect for high quality summer school to help save many of our most struggling students is not looking good.  Something needs to happen to allow for summer school remediation to take place in a meaning, and viable manner.

Current law allows for no more than 20 of the 100 hours needed to be allowable during the final weeks of school after the testing is done and the results are known (May 18 until the end of school).  The reality is most Districts have the capacity and infrastructure in place, including the children already in school, to do upwards of 40 hours of remediation with these children without any additional costs.  This should be allowed.  Why wait until the lazy days of summer to start on a known problem.  Districts need flexibility around the 20 hour in-school remediation rule to start to work right away.  Further, no known research seems to indicate the 100 hour rule (50+50) is any magic bullet.  In fact, most research including our own personal experience at the Alliance For Education with very successful high quality, short term After School Academies seems to indicate that shorter term high quality interdiction can be very effective.  In today's world our school districts should be allowed great flexibility around the 100 hour rule to try higher quality short term strategies.  Especially when they are accountable for the results and now are footing the bill 100%. 

This concept of allowing public school districts more flexibility and even waivers from several onerous rules and regulations is one whose time has come.  The State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek has expressed as much in numerous public appearances.  Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has supported the idea publicly to give public schools more flexibilty and autonomy.  The time has come for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Departmental staff to allow such flexibility and let our local districts have a chance to put in place a quality remediation and summer school program that works for Northwest Louisiana.  It's the last chance many of these children have before they fail an entire year and move a step closer to dropping out rather than a rung higher on the climb to graduation.