State reports K–3 literacy gains; K–2 screeners to be added to school accountability

At an Accountability Council meeting, Louisiana Department of Education presenter Thomas Lambert reported statewide gains on the K–3 literacy screener and said the department will include K–2 end‑of‑year results in the state’s school performance calculations beginning in the 2025–26 school year. "Across grades, kindergarten through third grade, we saw a 17‑point increase in terms of on and above student proficiency on K through 3 literacy screener," Lambert said, adding specific gains of 33 points in kindergarten, 19 in first grade, 11 in second grade and 8 in third grade. Dr. Brumley, a department leader on assessment and accountability, said those end‑of‑year results align with a separate 11‑point gain between end‑of‑year 2023 and end‑of‑year 2024 and indicated early evidence that the statewide approach is taking hold. "I would not be surprised that, when you include that data, you're going to see schools improve in terms of scores," Brumley said. The department said the analysis uses a single, universal screener that systems adopted to standardize prior years' multiple instruments; it also includes the very small number of students who use an alternative rubric for the 1% significantly cognitively disabled cohort. LDOE staff explained the secure assessment used to measure growth is the end‑of‑year administration, so the accountability calculation compares end‑of‑year results year‑to‑year rather than growth from that school year's beginning to end. The department presented a simulated impact on letter grades if K–2 results are added: 126 schools would move up at least one letter grade while two would move down. The breakdown presented included 10 B→A moves, 47 C→B, 52 D→C and one F→C; 16 schools would move F→D. Council members and public commenters pressed the department on several operational matters. Senator Conrad Appel asked whether the reported gains include all students; staff confirmed the universal screener includes the full student population and the very small alternative‑rubric group. Angela Beck, a public commenter, raised a concern about small schools and the bottom‑25% calculation, noting systems must meet a minimum student count to produce a bottom‑25% subgroup and recommending the state consider an approach that would allow small schools to have comparable coverage of that indicator. Kate Mihawk of Crescent City Schools asked for clearer, written guidance principals can share with school leaders explaining how DIBELS (the literacy instrument in use) maps to the new achieve and growth components. Council members discussed whether to treat the lowest 25% using the K–3 screener or to rely on the existing LEAP lowest‑25% measure for grades 3–8; staff said they will continue the values‑based conversation and that simulations could be produced. A Tulane researcher is tracking district and school changes that accompany the accountability shifts, officials said, but department staff and council members agreed it will take multiple years of data to see long‑term trends beyond the initial improvements. The department emphasized that including K–2 results is intended to satisfy federal requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and to align early‑grade screening with the state’s broader literacy efforts. Next steps outlined to the council included additional simulations and continued discussion about whether and how the lowest 25% measure should incorporate K–3 results.