Recent results from Louisiana's LEAP standardized tests show a small improvement in student proficiency among grades three through eight. The LEAP testing data indicates that 35 percent of students achieved Mastery or above, marking a one percentage point increase from previous years.
Erin Bendily, senior vice president of the Pelican Institute says, "In some regards, it’s even more important for those students to be performing at grade level," Bendily stated, pointing to the critical role high school education plays in preparing students for college, careers, and life beyond the classroom.
Despite the incremental gains reflected in the LEAP scores, Bendily says that Louisiana still faces significant challenges in its pursuit of educational excellence. "The state has certainly come a long way in the last few years," she noted, "but there’s still a ways to go to get to where it needs to be."