School Performance Scores Increased

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) recently voted to increase the minimum School Performance Score (SPS).

The minimum SPS will increase from the current 60 to 65 in 2011.

The minimum SPS will again increase from 65 to 75 in 2012.

Remember, the state goal is to have all schools at 120 by 2014.

This site previously provided information indicating that an increase was very likely in the near future.

Btw's 2009 SPS is 58.4

Race To The Top Guidelines(Federal and State)

Race To The Top guidelines have been published. You may view federal information on this program at

Http://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html


State guidelines may be viewed at http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/r2t/index.html

Race to the Top Proposed Plan Released

The Louisiana Department of Education, today, released a proposed plan for its application to compete for additional dollars under this federal education initiative.

Race To The Top or R2T as it is becoming known, is seeded with some $4.35 billion. States will compete for these dollars as part of efforts to improve troubled schools.

Some indicate that Louisiana could reap as much as $250 million which could also include up to $500,000 per year for four years for individual schools accepted into the program.

This is a very high-stakes process and it obviously could, someday, impact BTW as well as other district high priority schools.

Interested alums and friends can view the state press release, together with the attachment called "Why We Can't Wait" at the states Web site. You may use our link to the state.

Attendance/Enrollement History

School attendance is being tracked and published on a weekly basis as part of an effort to reduce dropout rates. This activity will cover the entire month of September, 2009.


The most recent report shown in The Times on September 27, 2009 indicates a 7.5% absence rate for BTW.

This is based on a total average enrollment of 342 with an average of 26 students absent.

For the District, the enrollment was 41,182 with 2,025 absent generating a 4.9% absence rate.

According to The Times report, this effort is "...a collaboration of school districts, the Alliance For Education and the Community Foundation, all partners in the Learning to Finish initiative to reduce dropout numbers."

We certainly hope that all interested BTW supporters are viewing this information. And, of course, taking steps to make sure our students are attending school on a regular basis.

With some pushing for even more time in school as a way of improving achievement, clearly our community must make regular school attendance a top priority.

Back to School Night-2009

The 2009-2010 Lions will hold back to school night on September 10, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.

It would be great for as many alums as possible to join the Lions on campus for this event.

Thank you very much.

Minimum School Performance Score Going Up

State superintendent Paul Pastorek now indicates that the minimum score is going up. According to a recent Times story, Louisiana started its improvement journey in 1999. In the beginning of the process, the minimum score was 30.. It moved to 45 and in 2005 it moved to the present 60 out of a possible 150.

Apparently the superintendent did not indicate when he wants to make this move.

The state average performance score is 86.3.

This of course places additional pressure on BTW and others striving to exit AUS status.

I can easily see a recommendation to move the minimum to 75.

I would certainly approach things from now until the change is debated and actually implemented as if it were something in the 75 to 78 range. Clearly, 60 is on its way out.

School Performance Scores for AUS Schools Released

On August 28, 2009, the Louisiana Department of Education released the 2008-2009 school performance scores for the AUS schools. The four AUS high schools in Caddo scored as follows:

BTW...58.4
Fair Park...51.0
Green Oaks...49.4
Woodlawn...49.4

• A score of at least 60 is needed to shed the AUS label
• The state goal is for all schools to be at 120 by the year 2014

With the implementation of the Caddo Plan this year, we hope to see BTW and the other high schools exit AUS status next year.

Click on the FACTS label for additional information.