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.

ACT Scores for Louisiana-2009

A national tool for evaluating college readiness is the ACT score. The results for the 2009 graduating class are now in, and being reported by ACT at http://www.act.org.

On a national level some 23% of all students tested met the readiness benchmark in all four subjects, as compared with 15% in Louisiana.

Louisiana Composite Scores

Asian American/Pacific Islander... 22.3
Caucasian American/White.......... 21.5
National Average Composite.......21.1
Hispanic ......................................... 20.3
Other/no response......................... 20.2
Louisiana Average Composite... 20.1
American Indian/Alaska Native... 19.4
African American/Black................17.3

It is very important as parents and alums that we are aware of these scoring trends and that proper steps are taken to improve our results.

We must consider that Louisiana's Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) requires a score equal to the prior year's state average to be considered for the OPPORTUNITY AWARD. Currently a minimum score of 20 is required.

As college costs continue to increase, scholarship money can not and should not be left on the table due to lack of performance.

Welcome to the 2009-2010 School Year

The alumni community wishes to welcome the entire Lion family back to school for an exciting new year.

It has been a long hot summer, and we suspect everyone is ready get started. Time to renew old friendships and of course establish new ones.

This is a critical point in our school history. Our new theme around technology offers great promise. Once fully implemented , we believe our students and parents will embrace this approach to learning.

Although new tech starts with the 9th and 10th grades this year, it will eventually encompass the entire student body.

Our 11th and 12th graders are the campus leaders and we know they will continue to pursue academic excellence as they close in on "life after high school."

Best wishes to all for nothing less than a highly successful 2009-2010 school year.

BTW Leadership Team (Other Key Information)

According to the most recent principal assignment document, the following individuals comprise the core leadership team for 2009-2010:

• Betty Jordan-Principal
• Nathaniel Adams-Assistant Principal
• Deloris Lynch-Assistant Principal
• Thedra Green-Assistant Principal

School Name:

Booker T. Washington New Technology High School
2104 Milam Street
Shreveport, LA 71103
Phone: 318.222.2186
FAX: 318.226.0628

We offer our congratulations and best wishes to this new team and the entire Lion organization as you begin a new era.