'Chiefs for Change' feel good about Louisiana - KNOE 8 News; KNOE-TV; KNOE.com |

WASHINGTON, D.C., (KNOE 8 News) - As states nationwide announced their end-of-year assessment test results, five Chiefs for Change, a coalition of state school chiefs and leaders that share a zeal for education reform, say that Indiana, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Tennessee – reported noticeable improvements in academic achievement.

The increased test scores are attributed to the adoption and implementation of a number of education reforms in these states in recent years that focus on accountability and higher standards. "These states, along with the other Chiefs for Change states, are setting an example for the entire nation," said Chiefs for Change Executive Director Eric Smith.

These are the five states:

Louisiana
Louisiana's end-of- year assessment tests for the 2011-2012 school year resulted in statewide gains in academic achievements, with nearly 10,000 more students at grade level this year as compared to the previous year. Specifically, the percentage of students performing at grade level for all grades and subjects grew two percentage points from 66 percent in 2011 to 68 percent in 2012. The two-point gain represents the largest in three years.

Indiana
The 2012 Indiana Statewide Testing for Education Progress Plus (ISTEP+) resulted in record-breaking scores, with one-year gains in all subject areas. Since the 2008-2009 school year, Indiana students have achieved gains of at least eight percentage points in each subject tested. Overall, 71 percent of students passed both the English Language Arts and Math portions of the test, representing a one percent gain over the previous school year and an eight percent gain since 2008-2009.
 
New Mexico
Results for the 2012 State Based Assessment (SBA) exam showed marked improvement in many areas. Specifically, seventh grade math scores improved 4.1 percent, fourth grade reading scores improved 3.4 percent and fifth grade reading scores improved 3.1 percent. Overall reading and math scores increased by approximately one percent from the previous year, with roughly 50 percent of the students tested (third through eighth grades and 11^th grade) reading at grade level and 43 percent solving math problems at grade level.
 
Oklahoma
Oklahoma's Achieving Classroom Excellence end-of-instruction tests in critical math subjects showed significant gains, with Algebra II scores up 21 percentage points compared to 2008. Students also showed notable gains in Geometry and English III, with increases of 14 percent and 10 percent, respectively, since 2008. Additionally, writing scores in the Oklahoma Core Curriculum Test increased by five percent over last year, with 90 percent of eighth graders showing proficiency in 2012.
 
Tennessee
Student performance on the 2012 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) improved statewide for the second year in a row, resulting in the highest aggregate test-score gains in state history. Students in grades third through eighth reached higher levels of proficiency in 23 of the 24 TCAP assessments, achieving the highest scores in reading, math and science. High school students also showed significant improvement, with more than half of them scoring proficient or advanced in a number of subjects including algebra and biology.