Best and Worst Scores for Reading at Shreveport Area Schools

Good news for young students in Louisiana schools. The Department of Education has unveiled the 2022 fall Reading Report. The data shows some gains have been made by students in 1st-through-3rd grade, But the news is not all good. Kindergarten scores have dropped by about 2%.

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says kindergartners faced a learning delay because of the pandemic.

"Some of the early care centers were closed during the pandemic and these kids were babies and toddlers."  He says there were also concerns about facemasks and whether or not they prevented speech development in some children.

How Did Students in Shreveport and Bossier Do?

In Caddo Parish, 80% of Kindergarten students are below grade level, while that number is at 66% for 1st graders, 67% for 2nd graders and 74% for 3rd graders.

In Bossier Parish, 54% of Kindergarten students are reading below grade level, while that number is at or near 50% in the other grades.

Here Are Some of the Worst Performing Local Schools

Westwood Elementary School 95% of kindergarten student are below grade level.

Kingston Elementary School 92% of 3rd graders are below grade level.

Atkins Elementary School 92% of kindergarten students are below grade level.

Creswell Elementary School 92% of kindergarten students are below grade level.

North Highlands Elementary School 88% of kindergarten students are below grade level.

Mooringsport Elementary School 87% of kindergarten students are below grade level.

Oak Park Microsociety Elementary School 85%  of kindergarten students are below grade level.  88% of 2nd grade students are below grade level and 84% of 3rd grade students are below grade level.

Werner Park Elementary School 85% of 2nd grade students are below grade level.

Northside Elementary School 84% of kindergarten students are below grade level.

Turner Elementary Middle School 81% of kindergarten students are below grade level.

Pine Grove Elementary School 81% of 3rd grade students are below grade level.

Caddo Heights Math/Science Elementary School 80% of 3rd grade students are below grade level.

Magnolia School of Excellence 80% of kindergarten students are below grade level.

Waller Elementary School 82% of 3rd grade students are below grade level.

Sunset Acres Elementary School 80% of kindergarten students are below grade level.

Bossier Elementary School 79% of 3rd grade students are below grade level.

Plain Dealing High School 79% of 2nd grade students are below grade level.

Benton Elementary School 74% of kindergarten students are below grade level.

Queensborough Elementary School more than 70% in K-3rd

Here Are the Best Performing Local Schools

South Highlands Elementary Magnet School 90% or better in K-3rd grades are performing on or above grade level.

Eden Gardens Fundamental Elementary School 95% in 1st and 2nd grades are performing on or above grade level.

Claiborne Fundamental Elementary School 92% in 2nd 95% in 3rd are performing on or above grade level.

Fairfield Magnet School 90% in K-3rd grades are performing on or above grade level.

Herndon Magnet School 89% in 2nd grade are performing on or above grade level.

Judson Fundamental Elementary School 83% of 1st graders are performing on or above grade level.

Pine Grove Elementary School 81% of kindergarten students are performing on or above grade level.

Legacy Elementary School 79% of 2nd graders  are performing on or above grade level.

Stockwell Place Elementary School 73% of 2nd graders are performing on or above grade level.

This new report on reading is based on a literacy screening done with the children during the first 30 days of the school year. He says it checked out the youngsters basic reading ability.

Louisiana’s overall score improved for a second consecutive year, second-graders, in particular, scored two-percent higher than last year’s second-graders. Brumley says it’s good to see reading progress.

"We've had a series of reforms to make this better. We've also have a lot of energy in our schools around reading that maybe did not exist to that level before. So I'm really proud about what's happening in our schools on the reading front."

Brumley says one area that needs improvement is with the younger children. He says the overall Reading Report shows just under 50% of K-through-third graders meet the goal or benchmark, which means more work is needed to get young people reading at grade level.

"We're focused on phonics instruction, making sure teachers are trained in phonics and making sure we are communicating clearly with parents on their child's reading ability and asking for more collaboration between school and home."

BESE and state law requires school systems to do a literacy screener not later than thirty days after the beginning of each school year to all students in kindergarten through grade 3. The purpose of this is to make sure students "are on the right track to become proficient readers by the end of third grade."