Vermilion School District gets 'B-plus' grade; ranks 11th in state

The Vermilion Parish School System is proud to announce the recent release of School Report Cards which places Vermilion Parish Schools as one of the top districts in Louisiana. The majority of all schools in the parish showed an increase in points.
Schools such as LeBlanc Elementary, Meaux Elementary, Dozier Elementary and Forked Island/E. Broussard Elementary showed big gains in scores.
Because of the improvement in scores, Vermilion Parish School District jumped in ranking from 15th (2014) to No. 11 in the state out of 73 districts. This represents a half point away from being an “A” district.
According to Superintendent Jerome Puyau, “The district and school report cards showcase our dedication of providing a great public education to students in our parish.”
An investment by the Vermilion Parish School Board (VPSB) in professional development is one component attributed to the success of the district. Curriculum Department staff work as a team to provide individualized support to teachers through workshops, classroom visits and educational resources.
According to Ann Hardy, Supervisor of Elementary Instruction, “Our leaders and teachers are focused on instruction. Their decisions are based on the needs of the students in order to provide opportunities for student growth.”
Another key to the success of Vermilion Parish Schools is the emphasis on great leadership.
Dr. James Gray, Director of School Leadership, states, “For a district to be successful, a complete support system is needed to provide our leaders and teachers with the skills necessary to be successful. We have very strong leadership in Vermilion Parish. Our principals have assumed the role of true instructional leaders. They have created a professional learning community structure that fosters a learning environment for their administrative teams, their teachers and their students.”
Supervisor of Middle School Instruction, Jeannie Cormier, commented, “Schools utilize a variety of instructional resources, provided by the district, to ensure that teachers have the resources, information and data they need to guide instruction for each student.”
Assistant Superintendent Ellen Arceneaux was very pleased with the direction the district is moving in the implementation of the curriculum and ongoing support for our teachers. “Vermilion Parish students in grades three through eight took more rigorous assessments in English language arts (ELA), math, science and social studies.”

The following are highlights from Vermilion Parish Schools’ 2014-15 results:
• 31% of the students in Vermilion Parish scored Mastery or above, which exceeds the state average of 27%. In addition, minority students and economically disadvantaged students scoring mastery and above exceeded the state average.
• 71% of the students in Vermilion Parish scored Basic or above, which exceeds the state average of 65%. Minority students, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students scoring basic and above also topped the state average.
• Schools with a grade 8 are accountable for the number of credits earned by the end of their freshman year. 87% of Vermilion Parish students earn 6 or more credits, which is higher than the state average of 83%.
• Vermilion Parish schools made significant progress with students who struggled academically. In ELA, 56% of identified students exceeded expectations, compared to 50% statewide. On mathematics assessments, 51% of non- proficient students exceeded expectations, compared to 49% statewide.
In the past, districts have received a letter grade which was a compilation of all the school level data. For the first time, districts are receiving a report card similar to schools in the district.
The following are highlights from Vermilion Parish:
• Vermilion Parish was one of four districts in the state that grew in every performance measure listed on the district report card.
• Vermilion Parish also saw great results with students who struggled academically, earning a maximum of 10 progress points for the progress of students who were previously non-proficient but who exceeded expectations.
• Even with the increase in rigor on state assessments, Vermilion Parish students increased in overall proficiency with the second largest growth in students scoring at the Advanced and Mastery level.
In an article on Dec. 10, from Great Minds, “Vermilion was among the top 10 most improved districts in the state in grades 3, 4, 5, and 7. And it outgained the state averages in all grades but 6.” (Source cited from greatminds.net)
Recently, Vermilion Parish was recognized nationally for quality in education, student achievement, and affordability on two different websites, School Digger and Nerd Wallet.

School Performance Scores:
• Vermilion Parish has 6 schools that are considered by the state to be “Top Gains” schools.
• 14 Vermilion Parish schools (70%) saw an increase in school performance scores.
• 6 schools increased their overall school letter grade: Dozier Elementary, Erath Middle, Gueydan High, Kaplan High, LeBlanc Elementary, and Meaux Elementary.
• For the first time, Dozier Elementary and Erath Middle are “A” schools, and LeBlanc Elementary is a “B” school.

College and Career Readiness:
Vermilion Parish ranked 2nd in the state with 77% of our students earning a proficient score on the 2014-15 End of Course (EOC) exams. The state average percent proficient on EOC exams was 62%. Students take EOC exams in Algebra I, Biology, English II, English III, Geometry, U.S. History.
Vermilion Parish graduates of 2015 had an average composite score of a 19.7. This score is commensurate to the national average of 19.7 and is higher than the 19.2 composite score for the state. Vermilion Parish students ranked 11th in the state on the 2014-15 ACT with an average composite score of 19.7.

Dual Enrollment Credit:
• 76% of Vermilion Parish Graduates earned college credit through Dual Enrollment courses, compared to 28% in the state.

Four year Graduates
• 89% of Vermilion Parish students (includes all five high schools) graduated, with a diploma, within four years compared to the state average of 75% and the national average of 81%. Additionally, more than 80% of the district’s at-risk student population graduated in four years. It is important to note that the state goal for a four year graduation rate is 80% for all students.