November 8, 2018 — The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) announced academic growth grades, and ReNEW K-8 schools each earned a ‘B.’ This is the first year the LDOE has assigned letter grades for growth.

From the LDOE:
The 2017-2018 school performance score calculation will represent two critical shifts in the design of Louisiana’s accountability system as a result of the Every Student Succeeds Act:

1. ensuring an “A” in Louisiana’s letter grade system signals mastery of fundamental skills; and

2. adjusting school rating calculations to value more the progress of every individual child.

The new Student Progress Index measures how well students, regardless of where they start at the beginning of the year, are progressing towards “Mastery” throughout the year, and rewards schools for this growth.