1. How to Use this Presentation
This presentation is designed to provide school leaders with a template for back-to-school night conversations with students and families.
The presentation has been designed as an elementary school example. Pk-2 and high schools examples have been included in the appendix. Please customize it to best meet your school’s needs. Text in RED throughout the presentation should be updated with school-specific information.
Slides are included throughout to provide families with updates, at the state level, on student performance, priorities, standards, and assessments.* Schools have the discretion to decide whether or not to use all of these slides or just keep the conversation focused on the school or school system.
*ESSA (Section 1116(c)(4) requires schools to provide parents with a description and explanation of the school’s curriculum and assessments, and the achievement levels of the state academic standards.

2. Preparing for Your Back-to-School Night
Prior to holding your back-to-school night, reflect on the following questions about the school year.
How did all of our students perform last year? Do they have the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in the next grade-level?
In what subject areas are they excelling? Why?
In what subject areas are they struggling? Why?
Which students are struggling the most? Why?
What new programs, courses or enrichment opportunities did you provide students that helped them achieve their learning goals?
How engaged were families in their child’s education this past year? What can you do to improve communication with parents this year?
What will you do differently this year to sustain your success and address achievement gaps?

3. Pelican Elementary
Back-to-School Night

4. Agenda Looking Back at 2016-2017 2017-2018 Priorities
Student Learning in
Measuring Student Success in
Supporting Student Learning at Home
Appendix

5. Louisiana Student Success
Louisiana’s students—all of them, no matter race, disability, or creed—are as smart and capable as any in America. Louisiana has worked hard to raise expectations for students, and as a result, students are performing at higher levels than ever before.
Louisiana fourth-grade students achieved the highest growth among all states on the 2015 NAEP reading test and the second highest growth in math.
The number of students scoring “Mastery” and above on LEAP tests has increased 13% in the last five years.
A record 25,144 high school seniors in the class of 2016 earned a college-going ACT score (18+), an increase of 6,980 students since 2012.
More students graduated in 2016 than ever before. More than 3,500 students graduated in 2016 than in 2012, and 43% of them did so with an early college credit or a statewide industry-based credential.
Since 2012, the number of students earning Advanced Placement credit each year has increased by more than 3,000, an increase of more than 100%. The number of students earning college credit through CLEP has also significantly increased from 45 in 2014 to 4,300 in 2016.

6. Cougar Pride in
Based on your answers to the previous questions, use this slide to celebrate your school and students’ successes from
Our Cougar nation had a great year in Here are a few of our successes:
Our students grew from 23% mastering grade-level skills at the beginning of the year, to 48% mastering grade-level skills at the end of the year. That’s 100% improvement!
97% of our 5th graders successfully transitioned to middle school.
Our 4th grade choir won the state choir competition.
Mr. Theodore was named the Louisiana Elementary School Teacher of the Year!
75 percent of our families attended both of our student-led parent conference nights.

7. Release of Spring 2017 LEAP Student Reports for ELA, Math and Science
Use this slide to explain the LEAP student reports that were sent home. If ELA, Math and Science results have not yet been sent home, please provide information on when parents will receive these reports.
HERE IS A SAMPLE:
The week of July 10, parents and students received three student reports, one for ELA, math, and science that outline how your child performed on these tests.
The reports include the following measures:
An overall score in math, English and science
A breakdown of the child’s performance into specific skills for each subject area
How the child is performing in comparison to other students in the same school, school system, and state
Due to the fact that the social studies test was new this year, students will not receive results from this test until later this fall.

8. How to Use the LEAP Student Reports
The 2017 LEAP scores help teachers identify where students need extra support or a greater challenge in specific subject areas. They will also be used to measure how well schools and school systems are helping students achieve higher expectations.
Results on these tests will not impact student promotion or negatively impact students or teachers in any way.
The LEAP test is just one measure of how well your child is performing academically. Other information, such as grades, teacher feedback, and scores on other tests, will help determine your child’s academic strengths and needs.
Each set of ELA and math student reports are accompanied by a Parent Guide to the LEAP Student Reports that provide information on how to read the results and use them to support student learning at home. Translated versions in Spanish, Vietnamese and Arabic are available in the LDOE’s Family Support Toolbox.

9. Sample Spring 2017 LEAP Student Report
Use this slide to point out the different sections of the report and what they mean about student performance.
This is an ELA sample. The math performance areas also use a three-star rating system.

10. Questions to Guide Teacher Conferences
The test results will help you, as a parent, talk to your child’s teacher(s) about additional supports or enrichment that may be needed in class and at home this school year.
Here are some helpful questions to ask when discussing the results with your child’s teacher(s):
What can be done to appropriately challenge my child in areas where he or she exceeds the expectations?
Where is my child doing well and where does he or she need improvement?
How can I help support my child’s learning at home?
How do we ensure that my child makes progress?
What can be done in the classroom to help improve his or her area(s) of weakness?

11. Agenda Looking Back at 2016-2017 2017-2018 Priorities
Student Learning in
Measuring Student Success in
Supporting Student Learning at Home
Appendix

12. Addressing the State’s Top Academic Challenges
While Louisiana has made great strides in increasing life opportunities for its students, there remain serious challenges in Louisiana’s schools. Often these challenges are experienced to the greatest extent by children of historically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Louisiana’s schools and school systems play a powerful role in helping all students overcome the challenges they will experience on the way to leading healthy and productive lives as adults.
Challenge 1: Ensuring students leave high school with the skills needed to succeed in community colleges, universities, or the workplace
Challenge 2: Ensuring academic progress for all students, especially those who struggle the most
Challenge 3: Rewarding, funding, and ensuring access for all students to enriching experiences essential to their success beyond high school
Challenge 4: Supporting persistently struggling schools by providing them with access to proven academic models for improvement
Challenge 5: Elevating the teaching profession so that it is competitive with others and ensuring existing educators have a clear career pathway for success
Louisiana, in conjunction with stakeholders across the state has developed a comprehensive plan to address these challenges over the next few years. 15

13. 2017-2018 Cougar Goals and Priorities
INSERT SPECIFIC SCHOOL OR SCHOOL SYSTEM GOALS AND PRIORITIES FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR BASED OFF OF AREAS OF STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES IDENTIFIED IN ANALYSIS OF PRIOR YEAR PERFORMANCE.
Based on our students’ performance in , Pelican Elementary is focused on the following priorities for the school year.
Ensuring that 75% of students who begin the year behind grade-level, end the school year on or above grade-level. (based off of LEAP results)
Increasing access to our gifted and talented program by providing a universal screener to all students.
Providing all students with two hours of music and art instruction each week.
Providing families with the tools and support they need to support student learning at home through our new parent center.

14. Agenda Student Performance in 2016-2017 2017-2018 Priorities
Student Learning in
Measuring Student Success in
Supporting Student Learning at Home

15. Louisiana Student Standards
Educational Standards:
set clear and consistent learning expectations for students and teachers;
define what students should know and be able to do in a particular subject at each grade level; and
help set high goals for all students.
Standards help students to:
Develop deep understanding, skill, and fluency in math
Think critically in math through speaking, writing, and solving problems
Apply math to real-world problems and tasks
Build knowledge, discuss, and write about topics, themes, and ideas in complex texts
Support thoughts and opinions about complex text using evidence
Why are standards important?
The Louisiana Student Standards ensure that all students, regardless of their address, background, or ability, have a clear roadmap to success in college or a career.
Clearly defined goals help families and teachers work together to ensure that students succeed, have access to extra assistance when they need it, and are challenged appropriately.

16. Our Curriculum . Content Curriculum Why do we use it? Math Eureka
Builds number sense
Helps students learn to apply math to real-world situations
Builds efficiency with math problems
English language arts
Guidebooks
Provides engaging texts
Integrates reading and writing so students write about what they read
Provides ample opportunity for student conversations
Science
LDOE resources
Transitioning to new standards
Social studies
LDOE resources plus DBQ Project
Provides primary sources
Engages students in writing about history .

17. Agenda Looking Back at 2016-2017 2017-2018 Priorities
Student Learning in
Measuring Student Success in
Supporting Student Learning at Home
Appendix

18. 2017-2018 LEAP 2025 Assessments: Grades 3-8
This school year students in grades 3-8 will take the following state assessments:
Students in grades 3 will take the LEAP 2025 assessments in ELA, math, and social studies on paper.
Students in grades 4-8 will take the LEAP 2025 assessments for ELA, math, and social studies online.
A new LEAP 2025 science assessment is being developed for This science assessment will be field tested this year, and therefore students will not receive results.
This slide should be updated based on your school’s/school system’s assessment mode decision for grades 3 and 4.

19. Our Tests
LEAP 360 provides our teachers with a full suite of connected assessments designed to give meaningful information about student performance throughout the year.
This system also allows teachers to reduce the amount of tests provided to students throughout the year.
Diagnostic Assessments help teachers and students better understand students’ readiness for grade-level content and set learning goals for the year.
Interim Assessments provide valuable checkpoints to monitor student progress throughout the year.
EAGLE and K-2 Formative Tasks can be used for ongoing classroom assessments.
LEAP 360 takes the place of XX tests we used last year.

20. Agenda Looking Back at 2016-2017 2017-2018 Priorities
Student Learning in
Measuring Student Success in
Supporting Student Learning at Home
Appendix

21. Parent Engagement
Use this slide to insert information about how parents should communicate with teachers and the school leader throughout the school year.
Pelican Elementary is committed to providing parents with meaningful, two-way communication opportunities with both teachers and Principal Struthers throughout the year. Here is where to go with questions.
Contact your child’s teachers with questions about your child’s progress, learning needs or school events/programs through the Remind app.
Additional questions or concerns that cannot be addressed by your child’s teacher, should be directed to Principal Struthers at
For help on how you can support student learning at home, including questions about homework and using technology, visit our Parent Center between the hours of 7:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., or attend one of our upcoming parent workshops.

22. Supporting Student Learning
How can families support student learning at home?
Learning should not end in the classroom.
You play an important role in setting high expectations for learning.
You can help your child become successful both in and outside the classroom.
Support starts with meaningful conversations:
Find out what your child knows.
Discover what your child should be able to do.
Talk to your child regularly about schoolwork.
Meet and speak with your child’s teacher(s) regularly.

23. Tools and Resources to Support Parents: General
Below are additional resources that you can access to further support your child’s learning at home.
Louisiana’s Family Support Toolbox Library: information on standards, test results, and links to PTA and Eureka Math parent guides
Great Kids Milestones: free, online collection of videos showing what success looks like in reading, writing, and math in grades K–12
Eureka Math Support Page: free online site to support students in schools that have adopted the Eureka math curriculum
Zearn: free online site to support students in schools that have adopted the Zearn math curriculum
LearnZillon: free online site to support students in schools that have adopted the ELA Guidebooks curriculum arts-guidebook-units

24. Agenda Looking Back at 2016-2017 2017-2018 Priorities
Student Learning in
Measuring Student Success in
Supporting Student Learning at Home
Appendix

25. Measuring Student Performance in PK-2

26. Building and Assessing Foundational Skills in PK-2
Children in grades Pk-2 must develop foundational skills to become proficient readers in grades 3 and beyond.
These foundational skills include:
knowing that text is read left to right and top to bottom;
recognizing sounds in spoken words;
alphabet knowledge;
letter-sound relationships;
decoding regularly spelled words;
reading irregularly spelled words; and
reading grade level texts with accuracy, rate, and expression
Teachers build children’s foundational skills by using high-quality curricula and small group instruction each day.
Teachers will assess these skills formally 3-4 times a year to monitor student progress, and will informally assess students daily by observing, listening, and probing during instruction.

27. Progression of PK-2 Foundational Skills
By the end of...
Children are able
PreK
Demonstrate that print is read left to right and top to bottom
Recognize and produce rhyming words
Kindergarten
Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet
Produce the primary sound/symbol relationship for every letter
First
Decode regular, one- and two-syllable words
Read grade level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression
Second
Read irregularly spelled words
Read grade level text independently with sufficient fluency to support comprehension

28. Measuring Student Performance in High School

29. Measuring Student Performance in High School: 2016-2017
In , students in grades 9-12 took the following exams:
End-of-Course: English II and III, Algebra I, Geometry, Biology, U.S. History
College Readiness: ACT®
Career Readiness: ACT® WorkKeys®
College Credit: Advanced Placement and College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
Please schedule a meeting with your child’s teacher or counselor to discuss last year’s results and what impact they have on your child’s schedule this year and their learning needs.

30. Measuring Student Performance in High School: 2017-2018
This school year, Louisiana is transitioning to new high school assessments to provide schools and school systems with a consistent measurement of student achievement/progress and graduation requirements from grade 3 through high school.
In order to accomplish this goal, the following changes will occur:
transition to five performance level (same as LEAP) tests rather than the four-level End of Course exams from previous years; and
replacing the English III exam (which will phase out over time) with English I exam, allowing schools to more accurately assess students success in ELA earlier and reduce testing in upper grades as students are exploring a variety of pathways.

31. Financial Aid Planning
Beginning this year, each graduating senior will be required, as part of his or her individual graduation plan, to either
complete the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) application or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA),
declare a hardship, or
submit a waiver to the local school system.
The FAFSA opens on October 1, Students and/or parents should fill out the application as early as possible to be eligible for all opportunities and meet graduation requirements.
Visit the for more information or with questions or for assistance with FAFSA completion.