Early Childhood Sites in Beauregard Parish Demonstrate High Proficient Performance
The 2018-2019 Early Childhood Performance Ratings have been released by the Louisiana Department of Education showing that Beauregard Parish sites earned an overall High Proficient rating with a score of 5.58 on a seven point scale, according to Timothy Cooley, Superintendent of Schools, representing the lead agency for the network. In addition, the network received a Proficient rating for equitable access to at-risk four-year olds in the parish.
“The Beauregard Parish Early Childhood network consists of nine sites serving children from birth through five years old,” said Cooley. “This is the fourth year that the state has issued performance ratings for early childhood education and the first year that the Beauregard network has received a High Proficient rating, having improved its score each year.”
All publicly funded early childhood education sites are joined in local networks and are rated on classroom observations of the interactions between teachers and students. The ratings are reported in five categories – Excellent, Highly Proficient, Proficient, Approaching Proficient, and Unsatisfactory.
District networks are evaluated on equitable access, classroom organization, emotional and behavioral support, instructional support, curriculum quality, and certification and professional development of teachers.
When the Louisiana legislature passed the Early Childhood Care and Education Act of 2012, the state began an endeavor to unify its early childhood system and improve kindergarten readiness. This process has led to a statewide early childhood network that focuses on coordinated enrollment systems, a unified rating system, and teacher preparation and support.
The state reports scores on a seven point scale: 6.00-7.00 as Excellent, 5.25-5.99 as High Proficient, 4.50-5.24 as Proficient, 3.00-4.49 as Approaching Proficient, and 1.00- 2.99 as Unsatisfactory.
The Beauregard network improved its score in four categories rated by the state over scores issued last year. These include, for pre-kindergarten students, Emotional Support with a score of 6.22, Classrooms Organization with a score of 5.97, and Instructional Support with a score of 4.66. For toddlers, age one through three, this includes Emotional and Behavioral Support with a score of 6.53, and Engaged Support for Learning with a score of 4.11 and one category Emotional and Behavioral Support with a decrease of .1 for a score of 6.43.
Overall, two sites were rated Excellent, six sites were rated Highly Proficient, and one sight was rated Approaching Proficient.
Two schools. K.R. Hanchey Elementary and Singer High School, were listed on the Excellence Honor Roll, and two sites, Merryville High School and Singer High School, earned the Top Gains designation. Bright Beginnings and Mother Goose achieved the “Birth to Three Honor Roll” for providing high quality instruction and care.
“The ultimate goal of the Beauregard Early Childhood Network is to provide our children with the support and instruction to prepare them to be successful in kindergarten,” Cooley said. “Data indicates that future success in education begins with a solid foundation in the formative years.”
“The performance profile shows that our early childhood sites are providing high quality education and care for our youngest learners. We will strive to maintain our high rating while at the same time looking to areas where we can improve so that our children have the best possible foundation to enter kindergarten ready to succeed,” he concluded.
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