LULING—Among River Parish students, those in St. Charles fared the best on the latest round of LEAP and GEE tests, which determine which students are eligible to pass beyond the fourth, eighth and 12th grade levels.

This was especially true regarding LEAP results.

According to St. Charles School Public School System Director of Public Information Rochelle Cancienne-Touchard, “The district was pleased with the results. We saw a lot of growth, more than any other year in the past.”

She added that for the next two weeks the district’s schools will be working on school improvement plans.

In almost every instance, the percentage of fourth-graders scoring at the Basic level or above surpassed the statewide average while those scoring at Approaching Basic or below was less than the statewide average. The only exception to this was in social studies, where only 1 percent of St. Charles students attained the Advanced score compared to 2 percent statewide.

Cancienne-Touchard cautioned against overconfidence, though.

“You must keep in mind that you’re not testing the same students every year,” she said.

To this end, she said the district’s strategy is to reflect on teacher skills rather than the test itself.

“The central office works very hard to pinpoint areas of weakness,” said Cancienne-Touchard.

Overall, 85 percent of St. Charles fourth-graders passed the LEAP, a 9-percent increase over the state average.

The GEE results were somewhat less pronounced but still far surpassed Louisiana-wide percentages.

Said Cancienne-Touchard, “The superintendent was very pleased with the results of the GEE as well, especially in comparison to the rest of the state.”

The percentage of St. Charles students scoring Basic or above was an average of nine points higher than students across the rest of the state. In the social studies portion of the test, a whopping 91 percent of St. Charles students scored at the Approaching Basic level.

Overall, nearly 90 percent of students in St. Charles passed the GEE this spring.

Although the goal is always to perform better than the previous year, Cancienne-Touchard added, “Sometimes growth is even harder to attain when you start at a high level.”