Testing

What are the LEAP, iLEAP, GEE and End-of-Course tests?

A key component of Louisiana's Accountability System is its statewide testing program. Each year, students in grades 3-11 participate in state assessments. Each of the 30 state assessments is based on Grade-Level Expectations, which reflect the knowledge and skills students should have acquired at the time of testing. Students do not receive a pass or fail grade, but receive an achievement level score.

The five achievement levels a student can earn on the LEAP, iLEAP and GEE are

Advanced
A student at this level has demonstrated superior performance beyond the level of mastery.

Mastery
A student at this level has demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter and is well prepared for the next level of schooling.

Basic
A student at this level has demonstrated only the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for the next level of schooling.

Approaching Basic
A student at this level has only partially demonstrated the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for the next level of schooling.

Unsatisfactory
A student at this level has not demonstrated the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for the next level of schooling.

Students in 4th and 8th grade participate in the high stakes Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) test, which determines whether they will be required to attend summer school or be retained. The LEAP measures 4th and 8th grade students' knowledge and skills in English Language Arts, math, science and social studies, and students must score Basic or above in either English or math and Approaching Basic or above in the other subject on the LEAP to advance to the next grade. 4th graders have had to meet this requirement since 2004, while eighth-graders have had to meet this requirement since 2006.

Students in 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th grades take the state's iLEAP test, which is designed to measure student progress but does not determine whether they will be retained in their current grade. The iLEAP is referred to as an "integrated" LEAP because it combines a norm referenced test, which compares a student's test results to the performance of students in a national sample, with a criterion-referenced test, which reports student results in terms of the state's standards.

Louisiana's 10th and 11th grade students participate in the state's Graduation Exit Exam (GEE). High school students must score Approaching Basic or above on the English and math portions of the exam, and Approaching Basic or above on either the science or the social studies components of the test in order to graduate. During the 10th grade, students take the English and math portions of the assessment and in 11th grade students take the science and social studies portions of the exam. Students must pass the state test to earn a standard Louisiana diploma.

However, freshmen entering high school in the 2010-11 school year and thereafter, will not take the GEE. These students must pass three End-of-Course (EOC) tests in the following categories: English II or English III, Algebra I or Geometry, and Biology or American History. Thus, the EOC tests will replace the GEE for graduation purposes.

There are four achievement levels students can score on the End-of-Course exams: Excellent, Good, Fair and Needs Improvement.

Students scoring at the achievement level of Excellent have demonstrated mastery of course content beyond Good, while a score of Good indicates a student has demonstrated mastery of course content and is well prepared for the next level of coursework in the subject area. At the level of Fair, a student has demonstrated only the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for the next level of coursework in the subject area. A rating of Needs Improvement indicates a student has not demonstrated the fundamental knowledge and skills for the next level of coursework in the subject area.

Students are required to score Fair or above on EOC English II or English III, Algebra I or Geometry, and Biology or American History to be eligible for a standard high school diploma.

Students with disabilities who have passed two of the three required EOC assessments and have exhausted all opportunities prior to the end of their senior year may request to have the required third EOC test waived by the State Superintendent of Education if the Louisiana Department of Education determines the student's disability significantly impacts his or her ability to pass the EOC exam.

In addition to these assessments, there are also alternate assessments for students with disabilities.