Vermilion Parish students return on August 10

The Vermilion Parish School Board has spelled out a new education model that should improve test scores and student learning in the district.
The district-wide vision, dubbed “Our Vermilion,” encourages schools and the parish on the whole to work together so that all students can receive top-notch education, said Jerome Puyau, Vermilion Parish School Board superintendent.
In fact, the school board decided that the academic calendar should begin and end earlier than it had in previous years so that students will have more time to prepare for the tests. School starts on Aug. 10.
To be effective, the model must begin with teachers. Teachers will review data from the LEAP test – such as individual student scores, average district scores and statewide averages – to tailor lessons to student needs.
Teachers will also refer to data from classroom assessments like compass observations, in which the principal evaluates how well teachers engage students in the classroom.
The district will use a new program, LEAP 360, to measure student progress from the start of the school year to the spring, when students take the LEAP test. Students will take a series of assessment tests to prepare for the standardized test.
The program tracks scores not only from month to month but also from year to year. That is, as students graduate from one grade to the next, the program will collect data from individual scores so that administrators can review whether student learning has improved.
Puyau has collected student data since becoming superintendent in 2013. That year, he said, the state began setting higher expectations for students. Now, the state offers LEAP 360 to all school districts.
“Data is very useful, and that's what our big push is going to be,” Puyau said. “It's about what's best for the kids, but we use data to guide what we're doing. We use that data to drive instruction for the individual child.”
During a vocabulary lesson, for example, a teacher might direct simple questions to children who struggle with vocabulary to engage them. The teacher might ask more complex questions to students who perform at higher levels to engage them. Students at lower levels will listen to upper-level questions, Puyau said, and will begin to absorb the information.
In short, the program promotes learning on all levels. Teachers will work with children so that test scores improve not once but each year.
Puyau has structured the program so that all students can meet “mastery” or “advanced” levels by 2025. Mastery means that students have mastered the skills appropriate for their grade level. Advanced students demonstrate skills seen in the next grade level.
“We performed very well as a district this past year. Our expectations are high, and we know that every child can do it,” he said. “I'm excited about the school year. We're going to have the technology and the data to ensure teacher success and, in turn, student success.”
In addition to these efforts, school employees and some students spent the summer “beautifying their schools” for the upcoming year, Puyau said.
“I'm proud of not only our teachers but our administrators, bus drivers, janitors, secretaries. Across the district, the school staff and community members came together. It makes students proud of their schools, especially high schools. A lot of the kids did the work themselves. This is our Vermilion; it's not only saying it in words but in actions.”