Tag: Louisiana education

Online Mathematics Master’s Degree at Nicholls Ranks Nationally

It was recently announced via this news release from Nicholls State University that the school’s online mathematics master’s degree was highly ranked among the top online master’s programs in the nation. Nicholls’ online mathematics master’s degree was ranked among OnlineMastersDegrees.org’s Top 31 Degree Programs, where it came in at number 21, placing it in the top 6% of the regionally accredited postsecondary institutions. According to the news release, the online mathematics program at Nicholls had earned this “top honors for overall quality, affordability, and commitment to student success.”

As per the Department of Mathematics at Nicholls, “the faculty of the Department of Mathematics at Nicholls State University is dedicated to preparing students to adapt to the needs and demands of a technologically oriented society. This new Master of Science in mathematics is uniquely designed to serve teachers seeking professional development.”

The Department of Mathematics’s curriculum for their newer, educationally-focused Master of Science in mathematicsis designed to strengthen the content understanding of secondary math teachers enrolled in the program so that they are enriching their knowledge of logic, mathematics, and technology. In addition to these areas, the program also enriches their knowledge and understanding of curriculum and instruction methods.

In order to rank the online degree programs, OnlineMastersDegrees.org (OMD) analyzed over 7,000 accredited universities through the use of data that was pulled from the individual schools and from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. The data science team at OMD then applied a proprietary algorithm in order to rank all qualifying schools for each of the different master’s degrees specialities.

OMD had originally started back in 2020 in order to support online learning at the master’s level, so that the option could become more viable for those wanting to go back to school for a higher degree but might not be able to physically attend classes on a traditional campus. The site’s user-friendly interface and research-based content work together to assist students in finding scholarships, resources, financial aid, and to connect with accredited universities and colleges across the country. As a result, OMD has become a one-stop-shop for a potential prospective student’s cursory google searches when questioning how, where, and when they can apply for a Master’s degree program.

Because of this, it makes the online mathematics program at Nicholls State University all-the-most equipped to meet a prospective student’s inquiries and needs by being on this nationally-ranked list of the best online degrees in the nation. OMD’s list is accompanied with several resources to help a student decide if an online master’s degree is the right step for them, and this includes a list of the benefits of earning an online master’s degree in mathematics. Some of the benefits include: being able to advance in your career while studying, having the opportunity to learn advanced concepts, and setting yourself up in for the ultimate degree.

OMD also explains that with an Online Master’s Degree Program, you’ll be able to learn by writing, “every master’s in mathematics online program has a similar set of core courses that everyone needs to take at the graduate level. Beyond that, there are electives, which students can use to create a unique concentration or fit into a concentration already laid out by the school. Below are some of the more common courses you can expect to encounter. Keep in mind that some schools require a capstone project or thesis, while others require an examination. Students learn about the qualitative behavior of solutions on nonlinear differential equations, bifurcation methods, strange attractors and chaos, fixed pointed and periodic orbits. They also learn how these systems apply to fields like engineering, biology, physics, chemistry, and more.”

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Teacher Pay Increased by BESE’s New Funding Formula

The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) recently unanimously adopted a new statewide K-12 education funding formula for the 2023-24 school year, as per this news release from the Louisiana Department of Education. This new Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) formula not only aligns with the recommendations made by the Louisiana Department of Education, but it also addresses the key areas of teacher pay, support staff pay, workplace development, and operational costs.

The new formula includes across-the-board salary increases of $2,000 for certified teachers and $1000 for non-certified support staff. Additionally, BESE had approved the addition of a differentiated compensation provision for teacher salaries, established in the MFP formula in the form of a $61 million block grant program.

Under this new provision, school systems would receive money to fund stipends for teachers who are working in critical shortage areas, as defined by BESE. Additionally, stipends can be funded for highly-effective teachers, as defined in state law and BESE policy, teachers working in schools with an economically disadvantaged student population rate of 85% or higher, and teacher leaders working to support their peers.

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley commented on the new formula adoption by saying, “I’m pleased to see our MFP proposal move forward with a market-responsive approach for the first time in Louisiana’s history. This will be a statewide game-changer for directly targeting pay toward staffing needs and teacher quality. Business and industry partners frequently shoulder the need for employees trained in career and technical education. Dedicating funding to our school systems specifically to support apprenticeships will encourage this career readiness approach to be lifted across Louisiana.”

Also, BESE added a projected $21.5 million to the MFP to help school systems meet their ever-increasing operational costs. The Board increased the formula’s Mandated Costs Allocation from $100 to $133 per student in order to support health insurance, retirement, transportation, and other operational costs that are incurred by school systems. This reflects the rate of inflation from 2009 when this operational component was last increased.

Additionally, the new MFP formula includes a projected $1.5 million increase to the formula’s Supplemental Course Allocation, dedicated to state-approved apprenticeship programs. These funds would be distributed to school systems based on the number of eligible students and with an enrollment limit of 250 applicants annually across both semesters. Systems that are designated as rural by the United States Census Bureau would also receive $3,500 per enrolled student, and non-rural systems would receive $2,500 per enrolled student.

BESE President Dr. Holly Boffy said, “the formula approved by the Board today supports key priorities for K-12 education in Louisiana. As the first step in the state’s education funding process, BESE’s passage of the MFP formula provides $257 million in teacher pay raises for teachers, including $2,000 for all teachers and another $60 million to meet our greatest staffing challenges in the classroom. The new MFP also increases aid for schools and districts struggling to cover rising expenses, and supports career and technical education through dedicated funding. We look forward to working with our partners in the legislature throughout the budgeting process to ensure that our students and educators receive the financial support they deserve.”

The MFP formula is set to determine the cost of teaching every K-12 public school student in Louisiana. According to the state’s constitution, BESE must create a formula for allocating state funding to public schools and submit it annually to the Louisiana Legislature. The final resolution describing the BESE-approved formula is set to be delivered to the Louisiana Legislature for review. According to state law, the Legislature may accept or reject the BESE-submitted formula but cannot alter it. BESE also asked the legislature to send the formula back to the Board so that a 2.75% increase to the formula’s base per-pupil amount and additional money for dual enrollment programs may be added should the Revenue Estimating Conference recognize additional funds throughout the budget approval process.

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Three Louisiana Educators Receive Nationally-Acclaimed Milken Award

It was recently announced by the Louisiana Department of Education via this news release that educators from Ascension, West Baton Rouge, and Lafayette Parish have each received a $25,000 Milken Educator Award.

The $25,000 Milken Educator Award was awarded by Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken and Louisiana Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley to Ascension Public Schools first-grade teacher Elise Frederic, West Baton Rouge Schools fifth-grade teacher Dereka Duncan, and Lafayette Parish third-grade teacher Corrie Campbell. The issuing of these awards is often kept such a close-held secret that recipients do not know that they are in the running for the award until they are visited by the Superintendent and Milken himself.

By design, Milken Educator Awards are bestowed upon early-to-mid career educators for what these teachers have already achieved early on in their careers and “for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities inherent in the Award. In education circles, the Milken Educator Award is known as an immensely high honor, akin to the Academy Awards, as the honor is often referred to as the “Oscars of Teaching.” Being selected for such an award is meant to both “inspire and uplift with the unique stories of educators making a profound difference for students, colleagues, and communities.

Elise Frederic serves as an accomplished first-grade teacher at Lakeside Primary School in Prairieville, Louisiana, and she is described as continually helping “each child set daily goals and pair[ing] students strategically to address their specific needs. Her laser focus on literacy delivers in spades.” In the 2021-2022 School year, more than 90% of Frederic’s students had achieved mastery on district benchmark assessments in English and 70% had achieved mastery in Math.

Lowell Milken commented on Elise Frederic’s success by saying, “virtually all people can name at least one teacher who has had an extraordinary impact on their lives. Elise Frederic is that kind of foundational teacher whose care and compassion have helped shape young learners into future leaders. Equally impressive, Elise is an exceptional instructional role model for her peers in the school, district and broader community.”

Dereka Duncan is a well-regarded fifth-grade science teacher at Cohn Elementary School, and she has reportedly worked on “revamping the fifth grade reading curriculum to align with Louisiana ELA standards.” Because of this commitment, “Cohn has reached an all-time high progress index of 90%, resulting in an A on the growth index score for the first time.”

Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley said the following about Dereka Duncan: “Students do more than learn science in Dereka Duncan’s class, they participate in experiences that allow them to see themselves as scientists, engineers, and researchers. She is the type of transformational educator who will help move our state forward.

Corrie Campbell passionately teaches both English Language Arts and Social Studies at Green T. Lindon Elementary School in Lafayette Parish. According to LDOE, at Campbell’s previous school in New Iberia Parish, “Campbell created a fourth-grade writing challenge based on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Students examined characters’ reactions when their rights were threatened, then shared their work with peers for feedback. The writing unit served as an extended lead-up to the Newberry Award writing contest in fifth grade.”

Dr. Brumley commented by saying, “Corrie Campbell has a hands-on approach to teaching that’s resulted in remarkable student growth and achievement. Not only does she focus on reaching every child, but she also serves as a mentor to her colleagues.”

Nationwide, there were up to 40 elementary educators awarded a Milken Educator Award this season. The Milken Awards Initiative has awarded more than $73 million in individual awards and more than $140 million in funding since 1987.

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Louisiana Teacher Retention on the Rise According to Louisiana Educator Workforce Report

It was recently revealed by the 2021-2022 Educator Workforce Snapshot that more teachers in Louisiana are choosing to remain in the education profession and that the percentage of certified educators is trending upwards, according to this news release from the Louisiana Department of Education.  Teacher retention has been a topic of conversation for quite some time so this report is promising for the state’s education system.

The LDOE recently released the 2021-2022 Educator Workforce Snapshot, which is a statistical snapshot that provides an overview of “workforce data” for Louisiana’s 1394 traditional public schools. The snapshot was obtained using data from the End-of-Year (EOY) data from the recently concluded 2021-2022 school year. LDOE describes the purpose of the data “is to communicate annual workforce data and trends to stakeholders and to support decision making for statewide improvements regarding recruitment and retention.”

The Educator Workforce Snapshot provided a wide array of updates and data on both teachers and students in the 2021-2022 school year, but the following were pointed out as being the main highlights of the report: Louisiana’s overall teacher retention, certified teacher percentage, and diversity of teacher workforce had increases two points a piece. Overall teacher retention is now at 86%, whereas first-year teacher retention has increased five points to 83%. The percentage of Louisiana teachers who are certified had increased to 69% of all teachers, and the diversity rate of the state’s teacher workforce has increased to 29%.

With this upward trend in teacher retention across the state for both new and veteran teachers, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley commented by saying, “this is an enlightening report that shows Louisiana’s comprehensive recruitment and retention plan is working. Even with this early progress, we must remain laser-focused. Every educator deserves quality pay, strong leadership, and to be valued as professionals. This encouraging data is early proof of what can happen when you listen to teachers and create an environment where their voice matters.”

Additionally, the 2021-2022 Educator Workforce Snapshot also revealed that the average teacher salary in Louisiana has increased by $1,268 to $52,174. Along with compensation information for teachers, assistant principals, and principals, the Snapshot also had demographic information pertaining to ethnicity and gender listed for teachers as well as students. The certification date for teachers was further classified by whether or not the certified or uncertified teachers were teaching in a subject with a high-stakes state assessment, in a school evaluated with a high or low letter grade, and by subject area.

Louisiana has put a lot of effort towards its comprehensive recruitment and retention in recent history. Firstly, the past year saw a pay increase for teachers and support staff, as teachers saw a $1,500 pay increase approved and support staff saw a $750 increase in salary. Additionally, veteran teachers applying to be a Mentor Teacher for the school year were given a $2000 stipend for their additional responsibility.

Other actions taken to increase teacher recruitment and retention were that LDOE had recently collaborated on new legislation that allows for professionals with a master’s degree in any field to be able to enter the classroom as a teacher. Also, the 2022 Regular Legislative Session established the Geaux Teach Fund, which allocated $5 million for the purpose of awarding scholarships to high school students who are a part of a teacher preparation program.

Also, LDOE created the first Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council, which saw 22 educators chosen from nearly 900 applications to serve on the inaugural council. The council will consist of a cohort of educators who will meet with Dr. Brumley once a quarter to share their feedback on current education initiatives and to offer insight on how Louisiana can help to improve student outcomes.

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Nicholls Recognizes Recipients of Grants at Spring 2023 Convocation

Nicholls State University recently held its Spring 2023 Convocation in order to recognize grant winners, faculty, and staff for their hard work throughout the 2022 academic school year. At the  Spring 2023 Convocation, Nicholls recognized the top 10 grants award winners for the funding they had received in 2022, according to this news release from the school.

The Spring 2023 Convocation opened with opening remarks from Nicholls President Dr. Jay Clune and Dr. Sue Westbrook, who is the Nicholls State University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. University President Dr. Jay Clune spoke about his outlook for the Spring 2023 semester by saying, “this semester, we look forward to not only changing the lives of the students we teach, mentor, and care for today but the lives of their children and the generations that will follow them.”

The ceremony awarded the ten faculty and staff members who received the most grant money for 2022. When collectively added together, these ten grant recipients represented over $8 million in grant awards for both programmatic support and research.

Nicholls State University awarded the following for being the top ten grant recipients for the funding they received in 2022: Dr. John Lajaunie (Bayou Region Incubator), Dr. John Doucet (Nicholls Coastal Center and College of Sciences and Technology), Zerica Washington (Nicholls Family Service Center), Dr. Jonathan Willis (Nicholls Department of Biological Sciences), Katie Lasserre (Little Colonels Academy), Dr. Balaji Ramachandran (Nicholls Department of Applied Sciences), Dr. Kimberly Reynolds (Department of Psychology and Louisiana Child Welfare Training Academy), Dr. Allyse Ferrara (Department of Biological Sciences), Dr. Darcey Wayment (Department of Chemistry), and Gina Bergeron (Nicholls Family Service Center).

Debi Benoit is the Director of Research and Sponsored Programs at Nicholls, and she spoke about the top ten grant award winners by saying, “rigorous academic research and creative scholarship is time-consuming, requires great attention to detail, strong adherence to the standards and principles of your discipline, and takes substantial persistence to complete. For that reason, Nicholls has initiated the annual Grantsmanship Award as a means to celebrate and recognize ten outstanding faculty or staff who obtained the largest funding in the past year. This year’s 10 recipients represent over $8 million in awards for both research and programmatic support.”

The grants awarded by Nicholls State University were made possible by direct support from alumni, private foundations, parents, corporations, and organizations; additionally, the grant funds are allocated by Nicholls’s Office of University Development. In order to provide financial support for Nicholls State University, The Office of University Development plans and executes annual fund campaigns, capital campaigns, endowments, planned giving initiatives, and other types of fund-raising activities.

Nicholls’s Spring 2023 Convocation also saw five professors and assistant professors awarded the Academic Affairs Award for Teaching Excellence. These five awardees were: Dr. John Lajaunie, Dr. Chantrelle Varnado-Johnson, Dr. Jason Ladd, Mrs. Jeanne Chaisson, and Dr. Himanshu Verma.

Additionally, the Student Affairs “Apple” Awards were given out to five staff members. These awards were for “Outstanding Faculty Advisor of a Student Organization,” “Outstanding Faculty Mentor,” “Outstanding Faculty Support for Student Activities,” and “Outstanding Faculty Merit Award.”

The ceremony also featured the introduction of a new program that is designed to help Nicholls State Universitysupport its students, communicate important information throughout the school year, and answer student questions. Renee Hicks, Assistant Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, Access, and Success, announced the implementation of Nicholls State University + EdSights. The program was described as being “available to students 24/7 to answer any questions about Nicholls. The program can help the university support students, answer their questions and communicate important information throughout the school year creating an avenue for student feedback and a virtual community.”

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Improvement Shown on State’s Fall Reading Report

Reading scores are up in grades 1-3 across the state of Louisiana. Recently, the Louisiana Department of Education released its Fall 2022 Reading Report, showing how public school students in grades K-3 had scored on their annual literacy screener. According to the news release from LDOE, Louisiana’s overall score improved, and students in grades 1-3 showed growth for the second consecutive year. In fact, this year’s third-graders earned their highest score since 2018.

Dr. Cade Brumley, the Louisiana Superintendent of Education, offered words of ongoing encouragement by saying, “it’s good to see the continued reading progress for our students. Ensuring children can read must remain a fundamental priority in every school across our state.”

LDOE’s report, titled The Fall 2022 Reading Report, includes state, school system, and individual school data for public school students in grades K-3. School Systems are able to select from four research-based screening assessments to administer to their students, who will take this literacy screener within the first 30 days of a new school year. At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year in August, the state adopted Louisiana’s first K-2 accountability plan, which included a uniform literacy screener for students in the early grades of their education.

Although the scores for students in grades 1-3 have increased for the second year in a row, the scores for students entering kindergarten have declined. These literacy screeners are administered to students within the first 30 days of a new school year, and they are able to capture a snapshot of a child’s reading ability as they enter into a new grade. Teachers then develop specific reading plans and alter instruction based on student scores to help them become proficient in reading by the end of their third-grade year.

Because Louisiana students entering kindergarten did not increase their reading scores from previous years, this is seen as the latest addition to data indicating the continued progress of Louisiana students following the unprecedented classroom disruptions that were caused by multiple hurricanes and the pandemic.

Earlier this semester, Louisiana’s statewide performance scores were released, and it indicated that the state’s scores were returning to a pre-pandemic level. This was in addition to the Nation’s Report Card being released in October, where it was indicated that Louisiana students had avoided some of the most dramatic learning losses seen across the nation. Lastly, when the LDOE released 2021-2022 LEAP scores this past August, it was shown that Mastery rates had improved in ELA and math for students in grades 3-8.

Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jenna Chaisson spoke about the pacing of the state’s comprehensive literacy plan by saying, “Louisiana’s Comprehensive Literacy Plan is building momentum across the state, and we are beginning to see the impact of this foundational shift in how we teach children to read. Our youngest learners were the most impacted by the disruptions of the past few years. We have the support in place to keep our students in grades 1-3 on the right track and to accelerate the progress for our new kindergarten children.”

Both Louisiana law and policy from the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) require that school systems in the state administer what’s known as a literary screener no later than thirty days after the beginning of a school year to all students in kindergarten, first, second, and third grade. This annual fall reading screening is seen as a vital tool for ensuring that all students are on the right track to becoming proficient readers by the end of their third-grade year. School systems are able to choose among four research-based screening assessments, each of which measures a particular skill or skills that are typically predictive of later reading success. The skills build upon each other from one grade level to the next and are appropriately matched to children’s ages and developmental stages.

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