Southeastern Laboratory School earns ‘Top Gains,’ ‘A’ rating
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
by: Tonya Lowentritt
HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana University Laboratory School was recently designated
as a ‘Top Gains’ school for improving from an ‘A’ rating of 110 last year to a 118
‘A’ rating in school performance scores for 2016-17 as determined by the Louisiana
Department of Education. As the only ‘A’-rated school within the Tangipahoa Parish
Public School system, the elementary school’s score is based on students’ mastery
of key content for their grade levels, and their successful transition into 9th grade.
“The faculty and I are extremely excited that our school performance score improved
to allow us to be recognized as a ‘Top Gains’ school,” said Interim Lab School Director
Pat Williams. “The continued effort of our teachers to provide an optimum learning
environment for our students is to be applauded. And, of course, the cooperation,
collaboration and commitment to learning by our parents, along with that learning
environment, have assisted us in reaching such recognition.”
Located on Southeastern’s campus in the Cate Teacher Education Center, the Lab
School is a tuition-based school that offers a small school setting. It houses kindergarten
through eighth grade with only one class per grade and is a specifically-designed
learning facility that includes both open and traditional instructional classroom
settings.
“The teachers and staff at the Lab School have created a learning environment
with a family-like atmosphere that promotes excellence in education,” said Williams.
“While at the same time students also have the opportunity to earn high school credits
in keyboarding, computer literacy, health, English I, algebra I, and journeys to careers,”
said Williams.
Fulfilling its specialized role in partnership with Southeastern’s College of
Education, the Lab School currently enrolls eight teacher candidates in full-year
classroom residency positions. Learning alongside an experienced mentor teacher, coupled
with a competency-based curriculum, provides knowledge and skills needed for the first
day of teaching school.
“These young teachers bring enthusiasm and vitality to the classroom, along with
new learning techniques and technologies,” she said. “They are a true asset to our
classrooms.”
This fall, parents have been able to ‘go back to school’ by attending parent
workshops provided by classroom teachers on a number of topics at each grade level,
Williams added.
“It is not unusual to see a parent sitting in his or her child’s desk in the
classroom after school learning ‘new math’ or ‘quick writes’ from the teachers. Lab
School students and parents alike are busy with the hustle and bustle of activities
at the school,” she said. “We are extremely proud of the cooperation and commitment
of our parents in assisting us with the academic achievements of our students.”
