Achievement Soars at New Orleans' Algiers TAP™ Schools for Second Year
Teachers and principals are recognized and rewarded for significantly exceeding growth targets

In the Algiers section of New Orleans, Louisiana — a city emblematic of strength renewed despite challenge— new skills, strong improvements and blossoming successes have taken root inside classrooms, thanks to the teachers and principals participating in TAP™: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement. For the second straight year, schools showed significant student achievement gains due to TAP, which provides teachers with powerful opportunities of career advancement, strategic professional development, a fair and transparent teacher accountability structure and performance-based compensation. The nationally proven school reform has improved teacher skills, created strong learning communities in each school, and increased student achievement growth significantly higher than at comparable schools.

The Algiers Charter Schools Association (ACSA), which has partnered with TAP’s operating organization — the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) — in the development and implementation of TAP in its schools, hosted an event at Algiers Technology Academy to recognize the accomplishments of the faculty and dole out nearly $900,000 in awards for educator excellence. But all eyes were on the real prize: increasing student achievement growth far above expected levels.

Seven of the schools achieved more than a year's academic growth compared to similar Louisiana schools; the eighth school achieved a solid year's growth.

Based on a "value-added" model measuring gains a student makes during the school year, five of the schools — Alice M. Harte Charter School, Edna Karr Charter High School, Harriet Ross Tubman Charter School, Martin Behrman Charter Academy and O. Perry Walker College and Career Preparatory High School and Community Center — each recorded a score of five, the highest score possible, signifying "far above average" results.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Academy of Global Studies and McDonough #32 Literacy Charter School earned a score of four, signifying "above average" results; and William J. Fischer Accelerated Academy received a score of three, signifying a solid year's growth.

Progress Post-Katrina

These remarkable results seemed far from ACSA’s grasp back in 2005, when the Algiers charter schools — located on New Orleans’ West Bank — were among the first to open in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Many of the students were displaced and poverty levels ranged between 73 and 93 percent. To tackle these challenges, ACSA adopted TAP on day one to instill a structure of accountability for teachers, principals, administrators and students, and to create a stimulating environment for teachers to develop innovative and effective strategies for improvement. "I am proud of the consistent student achievement gains driven by TAP in ACSA," said ACSA CEO Andrea Thomas-Reynolds, Ed.D. "Our principals and teachers have embraced TAP as part of our culture and it's enabling us to continue our goal of closing the achievement gap."

By measuring student learning gains, Algiers schools implementing TAP can recognize and reward teachers and principals for making significant strides toward closing achievement gaps and moving toward proficiency for all students. Teacher awards are based on objective evaluations of teacher performance as well as classroom and school-wide student achievement growth.

Principal Evaluation and Compensation

As a next step in developing and recognizing principals, ACSA used a portion of NIET's federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant to implement the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) principal evaluation method. Aligning the model to TAP, principal awards are based on school-wide academic achievement growth, how well they are implementing the TAP system, and an evaluation of their job performance centered on effective research-based practices.

The effectiveness of the TAP system in ACSA has contributed to the growth of TAP throughout Louisiana. Today there are 41 TAP schools in Louisiana and 27 others piloting one-year, pre-TAP initiatives.

"We are thrilled to see significant student learning gains in ACSA for the second year in a row," said Dr. Gary Stark, chief operating officer at the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching. "We've seen the positive results in TAP schools throughout Louisiana and across America when principals and teachers are given a leadership structure to support school-based professional development, rigorous evaluation and feedback, and competitive compensation."

Educators are seeing the dramatic difference TAP has made in the quality of their instruction and their teamwork in moving the entire school forward.

"TAP gives principals a proven process and tools to structure and drive instructional change at our schools," said Jonathan Williams, principal at Harriet Ross Tubman Charter School. "In addition, opportunities for school-based professional development and professional advancement enable us to attract and retain better teachers."

Teacher Retention

Teacher turnover in ACSA schools dropped to below six percent in the 2008-2009 school year from more than 20 percent in 2006-2007.

"TAP enables teachers like me to grow professionally, better serve my students, and be rewarded for my efforts," said Margaret Leaf, teacher at Edna Karr Charter High School. "Our entire staff consistently collaborates on effective strategies that target individual student needs, so that all students — and teachers — are able to progress together."

From left to right: Sheila Talamo (Louisiana TAP Executive Director), Monica Boudouin (Principal, Dwight D. Eisenhower Academy of Global Studies), Gary Stark (Chief Operating Officer, NIET), Rulonda Green, Assistant Principal, Dwight D. Eisenhower Academy of Global Studies), Faydra Alexander (TAP Coordinator, ACSA)

About TAP™: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement

Launched by Lowell Milken and the Milken Family Foundation in 1999, the TAP system now impacts 85,000 students and 7,500 teachers. Rapidly increasing demand led to establishment of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching as an independent public charity to operate TAP. As TAP continues to grow, educators remain key partners every step of the way, along with governments, corporations and foundations to ensure TAP's effectiveness and sustainability across a diverse set of urban, rural and suburban schools. To learn more, visit www.tapsystem.org.

To learn more about TAP in the Algiers Charter Schools Association, visit www.algierscharterschools.org.

The Algiers Charter Schools Association received the $10,000 TAP Award of Distinction at the 10th National TAP Conference, held March 19-21, 2010. The Award was presented to ACSA for its distinguished accomplishments and overall implementation of TAP.

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