What are others saying about
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School?

Read Southern Cross article, "Our Lady of Perpetual Help Dedicates New ‘Gateway’ to Knowledge"
Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) Independent Findings:
  • "The environment of OLPH School provides an atmosphere that is stable, nurturing, student-centered, family-centered, and grounded in Catholic values." (p. 4)

  • "The school provides a strong spiritual and academic program that enables the students to be productive life-long learners and faith-filled stewards." (p. 5)
  • "It is obvious that OLPH School has a high priority of incorporating Christian values in all facets of school life." (p. 27)
  • "The school perpetuates a strong sense of Catholic service and leadership opportunities for students. (p. 28) "The parents are visibly active in the school life and faith formation of their children." (p. 28)
  • "The faculty provide many diverse assessment opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding." (p. 28)
  • " A dedicated faculty committed to challenging every student's potential for achievement, who differentiate and modify instruction to meet the learning needs of all students." (p. 27)
  • There is active and supportive involvement of principal and pastor.(p. 19)
NATIONAL CATHOLIC EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION
1077 30TH Street, NW, Suite 100, Washington, D.C. 2000
Good ‘report card’ especially welcomed by Catholic schools during National Catholic Schools Week

Washington , D.C. - A recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows that students in private schools generally score higher on assessment tests than students in public schools. Among religious schools, Catholic and Lutheran schools tend to score higher than students in other religious schools.

The report, "Student Achievement in Private Schools," is part of the Nation’s Report Card series prepared by NCES, an agency of the Institute for Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. . This report contains trend data from year 2000 onward. The Nation’s Report Card is a nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America ’s students in grades 4, 8 and 12 know and can do in various subjects.

Private schools enroll almost 5.3 million students, nearly 10 percent of the U.S. school population. For the past 30 years, the Nation’s Report Card has included results from private schools and regularly has reported that students in private schools outperform students in public schools. These higher achievement levels of private school students also tended to increase the overall numbers reported for all U.S. schools.

Until recent years, there was not sufficient data to report specific results among types of private schools. The most recent report compares the three types of private schools enrolling the greatest proportion of students: Catholic, Lutheran and conservative Christian. Results from other religious schools and nonsectarian schools were too small to report.

Scores are reported in two ways, as average scale scores and percentages of student attaining achievement levels.

Scale scores measure what students know and can do. For reading performance at grades 4 and 8, private schools scored significantly higher than students in public schools, recording a scale score (out of a possible score of 500) of 216 for public schools and 235 for private schools at grade 4 and 261 for public schools and 282 for private schools at grade 8. Similar differences were recorded for mathematics, writing and science categories.

The achievement categories provide a context for interpreting student performance. Achievements are reported as basic (partial mastery of the subject), proficient (solid academic performance) and advanced (superior performance). Private schools record higher percentages of student performing at or above proficient and at or above basic in most areas.

Black and Hispanic students in private schools score higher on average than black and Hispanic students in public schools. Black and Hispanic student scores in mathematics, for instance, improved from 2000 to 2003. Nationally, 11.7 percent of Catholic elementary and secondary school enrollment is Hispanic and 7.8 percent is black.

 

Catholic schools celebrate

Karen M. Ristau, president of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), said she welcomed the report. "The performance levels confirm that a Catholic school education offers a quality academic preparation for life. The scores also tell us that it is not time to rest; there is always room for improvement."

Dr. Ristau added that it is especially timely to discuss the report’s findings this week, which is observed nationwide as Catholic Schools Week. "It’s fitting that our schools can celebrate this good ‘report card’ during a week that puts the spotlight on their academic excellence and the values-added education they provide."

For complete details about Student Achievement in Private Schools, visit http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/aboutnaep.asp.

Established in 1904, the NCEA is the largest private professional education organization in the world, representing 200,000 Catholic educators serving 7.6 million students in Catholic elementary and secondary schools, in religious education programs, in seminaries and in colleges and universities.