VIDALIA — Concordia Parish students are continuing to inch their scores on state tests higher — improving 1 percentage point this year.

It’s a trend the district started five years ago.

Since 2007, Concordia Parish students have gradually improved on the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program exam, or LEAP, the Integrated Louisiana Educational Assessment Program, or iLeap, and the Graduation Exit Examination, or GEE.

In 2007, 56 percent of third through 11th graders, scored basic or above on the state tests.

This year, that number was 64 percent.

Statewide, 68 percent scored basic or above.

Students in grades three through 11 were tested throughout April.

Students in grades four, eight, and 11 took high-stakes tests, which require students to achieve a certain score to proceed to the next grade.

Fourth and eighth graders took the LEAP, while 11th-grade students took the GEE.

Ninth- and 10th-grade students took the Louisiana End-of-Course Assessments, or EOC tests, which will soon replace the GEEs for graduation purposes.

Students in third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grades took the iLeap.

The iLeap does not determine whether students will proceed to the next grade, but rather measures students’ progress.

Students taking the LEAP are required to score a basic or above on either one of their math or English exams to move on to the next grade.

Ridgecrest fourth-grade students showed the greatest improvement on the LEAP district wide.

Fourth graders at the school scored 30 percentage points higher in math than last year’s fourth graders, with 100 percent of students scoring basic or above.

In Ridgecrest fourth-grade science, 67-percent of students scored basic or above, up 22 percentage points over last year’s students.

Monterey and Ridgecrest eighth-grade students showed the most significant decreases in the district in LEAP science tests.

In Monterey, 65 percent of students scored basic or above in eighth grade science, down 19 percentage points from last year’s students.

In Ridgecrest eighth-grade science, 24 percent scored basic or above, down 15 percent from last year’s students.

Seventh-grade students at Ridgecrest taking the iLEAP scored 34 percentage points higher in social studies than last year’s students.

Seventh-grade students at Ferriday Junior High School scored 20 percentage points higher in science than last year’s students.

Fifth-grade students at Vidalia Upper Elementary taking the iLEAP scored 19 percentage points higher in science than last year’s students.

At the state level, 48 of Louisiana’s 71 school districts saw gains in the percentage of students at basic and above from 2011 to 2012.  This is up from last year, when 42 districts achieved gains between 2010 and 2011.

Concordia Parish was ranked at 41 out of the 71 school districts, and is tied with Acadia Parish and Jefferson Parish.