| Good Morning, Grading public school performances was a cornerstone of the education reform enacted a decade ago. Assigning an A through F grade to each school would tell parents all they need to know about how well individual schools were educating their children. Most of the public schools – about 70% of them – received As and Bs. Problem is Louisiana high schoolers deliver mediocre scores on national tests. State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley and others have pushed to toughen how high schools are evaluated. Local superintendents have pushed back, in part because once the new rules take effect, high school letter grades would drop like a rock. The elected Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, which sets policy for all the public schools in Louisiana, last week delayed action on a tougher plan. But the board did endorse establishment of Louisiana's first accountability system for students in kindergarten, first and second grades. (The current setup measures academic performance for students in grades 3-12.) The K-2 system, which Brumley has touted for more than a year, is largely aimed at focusing attention on reading problems that plague the state's youngest learners. In other news, last-minute challenges to 26 of the 67 grant awards delayed the statewide rollout of high-speed internet into underserved rural parishes. Though state law limits what the administration can say or release about the challenges, at least some of the challenges are by existing cable television and internet providers that didn’t apply for the broadband installation grants. It’s a new procedure, so state officials are treading carefully. But, generally, once the challenge to the winning bid is made, both sides must present detailed briefs by Sept. 6th. The Division of Administration’s Office of Broadband Connectivity then will decide who wins by the end of September. In the ongoing sexual assault scandals at the state’s universities, Mayumi Dickerson, a former LSU student, spoke out. She is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the systems that govern LSU, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Board of Regents. The lawsuit claims campus officials’ mishandled her sexual assault report. Dickerson spoke out to illustrate how the handling of such reports reenforces survivors’ fear of being publicly identified. Dickerson described the university’s responses to her reports of sexual assault as “absolutely heartbreaking,” and said the ordeal changed the trajectory of her life. Dickerson was expelled from LSU after her grades slipped in the aftermath of the incident, according to her lawsuit. As always, check throughout the day for the latest Louisiana political news at theadvocate.com/politics or NOLA.com/politics and on Twitter at @MarkBallardCNB, @tegbridges, @samkarlin, @WillSentell. Here are a dozen articles, commentaries and editorials that will catch you up for the week to come. One last item: Thank you to our subscribers. Your support means a great deal to us. If you're not yet a subscriber, we’ve got a special offer you can check out here. – Mark Ballard | 