LOUISIANA SETS HIGHER EXPECTATIONS, INCREASES VALUE OF CAREER AND COLLEGE READINESS WITH REVISED ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM

PRESS RELEASE

LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION



Jun 12, 2024

Louisiana Department of Education’s Grow.Achieve.Thrive. plan approved by BESE, takes effect for 2025-26 school year

(BATON ROUGE, LA) - Louisiana is raising the bar for academic success, enhancing the value of career education, and making it easier for the public to understand how schools are performing. The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) received approval from the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) today on revisions to the state’s K-12 accountability system, which is used to grade the performance of public schools and school systems.

Grow.Achieve.Thrive. is based on three fundamental drivers. 

• Simple and Transparent: Utilizes a new 100-point grading scale
• High Expectations: Raises the bar for student outcomes
• Career and College Readiness: Emphasizes career education, college preparation, or military service readiness

“Today marks the culmination of three years of work to elevate educational expectations for Louisiana,” said Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “This revised system will drive performance to new levels and provide the public with a transparent understanding of school quality.”

The plan’s name comes from its three core student expectations. Louisiana expects all students to grow academically year-over year, achieve proficiency on key content, and thrive beyond high school.

Grow: Schools will be measured by the number of students growing in math and English, with special attention paid to growing the lowest achieving students and supporting English learners as they learn the English language.

Achieve: Schools will be measured by the number of students who are proficient in math, English, science, and social studies.

Thrive: High schools will be measured on the number of students graduating on time, showing readiness on a nationally recognized exam, and prepared to accelerate by earning college credit or high value career credentials with work experience.

“K-12 education in Louisiana is on a positive trajectory, and this improved and simplified standard for measuring school performance will support that momentum going forward,” said BESE President Ronnie Morris. “With high value placed on core skills development, academic growth and work-based learning opportunities, the accountability revisions adopted today strengthen Louisiana’s foundation for learning and will open the door to meaningful opportunities for more students.”

Schools and systems will be graded using Louisiana’s Accountability Scorecard, which includes elements foundational to student success. Each of the scorecard’s foundational elements will be evenly averaged to determine a score for schools and systems.

The plan will go into effect for the 2025-26 school year. However, simulated scores will be provided for 2023-24 and 2024-25.

###