Current Initiatives

 

"Bridging Success" Statewide Tour Promoting Work-Based Learning 

A significant change in the state's new school and district accountability plan is an increased emphasis on work-based learning experiences within the formula, which includes career and technical training as well as internships and apprenticeships. This component is a particular focus for BESE and will play an increasingly important role in Louisiana career education and workforce development going forward.

Members of BESE will travel the state beginning in the fall of 2024 and throughout the winter/spring of 2025 to engage with local school systems, business and industry, and economic development organizations on the state’s efforts to expand work-based learning and internship/apprenticeship initiatives across Louisiana. The “Bridging Success” statewide tour will consist of roundtable meetings with local business and education leaders and visits to schools and training center sites in each BESE district. These collaborative events provide the opportunity to highlight successful work-based learning experiences at the local level and provide communities with practical information to develop and expand impactful career education and workforce training initiatives.

The full schedule of Bridging Success events is in development and will be posted online soon. Contact Kevin Calbert for additional information.

     

 

Accountability System Revisions

In June of 2024, BESE adopted a revised statewide K-12 accountability system, the culmination of a three-year, in-depth process by educators, parents, national experts, and stakeholders to study best practices in accountability and develop a better way to measure school success in Louisiana. The new accountability approach simplifies the scoring formula, emphasizes core skills development, aligns with the state’s refined definition of college and career readiness, and rewards schools for gains in student academic growth as well as performance.

     


     

    Louisiana Student Standards Review

    Louisiana is continuing the state’s tradition of periodic professional reviews of the state’s academic content standards for students. This process will ensure that Louisiana maintains strong expectations for teaching and learning and that standards continue to prepare students to successfully transition to postsecondary education and the workplace.

     


     

    Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Implementation

    Passed by Congress in 2015, ESSA is a federal law that requires states to have a plan for spending federal funds, for measuring the skills students learn, and for supporting students in making academic progress. ESSA, which replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), is largely focused on the needs of historically disadvantaged students, including students from low-income homes, students whose home language is not English, and students with disabilities. The law is not a federal plan; it is a federal law requiring states to develop their own plans. Louisiana's final plan was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in 2017 and began implementation with the start of the 2017-2018 school year.

     


     

    Minimum Foundation Program

    The Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) is the fiscal key to Louisiana’s goals of providing each Louisiana citizen with the minimum educational foundation for success.

     


     

    Educator Effectiveness (Act 1)

    Act 1, also known as the Talent Statute, allows districts and schools to make personnel policies and personnel decisions based on teacher effectiveness and performance.

     


     

    Student Choice (Act 2)

    Also referred to as the Choice Law, Act 2 increases parents’ and students’ ability to make choices in the educational process.

     


     

    Early Childhood Education (Act 3)

    Louisiana’s students must have a strong foundation to ensure their success at all levels of education.  Act 3, known as the Early Childhood Education Act, seeks to establish this foundation during early childhood.