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Louisiana outlines an ambitious vision and attainable goals backed by clear data and a strong rationale supporting its interim targets.
The state is proposing to sustain its recent gains and annually increase its proficiency rates by 2.5 percentage points per year from 2018-2025.
Louisiana has set the same final target for all groups of students, and it expects faster progress for groups that are starting further behind. Similarly, the state has made strong gains over time in boosting high school graduation rates, and it aims to continue that progress through at least 2025.
Louisiana has committed to increasing standards and expectations, even as the plan is being implemented.
The accountability system will adjust “ambitiously and cautiously” in order to set high expectations up front, while giving time for schools to ramp up to meet them.
Louisiana has provided placeholder goals for English language proficiency.
Louisiana is waiting for more current data on English language proficiency and has provided placeholder goals that it plans to update in the near future. However, the state is planning to allow individual students seven years to attain English-language proficiency, which may be too long, particularly since the state provides data suggesting that the average student has historically made it in only four years.