College & Career Readiness

A funny thing happened over the last 100 years—our nation has changed. Our economy has changed. Our culture has changed. Technology has changed. Unfortunately, the high schools that prepare our young people to take on this new world have remained pretty much the same for the past 100 years. Today businesses require a different kind of graduate, one prepared for success from day one in a more global and technologically based marketplace.

Our young people are woefully underprepared for life after high school. Reports have shown that four of every ten college students need to take remedial courses-- those who take remedial courses in college are much more likely to drop out. This preparation gap is taking a real toll on our high school graduates, and on our society and economy.

Through the Department’s High Value High Schools effort, students will have the opportunity to meet the state’s Graduation Requirements through a variety of course offerings, including Career & Technical Education, Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement courses – all geared to prepare students for their future academic and career pursuits. Additionally, dropout prevention programs are being implemented in many schools for students who are at-risk of not finishing high school.

High Value High Schools

High Value High Schools is an initiative developed from the work of the Louisiana High School Redesign Commission. The program will transform the high school experience to better prepare our young men and women to be successful in the next step of their lives. By making this investment in Louisiana’s young people, we’re also making an investment in the future of our state, in the form of a quality workforce that will allow us to compete in the increasingly competitive global economy.

This website outlines the goals of High Value High Schools and how we’re going to achieve them as well as what the program means for you as a student, teacher, parent or member of the business community.

Career & Technical Education

The needs of the 21st Century workplace are evolving, and we must prepare our students to thrive in the new economy. While a little more than half of Louisiana's high school graduates attend two-year and four-year universities, a major part of our High School Redesign effort is putting a strong focus on career and technical education.

Dropout Prevention

All of these efforts to rethink high school culminate with the primary goal of boosting graduation rates and reducing the number of students who drop out. To support these efforts, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) provides resources and sponsors initiatives to improve graduation rates and reduce dropout rates.

Dual Enrollment

Dual enrollment programs enroll qualifying high school juniors and seniors in college-level courses at local technical, community and four-year colleges, as well as in work skills courses at Louisiana Technical College campuses. This valuable experience allows you to acquire valuable higher-level knowledge and skills while still receiving the support of high school teachers, counselors and administrators.

Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement (AP) courses allow high school students to earn college credit while working towards their high school diplomas. Students who are enrolled in the college-level courses receive high school credit for the subject in which they take the AP class, and college credit upon earning a qualifying score on a standardized AP exam.