Welcome to the Louisiana Department of Education
About the Louisiana Department of Education
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) provides guidance and support to all publicly funded early childhood centers and elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana. Specifically, the department provides tools and resources to schools and school systems to support classroom instruction, assessments, workforce development and college and career preparation. Additionally, the department provides families and the public with transparent reporting of center, school, and school system performance and quality through the Louisiana School Finder.
To stay connected with the LDOE and receive updates on our work and our resources, visit our newsroom and our newsletter subscriptions page.
Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)
The LDOE is the administrative arm of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). BESE was established by the 1974 Louisiana Constitution. The Board is composed of 11 members: eight elected by the citizens of Louisiana’s eight BESE districts, and three appointed by the governor of Louisiana to represent the state at-large. Together, these members adopt and enact policies governing the elementary and secondary schools of Louisiana.
Louisiana's Education Priorities
Louisiana's education priorities maintain a clear focus on what matters most for academic achievement.
- Early childhood leading to kindergarten readiness
- Literacy instruction aligned to the Science of Reading
- Math instruction from foundational to advanced skills
- Opportunities ensuring a meaningful high school experience
- An effective teacher for every student
- Expand educational choice for students and families
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Louisiana State Superintendent
Dr. Cade Brumley
Dr. Brumley is a Louisiana native who has dedicated his career to serving children, parents, and educators.
Back to the Basics
Louisiana's Education Priorities
From being ready to learn on the first day of kindergarten to thriving in a career, college
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The LDOE facilitates over a dozen councils, committees, task forces, and other groups.
Landmark plan embraces Louisiana’s fundamental shift in how children are taught to read
BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana has adopted the state’s first accountability system for kindergarten through second grade. The Louisiana Department of Education’s (LDOE) literacy-focused plan was approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) today.
“This landmark action closes a glaring gap in our accountability system and embraces a fundamental shift in how we’re teaching children to read,” said State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley. “Not only has our state rallied behind this commitment to our early learners, but we’re continuing to see momentum build behind Louisiana’s reading revival.”
While Louisiana has a nationally recognized early childhood quality rating system and a robust 3-12 accountability system, the state lacked a strong measure of how students in grades K-2 were performing prior to Wednesday’s vote.
Accountability systems identify what student success looks like and measure progress towards those outcomes. When student goals are clearly defined, educators can drive change by aligning resources to priorities. This K-2 accountability plan will encourage educators to embrace this fundamental shift in literacy instruction.
Louisiana’s new K-2 accountability is part of a comprehensive literacy strategy that emphasizes the Science of Reading. Students in grades K-2 will take a literacy indicator that measures early literacy skills, ensuring they are making adequate progress. Those results will be reflected in annual School Performance Scores and District Performance Scores. Students will begin taking the literacy indicator during the 2024-25 school year.
Also, schools will be incentivized to utilize research-based instructional rubrics in early education focusing on best practices in teaching and learning.
“This long-awaited enhancement to Louisiana’s accountability system will be an important tool in improving early literacy in our state,” said BESE President Jim Garvey. “Accurately measuring and reporting the progress of basic skills development in grades K-2 is critical in helping system leaders and parents identify obstacles to reading, and ensuring that our youngest learners are on track for academic success.”
Wednesday’s vote comes after more than two years of stakeholder engagement, research, and planning by LDOE. While K-2 accountability currently focuses on early literacy, LDOE will also begin exploring the possibility of adding a math component in the future.
“We took an important step to include age appropriate K-2 assessments in how we communicate school performance,” said Assistant Superintendent of Assessments, Accountability & Analytics Thomas Lambert. “Reliable and consistent data will help ensure our students are ready to master 3rd grade skills. Literacy matters–we must know how our students are doing in order to provide support and help Louisiana’s kids grow.”