Grow. Achieve. Thrive.

Louisiana's Revised Accountability System

Raising the Bar for Louisiana Students

Louisiana has adopted a revised school accountability system that raises expectations for students, simplifies how school performance is measured, and makes it easier for families and the public to understand how schools are preparing students for life after graduation.

It's named Grow. Achieve. Thrive. Beginning in the 2025–2026 school year, schools and districts will be measured using a simple, easy-to-understand scorecard built around three expectations for every student:

Grow: Students should make meaningful academic progress every year
Achieve: Students should reach proficiency in key subjects
Thrive: Students should graduate on time and be prepared for college, career, or service

This system replaces an outdated model that had become too complex, difficult to explain, and disconnected from Louisiana’s long-term goals for student readiness.

Grow. Achieve. Thrive. Video Preview

Watch Louisiana Department of Education Assistant Superintendent Thomas Lambert walk you through how school performance will be determined starting with the 2025-2026 school year.

What Matters Most in the New System

High Expectations

The revised system raises expectations so students grow each year and reach proficiency. It sets a clear bar for success and helps schools focus on the learning that matters most.

Simple & Transparent

The new system uses straightforward measures that the public can easily understand. Each indicator answers one clear question: what percent of students met the expectation?

Career & College Readiness

The system rewards schools for preparing students for life after graduation. It values college credit, high-quality credentials, work-based learning, and service.

How Schools Are Measured

Louisiana’s accountability system evaluates schools and districts using a clear set of expectations. Each indicator answers a simple question:

Grow: What percent of students made meaningful academic progress this year?
Achieve: What percent of students reached proficiency or above?
Thrive: What percent of students graduated on time and are ready for what comes next?

Each indicator contributes equally to the final score. This balanced approach ensures the system values both academic progress and readiness for life after high school.

GROW: Are students improving each year?

The revised accountability system places a stronger emphasis on whether students are making meaningful academic progress each year, especially in the core areas of literacy and math. These are foundational skills for long-term success in school, work, and life.

The new Grow measure is simple and transparent:

Every student who is not yet proficient is expected to move up half a level each year.
Students at Mastery must continue to grow, and
Students at Advanced must maintain that level.

The system also puts additional focus on students who need the most support. Schools are measured on:

The percentage of all students who grow year over year in ELA and math, and
The percentage of students in the bottom 25% who grow year over year in both ELA and math.

This ensures every student’s progress matters and that schools receive credit for helping students move forward meaningfully, no matter where they start.

ACHIEVE: Are students mastering grade-level content?

The revised accountability system highlights the importance of students mastering essential academic skills. Every student should reach proficiency in the core subjects of English, math, science, and social studies.

The Achieve measure is simple and clear:

Schools earn credit based on the percentage of students who score Mastery or above.
Mastery is Louisiana’s expectation for being on grade level and prepared for the next step.

This focus helps ensure students are not only progressing, but actually reaching the level of understanding needed to succeed in high school, college, career pathways, or service.

NOTE: The performance score for elementary and middle schools (grades K-8) will only include measures from Grow and Achieve. High schools (grades 9-12) will include measures from Grow, Achieve, and Thrive.

THRIVE: Are students graduating ready for a career, college, or service?

The revised accountability system places a stronger focus on ensuring students leave high school prepared for life after graduation. Thriving means students have the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to succeed in a career, college, or service.

The Thrive measure is simple and transparent. High schools earn credit based on the percentage of students who:

Graduate on time
Demonstrate readiness based on a nationally recognized exam
Accelerate into career training, college coursework, or service

This approach values all pathways and recognizes that readiness looks different for every student. Whether a student plans to pursue higher education, start a career, or serve our nation, the Thrive measure captures what truly matters: students leaving high school ready for their next step.

The revised system helps ensure Louisiana diplomas carry value and signal genuine preparation for life beyond high school.

How the Scorecard Becomes a School Rating

Each measure on the scorecard is weighted equally. Schools earn a score on a 100-point scale for each indicator based on the percentage of students meeting the expectation. Those scores are then averaged to produce an overall rating.

This structure makes the new accountability system:

Clear and transparent
Aligned to student outcomes
Focused on growth, proficiency, and readiness
Easy for families and communities to understand

Resources to Help You Learn More

Louisiana provides a range of resources to help families, educators, and community members understand the revised school accountability system. These materials explain how Grow. Achieve. Thrive. works, what each measure means, and how schools and systems are preparing for the transition.

Still have questions?

Accountability Resources

2025-2026 Accountability Model FAQ Accountability Commission College Career Service FAQ Grow. Achieve. Thrive. General FAQ Grow. Achieve. Thrive. One-pager Work Based Learning Guidelines

School and System Preview Webinars

Review the Louisiana Department of Education webinars that preview the revised accountability system and share next steps and resources for implementation. Individual webinars are targeted for teachers, counselors, central office employees, and principals. These webinars were held in August 2024. Please contact [email protected] with questions.

Teachers Webinar Teachers Presentation Deck Central Office Employees Webinar Central Office Employees Presentation Deck Counselors Webinar Counselors Presentation Deck High School Principals Webinar High School Principals Presentation Deck Middle School Principals Webinar Middle School Principals Presentation Deck Elementary School Principals Webinar Elementary School Principals Presentation Deck

Grow

Schools should be measured by the number of students growing in math and English, with special attention paid to the lowest achieving students.

Achieve

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

Thrive

High schools should be measured on the number of students graduating on time, showing readiness on a nationally recognized exam, and prepared to accelerate.