Source: https://bese.louisiana.gov/policy/rulemaking-docket
Timestamp: 2020-06-06 14:52:08
Document Index: 145829846

Matched Legal Cases: ['§974', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', '§1505', '§3709', '§203', '§313', '§101', '§2318', '§2319', '§2320', '§2345', '§2109', '§2317', '§648']

Policies/Bulletins>
BESE Rulemaking Docket
Updated 5/21/20 | Pursuant to Title 49, §974 as enacted under Act 401 of the 2014 Regular Legislative Session, BESE maintains the Rulemaking Docket to provide the public with certain information concerning proposed rules and policy revisions approved by the Board. All materials will remain available to users for a minimum of one year following the date of Notice of Intent (NOI) publication.
Bulletin 138, Jump Start Program
Date approved by BESE as NOI Date NOI submitted to Louisiana Register Date NOI published in Louisiana Register
03/11/20 05/08/20 05/20/20 - - - - 08/20/20
or hearing requests Date of public hearing
Ryan Gremillion, LDE | 225-342-3600
05/09/20 None - - - -
Description: Regional teams for Jump Start programs must be aligned with the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.
Public Comments: Interested persons may submit written comments via the U.S. Mail until 4:30 p.m. on the public comments deadline date posted above, to Shan N. Davis, Executive Director, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Box 94064, Capitol Station, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064.
Sections 345 and 2319
Description: Jump Start 1.0 course sequences will be available for incoming freshmen through 2020-2021; Jump Start 2.0 course sequences will be available for incoming freshmen beginning in 2020-2021 and beyond; and a Jump Start 2.0 Career Diploma CTE hardship waiver process for eligible students is established.
Sections 901 and 2324
Description: The proposed revisions to Bulletin 741 are in regard to diploma integrity. The proposed revisions to credit recovery requirements and scheduling requirements provide clarity and establish best-practices for valid course recognition.
Sections 2102, 2109, 2319, and 2320
Description: In January 2018, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) established a task force to complete a comprehensive review of Bulletin 741 (Nonpublic), Louisiana Handbook for Nonpublic School Administrators. Participants included a selection of Nonpublic School Council (NPSC) members, a BESE member, and nominees from various nonpublic schools. Revisions were presented to BESE in August and October 2018. At the January 2020 NPSC meeting, council members requested additional revisions to Bulletin 741 (Nonpublic) that would decouple health education from physical education for purposes of satisfying high school graduation requirements. The proposed policy shift would afford nonpublic administrators increased flexibility in the awarding of Carnegie credit to students enrolled in nonpublic schools.
Sections 1505 and 3709
01/29/20 03/09/20 03/20/20 04/09/20 - - 06/20/20
04/09/20 None - - - -
Description: The proposed revisions to Bulletin 126 include:
Clarification of Renewal Standards
Inclusion of a clause in §1505 to clarify renewal criteria for schools being considered for renewal. The current policy states that in the event that a school does not meet renewal criteria and when closing the school would likely require many students to attend lower-performing schools, the State Superintendent of Education can recommend that BESE renew the school charter contract. The additional clause ensures that the State Superintendent of Education considers student performance data and/or student growth data of neighboring and comparable schools when making the recommendation.
Virtual Charter School Attendance
The establishment of §3709. Virtual Charter School Attendance, outlines student attendance policy requirements for state-authorized virtual charter schools, in accordance with Act 398 of the 2019 Regular Legislative Session.
12/11/19 01/10/20 01/20/20 02/10/20 04/20/20 04/20/20
02/09/20 None
Description: Louisiana Revised Statute 17:407.30 establishes the Louisiana Early Childhood Education Fund as a special treasury fund administered by BESE. The statute provides that the fund shall be credited with appropriations, as well as public and private grants or donations, and will be awarded to local entities for early childhood care and education. The proposed revisions to Bulletin 140, endorsed at the Early Childhood Care and Education Advisory Council meeting held November 13, 2019, align BESE policy with R.S. 17:407.30.
Sections 2318 and 2319
Description: In June 2019, BESE approved revisions to Bulletin 741 to incorporate the University of Cambridge courses (Cambridge Assessment International Education) for high school graduation requirements. The proposed revisions make technical edits to that policy.
Description: In October 2018, following a presentation to and consultation with BESE, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) began working with stakeholders to develop an alternate assessment for the Educational Leadership Certificate (EDL1) to enable mentor teachers and content leaders to build on qualifying licensure assessments. Over the past year, the LDE, in collaboration with the competitively selected assessment vendor, designed and piloted the Louisiana Leadership Assessment Series (LLAS). The pilot program includes 22 educators across 15 school systems.
LLAS is a practice-based assessment aligned with the educational leader competencies outlined in Bulletin 125, Standards for Educational Leaders in Louisiana. Assessments are scored by the assessment vendor and allow test-takers multiple attempts to respond to feedback and achieve a qualifying score. The assessment addresses:
the role of a building-level leader;
National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards; and
Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL).
Proposed revisions to Bulletin 746 incorporate the Louisiana Leadership Assessment Series into policy.
10/16/19 12/09/19 12/20/19 01/10/20 03/20/20 03/20/20
01/09/20 None
Description: Proposed revisions to Bulletins 741, 746, and 996 regarding alternate certification program mentoring requirements include:
Removal of the current 80-hour pre-residency practice requirement;
Replacement of the pre-residency practice requirement with an assurance from the employing school systems that alternate program candidates receive mentoring that includes co-teaching, collaborative planning, observation, and feedback session requirements for a minimum of 15 percent of instructional time, or 5 hours per week, in the first year of teaching; and
Technical edits to Bulletin 746: §203.E., clarifying that school leaders and school superintendent assessments (6011 and 6991, respectively), previously adopted by BESE in August 2019 will be accepted until July 31, 2020. Educational Testing Services (ETS) regenerated the Praxis Core (5713, 5723, and 5733) and the School Superintendent exam (6991), effective until July 31, 2020. Because ETS did not inform the Department of the new exams until June 21, 2019, the exams adopted by BESE in August 2019 must now be adopted as Emergency Rule.
NOTE: The Board approved the revision to Section 203 of Bulletin 746 as a Declaration of Emergency, effective October 16, 2019, for a period of 120 days or until adopted as a final Rule.
Sections 304, 305, and 313
Sections 101, 153, 450, 508, 904, 1101, 1153, 1508, and 1511
10/16/19 11/08/19 11/20/19 12/11/19 02/20/20 02/20/20
12/10/19 None
Description: Proposed revisions to Bulletin 1706 include:
Clarification of time limits for formal written complaint and due process hearing procedures:
Bulletin 1706 includes procedures to resolve written complaints and to request a hearing to resolve an exceptionality dispute, alleging that a public agency has violated Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). To provide clarity to school systems, schools, and families, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) proposes revisions to establish the timelines begin after the LDE receives the request.
Removal of the Louisiana Special Education Center as a BESE Special School:
Act 411 of the 2019 Louisiana Regular Legislative Session transfers the Louisiana Special Education Center from the Special School District to the Louisiana Department of Health. The process must conclude no later than January 31, 2020. The proposed policy revisions are in accordance with Act 411, which mandates the removal of the Louisiana Special Education Center as a BESE Special School.
08/14/19 09/10/19 09/20/19 10/11/19 12/20/19 12/20/19
10/10/19 None
Description: The proposed revisions to Bulletin 111 provide technical edits where necessary and align policy with state statute changes of the 2019 Regular Legislative session as follows: Requirement that academic improvement plans for schools identified as "urgent intervention required" or "comprehensive intervention required" be developed in consultation with parents of students enrolled in such schools and be presented to parents within the first 60 days of the school year (Act 236 of the 2019 Regular Legislative Session).
Public Comments: Interested persons may submit written comments via the U.S. Mail until 4:30 p.m. on October 10, 2019, to Shan N. Davis, Executive Director, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Box 94064, Capitol Station, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064.
Sections 409 and 4001
08/14/19 10/09/19 10/20/19 11/12/19 01/20/20 01/20/20
11/09/19 None
Description: The proposed revisions align policy with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). regarding the identification, programming, and assessment of English learners. Proposed revisions clarify English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT) assessment procedures, including:
Exit criteria for English learners with disabilities and the role of the Individualized Educational Program (IEP) team in the decision-making process;
Procedures for requesting ELPT accommodations and exemptions; and
ELPT weighting for purposes of calculating a Grade 9-12 Assessment Index.
Public Comments: Interested persons may submit written comments via the U.S. Mail until 4:30 p.m. on November 9, 2019, to Shan N. Davis, Executive Director, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Box 94064, Capitol Station, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064.
Sections 6115 and 6813
Description: The proposed policy revisions provide recommended performance level cut scores for five achievement levels for the LEAP 2025 science assessments in grades 3-8 and high school biology assessments. Results will be incorporated into 2018-2019 School Performance Scores, which will be released this fall.
Sections 7301, 7307, 7311, 8307, and 8505
Description: The proposed revisions align policy with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). regarding the identification, programming, and assessment of English learners. Proposed revisions establish a standardized process for identifying English learners as required by federal law and Louisiana's approved ESSA state plan.
Bulletin 139, Louisiana Child Care and Development Programs
Sections 319 and 515
Description: The proposed revisions will increase the base reimbursement rate for CCAP services and allow receipt of CCAP payments for foster children in the caregiver’s custody.
Caregiver Ineligibility for CCAP payments:
Adds an exception to the existing prohibition for caregivers to receive CCAP payments for children in their custody for a caregiver who serves as an eligible CCAP provider, in order for such provider to receive CCAP payments for the foster child who is cared for through the program.
CCAP Payments Made on Behalf of Households:
Establishes separate rates for the care of infants and toddlers, recognizing increased costs for infant care;
Uses current projection figures to increase all rates to at least the 25th percentile of the market rate; and
Provides for a special needs rate above the base rate.
Description: The proposed revisions align policy with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). regarding the identification, programming, and assessment of English learners. Proposed revisions delineate LEA obligations to identify and serve English learners in accordance with federal law.
Sections 339, 1127, 2305, and 2319
Description: The proposed revisions to Bulletin 741 provide technical edits where necessary and align policy with state statute changes of the 2019 Regular Legislative session as follows:
Requires student input in the annual review of high school crisis management and response plans (Act 44 of the 2019 Regular Legislative Session).
Updates suicide prevention training requirements for school teachers, school counselors, principals, and other school administrators (Act 93 of the 2019 Regular Legislative Session).
Requires information relative to student borrowing for postsecondary education as a required component of instruction in personal financial management (Act 116 of the 2019 Regular Legislative Session).
Makes technical edits to policy approved by BESE in June 2019 to Career Diploma and TOPS University Diploma.
10/10/19 None - - - -
Description: The proposed revisions to Bulletin 741 Nonpublic provide technical edits where necessary and align policy with state statute changes of the 2019 Regular Legislative session as follows:Updates suicide prevention training requirements for school teachers, school counselors, principals, and other school administrators (Act 93 of the 2019 Regular Legislative Session).
Description: In order to ensure that certification policies, adopted by BESE, and administered by the LDE, are implemented in a manner that allows for a smooth transition from old to new score requirements, revisions to policy are recommended. These revisions further detail specific timelines and implementation dates regarding Praxis exam passing score increases and decreases. In particular, further clarification is needed in light of the Social Studies exam requirements that BESE approved in June 2019, which lowered the required Social Studies passing score from 160 to 153. The proposed revision to Bulletin 746, Section 101 will provide guidance indicating that specific Praxis scores achieved 12 months prior to the effective date will be accepted for purposes of certification.
NOTE: The Board approved this revision as a Declaration of Emergency, effective August 14, 2019, for a period of 120 days or until adopted as a final Rule.
08/14/19 09/10/19 09/20/19 10/11/19 - - 12/20/19
Description: Proposed revisions to Bulletin 746 address the adoption of new PRAXIS exams.
Adoption of the new PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading (5713), Writing (5723), and Mathematics (5733)
Educational Testing Services (ETS) revised the mathematics portion of the PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators assessment to include more content relative to data interpretation, statistics, and probability and less content relative to Algebra and Geometry. The change was made because Algebra and Geometry are tested in the middle and high school exams. No changes were made to the writing and reading portions of the exam. The passing scores for all portions of the PRAXIS core exam remain the same. Proposed policy revisions adopt the new series.
Adoption of the new PRAXIS School Superintendent Assessment (6991)
ETS updated the school superintendent assessment to align to the new Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) and the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards, which were developed in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Proposed policy revisions adopt the exam and the passing score of 156. A score of 156 is the recommended passing score by the ETS Multi-state Standard-Setting Study.
Adoption of new PRAXIS Teaching Reading Exam (5206)
ETS updated the Teaching Reading exam to better align to the International Literacy Association Standards and to highlight the key components of scientifically-based reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Proposed policy revisions adopt the exam and the passing score of 160. A score of 160 is the recommended passing score by the ETS Multi-state Standard-Setting Study.
Note: Other revisions to Section §313 will be addressed in a subsequent item.
Approval of revisions to section §101. Purpose., as an Emergency Rule and Notice of Intent
In order to ensure that certification policies, adopted by BESE, and administered by the LDE, are implemented in a manner that allows for a smooth transition from old to new score requirements, revisions to policy are recommended. These revisions further detail specific timelines andimplementation dates regarding Praxis exam passing score increases and decreases.
In particular, further clarification is needed in light of the Social Studies exam requirements that BESE approved in June 2019, which lowered the required Social Studies passing score from 160 to 153. The attached revision will provide guidance indicating that specific Praxis scores achieved 12 months prior to the effective date will be accepted for purposes of certification.
Sections 305, 313, 323, 803, and 904
Description: The proposed revisions to Bulletin 746 align policy with state statute changes of the 2019 Regular Legislative session as follows:
Updates requirements for certification, hiring, and dismissal of teacher and other school employees with respect to criminal history determinations (Act 387 of the 2019 Regular Legislative Session); and
Updates certification requirements for applicants who complete an approved teacher education program in Louisiana (Act 388 of the 2019 Regular Legislative Session).
Description: The proposed revisions to Bulletin 996 align policy with state statute changes of the 2019 Regular Legislative session as follows:Updates certification requirements for applicants who complete an approved teacher education program in Louisiana (Act 388 of the 2019 Regular Legislative Session).
Sections 503, 705, 707 and 901
Description: The proposed revisions to Bulletin 1566 align policy with state statute changes of the 2019 Regular Legislative session as follows: Removes requirement that school systems offer summer remediation to students who perform below expectations on state assessments, noting that such remediation programs may still be offered voluntarily and that all such students must be supported through Individual Academic Improvement Plans that address areas of academic weakness (Act 394 of the 2019 Regular Legislative Session).
Sections 301, 307, 607, 801, 803, and 805
06/20/19 07/10/19 07/20/19 08/12/19 10/20/19 10/20/19
08/09/19 None
Description: The Louisiana Plan regarding the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes an Interests and Opportunities indicator, which is scheduled to be implemented for the 2019-2020 school year and comprises five percent of the School Performance Score (SPS). The purpose of the Interests and Opportunities index is to measure the degree to which schools are providing students with access to a well-rounded education by offering diverse areas of learning to develop skills and talents. Over the last two years, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) has engaged stakeholders to solicit feedback on the creation of the new indicator and, through the process, determined the necessity of establishing a baseline.
In order to gather data to establish a baseline, during the 2019-2020 school year only, the Interests and Opportunities indicator will be based on the following:
Principal completion of an online survey (grades K-12); and
Course enrollment in physical education, visual arts, performing arts, and world languages (grades K-8).
Establishing the baseline year for the Interests and Opportunities policy, as outlined, was unanimously endorsed by the Accountability Commission on May 13, 2019. Proposed revisions to Section 301 include a "hold harmless" policy. If the Interests and Opportunities score results in a lower SPS, the Interests and Opportunities score will be omitted in the SPS accountability calculation for the 2019-2010 school year.
Additionally, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, Louisiana has partnered with school systems to pilot an innovative LEAP 2025 humanities assessment, combining English language arts (ELA) and social studies. When new assessments are introduced, BESE has historically implemented accountability transition policies to ensure educators have time to adjust. Additionally, the proposed transition policy was endorsed by the Accountability Commission on May 13, 2019. The LDE recommends a transition policy for schools participating in the pilot assessment beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, similar to the transition policy most recently used for grades 3-8 science assessments. When calculating the SPS during the transition, the LDE will use the higher of the two scores, either the most recent LEAP 2025 score for each school or the actual score in the current year.
Public Comments: Interested persons may submit written comments via the U.S. Mail until 4:30 p.m. on August 9, 2019, to Shan N. Davis, Executive Director, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Box 94064, Capitol Station, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064.
Description: The proposed revisions to Bulletin 126 address alternative schools that operate as charter schools and align alternative education and charter school approval processes.
Sections 313, 503, 509, 511, and 709
Description:Revisions to Bulletin 140 reflect updates required to fully implement observations and supports for classrooms serving infants and allow early childhood funding alignment with the Super App as outlined below.
Updating coordinated observation plans and support requirements to include classrooms serving infants:
Define the domain and dimensions to be used in observations;
Align requirements across ages; and
Include inter-rater reliability checks for each classroom age configuration in a network.
Revising the observer reliability calculation to include the full school year:
Modify the current observer reliability rate calculated from each semester, which limits many observers to only a few observations that can adversely affect the performance rating; and
Expand the number of observations included in the calculation over a full school year.
Aligning the requirements of network requests for funding to the Super App process:
Establish that the LDE will release the timeline for funding requests by September 1 in order for lead agencies to develop requests.
Remove outdated language for Academic Approval that pertained only to fiscal years 2016-2017 through 2018-2019; and
Report classrooms serving infants that receive a “Low” on the lack of adult negativity indicator during the CLASS® observation by written notice at the end of the observation period, and noting that sites receiving a notice for two consecutive observation periods may have the notice reported on the performance profile, which mirrors the notice received if a classroom scores a 3.5 or higher for the negative climate dimension for toddler and pre-k classrooms.
Sections 2318, 2319, 2320, and 2345
Description: For purposes of satisfying the TOPS University Diploma and TOPS scholarship eligibility requirements, the content of the University of Cambridge courses (Cambridge Assessment International Education) has been reviewed by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) staff, with input from the Board of Regents (BOR). Proposed revisions to Bulletin 741 incorporate the courses into policy for high school graduation requirements and make technical edits in the following Sections: §2318. The TOPS University Diploma; §2319. The Career Diploma; §2320. Career Diploma Pathway for Students Assessed on the Louisiana Alternate Assessment, Level 1 (LAA 1); and §2345. Foreign Languages.
Bulletin 741 (Nonpublic), Louisiana Handbook for Nonpublic School Administrators
Sections 2109 and 2317
Description: For purposes of satisfying the TOPS University Diploma and TOPS scholarship eligibility requirements, the content of the University of Cambridge courses (Cambridge Assessment International Education) has been reviewed by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) staff, with input from the Board of Regents (BOR). Proposed revisions to Bulletin 741 (Nonpublic), incorporate the courses into policy for high school graduation requirements and make technical edits in the following Sections: §2109. High School Graduation Requirements; and §2317. Foreign Languages.
Course content for high school English Language and English Literature courses have been determined to be equivalent to the corresponding Cambridge IGCSE and AICE—AS (Honors) courses.
Course content for high school mathematics courses in algebra, probability and statistics, pre-calculus, and calculus have been determined to be equivalent to the corresponding Cambridge IGCSE, AICE (Honors), AICE—AS (Honors), and AICE—A Level courses.
Course content for high school science courses in biology, microbiology, chemistry, and physics have been determined to be equivalent to the corresponding Cambridge AICE—AS (Honors) and IGCSE courses.
Course content for Organic Chemistry I has been determined to be equivalent to Chemistry II, and PLTW Principles of Engineering has been determined to be equivalent to Physical Science.
Course content for high school social studies in European history, world geography, world history, and economics has been determined to be equivalent to the corresponding Cambridge AICE—AS (Honors) courses.
Course content for foreign languages has been determined to be equivalent to the corresponding Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese Cambridge AICE—AS (Honors) courses.
Description: BESE approved the following revisions to Bulletin 746 regarding certification:
Out-of-state experience for teaching and educational leader certificates -- Proposed policy aligns Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) policy with state statute. Proposed policy allows successful out-of-state teaching experience for the issuance of teaching or educational leadership certificates.
Technical updates regarding exams for the Algebra I add-on endorsement -- In August 2018, BESE approved revisions to §648. Algebra I regarding requirements to obtain an Algebra I add-on endorsement. Proposed policy further clarifies the PRAXIS examination(s) that are accepted for issuance of the Algebra I add-on endorsement to provide consistency and citation continuity within certification policy.
Required Score for the Social Studies PRAXIS Exam (5086) -- In response to recommendations made by the Louisiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (LACTE), proposed revisions create alignment of the required score for the Social Studies PRAXIS exam (5086) with the score recommended by the ETS Multi-State Standard-Setting Study. The current score required by BESE is 160. Proposed policy will revise the required score to 153.
Description: As part of regular compliance and management activities, periodic reviews of the BESE Code are conducted to identify any needed updates, technical edits, and revisions, as a result of changes in practice/procedure, legislation, or other regulations. Proposed revisions approved by BESE include:
clarification of language pertaining to Nonpublic School Council membership;
removal of repetitive language found in other areas of administrative and statutory law;
addition of Louisiana Administrative Code and Louisiana Revised Statute citations for clarification, preciseness, and to prevent conflicts with state constitutional and statutory law;
removal of outdated and nonapplicable language;
streamlining of the regulations for ease of use and understanding; and
other technical edits such as punctuation, changing "shall" to "will" for compliance with Office of the State Register guidelines, updating codification, and other housekeeping measures.
Original Rule Effective Date Date published in Louisiana Register Number of Days in Effect
Bulletin 118 - Statewide Assessment Standards and Practices - Sections 6115 and 6813 (Board action: 8/14/19) 08/14/19
12/12/19 09/20/19 120 days
Bulletin 139 - Louisiana Child Care and Development Fund Programs - Sections 319 and 515 (Board action: 8/14/19)
Bulletin 746 - Louisiana Standards for State Certification of School Personnel - Section 101 (Board action: 8/14/19)
Bulletin 746 - Louisiana Standards for State Certification of School Personnel - Section 203 (Board action: 10/16/19) 10/16/19 11/20/19 120 days