The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law December 10, 2015, reauthorizing the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act and revising many provisions of what was known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The Elementary and Secondary Education Act is the United States’ national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students.
- ESSA provides Louisiana with an opportunity to collaborate with educators, parents, business and community leaders to create an improved K-12 education system that provides all students with equal access and opportunity to high-quality learning.
- Under federal law, the State Education Agency is responsible for creating and submitting a plan that complies with ESSA and with applicable laws and rules in Louisiana. The Department of Education thus creates the plan, but only BESE creates the rules, regulations, and policies that make the plan effective.
- Louisiana received approval of its plan from the USDOE on August 15, 2017.
- In October 2017, BESE incorporated Louisiana’s ESSA plan into state policies.
For details on the plan development process and stakeholder engagement opportunities, please view the files below.
Super App is a comprehensive application that allows school systems to plan for their needs, access formula funds, and apply for competitive funds on one timeline. When approved, school systems can access federal formula and competitive dollars and meet the federal requirement for each school system's ESSA plan (20 USC §6312). This application includes funding for the core components of school improvement at Comprehensive Intervention Required (CIR) and Urgent Intervention Required - Academics (UIR-A). To learn more about CIR and UIR labels, refer to the Identification of Struggling Schools document or the list of struggling schools.
School systems and lead agencies used this all-in-one workbook for 2024-2025 to create and submit successful applications. A list of Redesign awards for 2024-2025 is included below.