Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Board of Ed. To Consider Alternative Funding For 'Course Choice'

Amy Jeffries — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:29:00 +0000

State Supt. John White wants to reallocate $2 million from a state education trust fund to pilot the “Course Choice” program. The program will let students take individual classes elsewhere if their public school is underperforming or doesn’t offer the course they want. The state’s top school board will consider the alternative funding request Tuesday.

Career Diploma Given Short Shrift

editor — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:32:00 +0000

Louisiana’s Department of Education is hosting a series of regional meetings this month to talk about simplifying the state’s high school diploma options.

The department is looking to put more emphasis on career training, after lawmakers’, employers’, and teachers’ repeated complaints that the state is too focused on sending kids on to college, instead of preparing them for real-world jobs.

Senators Reject Delay of Teacher Evaluation, School Grading Changes

Amy Jeffries — Thu, 30 May 2013 22:53:00 +0000

Attempts to slow down parts of a public education overhaul have been quashed.

The Senate Education Committee opted Thursday not to take action on a bill that would have put off changes to the school grading system that take ACT results into account.

Rep. Kenny Havard, who authored the bill, said using the college entrance exam in performance score calculations will penalize schools where career-bound students opt not to prepare for or take the test.

School Counselor, Librarian Mandates to Stand

Amy Jeffries — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:56:00 +0000

The state's top school board has dropped plans to do away with requirements for counselors and librarians at public schools.

The Dept. of Education had recommended the change as part of a continuing push to give more flexibility to local administrators.

Early High School Graduation Program Abandoned

The Associated Press — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:36:52 +0000

Plans to create a statewide program that would give college tuition grants to Louisiana students who graduate early from high school have been scrapped.

BESE Agrees To Do Away With Some School Mandates

The Associated Press — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 02:00:00 +0000

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has agreed to shrink the number of mandates required of local school districts, despite concerns it would let school districts eliminate school counselors and librarians to cut costs.

Tweaks Planned for Teacher Evaluation System

The Associated Press — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:49:17 +0000

Louisiana's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is expected to approve modest changes to the state's method for evaluating public school teachers, after a board committee backed the ideas.

BESE to Look at Changes for Evaluating Teachers

The Associated Press — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 21:20:07 +0000

Louisiana's top school board is about to consider several changes in the state's new method for evaluating public school teachers. One of the changes includes making it easier for new teachers to land job security.

School Counselors: White's Plan May Eliminate Jobs

The Associated Press — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Public school counselors say their education role would be radically diminished or even eliminated under a plan by state Superintendent of Education John White to give local districts more flexibility.

Under current rules, high schools are supposed to have one counselor for every 450 students.

Seattle education official becomes head of BESE

The Associated Press — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:18:00 +0000

A Seattle education official has been name as executive director of Louisiana's top school board.