The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Wednesday approved a notice of intent to revise Bulletin 111 to allow the “banking” of Algebra I scores earned on high‑school LEAP 2025 assessments when those tests are taken during the middle‑school year, and directed the Louisiana Department of Education to seek a waiver from certain Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requirements until new comprehensive assessments are administered.

The board’s action — listed as motion 20 by the academic goals and instructional improvement committee — passed on a roll‑call vote after committee debate and public comment. The motion was introduced by Dr. Armstrong and seconded by Mr. Castillo. The board’s roll call recorded six votes in favor and four opposed, with one member absent.

Board members and several district leaders said the change is intended to avoid penalizing high schools that previously accepted middle‑school Algebra I results into their accountability calculations, a practice commonly called score banking. David Claxton, executive director of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, and several district superintendents urged the board to move forward so districts could preserve school performance scores that dropped when banking was removed.

“This association would hope that you would support the motion from yesterday,” David Claxton said during public comment, referencing an earlier committee action. Central Public Schools Superintendent Edith Walker told the board the removal of banking reduced several of her district’s high schools by one or more School Performance Score (SPS) points and asked the board to “allow us to bank scores” for the next two years. Jason VanMeter, superintendent of Calcasieu Parish Public Schools, described similar drops and also asked the board to pursue a federal waiver.

The committee’s published language reads in part that the proposed Bulletin 111 revisions concern section 1903 and the “inclusion of students specifically related to the banking of Algebra I scores for students who score master and above on high‑school LEAP 2025 assessments during the middle school year.” The committee additionally recommended that the department submit a waiver request to the U.S. Department of Education for applicable ESEA requirements until new comprehensive assessments are in place.

Board member Mr. Appel objected to the motion during committee proceedings, which triggered the roll‑call vote. After public comment, the board proceeded; the clerk read the roll call and the motion carried.

Votes at the roll call were recorded as: Mister Appel — no; Doctor Armstrong — yes; Mister Birkin — no; Mister Castile — yes; Miss Champagne — no; Doctor Clark — yes; Mister Harris — yes; Mister Hollis — absent; Miss Holloway — yes; Miss Miller — yes; Mister Morrison — no. The board chair announced the motion passed.

The motion was presented as a notice of intent, not a final rule change. If the board adopts the revisions after the notice period, the changes to Bulletin 111 would alter how select Algebra I scores are treated in state accountability calculations until the department implements new assessments or the U.S. Department of Education denies a waiver request.

Implementation details, including which specific score levels and cohorts would qualify for banking, were not finalized during the session. Board members and commenters said the department will pursue the federal waiver and return with more precise regulatory language and timelines during subsequent rulemaking and board meetings.

The action follows months of discussion at the committee level and public testimony from district leaders who said the sudden removal of score banking contributed to declines in school performance metrics that affect funding, interventions and public perceptions.

The board moved on to other agenda items after the vote; no final adoption of Bulletin 111 occurred on Wednesday, and any formal regulatory change would follow the notice period required under state rulemaking procedures.