Board hears progress toward 60% postsecondary attainment goal and record dual‑enrollment numbers
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Summary
Deputy Commissioner Tristan Denley reported Louisiana's postsecondary attainment rose to 51% and is on a path to the PROSPER goal of 60% by 2030; trustees and agency partners discussed credential mix, dual enrollment growth to ~41,000 students, and funding and access challenges for expanding dual enrollment.
Deputy Commissioner Tristan Denley told the joint Board of Regents and BESE meeting that Louisiana's postsecondary attainment rate has reached 51% and that the state is on track to reach the master‑plan goal of 60% by 2030 if current trends continue. Denley said the 60% target reflects a broad set of "credentials of value," including industry certifications, associate and bachelor's degrees, and short‑term workforce credentials.
Denley described three principal strategy buckets: 1) count and recognize a broader mix of credentials employers value, 2) increase college‑going (including personalization and outreach pilots via email and postcard programs supported in part by Lumina Foundation grants), and 3) improve student success through co‑requisite remediation in math and English and Momentum‑framework reforms. He credited a statewide co‑requisite remediation scale up for boosting developmental‑education success in a cohort from about 11% to roughly 52%.
Board members and BESE participants pressed for more disaggregated data (regional and historical trends) and for modeling that shows how many additional credentials are required annually to meet 2030 targets. Denley agreed to run regional trend analyses and scenario projections. He also previewed work on reverse transfer, universal transfer pathways and employer partnerships to match credential supply with labor demand.
A lengthy discussion followed on dual enrollment, where Denley and Louisiana Department of Education staff said dual enrollment participation reached a record level (about 41,000 students last year). Panelists outlined K‑12 funding sources that schools may use for dual enrollment (minimum foundation program, Title I/IV, supplemental course allocation/SCA, Perkins, TOPS Early Start) and acknowledged wide variation in tuition and pricing among institutions. Regents asked the Board of Regents and system CFOs to pursue a more uniform pricing model and recommended removing administrative barriers (MOUs, multiple points of contact) that slow expansion in parishes with many small high schools.
Board members discussed policy levers and the need for additional state funding to make dual enrollment equitable across rural and urban districts, and participants flagged virtual partnerships and shared instructor models as partial solutions for districts with fewer credentialed instructors.