Louisiana's education reform is built on the concept of rigorous and challenging content standards. In the early 1990s, Louisiana began a process of raising these academic standards. Content standards were adopted for English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, foreign languages, and the arts. In 2005 Louisiana developed a Comprehensive Curriculum based on the Grade-Level Expectations (GLEs), which are statements of what all students should know or be able to do by the end of each grade, PreK–12, in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Further information on these topics and others can be found on the Curriculum page.

The state administers several large-scale testing programs. Beginning in spring 2006, the i LEAP tests replace The Iowa Tests, which were used to evaluate student performance in grades 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9 from spring 1998 to spring 2005. The term integrated refers to the integration of standards-based tests (CRTs) and norm-referenced tests (NRTs) into one program. Louisiana's criterion-referenced testing program for grades 4 and 8 is known as LEAP. The Graduation Exit Examination (GEE ) is administered at grades 10 and 11. The LEAP Alternate Assessments program (LAA 1 and LAA 2) has been developed for students with disabilities who cannot participate in the regular state assessments. In addition, Louisiana continues to participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) at each administration. Information on all these programs can be found on the Testing page.

Louisiana’s School Accountability System calls for continuous improvement in student achievement, attendance, and dropouts. This system is based upon two principles: rewarding schools that grow academically and assisting schools and students who need help. Each year, schools must show improvement in the School Performance Scores by meeting a growth target. Growth targets represent the amount of progress a school must make every year to reach the state’s SPS goal of 120 by the year 2014. As required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), schools must also show improvement or Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in up to nine student subgroups in English Language Arts and Math. For more information, click on the Accountability page.