LOUISIANA

As of 2006, Louisiana not only reports the National Governors Association's four-year cohort graduation rate, but also includes the rate in its accountability system.

Louisiana is a trailblazer in utilizing its early warning system, balancing the need to report on risk factors identified at the state level with the flexibility to adjust risk factors at the local level. At the state level, the system flags students who are absent at least 10 percent of the days they are enrolled, are over-age for their grade level, or whose grade point averages have decreased by at least 0.50. Because the specific trigger points can vary by district and school, both can make modifications as needed. To ensure that staff can use the data to develop and deliver effective interventions for identified students, the system automatically emails results to district and school leaders twice a month.

The state also provides incentives for districts and schools to use this system in order to improve outcomes for students. Schools can receive state grants and technology for developing intervention programs and producing student reports. As of 2009, Louisiana is one of six states that include credit recovery programs in their dropout legislation.

Louisiana’s state-level early warning system has helped spur other states to develop their own systems. HB 1091 (2008) in Louisiana also requires improved access to Advanced Placement courses for struggling students in school districts with low graduation rates.

Louisiana's compulsory attendance age is set at 18, allowing for exemptions for 16-year-old students who have acquired parental consent.  The state's maximum public school entitlement age is currently set at 21.