LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR EARLY LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS REVIEW COMMITTEE

Jan 22, 2021

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Louisiana Department of Education is inviting stakeholders to join in a review of the state’s Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS). These standards were developed in 2013 as the culmination of a year-long effort led by state agency staff, national experts and local stakeholders. The ELDS serve as a framework for supporting the implementation of high-quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood programs. These standards are intended to help early childhood educators and families across Louisiana deepen their understanding of how children grow and develop in order to best prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.

“Louisiana must continue to be a leader in early childhood education,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “This process of engagement and improvement will make environments even stronger for Louisiana’s youngest learners.” 

In an effort to support the Department’s critical goal that all children are ready for kindergarten, and to align the ELDS review process to the K-12 content standard review policy, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved the process to review Louisiana’s Birth to Five Early Learning and Development Standards during its meeting January 19. The Department has opened an application to participate in the standards review committee. All interested early childhood educators, leaders, experts, families and community members are encouraged to apply. The deadline for submissions is February 12, and selected participants will be notified in late February. 

Those not interested in applying for the review committee are invited to provide feedback of the current standards and the priority of the goals proposed for the review process. 

The ELDS review process has five main goals: 

  • Strengthen connections to kindergarten readiness expectations and ensure a scaffolded alignment across age-bands;

  • Ensure a stronger integration of language that supports young children with disabilities and dual language learners;

  • Reorganize the framework and structure of standards and indicators to make the resource more navigable and family-friendly; 

  • Embed commonly used assessments with intentionality to increase alignment; and

  • Update the resources to reflect current research and the Department’s initiatives.

Committee meetings will start in March and continue through August. All committee meetings will be open to the public. The review process will include opportunities for the public to weigh in on every standard. 

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