How Are Acts 650 and 260 Changing Math Instruction in Louisiana?

Louisiana has made a major investment in math instruction. With the passage of Act 260 (2023) and Act 650 (2024), the state has introduced one of the most comprehensive numeracy reform packages in the country, including mandatory teacher training, universal screening, intervention requirements, parent notification timelines, and individualized student plans.

Full implementation begins with the 2026–2027 school year, which means schools and districts need to prepare now. Here’s what’s changing, where schools may face challenges, and what districts should have in place before next fall.

What Is Actually Changing?

State Math Screeners, Three Times a Year

Under Act 650, every student in kindergarten through third grade must take a state-provided numeracy screener at three points during the school year:

• Within the first 30 days of school (Beginning of Year, or BOY)
• In December (Middle of Year, or MOY)
• In April (End of Year)

The goal is early identification so schools can intervene before learning gaps grow larger. These screeners are administered through Louisiana’s Kite Suite platform and measure four foundational numeracy domains:

• Counting strategies
• Simple problem solving
• Fluency
• Magnitude comparison

High-Dosage Tutoring and Intervention

Students identified as performing below grade level must receive numeracy interventions and supports. This shifts intervention from a recommendation to an operational expectation for schools and districts. The law allows for:

• Daily targeted small-group instruction
• Web-based intervention supports
• Before- and after-school tutoring
• At-home numeracy programs
• Summer learning opportunities

Required Numeracy Professional Development

Act 260 required grades 4–8 math teachers to complete approximately 50 hours of state-approved numeracy professional learning by August 2025. Act 353 of 2025, also known as LANE, extends that requirement to K–3 teachers, who must complete approved foundational numeracy training by August 2027.

Together, these laws ensure that K–8 math teachers across Louisiana, including charter school educators, complete Louisiana Department of Education-approved numeracy training.

The training is delivered asynchronously through the Louisiana Professional Learning Platform (Canopy) and focuses on the progression of math concepts across grade levels, helping teachers connect foundational elementary skills to later mathematical understanding.

Full Implementation Is Here

The interim “learning year” is over. Schools were previously given time to familiarize themselves with the new requirements before full accountability began. Beginning in 2026–2027, all provisions of Act 650 are fully in effect.

The Data Gap: What the Screeners Don’t Tell You

The numeracy screeners identify which students may be struggling, but they don’t identify the exact standards or skills students have not mastered, which creates several operational challenges for schools.

Gap #1: Screeners Don’t Identify Specific Standards Gaps

The screeners measure broad numeracy domains, but they do not pinpoint which individual Louisiana math standards a student is struggling with. After a student is identified as at risk, educators still need a way to determine:

• Which prerequisite skills are missing
• Which specific areas or standards need intervention
• Which students need targeted remediation versus intensive support

This matters because schools are required to provide evidence-based intervention services tailored to individual student needs. A screener score alone is not enough to build an effective intervention plan.

Gap #2: Three Screening Windows Leave Gaps Between Them

If a student is identified during the BOY screener and the next formal checkpoint is not until December, schools have limited visibility into whether interventions are working. Without ongoing monitoring, schools may not discover problems until months later. Progress monitoring between screening windows allows educators to:

• Adjust interventions earlier
• Monitor student growth trends
• Identify stalled progress
• Make instructional changes before the next screener

Gap #3: Building Individualized Plans at Scale

Act 650 (R.S. 17:24.10, Section J) requires every K–3 student identified as below grade level in numeracy to receive an individual numeracy improvement plan within 30 days of identification. That plan must be created collaboratively by teachers, administrators, other relevant personnel, and the parent/guardian.

The plan must describe the intervention services the student will receive and include strategies families can use at home. Managing these plans at scale requires:

• Standards-level diagnostic data
• Structured intervention workflows
• Progress monitoring systems
• Clear documentation processes

Having specific protocols and infrastructure in place to make implementation easy helps make the process easier for staff and teachers, and helps students by making them as effective as possible. Without those systems in place, schools may struggle to maintain consistency and compliance.

Parent Notification Requirements

Act 650 also creates strict communication requirements for schools. Under R.S. 17:24.10:

• Schools must notify parents within 15 days of identifying a student as below grade level in numeracy.
• Notifications must include:
  • The importance of grade-level numeracy by the end of third grade
  • Activities families can use at home
  • The interventions the school will provide
• Schools must also provide mid-year and end-of-year progress updates.

For districts with large numbers of identified students, this quickly becomes a workflow and documentation challenge. Schools need clear systems for:

• Drafting notifications
• Delivering communication
• Tracking deadlines
• Managing records
• Monitoring compliance

The Upcoming Standards Transition

Louisiana’s math standards are scheduled to change during the 2027–2028 school year, creating another layer of complexity for districts. Schools establishing baseline data now will soon be comparing student performance against a new set of standards. Without strong documentation and standards-level reporting systems, longitudinal growth comparisons may become difficult.

Your Pre-2026–2027 Checklist

Before next fall, school and district leaders should be able to answer “yes” to the following questions:

1. Do you understand what BOY screener results will and will not tell you?

Screeners identify risk, but they are not full diagnostics. Schools need clear next steps after students are identified.

2. Have you built a standards-level diagnostic layer?

Schools need a way to identify which Louisiana math standards students have not mastered before assigning interventions.

3. Is your parent notification workflow ready?

Districts should already know:

• Who drafts notifications
• Who reviews them
• How they are delivered
• How compliance is documented

4. Do you have a structured intervention and progress-monitoring process?

Schools need systems for:

• Assigning interventions
• Monitoring progress between screeners
• Building IASPs
• Adjusting instruction based on data

5. Have you accounted for ongoing numeracy PD for new teachers?

New teachers entering the system will continue needing onboarding support and professional learning plans.

6. Do you have clear documentation and data-management processes?

Act 650 creates significant documentation requirements, including:

• Screener results
• Parent notifications
• Intervention plans
• Progress updates
• Monitoring records

Schools need centralized systems for managing that information.

Where Progress Learning Fits

Acts 650 and 260 create new expectations around screening, intervention, progress monitoring, and documentation. Once schools identify students who are struggling, the next challenge is determining which skills need support and how to monitor growth between screening windows.

Progress Learning helps schools:

• Identify standards-level skill gaps
• Assign targeted remediation and intervention
• Monitor student progress over time
• Track growth between BOY, MOY, and EOY screeners
• Manage reporting at the district, school, classroom, and student level

As Louisiana prepares for updated math standards in 2027–2028, schools that build strong diagnostic, intervention, and progress-monitoring systems now will be better positioned for long-term success. Request a demo to see how Progress Learning can support your Louisiana numeracy initiatives.