The EXCELL Appeals Process
EXCELL has officially gone into effect!
What does the EXCELL appeals process look like?
The BESE-approved Appeals Process allows eligible high school seniors to appeal the test requirement for graduation if they…
Earn their credits.
A student eligible for the EXCELL appeals process must still take and pass all of their required classes.
Demonstrate their knowledge.
Students must still take the LEAP exam and are only eligible for the EXCELL appeals process if they fail the exam twice. Then, they must still demonstrate their content proficiency through a portfolio of work
Prove that they are ready.
Finally, students must show they are ready to enter the workforce by either: earning a Silver-Level National Career Readiness Certificate (ACT WorkKeys), a TOPS Tech Eligibility, or a graduation-qualifying Industry Based Credential. They must also meet with a local workforce agency to discuss career options post-graduation.
Why do we need this?
Louisiana is behind the rest of the country, and we are creating barriers that prevent our children from thriving.
Louisiana is one of nine states that have a high school exit exam and the ONLY state without an appeals process of the score requirement.
Each year in Louisiana, 1500 high school seniors are denied graduation because of the LEAP exam - even after earning all required credits for a diploma!
Making the high school diploma contingent on a single score has a disproportionate impact on students with disabilities, English Language Learners, and students with other conditions that inhibit test day performance.
Currently, those who don’t pass the LEAP would otherwise are forced to drop out of high school. This contributes to Louisiana’s growing population of disconnected youth (16 to 24 year-olds who are neither in school nor working).
The EXCELL Appeals Process allows those students to demonstrate their knowledge, earn workforce credits, and graduate with a diploma ready to enter the workforce.
Only 9 states require a state exam to graduate. Of those, Louisiana is the ONLY one not to have an appeals process.
Louisiana has the 4th highest rate of disconnected youth in the nation (16% vs the 11% average).
The Data Doesn’t Lie.
The graduation rates for Louisiana students changed drastically during COVID, especially for diverse learners like those learning English as a second language. Suprisingly, graduation rates went up. What caused the change? The state LEAP test was waived during COVID.