1. Exceptional Lives
  2. Louisiana Guides
  3. What to Do if Your Child Struggles in School
  4. What the School Should Do

The 3-tiered system

Louisiana Schools are committed to providing a high quality education to all students, including those with disabilities.

Their approach has 3 tiers, or levels:

  1. High quality curriculum for all students
  2. Interventions to support children who are not progressing
  3. Specialized teaching and other services for students with disabilities who cannot make progress otherwise 

#1: High quality curriculum for all students

  • All students should be getting high quality teaching using a curriculum that has been shown to be effective.
  • Each school district can choose their own curriculum out of a list of choices approved by the LDOE.
  • Regular assessments should check to make sure a student is making progress.
  • If they are not, the teacher should start adding some strategies or specialized teaching techniques that are designed to help the child with their particular challenge (#2).

#2: Interventions to support children who are not progressing

  • There are a wide range of strategies and specialized teaching techniques that are designed to help children who struggle in different areas of learning.
  • If your child is not making progress, their teacher should be able to identify which strategies may work for your child and start trying them right away in the classroom. 
  • There is a system in place to help teachers in all districts to do this.
  • If these do not work after a period of time, your child should get an evaluation to see if they qualify for Special Education services. In some districts this is called ESS: Exceptional Student Services.

#3: Specialized teaching and other services for students with disabilities who cannot make progress otherwise

  • This is Special Education (In some districts this is called ESS: Exceptional Student Services). 
  • It may include specialized teaching and other services like therapies (speech, occupational, physical or behavioral therapy)
  • Your child will have an evaluation to see if they have a disability that qualifies them for these services.
  • If they qualify, you will work with the school to create an IEP: an Individualized Education Program.