The head of Louisiana's top school board on Monday staunchly defended her initiative to let high school seniors appeal test scores that keep them from graduating amid a political uproar over that plan.
But, under pressure from a number of state officials, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Holly Boffy also walked back an emergency order she issued last week that sought to hasten when that plan would take effect.
The emergency order — which put the appeals in effect immediately rather than on Dec. 20 as planned — has created unnecessary political drama, Boffy said at a press conference.
"We have really important work to do, and instead, (the emergency order) has become a distraction," she said.
BESE president Dr. Holly Boffy addresses BESE’s policy establishing an appeals process for Louisiana’s graduation testing requirements and a recent waiver policy during a press conference on Monday, December 4, 2023 at the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Citing "imminent peril" to students, Boffy said last week that she tried to speed up the timeline because seniors who had failed tests earlier this year were set to retake their exams last week, and needed assurance that they would graduate even if they failed a second time.
But she said Monday those students can still appeal once the policy takes effect on Dec. 20.
Boffy's attempt to wield emergency powers intensified a highly bureaucratic debate surrounding the appeals. Debate over the policy has become enmeshed in a long-running discussion over how to improve Louisiana's educational outcomes, and amid conflicting guidance, school systems are uncertain about which graduation policies to follow.
At issue are exams administered under Louisiana's Educational Assessment Program, or LEAP, which assess students in grades 3-12 on math, English, social studies and science. Louisiana is one of only eight states that still require standardized testing for students to graduate.
The appeals option was originally tailored to English language-learning students. But BESE later expanded it to include all seniors who demonstrate knowledge and skills they need to graduate, but "struggle with difficulties related to standardized assessments," such as English language learners and students with other "learning challenges," according to BESE.
The board approved its policy in June. But a House Education Committee, citing the need to ensure Louisiana's diplomas had value, rejected BESE's vote in October. Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat whose term expires in January, then overturned the panel's rejection, letting the rule to take effect Dec. 20.
But last week, Boffy issued her emergency measure to move the date up by three weeks, saying test-taking seniors needed swifter reassurance that they could graduate. That infuriated state Education Superintendent Cade Brumley, who swiftly fired off a letter to school districts saying the BESE president was out of line and warning the local officials to ignore the order or risk opening themselves up to lawsuits.
BESE president Dr. Holly Boffy addresses BESE’s policy establishing an appeals process for Louisiana’s graduation testing requirements and a recent waiver policy during a press conference on Monday, December 4, 2023 at the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Officials from the civil division of Attorney General Jeff Landry's office agreed with Brumley, warning Boffy that her attempted at using the emergency powers was improper. So did the Pelican Institute, a conservative think tank, which warned Boffy that it would sue over the emergency order, and some state lawmakers.
Opponents of the appeals policy include Brumley, Landry and others, who say it could render the state's diplomas meaningless. Unless it's codified in state law, the rule could be struck down by a new BESE board once they take office in January. Landry also will be sworn in as governor come January.
BESE itself was split on the idea, approving it 6-5 in June.
“Now we have the world’s first emergency high school diploma giveaway program and it’s in Louisiana," Ronnie Morris, a Baton Rouge-area BESE member, said last week.
BESE president Dr. Holly Boffy addresses BESE’s policy establishing an appeals process for Louisiana’s graduation testing requirements and a recent waiver policy during a press conference on Monday, December 4, 2023 at the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Even as Boffy agreed Monday to walk back the order, she shared a podium at her press conference with Lissy Alonzo, a senior at a New Orleans-area high school who spoke in support of the appeals. Alonzo said she has a 4.2 GPA in her Advanced Placement classes but has struggled to pass standardized tests because English is her second language, she said.
"That means that when I am taking a LEAP exam, I am translating the exam questions in my head," Alonzo said.
With the order revoked, the House Education Committee canceled a hearing scheduled for Tuesday where it had planned to weigh whether Boffy had the authority to issue her order.
