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Louisiana Durable Skills & Career Readiness Alignment
Renzulli Learning is the K-12 platform that both assesses and develops the durable skills Louisiana’s Individual Graduation Plan (IGP), the Jump Start Career Diploma, the TOPS University pathway, the Fast Forward college-credit-at-graduation goal, and the new Grow.Achieve.Thrive. accountability system demand — critical thinking, creativity, executive function, leadership, collaboration, communication, and self-direction.
Louisiana’s IGP, Jump Start, TOPS & Why Durable Skills Are the Center of Career Readiness
Louisiana’s career readiness framework is anchored by the Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) — required by BESE Bulletin 741. Beginning in eighth grade, every Louisiana student develops an IGP that maps required coursework to one of two diploma pathways: the TOPS University Diploma (university-preparatory) or the Jump Start TOPS Tech Career Diploma (career-and-credential). Students may pursue both pathways simultaneously. Following the student’s tenth grade year, the student selects a pathway with counseling and guidance based on interests, capabilities, and ambitions. The IGP is Louisiana’s closest analog to a Profile of a Graduate — operationalized as a year-round, student-driven pathway document rather than a static vision statement.
The Jump Start program, governed by BESE Bulletin 138, requires students earning the Career Diploma to complete an industry-based credential (IBC) from the IBC State Focus List. Beginning with fall grade 9 entry 2023-24, Geometry is required for Jump Start TOPS Tech students. The Fast Forward program, established as a joint Board of Regents and BESE goal, sets the expectation that beginning with the freshman class of 2025 all Louisiana public high school graduates will complete high school with college credit (academic and/or career-technical), a postsecondary credential of value, or both. Students spend grades 9-10 on the high school campus, with grades 11-12 spent on a postsecondary or Board of Regents approved satellite campus earning dual enrollment courses toward TOPS University or the 9 courses required for Jump Start plus an associate degree. Beginning fall grade 9 entry 2024-25, Financial Literacy is required; beginning fall grade 9 entry 2027-28, Computer Science is required. The April Dunn Act (formerly Act 833 of 2014, renamed 2020 by HB 848) provides Jump Start TOPS Tech eligibility for students with specific qualifying criteria. Louisiana’s new Grow.Achieve.Thrive. accountability system, BESE-approved June 2024 and effective 2025-26, uses a 100-point grading scale that emphasizes career education, college preparation, and military service readiness. The challenge for Louisiana districts is that durable skills are easy to name in the IGP but hard to measure and develop systematically — especially across rural districts and tribal communities.
Each IGP Component Mapped to a Renzulli Tool That Measures and Develops It
The Louisiana IGP is a multi-year, student-driven process beginning in 8th grade. The IGP routes students into one of two diploma pathways — or both. Each component pairs with the Renzulli instruments and content that measure and develop the durable skills behind it:
Develop: Profiler-matched Enrichment Database
Develop: EFA-targeted scaffolding for Algebra I/Geometry
Develop: PSP-driven decision documentation
Develop: SEM Type III PBL + 40,000+ Enrichment
Develop: PSP exports populate IGP annual review
Develop: Strength-based PSP + PBL pathway
Durable Skills, Defined: What Renzulli Learning Assesses and Develops
Renzulli Learning is built around seven canonical durable skills — the same skills Louisiana’s IGP, Jump Start, TOPS University, Fast Forward, IBC State Focus List, and Grow.Achieve.Thrive. demand. Each skill has a specific Renzulli instrument that measures it and a specific platform feature that develops it:
Critical Thinking
Measure: CTC
Develop: SEM Type III PBL
Creativity
Measure: CTC (US Patent 12,087,176)
Develop: Enrichment Database + PBL
Executive Function
Measure: EFA
Develop: PSP cycles + PBL planning
Leadership
Measure: Leadership Assessment
Develop: CTSO-aligned PBL + group projects
Collaboration
Measure: Leadership Assessment
Develop: Group PBL + peer feedback
Communication
Measure: 21st-century skills rubrics
Develop: PBL presentations & portfolios
Self-Direction
Measure: Profiler + EFA
Develop: PSP year-round goal cycles
TOPS University, Jump Start & Fast Forward: The Three Career-Readiness Engines
Louisiana students graduate through one (or both) of two diploma pathways, with Fast Forward as the dual-credit-and-credential capstone for the freshman class of 2025+. Renzulli Learning develops the durable skills behind each:
What Louisiana Counselors & Jump Start Coordinators Struggle With
These are the durable-skills-and-career-readiness challenges we consistently hear from Louisiana educators implementing IGP, Jump Start, TOPS, and Fast Forward:
10th-grade pathway selection
Following the 10th grade year, students choose between TOPS University and Jump Start — or both. Counselors need year-round student data — not just one conference — to surface evolving interests and durable-skills evidence that informs the IGP pathway decision.
Implementing Fast Forward
Fast Forward expects every Class of 2025+ graduate to leave high school with college credit, a credential, or both. Districts need executive-function development tools that scaffold persistence through dual enrollment on postsecondary or satellite campuses — not just enrollment access.
Closing the IBC State Focus List gap
Jump Start Career Diploma students must earn an IBC from the State Focus List. Districts need durable-skills tools that develop the planning, self-regulation, and communication students need to persist through IBC coursework and assessment — particularly for students with disabilities pursuing the Jump Start pathway.
April Dunn Act student support
Students eligible under the April Dunn Act (formerly Act 833 of 2014) need strength-based pathways to the Jump Start TOPS Tech Career Diploma. Districts need durable-skills tools that surface interests and creativity beyond EOC scores — supporting more equitable pathway access.
Preparing for Grow.Achieve.Thrive.
The new accountability system effective 2025-26 emphasizes career education, college preparation, and military service readiness on a 100-point scale. Districts need durable-skills evidence that demonstrates how every graduate is prepared for one of these post-secondary outcomes — not just for the academic core.
Equity for tribal & rural learners
Louisiana is home to 4 federally recognized tribes and 11 state-recognized tribes serving 4,300+ Native American K-12 students — with substantial rural districts across Acadiana, the Mississippi Delta, and the Florida Parishes. Districts need durable-skills tools that work across home languages and cultural communities and respect cultural assets in interest assessment.
Renzulli Learning Tools Mapped to Louisiana’s Durable Skills Demands
Each Renzulli tool maps to specific IGP components, Jump Start regional pathways, TOPS rigor, and Fast Forward dual enrollment — producing concrete, exportable evidence of durable skills growth:
Louisiana Career Readiness Requirements & Renzulli Durable Skills Platform: Side by Side
IGP (BESE Bulletin 741) Jump Start (BESE Bulletin 138) TOPS University Diploma Fast Forward (Class 2025+) IBC State Focus List April Dunn Act Grow.Achieve.Thrive.How Renzulli Learning addresses each core Louisiana requirement — with durable skills measurement and development at the center:
| Louisiana Requirement | Renzulli Learning Contribution |
|---|---|
| IGP Individual Graduation Plan BESE Bulletin 741; required beginning 8th grade; maps coursework to TOPS University or Jump Start pathway (or both); reviewed annually | Renzulli is the K-12 platform that both assesses and develops the durable skills behind every IGP component. Profiler in 20+ languages populates pathway selection. PSP generates exportable summaries to populate IGP annual review with substance. |
| Jump Start Jump Start Career Diploma BESE Bulletin 138; 9 Jump Start courses + Industry-Based Credential (IBC) from State Focus List; Geometry required (fall grade 9 entry 2023-24+) | Profiler surfaces interests across Jump Start regional pathways. PBL produces capstone artifacts complementing IBC pursuit. Leadership Assessment supports CTSO leadership prep (FFA, FBLA, FCCLA, HOSA, SkillsUSA, DECA, TSA). |
| TOPS TOPS University Diploma 4 English/4 Math (Alg I, Geo, Alg II +1)/4 Science/4 Social Studies/2 FL/1 Fine Arts/1 Health-PE; Financial Literacy (Class 2028); Computer Science (Class 2031); TOPS scholarship eligibility | EFA develops planning & persistence across rigorous course load. SEM Type III PBL produces capstone artifacts complementing AP/honors work. Profiler aligns students with academic strengths. |
| Fast Forward Fast Forward Program Joint BoR + BESE goal; Class of 2025+ graduates with college credit, credential of value, or both; grades 11-12 on postsecondary/satellite campus | EFA measures durable skills students need for dual enrollment. PSP supports goal-setting around dual credit, credential, and transfer. Profiler helps select pathway aligned to strengths. |
| April Dunn April Dunn Act Formerly Act 833 of 2014, renamed 2020 by HB 848; Jump Start TOPS Tech eligibility for students with specific qualifying criteria; honors disability advocate April Dunn | CTC is culture-independent (US Patent 12,087,176) — surfaces strengths beyond EOC scores. Profiler in 20+ languages identifies interests. PSP documents alternative durable-skills evidence. |
| Equity Equity for Tribal & Diverse Learners 4 federally recognized tribes (Chitimacha, Coushatta, Jena Band of Choctaw, Tunica-Biloxi); 11 state-recognized tribes; 4,300+ Native K-12 students; French/Creole-speaking communities | The Profiler in 20+ languages for multilingual students. The CTC is culture-independent — supporting equitable durable-skills assessment for Louisiana’s tribal communities and the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs partnerships. |
What Implementation Looks Like in Louisiana Districts
“Our IGPs were technically compliant under Bulletin 741 but barely informative — the 10th-grade pathway selection conversation was a guess. With Renzulli’s Profiler giving us interests in 20+ languages, the EFA showing us which students need scaffolding for TOPS University rigor or Jump Start IBC persistence, the Leadership Assessment supporting our CTSO students, and SEM Type III PBL producing capstone artifacts for Jump Start coursework, our IGPs finally have substance behind them. We’re ready for Fast Forward and Grow.Achieve.Thrive.”Career and College Readiness Director · Louisiana school district
Louisiana Durable Skills & Career Readiness: Common Questions
Questions Louisiana counselors and Jump Start coordinators ask most often:
How does Renzulli Learning align with Louisiana’s Individual Graduation Plan (IGP)?
What durable skills does Renzulli Learning develop, and how does that connect to Louisiana’s career readiness framework?
How does Renzulli Learning support Louisiana Jump Start and the Career Diploma?
How does Renzulli Learning support Louisiana TOPS University Diploma?
How does Renzulli Learning support Louisiana’s Fast Forward Program?
How does Renzulli Learning support the April Dunn Act?
How much does Renzulli Learning cost for Louisiana districts?
How does Renzulli Learning support equity for Louisiana’s diverse learners and tribal communities?
Louisiana Durable Skills & Career Readiness Resources
All compliance decisions should reference these primary LDOE and BESE sources. Renzulli Learning complements — not replaces — Louisiana’s IGP, Jump Start, TOPS, and Fast Forward implementation plans.
- LDOE — Graduation Requirements (IGP & TOPS)
- LDOE — Jump Start Career Diploma (BESE Bulletin 138)
- LDOE — Jump Start Graduation Pathways
- LDOE — Fast Forward Program
- LDOE — Career and College Readiness
- Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs (4 Federal + 11 State Tribes)
Custom District Alignments
Need a custom alignment for your parish’s IGP, Jump Start regional pathways, or Fast Forward dual enrollment?
Explore Renzulli Learning’s alignment for other states:
Ready to Document Your Louisiana District’s Durable Skills Growth?
Start a 30-day free trial with full platform access — no credit card required. Or schedule a free QuickStart with a consultant who knows Louisiana’s IGP under BESE Bulletin 741, Jump Start under BESE Bulletin 138, the TOPS University Diploma, the Fast Forward Program, and the Grow.Achieve.Thrive. accountability system.
Call +1 (203) 680-8301 · Email [email protected]