Louisiana Homeschool Curriculum Packet: What BESE Actually Requires

Every year, families in the BESE-Approved Home Study Program receive a renewal notice and then spend days second-guessing themselves. What counts as a "curriculum packet"? How much work do you need to submit? What exactly is "satisfactory evidence"?

The short answer: the Louisiana Department of Education asks for far less than most parents assume. Here is exactly what you need to submit, what each option requires, and how to avoid the common mistakes that cause unnecessary back-and-forth with the LDOE.

The Three Ways to Satisfy the Annual Renewal

Louisiana Revised Statutes R.S. 17:236.1(C)(1) defines the legal standard for Home Study renewal: you must demonstrate that your program has offered "a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level." The state gives you three distinct ways to prove it.

Option 1: The Curriculum Packet (Portfolio Route)

This is what most families choose, especially those using eclectic, classical, or Charlotte Mason approaches that do not produce standardized test scores.

A curriculum packet for Louisiana BESE renewal contains:

• A subject list naming every subject you taught during the school year. Louisiana public schools cover Math, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies as core subjects. Your list should include all of these plus any electives (art, music, foreign language, physical education).
• A brief curriculum outline for each subject. This does not need to be a lesson plan; a sentence or two identifying what program or materials you used is sufficient. ("We used Singapore Math 4A/4B for mathematics and read through a series of Louisiana history resources for social studies.")
• Work samples — one to two pages of completed student work per core subject showing progress. The LDOE does not require a full portfolio binder. A graded math worksheet, a written essay, a completed science lab report, or a social studies project summary each satisfy a subject's sample requirement.

That is the complete list. You are not submitting daily lesson plans, your attendance log, photos of field trips, or proof of 180 instructional days in the initial packet. The state reviews what you send and may request more, but they will do so by postal mail — they do not immediately revoke approval.

The key word in the statute is "sustained." Work samples should show that learning happened throughout the year, not just in the final week. A math worksheet from September and a writing sample from February communicate sustained instruction far more convincingly than two items dated the same week.

Option 2: Standardized Test Scores

Families who prefer an objective measure — and want a faster, more automatic renewal — can submit verification that their child took a standardized exam and scored at or above grade level, or demonstrated at least one year's worth of academic growth.

The LDOE accepts the following tests:

• ACT or SAT (high school students)
• Stanford Achievement Test
• Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)
• California Achievement Test (CAT)
• State LEAP assessments

This option is especially popular with families whose children are college-bound. Submitting a strong ACT or SAT score simultaneously satisfies the renewal requirement and creates documentation for TOPS scholarship eligibility. For TOPS, home study students need ACT scores of 20 (Opportunity), 23 (Performance), 27 (Honors), or 31 (Excellence) under the updated 2025 ACT 359 rules — so a single test can serve double duty.

One practical note: standardized testing bypasses the subjective review entirely. An LDOE staff member either confirms the score meets the threshold or it does not. There is no interpretive judgment involved, which makes this the most frictionless renewal pathway for families whose children test well.

Option 3: Teacher Statement

A Louisiana-certified teacher who is qualified to teach at your child's grade level can submit a written statement affirming that they have examined your educational program and believe your child is receiving instruction in a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to public schools.

This option suits families who maintain a relationship with a certified teacher — through a co-op, a tutoring arrangement, or a family connection — and prefer to minimize direct contact with the LDOE. The certified teacher does the reviewing; you simply provide their completed statement with your renewal.

The teacher must hold Louisiana certification at the appropriate grade level. You cannot use an out-of-state certificate or an uncertified tutor. Renewal teacher statements also need to be renewed annually, so this is not a one-time setup — you will need the teacher to review and attest each year.

If your arrangement changes — the teacher moves, retires, or their certificate lapses — you shift to one of the other two options for that renewal cycle. There is no penalty for switching between the three methods from year to year.

What the BESE Annual Report Actually Looks Like

The BESE annual report is not a separate document from your renewal. It is the renewal itself. When the LDOE sends you the annual renewal notice (typically by October 1 of the following school year, or within 12 months of your initial approval), you submit the renewal application through the same online portal you used initially, attaching whichever evidence option you chose.

There is no formal "BESE Annual Report" form that families fill out independently. If you see references to an "annual report" in homeschool circles, they are referring to the annual renewal application and the evidence you attach to it.

The LDOE does not inspect your home, observe your teaching, or demand original documents. The process is administrative and conducted entirely by mail and online portal.

The "Satisfactory Evidence" Standard in Practice

The phrase "satisfactory evidence" sounds intimidating until you understand how the LDOE actually applies it. Louisiana is categorized as a moderate-regulation state. LDOE reviewers are not looking for reasons to deny renewals — they are looking for confirmation that education is happening.

In practice, satisfactory evidence means:

• Your work samples look like schoolwork (not blank pages)
• The subjects covered correspond to the grade level
• The student's work shows progression, not stagnation

What it does not mean:

• Your curriculum must be purchased from an accredited provider
• Your work samples must match the Louisiana Student Standards verbatim
• You need to replicate the public school's scope and sequence

The state explicitly does not maintain a list of approved curricula or approved textbooks. Parents choose their own materials. A family using an online curriculum subscription, a library-based classical approach, or a custom combination of resources each satisfies the "quality at least equal to" standard as long as the four core subject areas are covered.

If the LDOE finds your initial submission insufficient, they contact you by postal mail requesting additional clarification or supplementary samples. They do not remove approval on first contact. Respond promptly with whatever they request and the matter resolves.

When to Start Building Your Portfolio

If you are using the curriculum packet route, the biggest mistake is waiting until September to pull together samples from the previous year. Memories fade, completed worksheets disappear into the recycling bin, and you end up scrambling.

A simple system: at the end of each month, pull two items from each core subject — one from the beginning of the month and one from the end — and drop them into a manila envelope or a folder on your computer. Label it with the subject and month. By October, you have a complete, chronologically organized set of samples without any last-minute effort.

If your child does project-based work rather than traditional worksheets, photographs of projects, written narrations, or typed summaries of what was studied serve the same purpose. The format does not matter; the evidence of learning does.

Common Curriculum Packet Mistakes

Submitting too much. Parents who are anxious about approval sometimes send 30-page binders with every completed assignment from the entire year. The LDOE staff reviews what you send — a larger submission does not improve your chances of approval and may slow the process. One to two pages per core subject is the stated requirement.

Confusing the Nonpublic pathway with the BESE pathway. Families registered as a Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval do not submit curriculum packets at all. That pathway requires no portfolio, no test scores, and no teacher statement — but it also blocks access to TOPS scholarships and, under the old rules, public school sports. If you are unsure which pathway you registered under, check your LDOE correspondence. The registration documents are distinct.

Missing the renewal deadline. Renewals are due by October 1 of the following school year or within 12 months of initial approval, whichever is later. Missing this window does not automatically terminate your program, but it creates a gap in approved status that can complicate things, particularly for high school students tracking TOPS eligibility.

Not retaining the LDOE confirmation. Save the email confirmation and approval notification from each renewal cycle. These documents serve as proof of approved status if you ever need to re-enroll a student in public school, register for a state exam, or document TOPS eligibility timelines to LOSFA.

Navigating BESE renewal is manageable once you understand what the state actually asks for — which is considerably less than the anxiety surrounding it suggests. If you want a complete, step-by-step walkthrough of both the initial application and the annual renewal process, including fill-in-the-blank curriculum outlines and sample work presentation formats, the Louisiana Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers every stage from initial withdrawal through high school graduation.

Switching Between Renewal Methods

You are not locked into the same evidence type every year. A family might submit a curriculum packet in years one and two, switch to standardized testing in middle school, and return to a teacher statement in high school when test scores are being reserved for college applications. The LDOE does not require consistency between years — only that the current year's submission satisfies the standard.

This flexibility is one of the legitimate strengths of Louisiana's home study framework. Families can adapt their renewal approach to match their child's educational season without penalty.

A Final Note on Curriculum Choice

Because the state does not approve or list acceptable curricula, parents sometimes feel they need to choose a "safe" boxed curriculum to avoid scrutiny. This is not the case. Whether you use Abeka, Sonlight, Teaching Textbooks, a self-assembled mix of library books and online courses, or a completely parent-created curriculum, the review is the same: does the submitted evidence demonstrate that a quality, sustained education occurred?

The state's interest is in the outcome — evidence of learning — not the methodology you used to produce it.

Ready to get the full withdrawal and registration process documented in one place? The Louisiana Legal Withdrawal Blueprint includes curriculum packet templates, renewal checklists, and annotated guidance for both BESE and Nonpublic pathways.

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