Louisiana is officially steering its English classrooms back to the basics, with state education leaders approving new K-12 English language arts standards that put phonics, grammar and cursive front and center again. The overhaul, recommended by State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley and signed off on by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, is set to hit classrooms in the 2027-28 school year. State officials say the goal is to build on recent reading gains and firm up the kind of foundational skills many parents and teachers have been asking to see return.
In a press release from the Louisiana Department of Education, officials said the revised standards lean heavily into the "science of reading," including explicit phonics instruction, along with a renewed focus on grammar, handwriting that includes cursive, and content-rich texts. Dr. Brumley described the move as a return to "timeless academic practices" in that release. As reported by New Orleans CityBusiness, the department plans to roll out training, guidance and instructional resources so school systems are not scrambling when the new standards take effect.
Brumley told local television outlets that classroom teachers were among the loudest voices asking for cursive to come back early in students’ school careers. Reporters say the state will encourage schools to introduce cursive as early as second grade and build those skills throughout the elementary years. That grade-level detail was reported by KSLA, which also heard from educators, parents and advocates who said the shift feels like a restoration of skills they believe have been pushed aside in recent years.
What Will Look Different For Students
The updated standards lay out grade-by-grade expectations that put a premium on phonics-based decoding, along with a clearer sequence for grammar and usage so students can grow more independent in reading and writing. They also call for more content-rich texts that build background knowledge and vocabulary, which the department says aligns with current literacy research. Officials stress that while the standards tighten what students are expected to know and do, they are not a curriculum. Local school systems will still decide how to teach and which materials to use to hit those targets.
How Districts Will Make The Shift
The state is drawing a line between the “what” and the “how.” Standards spell out what students should learn, but local districts remain in charge of how to get them there. The Louisiana Department of Education says it will back districts with reviews of instructional materials and professional learning opportunities for educators. As New Orleans CityBusiness reported, that statewide support is designed to give school systems enough runway to update classroom materials and train teachers before the 2027-28 rollout. Campus and district leaders will still choose textbooks, lesson sequences and pacing guides that align with the new standards.
Why Cursive Is Back In The Mix
Cursive quietly slipped out of many Louisiana classrooms after the 2010 adoption of Common Core, which did not require handwriting, at the same time keyboarding and digital assignments were taking up more of the school day. The state’s decision to emphasize cursive again taps into a larger national argument over how much time schools should spend on handwriting during early literacy instruction. Coverage of that trend has pointed out that some states are moving to restore cursive while others keep their focus on keyboarding and other digital skills.
Districts will have roughly a year to get ready before the new standards kick in for the 2027-28 school year, and the department says it will offer materials and training so teachers can adjust without having to overhaul instruction midyear. Brumley told KSLA the state intends to give educators time and support so the changes actually stick and said assessments may gradually reflect the new priorities. Families can expect their local schools to spell out more specific details as districts translate the standards into day-to-day classroom practice.
