LEAP 21 and GEE Study Guide

The Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP 21) and the Graduation Exit Examination (GEE) offered by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) assess how a student will perform at later stages of education, in the workplace, and also gives administrators the ability to assess the value of their current curriculum.

LEAP 21 exams have been administered since 1999 to grades 4, 8, 10, and 11. The tests have been cultivated using each of the previous year’s strength and weaknesses to accurately test and calculate a student’s ability to achieve good scores in reading and mathematics. The LEAP 21 also covers science and social studies at the different grade levels.

Students who take the exam will be graded as one of five markers.

* Advanced
* Mastery
* Basic
* Approaching Basic
* Unsatisfactory

While the LEAP 21 exams cover more than math and reading, students who wish to graduate from a Louisiana high school must achieve “Approaching Basic” grade status on those two tests in order to be eligible to receive their diploma. The test that qualifies the students can be either the 10th grade or 11th grade iteration.

The majority of the exams cover a wide variety of topics in the form of multiple-choice questions. Students may have constructed response questions during the reading and English exams. The exams are administered during school hours, typically over the course of a week or more. Students will be given ample time to answer all questions on the exam.