How East Baton Rouge Parish Schools Built a District-Owned Framework for Outcomes-Based Contracting

As Louisiana prepares for the next phase of Accelerate: High-Dosage Tutoring, many district leaders are beginning to focus on a new challenge.

The challenge isn’t launching tutoring programs.

It’s understanding which programs are working.

Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, Louisiana’s Outcomes-Based Contracting model will tie a portion of provider payments to implementation expectations and student outcomes. For districts, that raises an important question:

How do you evaluate outcomes fairly when every provider reports data differently?

East Baton Rouge Parish Schools began addressing that question before the state’s new requirements took effect.

By creating a district-owned framework for tutoring accountability across seven providers, the district built a stronger foundation for evaluating implementation, comparing outcomes, and making future investment decisions.

Seven Providers. Seven Different Data Stories.

Like many districts, East Baton Rouge expanded tutoring opportunities to meet student needs while giving principals flexibility in selecting providers.

The result was a tutoring ecosystem that spanned approximately 40 elementary schools and seven tutoring organizations. While the approach increased access, it also introduced a new challenge.

Each provider maintained its own dashboard, attendance definitions, reporting cadence, and performance metrics. District leaders had access to large amounts of information, but comparing providers and evaluating effectiveness across the district remained difficult.

As Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Justin Robicheaux explained:

“Every tutoring provider has a different dashboard and a different way to measure attendance, data, and performance. Being able to compare those data sets can be a complex task.”

The district wasn’t lacking data.

It was lacking consistency in how the providers’ data was organized.

And as accountability expectations increased, consistency became increasingly important.

Why Outcomes-Based Contracting Changes the Conversation

When tutoring contracts are funded regardless of implementation or outcomes, inconsistent reporting can be frustrating.

When funding decisions become tied to participation, implementation, and student outcomes, those same inconsistencies become much more significant.

District leaders need confidence that attendance means the same thing across providers. They need to know that participation is being measured consistently. They need a reliable way to connect implementation data with student outcomes.

As East Baton Rouge began incorporating outcomes-based contracts with several tutoring providers, district leaders recognized the importance of creating a trusted system of record that could support future provider evaluation and accountability efforts.

Building a District-Owned Framework

Rather than relying on separate provider dashboards, East Baton Rouge partnered with Pearl Education to create a common framework for collecting, standardizing, and analyzing tutoring data.

The work started with a simple question:

What information does the district need in order to understand what’s happening across tutoring programs?

Together, East Baton Rouge and Pearl established common definitions for attendance, participation, dosage, and implementation. A shared data structure and validation process ensured providers were reporting information consistently, while Pearl worked directly with providers to support onboarding and streamline data submissions.

The district also connected tutoring implementation data with district-owned DIBELS assessment data, creating a more complete picture of program performance.

This approach allowed East Baton Rouge to evaluate tutoring programs using common measures rather than analyzing data from seven different reporting systems.

As Robicheaux noted:

“We wished we had a tool that would help streamline data collection and improve visualization across all platforms.”

The result was not simply better reporting.

It was a stronger foundation for decision-making.

“The Pearl Student Support Platform gave us greater visibility into what was happening across providers. By standardizing data and reporting, we were able to evaluate programs more consistently and make more informed decisions,” said Robicheaux.

What Changed

By creating a district-owned accountability framework, East Baton Rouge gained a more consistent view of tutoring implementation and outcomes across providers.

District leaders could compare attendance, dosage, participation, and outcomes through a shared lens rather than reconciling multiple dashboards and reports. Data quality issues became easier to identify. Conversations with providers could be grounded in common definitions and district-owned information.

Perhaps most importantly, the district gained ownership of its tutoring narrative.

Instead of relying on provider-generated reports to understand performance, leaders could evaluate programs using data they trusted and controlled.

“Every decision we make must be centered on student success,” said EBR Schools Superintendent Lamont Cole. “When we have accurate, reliable data, we can see what is working, identify where students need additional support, and ensure our resources are making the greatest possible impact. Data is not just about measuring outcomes, it is about helping every child reach their full potential.”

Lessons for Louisiana Districts

East Baton Rouge’s experience offers several lessons for districts preparing for increased accountability expectations.

Accountability Starts With Consistency

Before districts can compare outcomes, they need confidence that implementation is being measured consistently across providers.

District-Owned Data Matters

The ability to connect district assessment data with implementation data creates a stronger foundation for evaluating program effectiveness.

Visibility Supports Better Decisions

The goal isn’t more reporting. The goal is understanding what is working and why.

Build the Infrastructure Before the Requirement Arrives

Districts that establish common definitions, standardized reporting processes, and trusted data sources today will be better positioned for future accountability requirements.

Looking Ahead

Louisiana’s move toward districts using outcomes-based contracting is not simply a contracting change.

It is an accountability change.

Districts that can connect participation, implementation, and outcomes will be better positioned to evaluate providers, demonstrate impact, and make informed investment decisions.

East Baton Rouge began that work before the mandate arrived.

In doing so, the district created a stronger foundation not only for tutoring accountability, but for understanding which investments are making the greatest difference for students.

Learn More

Discover how Pearl helps districts create a district-owned view of student support programs, connect implementation to outcomes, and strengthen accountability across providers, schools, and initiatives. Explore howPearl Education can support Outcomes-Based Contracting