Abstract: A simple higher-order shear deformation theory for laminated composite plates is developed.Its displacement field accounts for the continue of displacement and shear stresses between layers,and ensure that τ_xx、τ_yx on the plate surfaces are equal to the loads.The theory contains the same unkows as in the first-order shear deformation theory,but its solutions are much more exact.The theory includs reasonably the affect of loads paralleling the plate surfaces,and the precision for analysing these problems is improved considerably.