Month: November 2019

Nevada Ed-Watch

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on what decisions are being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

Clark County School District Board of Trustees 

What is the Board of Trustees & what are they responsible for? The CCSD Trustees are publicly elected decision-makers for the school district. They are responsible for providing oversight to the Superintendent and establishing District-wide policy. Trustees are accountable to work with their communities to improve student achievement.

Click here to learn more and see a list of current Trustees

Click here to Find your Trustee District

How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Thursdays) at 5pm at the Edward A. Greer Education Center (Board Room): 2832 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121.

Click here for a full list of Trustees meetings and agendas

Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar

Can community members engage at Trustee Meetings? Decision-making bodies benefit greatly from hearing public input and multiple perspectives. Community members can sign up to speak after the agenda has been posted– by calling the Board Office at (702) 799-1072 at least 3 hours before the scheduled meeting, or signing up in-person at the beginning of the meeting. Prior to each agenda item being voted on, speakers can share their perspective after the Board’s discussion and prior to the vote.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding:

  • Concerns about the new collective bargaining contract for support staff
  • The need for mental health services for students, and a taskforce to reduce student-to-school psychologist ratio
  • Support for School Organizational Teams (SOTs)
  • The need for more black male CCSD principals

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda highlights:

Trustees Heard a Presentation on Focus 2024 Student Success Measures 

The board heard a presentation on progress made towards student success goals outlined in the Focus 2024 Plan (summarized below). The priority areas include student achievement, closing achievement gaps between student sub-groups, and chronic absenteeism. 

Click here to see a data summary.

Click here to see the presentation.

Click here to see this portion of the Focus 2024 plan.

Presentation Summary: 

Student Success Priority Area 1: Increase student achievement in English language arts, mathematics, and science. 

Priority Area 2: Decrease student proficiency gaps in ELA, mathematics, and science 

Priority Area 3: Increase access and equity to rigorous curriculum and instruction for all students. 

  • Increase and diversify student enrollment and achievement in advanced coursework in all subgroups at the district level and at each middle and high school 
    • Enrollment in dual-credit classrooms:
      • January 2019 Baseline: 2,753 students
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 4.409 students 
      • 2019-2020 Goal: 3,028 students
    • Average variance between subpopulation enrollment rates in dual-credit classrooms and subpopulation enrollment rates in CCSD:
      • 2018-2019 Baseline: 6.25 percentage points 
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 5.91 percentage points 
    • Enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) classrooms: 
      • January 2019 Baseline: 13,955 students
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 13,759 students 
      • 2019-2020 Goal: 14,653 students
    • Average variance between subpopulation enrollment rates in AP classrooms and subpopulation enrollment rates in CCSD:
      • January 2019 Baseline: 4.97 percentage points
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 4.3 percentage points  
    • AP tests taken as a percentage of AP enrollments:
      • 2018-2019 Baseline: 78%
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 74.1%
    • Algebra I and Geometry participation in middle school:
      • 2018-2019 Baseline: 6,834 students
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 7,197 students
      • 2019-2020 Goal: 7,381 students
    • Students scoring greater than a 3 on the summative AP exam in all subgroups: 
      • 2018-2019 Baseline: 12,202 students
      • 2019-2020 Actual:12,333 students
      • 2019-2020 Goal: 12,812 students 

Priority Area 4: Ensure students and staff are safe students are engaged at school. 

  • Decrease chronic absenteeism and chronic absenteeism gaps 
    • Chronic absenteeism rate: 
      • 2017-2018 Baseline: 20.7%
      • 2018-2019 Actual: 21.9%
      • 2018-2019 Goal: 19.7%
    • Gap between the highest and lowest subgroups in chronic absenteeism:
      • 2017-2018 Baseline: 23.1 percentage points
      • 2018-2019 Actual: 24.1 percentage points
      • 2018-2019 Goal: 17.6 percentage points 

Trustees Approved Policy Updates 

The board approved updates to the following policies:

Trustees Approved the Naming of the Cheyenne High School Baseball Field 

Cheyenne High School baseball field is now named The Chad W. Parque Memorial Baseball Field. Detective Parque is a fallen member of North Las Vegas Police, a Cheyenne High School graduate, and a mentor for students at Cheyenne High School. 

Click here to learn more.

Trustees Approved Updates to the Capital Improvement Plan (5-2)

Trustees approved updates to the 2015 Capital Improvement Plan. The CCSD Facilities Service Unit stated that district schools need significant building improvements. To address all these needs, the district would need approximately $2 billion. Trustees discussed the most appropriate use of buildings, as well as concerns about overcrowding.

The approved updates to the Capital Improvement Plan were:

  1. Construct a new building addition at Gragson Elementary School.
  2. Construct a new building addition at Petersen Elementary School.
  3. Remove classroom additions and reallocate funds to Comprehensive Renovation Program.
  4. Remove Comprehensive High School and High School additions. Build two new Career and Technical Academies.
  5. Recommend to increase budget from $10 Million to $30.5 Million and to construct a new school (Global Community High School) at Maryland Parkway and Oakley Boulevard.
  6. Recommend to increase Sandy Valley budget from $10.7 Million to $32 Million.
  7. Recommend to approve additional positions as recommended by staff to execute the Capital Improvement Program.

Following site visits and a review of data, the Facilities Division will present the Strategic Comprehensive Renovation Program to the Bond Oversight Committee on December 19, 2019. The Division is requesting an additional 12 staff members to implement the improvement project.

Click here to see the Capital Improvement Plan.

Members of the public provided comment about adding a Career and Technical Academy in North Las Vegas, plus expressing support for a new building for Global Community High School.

Trustees Approved the Contract for School Administrators & Professional Technical Employees

The contract extends the negotiated agreement between the Clark County School District and the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional Technical Employees through 2021. 

Major updates to the contract include: 

  • 3% raise for all employees covered under this contract 
  • 4% increase in insurance coverage
  • Step increases
  • Procedures for extended leave 
  • Revisions to banked hours  
  • Non-substantive date and language updates to align to CCSD policies

Click here to see the contract.

Trustees Approved a Notice of Intent to Update District Regulations

The following regulations will be presented to the board for final approval at the December 12th board meeting:

Trustee Reports:

Trustees participated in Principal for a Day,  Sun Youth Forum, and a middle school Honor Choir concert. 

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • A presentation on professional development programs
  • Review and possible revision of policies related to school libraries and instructional materials

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Nevada Ed-Watch 11/14/19

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on decisions being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

Nevada State Board of Education

What is the State Board of Education & what are they responsible for? The Nevada State Board of Education adopts regulations based on Nevada laws, which are passed down to individual school districts in Nevada to implement. The Board has 11 total (7 appointed and 4 publicly elected) members.

How often does the State Board meet? The Nevada State Board of Education meets once per month on Thursdays at 9:00AM. Click here to see the 2019 Board Meeting Schedule. Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar.

Can community members engage at State Board Meetings? A time for public comment is provided at the beginning (for agenda items) and at the conclusion (on any matter) of each Board meeting. There is a time limit of three minutes per speaker. Members of the community providing testimony must fill out a visitor card, available on-site the day of the meeting.

Click here for a list of all State Board Members.

Thursday, November 14, 2019
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony regarding:

  • Support for the Perkins V State Plan for strengthening Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Nevada
  • Support for teacher incentive funds to be distributed this fiscal year 

Board Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda Highlights:

President’s Report

The President congratulated two Nevada teachers who were recognized with Milken Educator Awards– Ben Nguyen (Clark County School District) and Nicolas Jacques (Carson City School District).

Milken Educator Awards honor early- to mid-career educators with strong potential for professional and policy leadership– as evidenced by effective and innovative instructional practices, student learning results, and other criteria.

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Ebert provided the following updates:

  • Acknowledgment of Nevada Department of Education Staff members for helping  districts and schools implement the Nevada Educator Performance Framework.
  • Gratitude for those who have been involved in the statewide listening tours, including students. 
  • Acknowledgment of the National Board Certification program for strengthening teacher skills. 

Board Heard a Presentation on the 2018-2019 Nevada Educator Performance Framework  (NEPF)

The Teachers and Leaders Council presented the results of the 2018-2019 Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF). Board members discussed ways to ensure the NEPF is a true representation of teacher and administrator performance, and that the tool continues to be used as a growth and development tool. 

2018-2019 Teacher Evaluation Results:

  • Ineffective: 0.16% 
  • Developing: 1.62%
  • Effective: 69.92%
  • Highly Effective: 27.06%

2018-2019 Administrator Evaluation Results: 

  • Ineffective: 0%
  • Developing: 0.73%
  • Effective: 73.92%
  • Highly Effective: 25.35%

The presentation also included results for Other Licenced Education Professionals (OLEP), which includes Audiologists, School Counselors, School Nurses, School Psychologists, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Teacher Librarians.

The board voted to update exigent score ranges for school audiologists in the 2019-2020 school year. All other score ranges will remain the same.

Click here to see the presentation

Board Approved the Fund Distribution Process and Amounts for Teacher Incentives

Senate Bill 555 (SB555) allows for districts to apply to the Department of Education to receive funding for incentivising teachers to teach in Title 1 schools. The board approved the process for fund distribution. 

Below is an outline of the incentives.

New Hire Teacher Incentives:

New hire teachers are employed for the first time at a District or State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) Title I or underperforming school for the 2019-2020 school year. 

  • Total number of teachers districts requested funds for: 1,270.5
  • Total available funds for the biennium: $2,500,000
  • Total available funds for Fiscal Year 2020: $1,250,000
  • Total amount of funds requested by districts: $3,295,000
  • Actual teacher incentive amount for FY20: $983 per teacher 

Transfer Teacher Incentives: 

Transfer teachers were employed at a District or SPCSA non-Title I or underperforming school (for the 2018-2019 year) and TRANSFERRED to a District or SPCSA Title I or underperforming school for the 2019-2020 school year.

  • Total number of teachers districts requested funds for: 834
  • Total available funds for the biennium: $2,500,000
  • Total available funds for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20):  $1,250,000
  • Total amount of funds requested by districts for FY20: $2,102,500 
  • Actual teacher incentive amount for FY20:  $1,498 per teacher 

Current Teacher Incentives: 

Current teachers were employed at a District or SPCSA Title I or underperforming school (for the 2018-2019 school year) and are CURRENTLY employed at a District or SPCSA Title I or underperforming school for the 2019-2020 school year.

  • Total number of teachers districts requested funds for: 7,559
  • Total available funds for the biennium: $5,000,000
  • Total available funds for Fiscal Year 2020: $2,500,000
  • Total amount of funds request: $7,644,966
  • Actual teacher incentive amount for FY20: $330 per teacher

The board approved a request to the Interim Finance Committee to move Transfer funds to Current funds. This request, if approved, would bring the total Current teacher incentive amount from $330 to $382 (an additional $52). 

Click here to see the presentation.

Board Heard a Presentation on the Perkins V State Plan

Staff from the Office of Career Readiness, Adult Learning & Education Options provided an overview of the structure of the Nevada Perkins V State Plan to strengthen Career and Technical Education (CTE). The plan emphasizes access for all students to high-quality CTE programs, employer engagement, high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations and industries, and state and local flexibilities. 

Click here to see the structure outline. 

Board Heard an Update on the Commission on School Funding 

Updates included:

  • Election of Guy Hobbs as Vice Chair of the Commission 
  • Two new administrative positions for the Commission have been filled 
  • The Interim Finance Committee approved a request of $900,000 to contract with subject matter experts to assist the Commission. Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent. 

The State Board of Education is required to establish regulations for the methodology of setting funding weights, cost adjustment factors, and administrative caps. 

Click here to learn more.

Upcoming Commission meetings: 

  • December 19-20, 2019
  • January 9-10, 2020
  • February 20-21, 2020
  • March 19-20, 2020
  • April 16-17, 2020
  • May 14-15, 2020
  • June 11-12, 2020

Board Heard a Presentation on the Status of the Nevada Ready Pre-K program

Presentation highlights: 

  • The Preschool Development Grant has served 8,055 children across 11 counties from 2016 to 2019. In 2018-2019, about 10% of those children served have disabilities. 
  • Out of the 89 preschool centers rated via the Quality Rating Improvement System, there were:
    • 5 one-star centers
    • 23 two-star centers
    • 13 three-star centers
    • 28 four-star centers
    • 20 five-star centers
  • 41 individuals received TEACH Nevada grants for their higher education studies in Early Childhood Education 
  • The Brigance Screening Assessment is being implemented in all early childhood centers. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • Discuss the Census 2020 Complete Count and its impact on the education system

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Nevada Ed-Watch 11/1/19

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on what decisions are being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA)

What is the SPCSA & what are they responsible for? The SPCSA sponsors and oversees public charter schools across the State of Nevada. The Authority consists of nine appointed members responsible for overseeing educational and operational standards, and holding sponsored schools accountable to the academic achievement of students.

How often does the SPCSA Board meet? SPCSA members meet once monthly– on Fridays.

Click here for SPCSA meeting schedule and materials.

Can community members engage at SPCSA Board Meetings? All meetings are held publicly at the Nevada Department of Education building in Carson City and the Nevada Department of Education building in Las Vegas (1st floor boardroom). Members of the public are invited to attend at either location. A time for public comment is provided at the conclusion of each agenda item and at the conclusion of each Board meeting. There is a time limit of three minutes per speaker. Members of the community providing testimony must fill out a visitor card, available on-site the day of the meeting.

Click here for a list of all SPCSA Members.

Click here for a list of all SPCSA sponsored schools.

Friday, October 4, 2019
State Public Charter School Authority Board Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

The Board Heard about Changes to the Public Comment Process

Rather than holding public comment for all agenda items until the end of each board meeting, the process was updated to allow members of the public to comment after each agenda item. 

Staff Presented Updates on the Development of the SPCSA Strategic Plan & Accompanying Growth Management Plan (in accordance with AB 462)

SPCSA staff presented updates on proposed language on the vision, mission, and values of the State Public Charter School Authority for board feedback. The board discussed the inclusion of “innovation” as a component of the vision statement.

The board also heard the SPCSA staff’s proposed five-year goals:

  1. Provide families with access to high quality schools
  2. Increase the diversity of students served by SPCSA schools 
  3. Ensure that every SPCSA student succeeds – including those from historically underperforming subgroups 

The board discussed the inclusion of attendance metrics in the goals. 

SPCSA staff proposed four (4) overarching strategies to achieve these goals:

  1. Proactive Oversight
  2. Strategic Growth 
  3. Expanded Support 
  4. Reward Progress

Staff will present more specific actions aligned to each strategy above at the next board meeting. 

Click here to see the Strategic Planning presentation. 

Click here to see the draft Growth Management Plan. 

SPCSA staff will present a final draft of both the full Strategic Plan and the Growth Management Plan for approval at the December 13th board meeting. 

Public Comment: A school leader shared concerns about needing more time to build a school culture before receiving a star rating for the first year of operation. Another school leader shared concerns about performance ratings for alternative schools.

Upcoming Milestones

  • December 13th: Review and board approval of final Strategic Plan and Growth Management Plan 
  • January 1st: Growth Management Plan submitted to the Nevada Department of Education and the Legislative Commission on Education

Board Heard a Presentation about SPCSA-Sponsored Shining Star Schools

SPCSA staff recognized the nine (9) state-designated Shining Star schools that are authorized by the SPCSA. A Shining Star school is a high-performing school serving a high percentage of students in poverty. A high-performing school is  defined by achieving a 4 or 5-Star rating on the most recent Nevada School Performance Framework.

Click here to see the Shining Star schools presentation.

The board also heard a presentation from teachers, students, and school leaders at Mater Academy of Nevada Mountain Vista Campus and Mater Academy of Nevada Bonanza Campus on its academic performance (both campuses were recognized as Shining Star schools).  

Click here to see the Mater Academy presentation.

The Board Approved Charter Contract Renewals for Mater Academy and Beacon Academy

SPCSA staff recommended renewal of Mater Academy of Nevada’s contract for a 5-year term beginning July 1st, 2020. 

Click here to see the Mater Academy charter contract renewal recommendation.

SPCSA staff also recommended renewal of Beacon Academy of Nevada for a six-year term, beginning July 1, 2020.

The board heard the following remarks about Beacon Academy from SPCSA staff:

  • Beacon is the only school operating under an Alternative Performance Framework due to the unique population it serves
  • Beacon continues to serve credit deficient students and seeks expansion to serve more students who are credit deficient

Click here to see the Beacon Academy charter contract renewal recommendation.

Board Approved New School Application Process

SPCSA staff provided an overview of the process for new charter schools to apply for authorization under the SPCSA. For the Summer application cycle, new charters must submit Letters of Intent to apply by March 15th. 

The updated version of the application requires an applicant to demonstrate alignment to the SPCSA’s Demographic Needs Assessment, in addition to the school’s Academic, Operations, and Financial plans.

Click here to see the presentation.

SPCSA Executive Director’s Report: 

Report Highlights:

  • 7 schools submitted requests for contract amendments, which will be brought to the December board meeting.
  • 18 school site evaluations were conducted last year, with 42 remaining to complete. 
  • Student demographic and enrollment data for SPCSA schools is anticipated in December.

The Board Discussed Updates to the Board Calendar

The board added a meeting on December 17th, when they will review nine (9) pending charter applications. The regular December board meeting is scheduled for December 13th. 

Click here to see the long-range calendar, including 2020 meeting dates. 

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