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.
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 Wednesdays at 9:00 AM or 2:00 PM. Click here to see the 2024 meeting materials.
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. Members of the public may provide public comment in writing via email; public comment will be accepted via email for the duration of the meeting and shared with the State Board of Education during the public comment periods. Public comment may be emailed to NVBoardED@doe.nv.gov.
Click here for a list of all State Board Members.
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting
Click here to see the regular SBOE meeting agenda.
Click here to watch the meeting playback.
What happened at the regular meeting?
Public Comment #1
- School start times
President’s Report
Highlights included:
- Board Member Updates: Thanks to the schools in Ely for hosting members for a tour. Members were impressed with the innovative programming and recognize the need for more funding for facility repairs and new facilities.
- Report on Workforce Talent Pipeline Summit: Many new trades and careers will be coming up for which we are not currently educating students. The average age of tradesmen and women is mid-40s, so there is a need to attract a younger demographic.
- Nevada System of Higher Education Updates: Board members honored the memory of former Board of Regents member Jason Geddes.
Superintendent’s Report
Highlights included:
- Listening Tour: Issues brought up by the community include school start times and need for new facilities
- Acing Accountability: A meeting with the Nevada Association of School Superintendents is scheduled for tomorrow. Staff are working with districts and superintendents on developing an innovation metric.
Board Approved the Consent Agenda
Consent agenda items included:
- Approval of state funding for career and technical education report of state and local activities and expenditures for FY 2023
- Approval of an adjustment to the 2024 meeting calendar
- Approval of a dual credit request for Leadership Academy of Nevada in partnership with Truckee Meadows Community College
Board Discussed Implementation & Percentile Scores for the Read by 3
Staff reviewed current statutory responsibilities of the Board for Ready by Grade 3, ensuring students achieve proficiency in reading by the end of third grade, including approving valid assessments, training for literacy specialists and teachers, and duties/responsibilities of literacy specialists. Additional changes were made in 2023 as a result of the legislative session, requiring students who do not achieve third grade reading proficiency to be retained, rather than promoted to fourth grade (with some exceptions), as well as provides additional language regarding a uniform examination and subject area of reading.
Students are identified for potential intervention by performance on the MAP Growth Reading Assessment and teacher observation, as well as fourth and fifth graders who score at or below a certain level at the Smarter Balanced End-of-Year Assessment.
Plans to update the Nevada State Literacy Plan include collaboration with partners from higher education, local education agencies, and educators; aligning to the Science of Reading; and providing guidance and support to districts as the 2015 edition is updated. The targeted release for the Plan is fall 2024.
The Board heard a series of successes and challenges from teachers and administrators regarding Read by Grade 3.
Explore the presentation and accompanying data.
Board Conducted a Public Hearing on and Adopted Regulations Revising the Sponsorship of a Charter School
The regulation, Proposed Regulation R073-23P amending NAC 388A.300 and NAC 388A.231, relates to charter school sponsorship. The revision provides that the change in sponsorship would be approved by the current sponsor of the charter school.
Explore the regulation language.
Board Discussed the Guinn Center Phase 3 Report
The purpose of this report is to explore the value and shortcomings of existing rankings, outline critical concepts for measuring State educational data, and propose considerations for establishing state-to-state comparisons. The suggested approach is to create a Nevada-specific scorecard to measure the performance of the State’s K-12 education system. This would include both internal performance measurement (the State’s performance compared to itself over time) and external performance measurement (the State’s performance compared to other states over time).
Explore the presentation and the National Education Rankings report.
Board Discussed Withdrawing Draft Regulatory Language to Move High School Start Times
The Board voted to withdraw proposed regulatory language to move high school start times, due to a lack of response from the Legislative Counsel Bureau (LCB). There is a question as to whether or not the state Board has the authority to make this change. Recommendations were made to have further discussions with LCB on the authority of Board, class credits relating to classes that start before a certain time each morning, and timeliness of reporting.
Deputy Attorney General Gardner will follow up with the Legislative Counsel Bureau for a discussion on barriers the language faces as currently written before proceeding. A survey for additional community feedback will be drafted by the next Board meeting.
Learn more about this topic from the Nevada Independent.
Board Discussed Updating the State Board of Education Goals
The Board moved this agenda item to the next meeting.
Board Heard a Presentation Regarding the Supports Provided by the State’s Regional Professional Development Programs
The Board moved this agenda item to the next meeting.
Future Agenda Items
Suggestions for future agenda items include Read by Grade 3 cut scores and event planning for recognition and award ceremonies. Goals include:
- State Sponsored Charter School Authority presentation on performance
- Literacy implementation and the Science of Reading
- Reporting requirements for local education agencies
- Board calendar
The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled on Wednesday, March 27, at 2:00 p.m.
