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. 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.
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Nevada State Board of Education Special 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
Public comment was heard on the following subjects:
- Appreciation for Superintendent Ebert
- Support for following recommendations for further analyzing the Grad Score
- Concerns regarding recommendations on the Read by Grade 3 assessment
Board Appointed Criteria and the Process for Selecting the State Superintendent
The Board discussed timeline and criteria for the search for State Superintendent, following Superintendent Ebert’s hiring at Clark County School District. Points discussed include timeline, expertise required, depth of expertise, experience in federal policy, transparency with State Board members, ability to strategize and execute on that strategy, classroom experience, parent and community engagement, relationship management, competency-based learning, educational autonomy, and involving the Governor’s office in the search process.
The board voted to update the position description based on the input from the Board, hold two community engagement events (one in Northern Nevada and one in Southern Nevada), conduct an outreach survey, and revisit the description at the Board’s May 14 meeting.
Explore the process from the 2019 Superintendent search and 2019 timeline, as reference documents.
Board Failed to Approve a Vendor for the Read by Grade 3 Assessment
The Read by Grade 3 RFP Evaluation Committee recommended Curriculum Associates, LLC as the uniform examination for Read by Grade 3. The tool employed for the exam would be i-Ready.
The Board did not approve the vendor, and the item will be held for discussion and deliberation at a future Board meeting.
Explore the presentation.
Board Reviewed the Grad Score Analysis and Voted to Form a Committee to Explore Alternative Criteria for Identifying “At Risk” Students
Between 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, there was a decrease of 2,254 students in the at-risk student count. In 2023-24, there were 33,639 students deemed “at-risk eligible;” 16,984 designated as not at-risk; 10,428 designated as not in the public system; and 1,996 designated as at-risk, but funded at a weight due to the student having an IEP or designated an English Learner.
Comparisons between the Grad Score method and direct certification, as well as analysis based on student demographics and different student groups, as well as SBAC performance, alternative assessment performance, NSPF index scores and at-risk student performance were also part of the presentation, linked below.
A summary of the data by the presenters includes: at-risk indicators are correlated with student demographic categories and performance; at-risk counts are relatively stable at the state level; and Clark County is using one-star ratings to deliver additional resources.
Board members discussed data transparency, stability on the data, and process moving forward on the Grad Score and potential other measures that can be used to determine at-risk students and the timeliness of such decisions given the budget cycle and the legislative calendar.
Board members voted to establish a subcommittee to determine alternate criteria for identifying at-risk students. The subcommittee will be chaired by Member Orr.
Explore the presentation.
Public Comment #2
Public comment was heard on the following subjects:
- Federal funding and local and state leadership
- Support for additional consideration for at-risk student determinations
- National search for a State Superintendent
- Superintendent Ebert expressing her gratitude for the Board and staff members
The next meeting of the State Board of Education will be held on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.
