Tag: NEPF

Nevada Ed-Watch: 1/12/23

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 5 pm both virtually and at the Edward A. Greer Education Center Board Room (2832 E Flamingo Rd, 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. Currently, members of the public can submit comments on agenda and non-agenda items through email or voice recording. Public comment can be provided in person, via email, or via voice recording. Email comments should be submitted to Boardmtgcomments@nv.ccsd.net. To submit a voice recording on items listed on the meeting agenda, call 702-799-1166. Voice recorded public comment is limited to 1 minute 30 seconds.

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda.
Watch the meeting playback on CCSD EduVision.

What happened at this meeting?

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda (6-1-0). 

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda (7-0)

Consent Agenda Highlights:

Explore consent agenda items here.

Trustees Received an Update on the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) 2021-2022 System

Trustees received a presentation on the NEPF system for the 2021-2022 school year for teachers and school administrators. Presentation highlights include:

  • Staff provided an overview of NEPF domains for teachers (instructional practice standards and indicators, and professional responsibilities standards and indicators) and school administrators (instructional leadership standards and indicators, and professional responsibilities standards and indicators), as well as standards of each domain.
  • Student performance domains were removed from summative evaluation weights.
  • For the 2021-2022 school year: 2,203 teachers were rated highly effective; 12,630 were rated as effective; 39 were rated as developing; and 11 were rated as ineffective. Four hundred and thirteen teachers were exempt from receiving the full evaluation.
  • For the 2021-2022 school year: 144 administrators were rated as highly effective; 753 were rated as effective; four were rated as developing. No administrators were rated as ineffective, and 44 were exempt from evaluations.

Trustees and staff discussed aligning student outcomes to NEPF ratings, exemptions, and timing of NEPF.

Explore the presentation.

Trustees Approved a Notice of Intent to Amend CCSD Policy 4111 – Administrative Selection and Appointment (7-0)

Trustees approved amendments to Board Policy 4111 –  Administrative Selection and Appointment. Changes include amended language regarding confidential documents and specifying interviews in place of assessment activities.

This item may be heard at the February 9 meeting of the Board of Trustees.

Explore the Notice of Intent.

Trustees Approved a Notice of Intent to Amend CCSD Regulation 4111 – Administrative Selection and Appointment (7-0)

Trustees approved amendments to CCSD Regulation 4111 – Administrative Selection and Appointment. Changes include amended language regarding references, screening designations over numerical scoring on administrative screening committees, and removing language regarding writing samples and/or performance tasks.

This item may be heard at the February 9 meeting of the Board of Trustees.

Explore the Notice of Intent.

Trustees Approved a Notice of Intent to Amend CCSD Policy 6123 – Instruction in the Human Reproductive System, Related Communicable Diseases, Sexual Responsibility, and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (7-0)

Trustees approved amendments to CCSD Policy 6123. Changes include language replacing “AIDS” with “human immunodeficiency virus;” modifying references to the Board of Trustees, curriculum, parents/guardians, and the Superintendent’s role; and specifying “two students” for representation on the advisory committee.

This item may be heard at the February 9 meeting of the Board of Trustees.

Explore the Notice of Intent.

Trustees Approved a Notice of Intent to Amend CCSD Regulation 6123 – Instruction in the Human Reproductive System, Related Communicable Diseases, Sexual Responsibility, and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (7-0)

Trustees approved amendments to CCSD Policy 6123. Changes include language replacing “AIDS” with “human immunodeficiency virus;” modifying references to the Board of Trustees, curriculum, parents/guardians, and the Superintendent’s role; and specifying “two students” for representation on the advisory committee.

This item may be heard at the February 9 meeting of the Board of Trustees.

Explore the Notice of Intent.

Trustees Conducted a Public Hearing on and Approved the Memorandum of Agreement between CCSD and the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA) Regarding Summer Learning (6-1-0)

Trustees approved the Memorandum of Agreement between CCSD and ESEA regarding the 2023 Summer Learning Program. It provides the necessary labor resources for the program, from May 30, 2023 – June 16, 2023. The fiscal impact of this agreement is $10 million.

One Trustee abstained from voting on this item.

Explore the Memorandum of Agreement and fiscal impact summary.

Trustees Conducted a Public Hearing on and Approved the American Indian/Alaska Native Policies and Procedures for Federal Impact Aid Section 7003 – US Department of Education (7-0)

Trustees approved the filing of the application for the Federal Impact Aid Section 7003, with an anticipated project period of October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.

Explore the item.

Public Comment

Members of the public shared comments regarding: 

  • Concerns regarding special education students and staff at Basic High School
  • IEP compliance  and retaliation at Coronado High School
  • Staff and student safety concerns
  • Concerns with Teachers Health Trust
  • Technology infrastructure
  • Concerns about educational experiences of students identifying as African-American/Black

The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for January 26, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. 

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Nevada Ed-Watch: 11/03/22

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 9:00 AM or 2:00 PM. Click here to see the 2022 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. 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, November 3, 2022

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

Public comment was heard on the following subjects: 

  • Student discipline data disparities
  • State Public Charter School Authority appointments
  • College and Career Readiness High School Assessment process and student involvement

President’s Report

Highlights included:

  • The Department held the Nevada Future of Learning network convening in October. Discussion included the “Portrait of the Learner” initiative, competency-based education, and what stakeholders want kids to be able to do when they graduate from high school. Highlights from the event include a student panel, and discussions on future jobs and community engagement.
  • The December Board meeting will include community stakeholders, school districts, and charter schools to review their progress in 2022.
  • A stakeholders’ meeting for NRS 385.040 was held.
  • The NSHE Board of Regents’ representative on the Board reported that 2022-2023 enrollment is slightly down for the system. A committee to review the roles and responsibilities of the chancellor is underway. The Regents are currently awaiting the Governor’s proposed budget and the 2023 legislative session.

Superintendent’s Report

  • Several new staff positions were announced.
  • The Advanced Career and Technical Education Conference will be held in Las Vegas from November 30 – December 3.
  • Nevada was selected to participate in the National P-3 Institute Annual Conference.

Board Approved Consent Agenda 

Consent agenda items included:

Explore the consent agenda items.

Board Received a Presentation on the English Mastery Council Final Report

The English Mastery Council (EMC) was charged with making recommendations concerning criteria for District English Learner (EL) policy, reviewing district EL policies, making recommendations concerning requirements to teach English as a Second Language (ESL), and making recommendations for standards and criteria for curriculum for English learners.

Recommendations from the EMC include:

  • Amending regulatory language for endorsements to teach a program of bilingual education
  • Providing targeted funding for students in the lowest 25th percentile of English language academic achievement, equivalent to funding provided for EL students
  • Requiring each district to create a policy and implementation plan for meeting the needs of students performing in the lowest 25th percentile of English language academic achievement
  • Requiring schools in the lowest 25th percentile of English language academic achievement to develop a corrective action plan
  • Requiring all school districts to create a detailed EL plan to implement their EL policy, regardless of the number of ELs in the district and even if there are not ELs currently identified in the district, and specifying ELD curriculum materials and instructional methods
  • Properly and accurately identifying EL students to avoid over-identification of special education students and under-identification of GATE students
  • Conducting professional development to improve instruction and assessment for ELs
  • Increasing educator capacity through opportunities such as recruiting and incentivizing teachers with TESL/ELAD endorsements or those with equity and evidence training
  • Requiring districts to establish procedures and opportunities for parents of EL students to provide feedback and recommendations on EL programming

Some members of the Board will be participating in a sub-committee to continue this discussion further and prioritizing recommendations from the EMC.

Explore the presentation.

Board Awarded Teach Nevada Scholarships

The Board approved $2.5 million in awards for the Teach Nevada Scholarships – Phase II. These scholarships will be distributed to Clark County School District, Great Basin College, UNLV, UNR, and Washoe County School District, in multiple programs.

Explore the presentation and awards.

Board Reviewed the Draft Survey and Process for the College and Career Readiness High School Assessment RFP Survey

Beginning in 2018, Nevada began to use the ACT as the state’s college and career readiness assessment, and the process for that assessment is up for review. The Board reviewed the draft survey and process for obtaining public comment for the RFP process for the College and Career Readiness High School Assessment.  

Several of the questions have been shortened and simplified from a version previously presented to the Board. A question was added on career readiness to the survey, and the survey will proceed.

Explore the survey draft.

Board Received a Presentation on Discipline Data, Disaggregated by Population

The Board received a presentation on discipline data disaggregated by student groups. Disparities persist with suspensions and expulsions among white, Black, and Hispanic students. Additional data was presented on different types of disciplinary infractions, as well as on the approach to improve school climate. The approach includes the Multi-Tiered Systems of support, restorative justice practices, and social and emotional learning.

Explore the presentation and data.

Board Received a Presentation on the Nevada Educator Performance Framework Summative Evaluation Ratings and Survey Data

This presentation is part of an annual review of the statewide performance evaluation system. On the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF), there was an increase in teachers rated as highly effective, and a decrease in teachers rated as effective. There was also a slight increase in administrators rated effective, and a decrease in administrators rated highly effective.

Staff also reviewed results from the annual Monitoring for Continuous Improvement (MCI) educator surveys. About 24% of administrators and 31% of teachers responded, with most respondents agreeing that the evaluation helped identify areas of growth and focused more on professional growth rather than awarding a score or rating. Most respondents also agreed that feedback positively impacted instructional/leadership practice.

Explore the presentation and results.

Board Selected an Appointee to the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority Board

The Board appointed Cindi Rivera as a Board of Education appointee to the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority Board. Rivera will serve on the SPCSA board for the duration of an unexpired term ending June 30, 2024.

Explore the candidates’ applications.

Board Discussed a Position Statement for the Upcoming 2023 Legislative Session

The Board discussed a revised version of its position statement on additional funding from the 2023 legislative session. Additional edits were made to underscore the impact of the areas of focus (educator recruitment, training retention, and support; pre-k programs; and infrastructure) on student outcomes, add a statement that funding alone will not solve the challenges outlined and to explore additional pathways to address these challenges, and incorporate other changes prior to sending.

Explore the draft position statement.

Board Conducted a Public Hearing for Temporary Regulation #T005-22

The Board conducted a public hearing for Temporary Regulation #T005-22, which would lower the weight of an end-of-course final from the currently required 20% of a student’s final course grade to 5% of a student’s final course grade for the 2022-2023 school year; and request that for 2022-2023 school year, only Math I, Integrated Math I, and ELA I-Reading Comprehension End of Course (EOC) assessments are administered, scored, and used in a student’s final course grade. This change would remove the Math II, Integrated Math II, and ELA II exams from being administered in the 2022-2023 school year.

Explore the proposed regulation and public hearing materials.

Board Conducted a Public Hearing for Temporary Regulation #T007-22

The Board conducted a public hearing for Temporary Regulation #T007-22, regarding the uniform grading scale for all public high schools to include dual credit courses and assign the same weight for such courses assigned to advanced placement courses.

Explore the proposed regulation and public hearing materials.

Future Agenda Items

The December meeting will include the annual stakeholders’ meeting to discuss benchmarks and goals.

Public Comment #2

Public comment was heard on the following subjects:

  • Monthly payments from the Pupil Centered Funding Plan
  • Math achievement and math teacher shortages
  • Equity in language access regarding school nurses and health staff

The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 15, 2022.


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Nevada Ed-Watch 1/14/21

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 5 pm. While all meetings are typically held at the Edward A. Greer Education Center (Board Room): 2832 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121, all meetings are now held virtually due to the COVID-19 crisis. 

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.

Monday, January 14, 2021

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 submitted comments online. Public comment was not read directly into the record, rather an oral summary of each comment was provided to Trustees.

  • Click here & here to view public comment on agenda items.

Trustees Approve Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda Highlights: 

Trustees Approve Resolution in Support of iNVest Priorities 

iNVest was created in 2003 by the Nevada Association of School Superintendents to align Nevada school districts’ priorities for Nevada Legislative Sessions.  The group worked in collaboration to develop the following priorities for 2021 Nevada Legislative Session: Funding, Connecting, and Streamlining. Trustees discussed the need to ensure that CCSD’s legislative priorities are aligned to the InVest Priorities. 

Click here to view the resolution.
Click here to view the overview.

Trustees Hear Nevada Educator Performance Framework Results 

The annual performance of teachers and school administrators is measured by the Nevada Educator Performance Framework. Performance is measured against the three (3) categories listed below, varying by “weight,” or how much a category will impact the overall rating. 

  • Instructional Practice Standards and Indicators weight: 65%
  • Professional Responsibilities Standards and Indicators weight: 20%
  • Student Performance weight: 15%

Based on total scores in the above categories, teachers and school administrators are ranked overall as:

  • Highly Effective
  • Effective
  • Developing
  • Ineffective

Teachers and school administrators that have already received a rating of Highly Effective for the two previous consecutive years are exempt from evaluation (in accordance with NRS 391.690).

Teacher 2019-2020 NEPF Results 

  • Exempt: 2% (338)
  • Highly Effective: 14%  (2,000)
  • Effective: 83% (11,574)
  • Developing: <1% (47)
  • Ineffective: <1% (11)

School Administrator 2019-2020 NEPF Results 

  • Exempt: 3% (14)
  • Highly Effective: 28% (157)
  • Effective: 69% (387)
  • Developing: <1% (2)
  • Ineffective: 0% (0)

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Approve Memorandum of Agreement with CCEA (4-2-1)

The Memorandum of Agreement outlines the agreement with the Clark County Educators Association regarding the transition to full-time in-person learning for grades K-3. At this time, there is no timeline for returning to school buildings for in-person learning. 

Upon the return of licensed teachers to school buildings for in-person learning, teachers will be required to follow specific health and safety guidelines.  Highlights of the agreement include mandatory random symptom testing in addition to daily symptom monitoring, and participation in contract tracing if tested positive for COVID-19. The district agrees to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for all teachers. 

Trustees discussed the need to ensure that all educator voices are represented when agreements are made with collective bargaining units. Two trustees voted nay, with one trustee abstaining from the vote due to a conflict of interest. 

Click here to view the agreement. 

Trustees Approve Voluntary Reopening of School Buildings  

Trustees unanimously approved a voluntary reopening proposal that provides all school building principals with the autonomy to decide whether to open their school buildings to students. Schools that open will still engage in the current distance learning model. Principals can decide the configuration of their return, however, their plan must be approved by their region superintendent. Principals will work with their school community to prioritize students with high needs based on student achievement data, social-emotional factors, access to reliable technology, and attendance. Staff and students will return on a voluntary basis aligned to the approved plan, though transportation will not be available for students.

Trustees discussed the need to ensure staff and student health is prioritized. Additionally, trustees expressed concerns that students may not be equitably served with this model. Trustees were also provided with an overview of the shift in academics and grading, improvements to distance learning, and social-emotional supports. Presentation highlights: 

  • 90.4% of comprehensive schools assigned more F grades than last year. 
  • 11.2% of students who received an F earned only A’s and B’s in Fall 2019. 
  • Within the Lifeline social-emotional support pilot program, staff conducted 4,359 virtual wellness checks, 1,403 in-person wellness checks, and 30 suicide protocols. 
  • Improvements to distance learning included professional development courses for all educators, live support hours, and content area distance education leader sessions.

Click here to view the presentation. 

Click here to read about this in The Nevada Independent.
Click here to read about this in The Las Vegas Review-Journal.

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Nevada Ed-Watch 4/16/20

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, April 16, 2020

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Emergency Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda & Addendum

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public submitted testimony online regarding:

  • Concerns about the safety of students and faculty due to coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • Concerns about salaries and health benefits for substitute teachers 
  • Concerns about the impact of COVID-19 closures on employee compensation
  • Support for closing schools through the rest of the school year 
  • Concerns about the transition to distance education 

Consent Agenda Highlights: 

Trustees Denied the Extension of Emergency Authority for the Superintendent (5-0-2)

At the March 23rd board meeting, trustees  approved a limited Grant of Authority permitting Superintendent Jara to approve contracts and purchase items that are essential to the operation of the District during COVID-19 school closures. This request would extend the emergency Grant of Authority through April 30th. Two trustees abstained from the vote, and five trustees voted against the extension. 

Click here to see the resolution.

Click here to read about this in The Nevada Independent.

Trustees Heard Updates about the District’s Response to COVID-19

Presentation Highlights: 

  • CCSD has implemented three different modalities for students to engage in distance education: online learning, paper work packets that can be accessed at food distribution sites, and educational TV programming through Vegas PBS. During the week of March 30th, 258,361 students were engaged in some form of distance learning. There are about 325,000 students enrolled in CCSD schools. 
  • CCSD is encouraging parents to reach out to their child’s school counselor for resources on how to talk to their kids about COVID-19. 
  • CCSD is implementing two-way communication between teachers and families to track attendance. Parents who have not heard from their school are encouraged to call the school. 
  • 55,000 Chromebooks have been deployed to middle and high school students. 145,000 additional Chromebooks are in the process of being distributed to elementary school students. 
  • Considerations for the upcoming school year include exploring opportunities for summer learning, as well as  front-loading quarter 4 academic content to the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. District staff are also developing a balanced assessment system for the upcoming school year, and considering administering MAP Growth assessments (grades 3-8) to measure academic progress. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Approved Collective Bargaining Agreements

Trustees approved agreements with the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA) and the Clark County Educators Association (CCEA) that temporarily allows employees to “donate” unused sick leave to other employees impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, Trustees approved additional pay for ESEA support staff who worked during the first week of closures (3/15/20 through 3/21/20). Additional pay will also be extended to employees that volunteered to work during closures and those who are actively serving the public, such as food service and custodial workers. The total cost of these agreements is $800,000.00.

Click here to see the ESEA additional pay agreement.

Click here to see the ESEA sick leave agreement.

Click here to see the CCEA sick leave agreement.

Superintendent Communications

Superintendent Jara has met with high school seniors, and is scheduled to meet with high school principals to make a determination about graduation for the class of 2020.  The district will continue to provide information with families regarding any action taken in response to the coronavirus. 

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • A memo that outlines the financial impact of COVID-19 on the district.

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Nevada Ed-Watch 3/12/20

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 2020 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, March 12, 2020
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 updates to the Nevada Educator Performance Framework for evaluating Speech Language Pathologists 
  • Support for increased investments in adequate school psychologist staffing
  • Support for completing the 2020 Census

President’s Report

Board President Wynn shared the following updates: 

  • Participation in Nevada Reading Week 
  • Preparation for the COVID-19 virus, including online resources available for school administrators and nurses, as well as discussion about distance education 

Superintendent’s Report

State Superintendent Ebert shared the following updates:

  • The Commission on School Funding: 
    • Met with Department of Taxation to gather revenue sources included in the State Education Fund
    • Is developing a budgeting program and discussing revisions to budget templates used by districts 
    • Is determining the categorical weights for pupils and establishing benchmarks for monitoring the implementation of the new funding structure during the March 20th meeting.
    • Is conducting a comparative analysis of district budgets under the new budgeting process during the April meeting.
    • Is identifying final recommendations for the governor and legislature during the May meeting. Committee recommendations are due by July 15th. 
  • ACT Fee Waiver Participation: In 2019, 35,000 students took the ACT. Of those students, 21,000 were eligible for fee waivers, but only 2,059 students (about 6%) used waivers. The Department is working with districts to expand the number of students who access fee waivers.

Board Approved the Consent Agenda:

Consent Agenda Highlights:

Board Heard Updates on the Development of the Statewide Plan for the Improvement of Pupils (STIP)

The STIP outlines goals and values related to the Nevada Department of Education’s role in improving student outcomes. Department staff presented updated goals, each of which will have 2-4 strategies with defined inputs, outputs, and outcomes. 

The board provided guidance related to advocating for additional funding at the legislature to allow for the implementation of STIP with fidelity. 

The final STIP will be presented to the board during the April board meeting. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Board Approved Recommended Revisions to the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) 

The approved recommended revisions to the Nevada Educator Performance Frameworks (NEPF) for School Counselors, School Nurses, and Speech-Language Pathologists. The recommendations will help ensure the NEPF aligns with national best practices and accurately reflects the work of professional practice in Nevada. 

Click here to see updated NEPF standards for school counselors 

Click here to see updated NEPF standards for school nurses 

Click here to see updated NEPF standards for speech language pathologists

The board approved a recommendation that Student Learning Goals (SLGs) be modified by a workgroup. The workgroup will remove requirements for the use of standardized assessments to track student progress against their individual SLG’s. Department staff stated that this change will allow tracking of SLG progress to be more closely aligned with content standards. The final changes will be presented before the board for approval at a future meeting. 

Click here to see the presentation.

The Board Heard Non-binding Recommended Ratios for Specialized Instructional Support Personnel 

Senate Bill 89 requires the State Board of Education to develop non-binding recommendations for the ratio of pupils to specialized instructional support personnel. 

Specialized support personnel includes: 

  • School counselors
  • School psychologists
  • School social workers
  • School nurses
  • Speech-language pathologists
  • School library media specialists
  • Any other qualified professional

The board is not approving the recommended ratios until more research is available to inform the most appropriate ratios for Nevada’s student population.

Click here to see the presentation. 

Board Heard a Presentation about the Implementation of Financial Transparency Requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

ESSA requires State Report Cards to include per-pupil expenditure data beginning with FY19. Currently, the Nevada Report Card reports total expenditure per pupil at the school, district, and state levels, but does not differentiate between personnel and non-personnel expenses. 

The Department is reporting personnel and non-personnel expenses in Spring 2020.  By September 15, 2020, the Department will have more interactive graphics and data comparison capabilities that will be available to the public on the Nevada Report Card website.  

The board requested budget data on the Nevada Report Card website to include actual costs for teacher salaries at the school level. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Requests for future agenda items: 

  • Presentation from Teach Plus on an analysis of teachers leaving the profession

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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 10/17/19

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.

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, October 17, 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 substitute teacher shortages
  • Teachers, staff, and parents at Global Community High School expressed concerns about a lack of updates regarding a new school facility
  • Gratitude for Trustees and CCSD staff for addressing support staff concerns at previous board meetings in a timely manner

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda highlights:

  • Contract with Columbus Education Services for school psychology services
  • Fees for taking the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Exam and Advanced Placement (AP) tests to be covered by CCSD

Trustees Heard a Presentation about the 2018-2019 Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF)

The annual performance of teachers and school administrators is measured by the Nevada Educator Performance Framework. Performance is measured against the three (3) categories listed below, varying by “weight,” or how much a categories will impact the overall rating. 

  • Instructional Practice Standards and Indicators
    • 2018-2019 weight: 45%
    • Updated 2019-2020 weight: 65%
  • Professional Responsibilities Standards and Indicators
    • 2018-2019 weight: 15%
    • Updated 2019-2020 weight: 20%
  • Student Performance
    • 2018-2019 weight: 40%
    • Updated 2019-2020 weight: 15%

Based on total scores in the above categories, teachers and school administrators are ranked overall as:

  • Highly Effective
  • Effective
  • Developing
  • Ineffective

Teachers and school administrators that have already received a rating of Highly Effective for the two previous consecutive years are exempt from evaluation (in accordance with NRS 391.690).

Teacher 2018-2019 NEPF Results

  • Exempt: 1% (209)
  • Highly Effective: 15%  (2,330)
  • Effective: 82% (12,380)
  • Developing: >1% (141)
  • Ineffective: >1% (24)

School Administrator 2018-2019 NEPF Results

  • Exempt: 2% (21)
  • Highly Effective: 23% (205)
  • Effective: 75% (684)
  • Developing: 0% (0)
  • Ineffective: 0% (0)

Trustees and the Superintendent discussed shifting towards a growth mindset to ensure the NEPF is an effective tool for teacher and school administrator development.

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Approved Funding School Building Improvements

Funds approved to go towards school building improvements totaled $112 million, which has no impact on the CCSD operating budget.

The funds will be used to address the following at schools:

  • Playground equipment and safety surface replacements (PESSR)
  • Carpet and flooring replacements
  • Field turf replacements and ancillary field equipment upgrades, such as field lighting improvement projects for energy efficiency savings
  • Asphalt replacements
  • Rooftop heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit replacements (HVAC)
  • Emergency Management System upgrades

Trustees requested information about which schools are receiving improvements, and in which order.

Trustees Approved Updates to the Food Service Policy

Click here to see the updated policy.

Trustees Approved Updates to the School Naming Policy (4-1)

The new policy addresses the renaming of schools under special circumstances.

Click here to see the updated policy.

Trustees Adopted a New Process for Evaluating the Superintendent

Overview of the process for evaluating the Superintendent: 

  • Superintendent completes a self-evaluation
  • Each Trustee holds an individual meeting with the Superintendent and completes an evaluation.
    • Trustees are not permitted to discuss or share their evaluation notes with one another.
    • Individual Trustee’s preliminary evaluation notes will be shared with the Superintendent and other Trustees at the same time that it is released to the public.
    • Each Trustee has the right to change their evaluation notes based on discussion and input from constituents. 
  • Trustees will discuss the Superintendent’s evaluation at the December 5th board meeting. The Board of Trustees will complete a self-evaluation at this meeting.

Click here to see the Superintendent Evaluation policy.

Click here to see the Board Evaluation policy. 

Trustee reports:

  • Trustees have the opportunity to complete additional credits for their mandatory Professional Development hours at an upcoming National Association of School Boards (NASB) meeting in November.
  • Trustee Young announced that the Las Vegas Book Festival is on Saturday, October 19th from 9am-6pm.
  • Trustees are conducting the Community Linkage Meeting on November 4th or 6th, which is an annual meeting with Native American Community– at the Las Vegas Paiute Reservation.
  • Evaluation of the Superintendent will take place at the December 5th board meeting
  • January 24th is the Board Retreat. Trustees will discuss improving the Superintendent evaluation process and finalizing 2020 evaluation metrics.

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • Race and ethnicity breakdowns among CCSD teachers, administrators, and staff 
  • Discussion about the magnet school eligibility expansion and student recruitment, specifically for elementary students going into middle school magnet programs
  • Protocol for terminating or demoting staff
  • Process for becoming a substitute teacher
  • Update on what local higher education institutions are doing to contribute to addressing teacher shortages
  • Review of policies for service and emotional support animals in schools

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Nevada Ed-Watch 7/17/19

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.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

A member of the public expressed concerns about an outdated process for renewing teacher licenses.

President’s Report: 

The President’s Report included:

  • The Nevada Department of Education is working on implementing of public education related bills that came out of the 2019 legislative session. 
  • Well wishes to all educators, administrators, and staff members going into the start of the 2019-2020 school year.

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Ebert provided the following updates:

  • Jessica Todtman is the new Chief Strategy Officer for the Nevada Department of Education (NDOE).
  • About one-third of all NDOE staff members attended a legislative debrief meeting to review each bill that the department is implementing or supporting.
  • As a mandate of SB543, the state must form a Commission on School Funding. The commission will provide guidance to school districts and the department on the implementation of the plan for funding public schools. Members of the commission are appointed by the Governor and several members of the Legislature. The commission must hold its first meeting by October 1, 2019. 
  • The State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) is working on a Demographic Needs Assessment and a Growth Management Plan to be implemented by January 1, 2020.

Board Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda highlights:

  • Appointing members to the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC).
  • Approving instructional materials for the Carson City School District. 

Board Approved the Addition of Mission High School to the Alternative Performance Framework (APF)

The board heard a presentation overview of the Nevada Alternative Performance Framework (APF), and a proposed recommendation to add Mission High School to be measured under the APF.

Generally, schools qualified for the APF fall into one of four categories:

  • Schools offering credit recovery programs
  • Schools offering behavioral/continuation programs
  • Juvenile detention facilities serving adjudicated youth
  • Special education schools serving students with multiple and severe cognitive disabilities

The APF measurement indicators include Academic Achievement, Attendance, Academic progress, Graduation, Student Engagement, and Planning for success. 

Click here to download the presentation. 

Board Conditionally Approved the Application Document for State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) Board Positions

The State Board is required to appoint two members to the SPCSA Board by October 2019, as mandated by AB78. For individuals interested in applying, the application will be available on the department’s website. 

Click here to see the draft application document that was presented at the meeting. 

Board members discussed concerns and proposed changes to the application questions to ensure applicant privacy and protection of personal information. The application document was approved with the condition that proposed updates are applied.

Board Heard a Presentation About the Current State of School Funding 

A review of the current state of school funding was requested by board members at the June 2019 board meeting. This presentation provided an overview of the current funding sources for schools.

Click here to download the presentation.

Board Heard a Presentation About Federal and State School Improvement

The board heard an overview of the state’s accountability system under the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). 

The presentation focused on the following low-performing school designations: 

  • Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) 
  • Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) 
  • Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) 

Board members requested information about how schools are held accountable for their performance. It was clarified that the designations above are the first step in the accountability process. Additional information will become available at a later time.

Click here to download the presentation.

Board Approved Changes to the NEPF Recommended by the Teachers and Leaders Council 

The Teachers and Leaders Council presented their recommended changes to the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF).

The board approved the following recommendations:

Click here to see the presentation.

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • A review of the teacher licensure renewal process
  • A presentation about Read by Grade 3
  • Updates on teacher vacancies and class size reduction
  • A report on teacher shortage

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Nevada Ed-Watch 5/2/19

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, May 2, 2019
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

President’s Report: Welcome New Members

The President’s Report included:

  • Welcoming the New State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jhone Ebert.
  • Welcoming a newly appointed board member, Dr. Katie Dockweiler, who replaced Tonia Holmes-Sutton’s position.
  • Recognizing the Board’s student representative, Ashley Macias, for her service throughout the 2018-2019 school year.

Superintendent’s Report: Board Heard Legislative Updates

Superintendent Ebert provided updates on the following legislation that the Department of Education is following:

  • AB78 – Revises provisions with the State Public Charter School Authority
  • SB467 – Extends Zoom and Victory programs
  • SB89 – Related to school safety
  • AB289 – Read by Grade 3 provision updates
  • SB84  – State Pre-K programs & funding

The Board also heard updates on the Americans with Disabilities Act agreement. In June 2016, the Department of Education entered into agreement with the U.S. Office of Civil Rights to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Department has fully implemented their accessibility plan.

Board Approved the Consent Agenda, which included:

  • Appointing members to the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC).
  • Approving instructional materials from the Clark County, Carson City, and Washoe County School Districts.

Board Heard Updates on The State Plan to Improve Student Achievement

The Board heard a presentation on the 2019 State Plan to Improve Achievement of Pupils (STIP).

The following 2019 focus areas were approved by the board:

  1. Strong Start (early childhood education)
  2. High-quality standards, curriculum, instruction & Support,
  3. Annual administration of aligned assessments and accountability
  4. Data-informed continuous improvement
  5. 3-stars in 3 years
  6. College and career readiness
  7. Educator readiness and equitable distribution
  8. Family engagement
  9. Internal systems and effectiveness
  10. Funding and reporting
  11. Student and adult development of social and emotional competencies
  12. Multi-tiered system of supports & department climate

Click here to see the presentation.

Superintendent Ebert stated that she will be conducting a listening tour to hear from parents, staff, community members, and Board members to understand needs of all stakeholders. This will inform the 2020 STIP.

Board Approved Recommendations for Changes to the Nevada Educator Performance Framework

The Board approved some recommendations from the Teachers and Leaders Council (TLC). The TLC is presenting to the legislature to change the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) in the following ways:

  • Remove “developing” when used in conjunction with “ineffective” (approved)
  • Fund a statewide tool for NEPF implementation (approved)
  • Support for Regional Professional Development Programs (RPDP) for ongoing professional development related to NEPF results (approved)
  • Funding for a study to validate the NEPF (approved)
  • Drop Student Learning goals from 40% to 20% in the first year, and then to 15% for every year thereafter. (NOT approved)

The Board voted to approve these recommendations, with the exception of the recommendation to amend the weight of the Student Learning Goals. Rather than a staggered approach to changing the Student Learning Goals, the Board recommends 15% to start, to avoid putting systems into place that would have to be amended after the first year.

Click here to see the presentation.

Board Approved Quarterly Teacher-Pupil Ratio Variance

Currently, state law prescribes pupil-to-teacher ratios (17:1 for grades 1-2, and 20:1 for grade 3). However, due to lack of available financial support for pupil-to-teacher ratios and other good causes, some schools were approved for variances. Click here to see the variance report.

Board Heard a Presentation on the Perkins V: Strengthening CTE for the 21st Century Act

The Board heard a presentation on the updated Perkins V: Strengthening CTE for the 21st Century Act. The purpose of the Act is to improve Career and Technical Education, and to allow more flexibility for states to meet the unique needs of students, educators, and employers. A draft state plan will be presented to the Board in late fall or early winter for adoption and endorsement.

Click here to download the presentation.

Future Agenda Items:

  • Data Insight Partners presentation on improvements in achievement amidst changing student demographics.

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Nevada Ed-Watch 11/15/18

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.

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 in turn 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 2018 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 15, 2018
Nevada State Board of Education

Click here to see the meeting agenda 

What Happened at This Meeting?

Superintendent Provides Update on School Safety Task Force

The Superintendent provided a brief update on the concluding work of the  Statewide School Safety Task Force. Established by Governor Sandoval, the Task Force is charged with developing recommendations for safety practices in all Nevada schools. The Task Force concluded its work this month and is due to provide a final report before the end of November.

The Consent Agenda Included Approval of:

  • 2-year licensing (written authorization to operate) for Greater Las Vegas Academy private school.
  • Dual credit request for courses offered by the College of Southern Nevada to the Leadership Academy of Nevada (LANV)

Board Approves Amendments to School Organizational Teams (AB 469)

The approved amendments:

  1. Establish a dispute resolution process for all School Organization Team (SOT) members, including teachers and parents.
  2. Establish provisions to streamline contract-based services that are provided by the school district to schools.
  3. Create a legal definition of the term “allocated” and ensures that SOT’s and school principals have authority over their dollars.

Click here to see the full regulations document

 

Board Approves Amendment to the Creation, Submission, and Approval of School Calendars

Board members updated the way that educators’ professional development time is aggregated. This allows professional development that occurs for a portion of a day, rather than a full day, to be counted towards the total number of required professional development days.

Click here to see the full school calendar regulations document

 

Board Approves Amendment to the Statewide Performance Evaluation System for Teachers and School-Level Administrators 

The amendment includes language updates for peer evaluations among teachers, and revisions to the data used to measure teacher performance.

Click here to see the full performance evaluation regulations document

 

Board Recognizes 2019 Teacher of the Year

Nevada’s 2019 Teach of the Year recognition went to Mr. Richard Knoeppel, who teaches Architecture at Advanced Technologies Academy HS (Clark County School District). As Teacher of the Year, he is reserved a seat on the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council (STAC). Mr. Knoeppel also serves as one of the inaugural Fellows of the Nevada Teach Plus Policy Fellowship.

 

Board Discusses the Inaugural State Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Cabinet (STAC)

The Board was introduced to the inaugural State Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Cabinet (STAC), heard updates on the application and selection process, and reviewed the goals and vision for the 2018-2020 term. The purpose of the cabinet, consisting of 21 teachers, is to increase teacher voice in State-level policy making.

The board expressed concern about the group not reflecting the diverse student population.

Click here to see the full STAC presentation

 

Board Approves Tesla’s Nevada K-12 Education Investment

A representative from Tesla presented an update on current initiatives that support robotics and STEM learning– with the goal to directly support the development of Nevada’s future engineers.

The Board accepted $6 million to the education gift account as part of Tesla’s ongoing commitment to invest $37.5 million in education.

Click here to see the Tesla investment letter

 

Board Discusses Report to Reassess Public Education Funding Methods

The Board discussed a report created by Augenblick, Palaich and Associates– the independent consultant contracted to study the funding method currently used for Nevada Public Education. The study team recommends replacing the existing funding approach with a more student-centered formula that:

  • Shifts from an expense-based model (determined by historical spending) to a costs-based model (determined by the resources needed to meet state standards and requirements).
  • Is responsive to student needs through weighted funding (additional resources allocated to students based on need, such as being an English learner or a special education student). There are currently some resources available for these students that are allocated through categorical funds. A weighted formula would ensure ALL students that have these needs receive the same resources, regardless of their school.
  • Is responsive to unique district characteristics.

The Board expressed support of a new funding model, with the need for strong accountability and transparency, and to create concise marketing materials to share the proposed model with the public.

Click here to see the presentation deck

Click here to see the report

The proposed new funding model is included in the Department of Education’s Bill Draft Requests for the next legislative session.

 

Board Approves Alternate Summative Evaluation Rating Tool for Evaluating CCSD Teachers

The Board approved recommendations by the Teachers and Leaders Council requesting use of an alternative tool to evaluate teacher performance for the 2018-19 school year.

Click here to see the Teacher Evaluation Rating Tool

 

Board Discusses the Statewide Teacher Performance Evaluation System

The Teachers and Leaders Council presented the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) scores for teachers and administrators from the 2017-18 school year, as well as their recommendations for score ranges for the 2018-2019 year. Board members expressed concern that the current rating method does not accurately reflect teacher performance and is not a tool that fosters continued professional growth.

Rather than approving the 2018-2019 score ranges as proposed, the Board requested a “set of recommended changes and actions needed to improve the overall accuracy of the category assignments.”

Click here to see the full presentation

 

 

Public Comment

Members of the public expressed gratitude to the Board for approving the alternate teacher evaluation tool. Other comments focused on advocating for school districts to receive additional funds from local municipalities (county governments).

Potential Future Items:

  • Role of the Board to support the transition of Nevada’s new Governor.
  • Review Bill Draft Requests that were supported by outgoing legislators.

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