silver state governance training Archives

Nevada Ed-Watch: 1/20/23

Posted on January 21, 2023January 21, 2023 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.

Friday, January 20, 2023

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:

A recommendation for educators and high school staff to include in the Career and College Readiness assessment committee

Board Discussed the State Plan for the Improvement of Pupils

Staff provided an overview of the Statewide Plan for the Improvement of Pupils (STIP), an analysis of data regarding success strategies, and how the state is performing on goals aligned with the STIP.

Goal 1: Access to early care and education: Progress is mostly flat for accelerating Read by Grade 3.
Goal 2: Access to effective teachers: Licensed educational personnel vacancies have dropped from 12.44% for the 2021-22 school year to 9.58% for the 2022-23 school year.
Goal 3: Continued academic growth: Improvement has been showed among some student groups in closing pre-K-8 opportunity gaps, but gaps persist among others.
Goal 4: Graduate future ready and globally prepared: Disparities among graduation rates in different student groups persist, with graduation rates dropping for students who identify as Black, American Indian-Alaska Native, and two or more races.
Goal 5: Access to educational opportunities: Risk assessments are missing data points from the FY22 for comparisons.
Goal 6: Safe environments: Five schools were rated as least favorable regarding physical safety.

Staff detailed certain considerations. Some progress has been made but there are opportunities for the Department, school districts, and schools to improve. There is some key data missing due to waivers and remote learning for SY 2019-20 and SY 2020-21. This makes it difficult to track progress.

Staff concluded that several actions listed in the strategies are “not within the purview of the Nevada Department of Education.” The Department will submit a 2023 STIP Addendum, shift the focus of strategies in the STIP to ensure alignment with different NDE divisions and boards, and identify and monitors supports available.

Final approvals will be considered at the March Board meeting.

Explore the presentation.

Board Received a Presentation on Bill Draft Requests of the 82^nd Legislative Session

Staff provided an overview of the Department’s bill draft requests (BDRs) for the 82^nd Legislative Session, which begins in February.

Assembly Bill (AB) 65: A bill intended to clarify or make language more efficient in existing law. It has six parts: 1) educators may receive a summative evaluation during a third waiver year at the discretion of the supervisor or by request; 2) clarifies bullying definitions and reporting; 3) changes the process for adult-child complaints to be handled primarily within the district; 4) changes the kindergarten cut-off birthdate to August 1 and clarifies language about first and second grade students who did not attend kindergarten or first grade; 5) clarifies that work-based learning plans will be approved by superintendent; and 6) clarifies language differentiating between progressive discipline and restorative approaches.
AB 42: Class size reduction reporting requirements, including class size reduction reporting and eliminating alternate reporting plans; adjusts certain class size requests; and shifts variance requests to be completed once per year instead of quarterly.
AB 4: Adjusts the meeting timeline for the Commission on School Funding and revises membership for the Commission on Professional Standards
AB 25: Expands Nevada’s Good Samaritan Law protection for both public and private schools
Senate Bill (SB) 9: Removes end of course exams; eliminates participation in the parent report card form; adjusts timelines for reporting requirements for personnel and services report for local education agencies; increases the use of career and technical education funds that can include leadership, training, and workforce development activities; and adjusts provisions regarding the Educational Involvement Accord
AB 54: Clarifies language that provides school districts as a reviewer for education plans for hospitals providing education services; updates language regarding free and reduced-lunch eligible students; creates consistency among the use of “attendance” and “enrollment” and updates the definition of chronic absenteeism.

Other pre-filed bills the Department is monitoring include:

SB46 relating to the creation of Empowerment Districts (Carson City School District)
SB47 on the creation of a Public Education Working Conditions Task Force, authorizing the Board of Trustees to build, purchase, or rent residential dwellings and eliminate teacher licensure fees (Clark County School District)
SB56 on a Commission on School Modernization, consisting of all Nevada superintendents being tasked with undertaking a study and making recommendations to revise NRS and NAC on related matters (Washoe County School District)
SB65, which requires members of a school board to provide a certification for school board candidates for training and professional development, and requiring fingerprinting for Board of Trustees candidates (Clark County School District).

Additional updates will be provided throughout the legislative session.

Explore the presentation and Assembly Bill 65 text.

Board Approved the Nevada Association of School Superintendents’ iNVest in Education Proposal

The Board approved endorsing the iNVest platform, which was presented at the December board meeting.

Review the iNVest handout.

Board Discussed Goals and the Board’s Self-Evaluation Process

The board reviewed the process that has been completed thus far: training, workshops, setting a vision and mission, as well as goals aligned with that vision; and then collaboratively discussed goals and objectives in alignment with the Silver State Governance training rubric. The rubric is scored by 0-4, with zero being not student outcomes focused and four mastering student outcomes focused.

Adopting Vision and Goals Aligned to Student Outcomes – Discussed as Approaching the Student Outcomes Focus
Adopting Guardrails Aligned to Vision – Discussed asApproaching the Student Outcomes Focus
Devoting Significant Time to Accountability and Monitoring – Discussed as Not Student Outcomes Focused and Approaching Student Outcomes Focus
Including Stakeholders in the Pursuit of the Vision – Discussed as Not Approaching Student Outcomes Focused and Meeting Student Outcomes Focus
Leading with One Voice in Pursuit of Vision and Goals – Discussed as Approaching Student Outcomes Focus and Meeting Student Outcomes Focus
Investing Time and Resources Towards Improvement – Discussed as Approaching Student Outcomes Focus and Meeting Student Outcomes Focus

Discussion included additional avenues for community engagement and future workshop content.

Explore the goals, guidelines, and rubric.

Board Discussed Future Agenda Items

The board reviewed the following items for inclusion in the 2023 calendar:

State Board meeting start times
Subcommittee findings and recommendations for the College and Career Readiness assessment
State Board Officers elections
English Mastery Council recommendations
Workshops for school start times

Public Comment #2

No public comment provided.

The next regular Board of Education meeting is scheduled at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 16, 2022.

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Nevada Ed-Watch: 03/17/2022

Posted on March 18, 2022March 25, 2022 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

Click here for a list of all State Board Members.

Thursday, March 17, 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:

Dispute resolution language in NRS 388G
Implementation of AB 469
Regulatory language and other provisions in AB 469

President’s Report

Highlights included:

There is an opening on the State Public Charter School Authority Board. This is a three-year appointment that begins July 1, 2022 and concludes June 30, 2025. The application can be found here. Applications close on May 13, 2022.
Nevada Reading Week was held February 28 – March 4, 2022, with the goal to inspire a love of reading statewide. Twelve diverse authors also took part in a reading event, reaching about 24,000 students statewide.
The Board participated in Silver State Governance Training to ensure that the Board’s goals are aligned with the vision for the state. Additional discussion on this topic will be provided later in the meeting.

Superintendent’s Report

Highlights included:

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited Clark County, discussing school and student needs, resource allocation on a federal level, and other topics.

Board Approved Consent Agenda

Consent agenda items included:

Revised Class Size Reduction Reports for Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 2021
State Plan for the Improvement of Pupils 2022 Addendum

Board Heard an Update Regarding Revisions to Proposed Definitions and Regulatory Language from the AB 469 Subcommittee

The Board reviewed possible revisions to NAC 388G, from discussions heard during the February 23, 2022 AB 469 subcommittee meeting. Proposed changes include defining terms within the proposed regulations in Section 1, and reviewing placement and hiring aspects for local precincts in Sections 2 and 3.

Board members discussed substitute teacher hiring and reporting requirements. The Board approved the proposed language as drafted and will be moving forward with the workshop and hearing process.

Explore the updates here.

Board Heard an Update on State Board of Education Interim Goals in Accordance with Silver State Governance Training

The Board received a presentation on interim goals to align with the State Board of Education’s two long-term goals, which include measures for annual progress that follow the framework of Silver State Governance.

The first State Board of Education goal is to move up in State rankings from 18th in September 2020 to Top 10 by July 2026, as measured by academic portions of Quality Counts K-12 Student Achievement Index. The interim goals for success include closing pre-K-8 opportunity gaps, reducing graduation rate opportunity gaps, increasing participation in college-level and career and technical education (CTE) coursework, and enhancing support for English Learners (ELs).

The second goal is to increase the overall number of students receiving the College and Career Ready (CCR) diploma from 23.9% in July 2021 to 50% by July 2026 and eliminate gaps of student groups while raising the overall average. Interim goals to achieve this will be increasing access to STEM learning, increasing participation in college-level and CTE coursework, expanding access to CTE for all students (including free and asynchronous learning opportunities), and increasing college enrollment.

Explore the working copy of the goals and benchmarks here.

Explore the possible guardrails here.

Future Agenda Items

Future agenda items may include moving the Board meeting time and increasing accessibility to Board meetings, receiving an informational briefing and discussion on CCR diplomas, and receiving an informational briefing on the Community College Workforce Development Board.

Public Comment #2

Public comment was heard on the following subjects:

Access to the ACT in languages other than English
Reorganization of large school districts
State rankings for academic achievement reporting
Community engagement
AB 469 transparency and proposed regulations
Violent incidents involving students and employees

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Nevada Ed-Watch 8/8/19

Posted on August 9, 2019August 9, 2019 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, August 8, 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:

Alleged bullying and harassment between employees
Concerns with the number of teacher vacancies
Teacher salary increases
Concerns about changes to bus routes

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights:

Facilities improvements
$100,000 settlement to the family of a teen that was shot at Canyon Springs High School
MOU with Fulfillment Fund to support students at Chaparral High School

Trustees Discussed Silver State Governance Training

Silver State Governance (SSG) is an operating framework and coaching system that orients school board members to a framework that puts student achievement at the forefront of decision-making.

The Silver State Governance Accountability Framework is built around six research-inspired competencies that correlate with improvements in student outcomes:

Vision & Goals
Values & Constraints
Accountability & Monitoring
Communication & Collaboration
Unity & Trust
Continuous Improvement

Trustees did not vote on this item, as it was changed to be discussion only. Trustees chose not to bring this topic back before the board as an action item.

Click here to see the Silver State Governance proposal.

Trustees Discussed Concerns with the Implementation of School Organizational Teams

To ensure they are conducting the appropriate level of oversight and fulfilling their fiduciary responsibilities, Trustees are requesting the following information from schools:

Process for electing SOT members
Number of applicants who applied to serve on the SOT
Number of votes cast by the school community to elect SOT members
Names of SOT members
Number of years served by SOT members
The process for making budget cuts (plus, what cuts were made)
Average class size
Staff to administrator ratio
Student to administrator ratio
Confirm all SOT meeting agendas and minutes are posted online in a central location (including budgets and a master calendar)

In the future, schools are to survey SOT members to learn how to improve the process and experience.

Public Comment: Members of the public expressed concerns about:

How parents are being selected to serve on SOT boards
Lack of transparency and fidelity in the implementation of the work of the SOTs

Trustees Approved Medium-Term Obligations

This bond money will be used for new and replacement school buses, special education, general education, and new schools. CCSD is proposing up to $35,000,000 to finance all or a portion of the cost of acquiring, improving, and equipping school facilities.

Click here to see the resolution.

Trustees Heard Updates on CCSD Focus 2024 Priorities

Below is a summary of the updates presented to Trustees related to the priorities of the CCSD strategic plan (Focus 2024):

Employee Morale: Improve employee morale and engagement, and increase retention rates.
- Measure 1: Individuals (employees, parents, community members or others) engage in recognizing employees
  - 2018-2019 Target: 2,000 Engagements
  - 2018-2019 Actual: 6,426 Engagements
  - 2019-2020 Target: 2,000 Engagements
- Measure 2: Employees are recognized
  - 2018-2019 Target: 1,600 Employees
  - 2018-2019 Actual: 7,171 Employees recognized
  - 2019-2020 Target: 1,600 Employees
- Trustees discussed focusing on outcomes for a greater sense of whether morale is improving.
- Public Comment: A member of the public expressed a need to consider morale among support staff.
- Click here to see the presentation.

Fiscal Transparency: Improve the quality, communication, and understanding of financial information of the district
- Measure: Increase the percentage of financial survey respondents noting at least a 4 (on a scale of 1-5) on understanding the quality of financial information
  - 2019-2020 Target: 71%
  - 2018-2019 Actual: 66% of respondents noted at least a 4.
- Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Heard an Update on Facilities Improvements

The CCSD Chief of Facilities discussed the need to respond to maintenance emergencies and focus on preventative maintenance, rather than being reactive.

A pilot program to address facilities issues is launching– with 11 Building Engineer positions filled.