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, January 12, 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:
- Student appreciation for the Jobs for Nevada Graduates program
President’s Report
Highlights included:
- Portrait of a Learner will inform measuring and tracking success for the state’s education system through a student-focused lens. Applications for student participants are now available.
- President Ortiz introduced new Board Member Maggie Carlton and thanked outgoing Vice President Mark Newburn for his service.
- Governor Lombardo has reappointed Superintendent Ebert.
Superintendent’s Report
- Legislative Updates: Assignments for the Senate and Assembly Education Committees have been announced. The Senate Education Committee will meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 1:00 p.m. beginning February 6. January 23 is the State of the State address. The Governor’s finance office budget presentation will be later that week, and the Department will be presenting the funding formula at 8:30 a.m., and the departmental budget at 10:15 a.m.
- Principal Advisory Cabinet: This statewide group met recently to discuss a variety of initiatives.
Board Approved Consent Agenda
Consent agenda items included:
- Approval of State Funding for CTE Report of Local Activities and Expenditures for FY22
- Approval of FY23 Class Size Reduction Report
- Approval of Commission on Professional Standards in Education R166-22
- Items C,D and E, various petitions for revocations, were removed from the consent agenda
Explore the consent agenda items.
Board Discussed the 2023 Nevada Teacher of the Year Finalists
The Board received a presentation on the application and selection process for the 2023 Nevada Teacher of the Year awards. In 2023, 75 nominations and 16 applications were submitted. Opportunities for honorees include participating in the Superintendent’s Advisory Cabinet and the Learning Forward Annual Conference, speaking engagements, and professional learning opportunities. National opportunities include the Teacher of the Year induction program, White House Presidential Ceremony, participation in International Space Camp, and participation on the Education Commission of the States Forum on Education.
2023 finalists are Laura Jeanne Penrod (Southwest Career and Technical Academy); Jamie Tadrzynski (Canyon Springs High School); Adrienne Wiggins (Empire Elementary School); Michaela Marich (McGill Elementary School); and Connie Hall (Diedrichsen Elementary School, and this year’s Nevada Teacher of the Year).
Explore the presentation.
Board Discussed a Developmentally Appropriate Kindergarten Policy Statement
The Board received a presentation on developmentally appropriate kindergarten, reviewed a draft policy statement, and discussed next steps, centering on the goal of every child in Nevada, birth through third grade (B-3) having the right to equitable learning opportunities with educators who engage in developmentally appropriate practice. Implementation has begun in terms of a P-3 leadership certificate program, DAP kindergarten cohort statewide, and WestEd’s Transforming Kindergarten Collaborative, among other initiatives.
Next steps include formal dissemination of the memo and policy statement, developing a B-3 toolkit, sharing the toolkit with stakeholders, ongoing professional development, and integration into the Pillars of P-3 Promise and ongoing work.
Explore the presentation.
Board Discussed Nevada’s 2021-2022 Graduation Rates
The Board reviewed Nevada’s 2021-2022 graduation rates. The statewide four-year graduation rate for 2022 was 81.72%, a slight uptick from 2021’s 81.31%. Clark County’s was 81.31% (up slightly from 2021’s 80.94% graduation rate); Washoe County’s was 84.36% (up from 2021’s 82.48% graduation rate); and the State Public Charter School Authority’s was 86.07% (down sightly from 2021’s 86.89% graduation rate).
There are disparities among graduation rates by race and ethnicity, with Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native students performing below the statewide average. For special populations, Career and Technical Education students outperformed the statewide rate, while English Learner, IEP, and homeless and foster-care students underperformed.
Fifty-eight percent of graduates earned a standard diploma, 15.6% earned an advanced diploma, and 26.1% earned a college and career ready diploma. One of the Board’s goals is to increase the number of CCR diplomas to 50% of students.
Dr. David Jensen offered details on how Humboldt County increased their CCR diploma rate by 20% through focusing on CTE.
Explore the presentation.
Board Discussed Community Partner Accomplishments
The Board heard updates from three community partners:
- Jobs for Nevada Graduates: Preparing students for real-world careers, the program has a 95.89% graduation rate and most students identify as African American and Hispanic.
- Communities in Schools of Nevada: This organization places full time-trained site coordinators on school campuses across the state to manage student and school needs. Their work leads to increases in student attendance, behavior, and course work.
- Fulfillment Fund Las Vegas: This organization works to inspire students to continue on to post-secondary education with on-campus lessons, college tours, community service events and counseling on the high school and post-secondary levels.
Explore Jobs for Nevada Graduates’ presentation.
Board Heard an Update and Approved the Language for the Draft Request for Proposal and Entities Represented on the RFP Committee for Nevada’s College and Career Readiness (CCR) Assessment
The Board reviewed the results of the stakeholder survey regarding the CCR assessment. The top responses include aligning with widely accepted admissions requirements for college and universities and/or scholarship requirements; predicting student preparedness for CCR; reducing the total number of assessments given to high school students; and providing consistent data to compare student progress year-over-year.
A list of committee entities was also discussed, as well as the RFP scope of work. Another update will be provided in March.
Review the stakeholder survey results, the list of proposed entities to comprise the RFP committee, and the RFP scope of work.
Agenda Item 12 – Information and Discussion the State Plan for the Improvement of Pupils; Item 13 – Information Regarding the 82nd Legislature Bill Draft Requests; and Item 14 – Information Regarding the Board of Education’s Self Evaluation, were moved to an agenda for a newly-added virtual meeting on Friday, January 20, at 3:30 p.m.
Board Discussed Election of Officers
The Board discussed the process for electing a Vice President and the possibility of creating a Clerk position. Board elections will take place in March.
Board Discussed Meeting Start Times
The Board discussed the possibility of changing the start time of its regular meetings. Currently, board meetings begin at 2:00 p.m.
Board Discussed Future Agenda Items
The board reviewed the following items for inclusion in the 2023 calendar:
- State Board Officer elections
- English Mastery Council recommendations
- Workshops for school start times
- School naming conventions
- Challenges regarding Board of Education reimbursements to schools
- Front-loading action items directly after Consent Agenda, and put discussion items further down the agenda
- Board meeting start times
Public Comment #2
- New legislative guidelines for kindergarten age placement
- Congratulations to Member Carlton
- Timing of meetings should consider teacher and staff availability
- Reflections on general poor performance in Nevada educational system
- Ideas to increase teacher wages, decrease class sizes and fill job vacancies
- CCR RFP process
- Introduction of new staff members
The next regular Board of Education meeting is scheduled at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 16, 2022. A special board meeting, mentioned above, will be held January 20, at 3:30 p.m.
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