Tag: top schools

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on decisions being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

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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.

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Thursday, October 10, 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:

• Concerns that AB462 does not limit the growth of public charter schools in Nevada
• Commending public schools that were recognized in Opportunity 180’s 2018-19 Top Schools Report 
• Congratulating the 2020 Nevada Teacher of the Year, Gail Hudson 

Board Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda Highlights:

• Approval of the Bus Driver Training Manual 
• Approval of the State Board of Education 2020 Meeting Dates 

President’s Report

The President’s Report included:

• Welcoming Kevin Melcher to the State Board of Education. Kevin Melcher is filling the remainder of David Carter’s term, who resigned this summer. 
• Commending Advanced Technologies Academy High School, Frias Elementary, and Hunter Lake Elementary for being recognized as National Blue Ribbon schools.
• Expressing gratitude to everyone involved in an education stakeholder meeting with Bobby Scott, Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce. 

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Ebert provided the following updates:

• Appreciation for the superintendents of each county school district as Superintendent Ebert continues a state-wide listening tour. 
• Superintendent Ebert and Scott Stump, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education Commission on School Funding, visited East Career and Technical Academy and Morris East High School.
• The Nevada Department of Education is seeking input on the State Plan to Strengthen Career and Technical Education (CTE) for the 21st Century Act (also known as Perkins V). Members of the community can submit public comment from October 1- November 1, 2019 on the draft State Plan. The deadline was extended to December 1, 2019– specifically for public comments on the state-determined levels of performance. A draft plan will be presented to the state board during the November meeting, and will be brought back for approval during the December meeting. 

• Regulation workshops and public hearings are being conducted to implement bills that were passed during the 2019 legislative session regarding Safe and Respectful Learning Environments. 
• The Commission on School Funding held its first meeting, elected a vice-chair (Guy Hobbs), and developed two (2) workgroups– which will meet on October 10, 2019 at 8:30 AM. Members of the Commission will present updates to the board during the November meeting.

Board Honored Nevada Teacher of the Year and Finalists 

The purpose of the Nevada Teacher of the Year process is to celebrate excellence and strengthen the teaching force. This year, 28 educators were nominated, 11 completed applications, and 5 were sent to the superintendent for final selection. 

2020 Finalists: 

• Jeanine Roser
• Kathy Durham 
• Patricia Martin
• Nicolas Jacques

2020 Nevada Teacher of the Year: Gail Hudson 

Click here to see the presentation.

The Board Heard an Overview of MAP Assessment Data

The NWEA MAP assessment is administered in kindergarten through 2nd grade. It is a computerized, adaptive assessment that measures how quickly students are growing in English Language Arts and Math. 

Below is a summary of state-wide average NWEA MAP results for the 2018-19 school year.

• Kindergarten 
  • At or below the 40th percentile: 41.3%
  • Above the 40th percentile: 58.7%

• First Grade
  • At or below the 40th percentile: 41.8%
  • Above the 40th percentile: 58.2%
    
• Second Grade
  • At or below the 40th percentile: 40.7%
  • Above the 40th percentile: 59.3%

It was also noted that the Read by Grade 3 program provides resources, such as professional learning workshops, opportunities for peer-to-peer networking.

Click here to see the presentation. 

Board Heard a Presentation on Statewide Assessment Results 

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is administered in 3rd through 8th grade. The SBAC measures whether students are performing on grade level (or proficient) in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math.

Below is a summary of state-wide average SBAC results for the 2018-19 school year.

• English Language Arts
  • Elementary Schools: 49.25%
  • Middle Schools: 47.62% 
• Math
  • Elementary Schools: 42.6%
  • Middle Schools: 32.1% 

The Nevada Science Exam is administered in 5th, 8th, and 10th grade. The exam measures whether students are performing on grade level in science. Below is a summary of state-wide average Science Exam results for the 2018-19 school year.

• 5th Grade: 24.6% proficient
• 8th Grade: 36.8% proficient
• 10th Grade: 26.8% proficient

The ACT is administered in 11th grade to assess high school student proficiency based on cut scores established by the Nevada Department of Education. Below is a summary of state-wide average ACT results from the 2018-19 school year. 

• English: 46.7% proficient
• Math: 25.5% proficient

The WIDA is an annual assessment for K-12 students who are English Language Learners. In the 2018-19 school year, 11.7% of these students were proficient. 

Click here to see the presentation, which includes disaggregated data by student subgroups.

Board Heard an Overview of the Comprehensive Support Intervention (CSI) and Targeted Support Intervention (TSI) Processes

This is the third of a three-part presentation series on school improvement.

Summary of the Comprehensive Support Intervention (CSI) process:

• During the year that a school is designated as CSI, schools create a School Performance Plan in partnership with stakeholders (principals, teachers, parents, and other school leaders).
• CSI School Performance Plans must be reviewed and approved by the school’s district first, then by the Nevada Department of Education. School Performance Plans must include:
  • Goals for student performance against long-term goals determined by the state
  • Evidence-based interventions
  • A school-level needs assessment
  • Resource inequities, which may include a review of district- and school-level budgets
• The 3-year period following a school’s designation as CSI is spent implementing its plan. At the end of the 3-year period, the school will be evaluated for exit from CSI designation.
  

Summary of the Targeted Support Intervention (TSI) process:

• During the year that a school is designated as TSI, schools create a School Performance Plan in partnership with stakeholders (principals, teachers, parents, and other school leaders). 
• TSI School Performance Plans must be reviewed and approved by the school’s district or Local Education Agency (LEA). Plans must include:
  • A description of how the district or school will improve student outcomes for each group of students that prompted TSI status
  • Indicators for student performance against long-term goals
  • Evidence-based interventions
  • A continuous improvement plan to ensure the success of interventions
• The 3-year period following a school’s designation as TSI is spent implementing its plan. At the end of the 3-year period, the school will be evaluated for exit from TSI designation. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Click here to see the Nevada Ed-watch summary of the July 17th meeting, when the first part of this discussion took place (an overview of the state’s accountability system and school designations)

Click here to see the Nevada Ed-watch summary of the August 29th meeting, when the second part of this discussion took place (an overview of the criteria for CSI and TSI designation).

Board Heard an Update on the SPCSA Academic Needs Assessment and Growth Management Plan 

In compliance with Assembly Bill 462 (AB462), the SPCSA completed an Academic and Demographic Needs Assessment to identify geographic areas of the state that are most in need of high quality school options. 

Following the approval of the Academic and Demographic Needs Assessment, the SPCSA is developing a plan to manage the growth of charter schools. The plan must include new charter schools as well as additional campuses, grade level expansion or other increased enrollment, and any likely charter renewals that the Authority will approve. 

The SPCSA must submit an initial Growth Management Plan by January 1, 2020.

Click here to see the presentation.

Click here to see a press release about the Academic and Demographic Needs Assessment. 

Board Approved the Business Process for Teacher Incentive Programs

According to Senate Bill 555 (SB555), districts may apply to receive funding for incentivizing teachers to teach in Title 1 schools. The State Board of Education will distribute funds to districts based on the number of teachers that incentives are being provided to. The board adopted the following business process to address this:

1. The Nevada Department of Education will release a teacher incentive application available to districts on or before August 31.
2. School districts will be able to apply for teacher incentive funds on or before October 31, 2019.
3. Upon receiving district applications, the Department will calculate the distribution of funds available and makes a recommendation of awards
4. The State Board of Education will approve recommendations
5. The Department will issue formal award letters
6. The Department will reserve the right to make technical adjustments 

Click here to see the presentation.

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Potential Future Agenda Items:

• Chronic Absenteeism Data
• Updates on the Perkins V State Plan 
• Updates on the Early Learning Development Grant  
• Board Member Training 
• Census 2020 Complete Count and its impact on the education system

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