Nevada law requires the State Board of Education to develop a 5-year strategic plan to improve the achievement of students enrolled in public schools across Nevada, officially referred to as a “Statewide Plan for the Improvement of Pupils”. We often abbreviate this to “STIP”. The Board must submit this plan, or a revised plan, on or before March 31 of each year. The STIP is prepared for the State Board’s consideration by the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) and reflects feedback and input gathered from school districts, education partners, and stakeholders across the State. (These requirements are outlined in Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 385.111-113)

When developing the plan, NDE reviews accountability and achievement data, as well as common issues facing schools, districts, educators, students, and families; the Department then works to develop long-term strategies to address expressed needs, identified gaps, and aspirational goals. The STIP must include evidence-based strategies to improve academic achievement, and address topics such as literacy, English language skills, school discipline, attendance, curriculum, assessments, instructional practices, professional learning, access to technology, graduation and progression, allocation of resources, and more. The STIP must also have clear goals, benchmarks, timelines, measurable criteria, and provisions for successful implementation and improvement. This five-year plan is then reviewed annually to monitor progress and revise as needed.

The STIP serves a work plan and vision for improving education in Nevada over the next five years.

The 2020 STIP supports our vision – All Nevada students are equipped and feel empowered toattain their vision of success, and our mission – to improve student achievement and educator effectiveness by ensuring opportunities, facilitating learning, and promoting excellence. The STIP serves as a guide to improve education across Nevada over the next five years, so that every student will graduate Battle Born and Globally Prepared by 2025. To make this possible, NDE developed a framework which is grounded in our vision, mission, and values, and sets clear goals, strategies, and inputs, outputs & outcomes. In addition, the STIP was built with unprecedented collaboration and feedback from our education partners to ensure that it addressed the needs of ALL Nevadans.

Statewide Listening Tour To ensure that the 2020 STIP was truly reflective of the needs of Nevada’s students and educators, Jhone M. Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction, embarked on a Statewide Listening Tour from September 2019 to January 2020. She visited all 17 school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority, meeting with district and school leaders, boards of trustees, educators and staff, students and families, and community members. The visits showcased the unique and innovative work happening across our communities, and allowed the Superintendent to engage directly with students and educators.

Values

The 2020 STIP Values are the foundation of NDE's work. These Values are essential to everything we do:

• Equity: The learning needs of every student are supported in an environment where all students are valued, respected, and see themselves in their curriculum and instructional materials while experiencing academic success without regard to differences in age, gender, socio-economic status, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, native language, national origin, or citizenship status.
• Access to Quality: Students, educators, and families have opportunities to take full advantage of Nevada’s education system, regardless of their zip code, district, or setting.
• Success: Lead the nation in the excellence and rigor of our standards, assessments, and outcomes for students and educators.
• Inclusivity: Learners are served in their least restrictive environment in culturally responsive and sustaining schools.
• Community: NDE collaborates with educators, districts, families, stakeholders, and partner agencies to lead a high-performing and responsive system of education for all Nevadans.
• Transparency: Districts, schools, and communities are served through efficient and effective use of public funds and fulfillment of statutory responsibilities.

Goals

Our Goals for 2025 focus on Nevada's children and students. The word "all" is in every Goal. “All” means regardless of age, gender, socio-economic status, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, native language, national origin, or citizenship status. The Goals express our commitment to the well-being of every student. No matter who you are or where you go to school, NDE supports your success.

• Goal 1: All children, birth through third grade, have access to quality early care and education.
• Goal 2: All students have access to effective educators.
• Goal 3: All students experience continued academic growth.
• Goal 4: All students graduate future-ready and globally prepared for postsecondary success and civic life.
• Goal 5: All students have access to new and continued educational opportunities supported by funding that is administered transparently, consistently, and in accordance with legislative or grant guidelines.
• Goal 6: All students and adults learn and work together in safe environments where identities and relationships are valued and celebrated.

Strategies

Strategies are organized within a matrix aligning our goals and values. This is our action plan to reach each of our goals by 2025 with targeted supports that strengthen our values. A brief overview of our strategies is available here, and more detail is available in our 2020 STIP.

• Goal 1: All children, birth through third grade, have access to quality early care and education.
  • Equity: Increase enrollment of children from families experiencing poverty in State pre-K.
  • Access to Quality: Support quality early childhood education providers.
  • Success: Accelerate Read by Grade 3.
  • Inclusivity: Increase pre-K inclusion for differently abled students.
  • Community: Conduct multilingual early childhood education public outreach campaigns.
  • Transparency: Improve data analysis and reporting.

• Goal 2: All students have access to effective educators.
  • Equity: Ensure effective educators in low-performing schools.
  • Access to Quality: Provide quality professional learning.
  • Success: Decrease licensed educational personnel vacancies.
  • Inclusivity: Serve students in the Least Restrictive Environment.
  • Community: Increase candidates in the educator pipeline.
  • Transparency: Engage in effective communication.

• Goal 3: All students experience continued academic growth.
  • Equity: Increase access to STEM learning.
  • Access to Quality: Support schools to exit designation status.
  • Success: Close pre-K-8 opportunity gaps.
  • Inclusivity: Increase percentage of students attending 3-, 4-, or 5-star schools.
  • Community: Promote civic engagement.
  • Transparency: Streamline reporting requirements.

• Goal 4: All students graduate future-ready and globally prepared for postsecondary success and civic life.
  • Equity: Increase participation in college-level and CTE coursework.
  • Access to Quality: Expand access to CTE for all students.
  • Success: Reduce graduation rate opportunity gaps.
  • Inclusivity: Enhance support for English Learners.
  • Community: Increase college enrollment.
  • Transparency: Co-create policy with stakeholders.

• Goal 5: All students have access to new and continued educational opportunities supported by funding that is administered transparently, consistently, and in accordance with legislative or grant guidelines.
  • Equity: Implement pupil-centered funding.
  • Access to Quality: Fully expand education funding.
  • Success: Assess and manage risk.
  • Inclusivity: Manage funds proactively.
  • Community: Improve customer service.
  • Transparency: Communicate programmatic impact.

• Goal 6: All students and adults learn and work together in safe environments where identities and relationships are valued and celebrated.
  • Equity: Address disproportionate discipline.
  • Access to Quality: Implement Multi-Tiered System of Supports
  • Success: Improve school safety.
  • Inclusivity: Improve school climate.
  • Community: Expand access to behavioral health professionals.
  • Transparency: Cultivate a public-friendly Department.

Inputs, Outputs, and Outcomes The inputs, outputs, and outcomes (IOOs) provide measurable criteria for the progress and implementation of our goals and strategies. Each strategy has specific IOOs which provide an action (input); an intended result (output); and measurable criteria to assess the success and progress of this action (outcomes). Because there are multiple IOOs for each strategy, please see our 2020 STIP for further information; below is one of several IOOs for a given strategy as an example.

• Goal 6: All students and adults learn and work together in safe environments where identities and relationships are valued and celebrated.
  • Value: Equity
    • Strategy: Address disproportionate discipline.
    • Input: Implement requirements of Assembly Bill 490 (2019) and Senate Bill 89 (2019) to disaggregate student discipline and attendance data.
    • Output: Discipline and attendance data collection for the Nevada Report Card is standardized across public schools and districts, including standardized definitions of discipline offenses and sanctions.
    • Outcome: Disaggregated longitudinal data supports efforts to decrease disproportionate discipline practices and helps identify best practices for potential replication.

Our 2020 STIP created a strategic 5-year plan, outlining our goals for 2025. The Department regularly conducts progress monitoring for each of the goals, strategies, and IOOs of our STIP to make sure that we are on track for 2025. Since our STIP must be reviewed and submitted each year, we submitted an addendum to our 2020 STIP, reporting on our goals and progress throughout 2020 and confirming our continued dedication in 2021 to our 2025 goals.