Nevada State Board of Education Adopts Vision and Goals to Support Student Success
CARSONCITY, Nev. – On Thursday,July 15, the Nevada State Board of Education (Board) officially adopted its Visionand five-year Goals to support student success. Details and guardrailssupporting the Vision and Goals will be further discussed at the Nevada State Board of Education meeting on Thursday, August 19, at 2:00 PM.
The adoptedVision statement is: All Nevada students are equipped and feel empowered to attaintheir vision of success.
The two Goalsare:
- From Top 20 to Top 10: Move up in State rankings from 18thin September 2020 to Top 10 by July 2026, as measured by Academic portions ofQuality Counts K-12 Student Achievement.
- 50% Achieve CCR Diploma: Increase the overall number of studentsreceiving the College and Career Ready (CCR) diploma from 23.9% in July 2021 to50% by July 2026 and eliminate gaps of student groups while raising the overallaverage.
“We knowthat student outcomes don’t change until adult behaviors change,” said FeliciaOrtiz, President of the State Board of Education. “With these Goals and Visionin place, our Board and the team at the Nevada Department of Education are signalingour unwavering commitment to do the work necessary to improve outcomes for allof Nevada’s students, especially those who have been historically underserved.”
These Goalsand Vision set by the Board build on the foundation of The Nevada Department ofEducation’s (NDE) five-year strategic plan, known as the StatewidePlan for the Improvement of Pupils(STIP). The STIP is the operational plan to help realize the Board’s Goals.
“I commendthe State Board of Education for establishing an ambitious Vision and Goals,”said Jhone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “For improvement totake hold, Goals must be coupled with thoughtful plans, clear roles, andeffective follow-through. The team at NDE stands ready to support these Goalswhile keeping our Values at the center of all of our work to support students,educators, and communities.”
NDE’s workis guided by six Values defined in the STIP: equity, success, access toquality, inclusivity, transparency, and community.
Goal #1:From Top 20 to Top 10
The Board’sfirst goal is for Nevada to advance into the top 10 in the Quality Counts K-12Achievement Index rankings in five years, by July 2026.
The K-12Achievement Index examines 18 distinct measures of reading and mathematicsperformance, high school graduation, and success on Advanced Placement tests. Nevadacurrently ranks 18th in the nation when it comes to K-12Achievement, as established by the Quality Counts September 2020 rankings basedupon data from the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress.
TheSeptember 2020 rankings also recognized Nevada as one of the five “mostimproved” states in the country. In 2019, Nevada earned recognition as thenumber one “most improved” state for overall grades.
“Nevadatypically receives a negative perception in national rankings, but our studentachievement levels continue to increase year-over-year,” said Superintendent Ebert.“We are proud that our students have attained the 18th ranking nationallyand are committed to supporting them in equitable achievement gains in the comingyears.”
“Nevada hasmet its previous goal to become the ‘fastest improving State in the nation,’”said President Ortiz. “Now, we are ready to take the next step and establish ourselvesin the top 10. This is long overdue, and our students’ achievement levelsindicate that it is possible.”
UpdatedK-12 Achievement rankings are anticipated to be released by Quality Counts inSeptember 2021.
Goal #2:50% Achieve CCR Diploma
The Boardestablished a second Goal: to increase the overall number of students receivingthe College and Career Ready (CCR) Diploma from 23.9% of July 2021 to 50% by July2026 and eliminate gaps between student groups while raising the overallaverage.
The CCR Diplomawas made available to Nevada’s students for the first time in the 2017-18 schoolyear. Earning this diploma indicates that students are qualified for andprepared to succeed in college or job training in high-demand occupations.
For astudent to receive a CCR Diploma, they must complete credit units and GPArequirements of the Advanced Diploma, plus additional advanced coursework andone of two associated endorsements. To be eligible, a student can receive aCollege-Ready Endorsement, which reflects their performance on the CCRAssessment (ACT), or a Career-Ready Endorsement, which can be earned throughthe CTE Skill Attainment Certificate, an industry-recognized credential, orpassing one of the State’s two career-readiness assessments.
In the 2020graduating class, 7,390 students or 23.9% of the student population earned aCCR Diploma. This is a 7.1% increase from 5,211 students or 16.8% of the 2019 graduatingclass. CCR Diploma counts for the 2021 graduating class will not be availableuntil December 2021.
While 23.9%of the class of 2020 earned a CCR Diploma, there were inequities among studentgroups:
Student Group | Percent of Total class of 2020 Population | Percent of Population Receiving CCR Diploma |
|---|---|---|
American Indian / Alaskan | 1.0% | 0.4% |
Asian | 6.0% | 14.3% |
Black | 12.3% | 5.6% |
Hispanic / Latino/a | 40.6% | 33.6% |
Pacific Islander | 1.6% | 1.4% |
White | 32.8% | 38.4% |
Thesediscrepancies between student groups’ representation in the graduating classand their representation among CCR diploma recipients are the reason theBoard’s second Goal aims for an overall student CCR Diploma increase as well asan elimination of gaps among student groups.
“As a Nevadahigh school student, it is powerful to see our Board establishing a priority ofensuring all students are prepared for college and the workforce,” saidChristina Nguyen, senior at Valley High School and Student Representative tothe Board. “I am proud that the Board is being explicit about the need toaddress existing opportunity gaps among student groups. Increasing access to advancedcoursework, career and technical education, and CCR diplomas will help ensure nostudent is left behind.”
Going forward,the Board will work with NDE to identify which strategies in the STIP are bestpositioned to advance the SBE goals, then will establish guardrails, which are specificqualifiers to ensure each Goal maintains a focus on student outcomes. These Goalswill now become the north star guiding NDE’s work for the next five years.
Attachments: