Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Nevada schools get bad grades

The push for higher standards in Nevada schools is commendable, but it needs to be balanced or it will fail, a new study says.

The Quality Counts 2001 report by Education Week, a national trade publication, found that Nevada teachers feel pressured and overwhelmed by higher standards, which are out of sync with curriculum, graduation requirements and standardized tests.

It notes that nationwide efforts to raise standards are paying off, in rising test scores and higher expectations in several states.

But without a balance between standards and resources, "tens of thousands of students could fail to meet the goals their states have set for them, limiting the potential of today's children, with implications well into the future," the study says.

In the annual study, which graded education in all 50 states, Nevada received marks from a B for equity, or distributing its resources fairly, to an F for school climate, which includes class sizes, absenteeism, tardiness and classroom misbehavior.

The report commends Nevada's efforts to define what students need to learn, giving it a B- for standards and accountability. Yet it questions whether schools are teaching to those standards and whether teachers are being fully briefed on how to teach them.

The study gives Nevada a C- for improving teacher quality.

"Our standards are there," Leonard Paul, Clark County School District assistant superintendent for secondary education, said. "But we have a huge staff, and I can't say we've reached everybody yet. We are working on it. One of the things we'll be looking for in the upcoming Legislative session is more funding for staff development."

Bill Hanlon, coordinator for the district's math and science institute, agreed with the study's conclusion that the state's curriculum does not prepare students for the higher standards.

"I've always been a proponent of higher standards and testing, as long as they are reasonably attainable and appropriate for all students," Hanlon said. "Ours are not reasonable and they are not attainable."

But Hanlon went on to say that he feels the state's current High School Proficiency Exam, a graduation requirement, is reasonable, though he noted the test for math will get harder next year, and a new science portion will be added.

Nevada is one of 18 states in the country that has a high school exit exam linked to graduation, according to Education Week.

Nevada Department of Education officials defend the testing programs, maintaining they are fair and properly designed. State officials could not be reached for comment regarding the report.

Education Week's national survey of more than 1,019 teachers determined that 66 percent felt state testing forces them to focus on testing instead of teaching students important topics and skills.

Although the study maintains cheating on tests is more highly publicized than it is widespread, it points out that the pressure to perform can lead to "questionable practices."

Nevada has had its own share of allegations in that realm.

The state Legislative Committee on Education Tuesday issued its executive summary of an investigation prompted by several test cheating allegations raised in the district since last summer.

The report determined that most security breaches were caused by lost or missing copies of test booklets, some of which appear related to a lack of training or a casual attitude toward test security.

Local and state officials have pointed out that based on their documentation, the number of incidents in proportion to the number of students and schools is small.

Still, one of the committee's recommendations is that the Nevada Department of Education better track test security violations, in order to determine the effect of high-stakes testing on test security.

The Clark County School District has documented three security breaches at 13 of its schools that have been named by the state as needing improvement. The state uses the TerraNova exam to rate school performance. If a school remains on the list for three years, the state can take over the school.

In the area of resources for student spending, Nevada received a C- in adequacy -- ranking it 40th nationally -- and a B for equity. Education Week, using its own formula, reported that in 1999, Nevada spent $5,717 per student, or $691 less than the $6,408 national average. Using a different formula, the Clark County School District says the disparity exceeds $1,000.

Clark County School District officials have repeatedly said that more state per-pupil aid is needed to fund the rapidly growing system, now the nation's sixth largest with 231,000 students.

The state's worst grade, an F for school climate, took into account class size, absenteeism, tardiness, classroom misbehavior, parental involvement and several other areas. Safety also was included, although it wasn't factored into grades.

Paul said Nevada's classroom sizes are among the largest in the Western United States.

In Nevada, 35 percent of fourth graders were in classes with 25 or fewer students in 1998, compared with 64 percent nationally.

In 1999, 8 percent of high school students reported carrying a weapon to school within a 30-day period and 9.4 percent said they were threatened or injured with a weapon during the school year, figures higher than national averages.

Nationally, 6.9 percent of high school students reported bringing a weapon to school within a 30-day period, and 7.7 percent said they were threatened or injured with a weapon. Fourteen percent reported being in a fight, compared with 13.7 percent in Nevada.

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