Board plans to adopt goals to meet federal reading rules

Friday, May 17, 2002 | 10:22 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Teaching children to read by the end of the third grade and eliminating different levels of achievement among racial groups have been identified as two goals of the state Board of Education.

The board this Saturday will vote to officially adopt its goals to comply with the new "No Child Left Behind" federal education act.

Keith Rheault, deputy state superintendent of public instruction, noted the board will be considering an initial draft outlining general goals. The final plan, with more specifics, won't be ready until June 2003.

The national law, pushed by President Bush, says all students by 2013-14 must be proficient in reading by the end of the third grade.

Rheault said that's a "lofty goal" to get every student reading by that grade level. However, strides have been made in recent years, he said.

But there is work to be done, if national statistics are to be believed.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, sometimes referred to as the nation's report card, ranked Nevada 35th out of 44 states in the percentage of fourth graders who read at or above the proficiency level.

Citing 1998 statistics, the organization said 47 percent of the state's fourth graders scored "below basic" in reading.

The state education board wants all 4-year-olds to have the opportunity for preschool training. And all kindergarten students will have the opportunity to receive academic instruction in reading, writing and mathematics.

The superintendents of the 17 Nevada school districts outlined a plan earlier this week to set up a pilot program of full-time kindergarten in 30 schools at a cost over the next two years of $6 million.

"Volumes of research show that early education has a significant impact on the achievement levels of students, not just kindergartners, but in subsequent grade levels," the superintendents said in their prepared presentation to the Governor's Tax Task Force.

Another goal of the board's plan says, "Achievement gaps between population groups will be eliminated."

The report on testing by the national assessment group said that scores of black and Hispanic students are considerably lower than those of whites or Asian Americans.

To evaluate whether Nevada is complying with the targets of the federal legislation, the state has adopted performance goals and indicators for students.

The federal act also requires testing of all students in grades 3-8, but Rheault said the state has until 2005 to comply. He said the only ones not being tested are sixth graders.

The state also will have to show students are making adequate progress in academics.

If adopted by the state board Saturday, the plan will be presented to the U.S. Department of Education next month for approval.