LOOKING IN ON: EDUCATION

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007 | 1:16 a.m.

The Clark County School District's decision to evaluate itself isn't without risk.

The "Quality Assurance Framework," which will be unveiled Monday for the Clark County School Board, may be the most in-depth examination ever of student achievement, school performance and the state of the district as a whole. Superintendent Walt Rulffes said he realizes the document may provide fuel for critics. But to improve, the district must be brave enough to expose its weaknesses, he said.

The evaluation will also help the district identify best practices that should be duplicated and "celebrate successes that might otherwise go unnoticed," Rulffes said.

To measure progress, district staff set benchmarks for dozens of categories, such as closing the achievement gap between minority students and their white peers and increasing the number of students taking college entrance exams. Progress was measured as adequate, moderate or superior. The resulting report card is far more comprehensive than what's required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which measures student achievement on standardized tests.

"I want the community to recognize positive aspects of their schools," Rulffes said, "and at the same time understand how, where and why resources need to be adjusted to improve performance."

Two new charter schools that allow children to work from home have more interested students than they can handle and have officially closed enrollment for the rest of the academic year.

Nevada Virtual Academy has topped out at 380 students in grades four to eight. Nevada Connections Academy, which has 475 students in grades four to 11, also has closed its enrollment.

Both schools rely on curriculum and services provided by for-profit education companies. Nevada Virtual Academy uses K12 Inc. Connections academies are operating in 15 states.

The schools allow students to take part in classes from their home computers, with parents serving as academic coaches. Licensed teachers hold online classes and meet one-on-one with students throughout the year.

Brad Lester, principal of Nevada Virtual Academy, said he was fielding about 30 inquiries a week from families interested in the school's program.

The decision was made to cap enrollment because the school will not receive state money for students who sign up after the official "count day," which was in early fall.

The school expects to grow to about 600 students for the 2008-09 academic year.

The State Board of Education voted Nov. 30 to temporarily suspend sponsorship of new charter schools, although the seven applications already in the pipeline will be reviewed.

Critics of the moratorium say the popularity of the new virtual schools is proof that Nevada families want more alternatives in public education. But state board members say without adequate staff and funding, the Education Department cannot properly review applications or supervise schools that win sponsorship.

The National Association of Career & Technical Education was in town this week, and the first stop for convention attendees was Clark County's newest magnet high school.

The Northwest Career & Technical Academy opened in August with just under 1,000 students in grades nine and 10. Unlike vocational schools of old, the district's career and technical academies combine rigorous academics with training in a specific field or discipline such as medical research or broadcast journalism. The district will open four additional academies in the next four years.

The visitors Wednesday admired the school's design, which includes glass-walled conference rooms for students to use while working on joint projects, a fully outfitted broadcast studio and the sparkling kitchen facilities for the culinary program.

Cara LeGrys, supervisor of career and technical education for the 55,000-student district in Ashburn, Va., said Clark County is "right on the cutting edge." Like Southern Nevada, Ashburn is experiencing high growth and is planning a new high school with space dedicated to career and technical education, LeGrys said.

She was particularly impressed that the school had earned a federal designation for its energy-efficient design, something else that's a hot topic for her district, she said.

"There's a great deal we can learn from Clark County."