Nevada Education Reform Act

In 1997 the Nevada Legislature passed the Nevada Education Reform Act (NERA).  Under this act the Council to Establish Academic Standards in Public Schools was appointed to write content and student performance standards in major core subjects; public schools were classified along a continuum of achievement based on student performance on norm-referenced tests; and new criterion-referenced tests were projected for development.  In addition, the Legislative Committee on Education was required to recommend to the Nevada Department of Education programs of remedial study that had been proven to be successful in improving the academic achievement of pupils in the subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics and science. 

The first set of Nevada Standards, including language arts, was adopted by the State Board of Education in August 1998 and went into effect in the 1999-2000 school year. Standards in English/language arts, mathematics, and science were put in place in 1999-2000; then in 2000-2001 a full set of standards covering additional subjects, including social studies, physical education, computer technology, health, foreign language the arts, and information literacy were put in place. 

Starting in 1997-98, the state categorized schools as either "inadequate," "performing adequately," or "high achieving" based on the Terra Nova (1st ed.) standardized test.  That year, 23 low-performing schools were designated as needing improvement and they became eligible to receive funding to implement research-based programs at their sites. In 1999 the legislature changed the categories to demonstrating "need for improvement," "adequate," "high," and "exemplary" achievement.  Schools designated as demonstrating "need for improvement" had over 40 percent of students scoring in the lowest quarter in all four subject areas (reading, language, math and science); these schools then became eligible to receive state remediation funds to implement research-based programs at the school site.  The 1999 legislature also expanded state remediation funding to include those schools that had demonstrated "adequate" achievement on the Terra Nova, but who had over 40 percent of students scoring in the bottom quarter in three of four subject areas.  During the 1999-2000 school year, 10 schools were classified as needing improvement, which made them eligible for a share of $3.3 million per year set aside by the legislature for that purpose.  The money was also shared by 20 schools whose achievement levels were slightly higher.  The schools received an average of $100,000, which they used to adopt one of 26 state-approved improvement programs.  To assist schools in choosing a program, a list of research-based programs in reading and other areas was developed by a committee from the Legislative Council Bureau and the Nevada Department of Education.

The University and Community College System of Nevada (UCCSN) and the State Board of Education signed the Nevada Collaborative for Academic Success in 1998 which established a K-16 Council, fostering cooperative efforts between K-12 and higher education institutions to:

• develop and implement standards and assessments that will raise the level of academic achievement of all students in K-16,
• align preservice and inservice teacher education with the state-established standards and assessments, and to
• reduce impediments and provide incentives for students to complete high school and to enter post-secondary programs that support their successful transition to careers and life.

In the 1999 legislative session, legislators requested that the Nevada Standards in Language Arts, Mathematics and Science be prioritized and revised.  (For further information on Nevada's Standards, please visit the Nevada Department of Education website at http://www.nde.state.nv.us.)  In addition, the 1999 legislature established four regional professional development programs whose function is to provide professional development to all Nevada teachers in implementing and assessing the state's academic and performance standards.  The Regional Professional Development (RPDP) sites carry out their work through four regional centers with each center responsible for identifying and addressing the standards-related needs for the teachers and administrators in its area.  Each region has a council that oversees their work.  It consists of district superintendents in the respective regions, master teachers appointed by the superintendents, and representatives of Nevada