Identified GapsPopulation and growth issues - teachersThe most dominant of Nevada’s education issues is increased growth. From 1984 to 1999, Nevada’s public school enrollment grew by 115% as compared to the nation’s 19% growth rate. Since 1986-1987 the enrollment increases in Nevada’s K-12 population have averaged six to eight percent a year. This is three to four times the national average, with only the states of Florida and Arizona experiencing similar expansion. Because of the fast-paced growth, Nevada cannot maintain a constant supply of teachers with literacy expertise to meet the needs of our growing and diverse student population. Approximately half (47%) of Nevada teachers have five or less years of teaching experience. With the two university systems unable to keep up the supply for the demand for new teachers, sixty-six percent of all new teachers hired in Nevada in 2000-2001 were from outside the state. Reading AchievementAccording to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report, 48% of Nevada's fourth graders were not achieving basic proficiency in reading. This compares with 33% nationally. The fact that nearly half of Nevada's fourth graders and nearly a third of its eighth graders scored "below basic" on the 1998 reading tests of the National Assessment of Educational Progress is particularly worrisome in Nevada, since its school-age population is one of the fastest-growing in the country. According to the nationally norm-referenced Terra Nova test results, reading performance among Nevada fourth grade students with low socio-economic status is far below the national average and their state counterparts. The six-year trend shows a 20-point gap that consistently separates the scores of students from low socio-economic backgrounds from those of all other students. Population and growth issues – special student populationsThe population in Nevada increased 66.3% in the ten-year span from 1990 to 2000. During that same time period, the number of English Language Learners in Nevada schools grew 682% (Nevada Department of Education, 2002). Of that number, approximately 90% of the limited English proficient students in Nevada were identified as Hispanic. That population is projected to nearly double again by the year 2005. On December 1, 2000, there were 35,703 students from ages 3-21 in Nevada who were eligible for and receiving special education services. The number represented approximately 11% of the total school enrollment for that year. In the last five years, the number of students enrolled in special education programs statewide increased about 35%, compared to the growth in total school enrollment at about 30%. Their performance is far below the average proficiency for Nevada students, as is the performance of Limited English Proficient students. Perhaps even more alarming is the evidence that African American and Hispanic/Latino students are over-represented in special education programs (Nevada Department of Education, 2002). This trend is disturbingly consistent with other subject matter areas as well. Language, math and science also show the achievement gap between Asian and White students as compared to Black, Hispanic and American Indian students. Other noted gaps in improving reading instructionUnder the present system of remediation support, many of the same schools are targeted for additional support with K-3 literacy initiatives. As we continue to intercede with assistance in these most at-risk schools by providing intense professional development, there are many schools that collectively have vast numbers of at-risk students not reading at grade level, as well as large numbers of teachers and principals who are not well-versed in scientifically based reading research and assessment practices. These two areas of concern were also apparent in the surveys recently completed by schools as part of the Nevada REA subgrant application process. In addition, state efforts on school reform based on the 1997 Nevada Education Reform Act required the Legislative Bureau of Educational Accountability and Program Evaluation, with the assistance of the Nevada Department of Education and other education consultants to develop a List of Effective Remedial Programs to be presented to the Legislative Committee on Education for approval. The Committee reviewed and approved the list that was then made available to schools to consider programs for purchase with state and federal funds. This list has been updated annually. School leaders are advised in the latest edition: “These programs should be viewed as only one piece of a comprehensive plan for improvement for your schools, and should not be considered as an isolated ‘fix-all’ for your pupils. In choosing a research-based remediation program, school principals and faculty must thoughtfully consider the needs of their students, as well as the philosophy of their school.” Among the 32 currently approved products on the list of effective remedial programs, the following programs may be purchased through Title I, CSRD and the state remediation funding programs for K-3 remedial literacy instruction:
While a number of schools have indicated increased student achievement with some of these programs, most of the listed programs do not offer directed teaching based on scientifically based reading research on all of the essential elements of effective reading instruction. Some rely on instructional strategies that engage students in independent, silent reading with minimal guidance and feedback. Others do not fully address the five essential components of reading; and still others lack a scientific research base that meets rigorous and clearly defined standards. |