AB386 - Revises provisions relating to assessments administered to pupils to assess reading proficiency. (BDR S-828)

EXEMPT (Reprinted with amendments adopted on June 2, 2025) FOURTH REPRINT A.B. 386 - *AB386_R4* ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 386–ASSEMBLYMEMBERS GOULDING; AND HUNT MARCH 10, 2025 ____________ Referred to Committee on Education SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to assessments administered to pupils to assess reading proficiency. (BDR S-828) FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No. Effect on the State: Yes. ~ EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. AN ACT relating to education; authorizing the Board of Trustees of the Washoe County School District to establish and administer a pilot program during the 2025-2026 school year to use an alternative assessment to assess the literacy of pupils enrolled in an elementary school if the alternative assessment satisfies certain criteria; requiring the Department of Education to award a grant to the Washoe County School District in an amount equal to the savings to the Department for not administering the statewide assessment to pupils enrolled in the School District; requiring a report concerning the program to be submitted to the Department and the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Education; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Existing law requires the board of trustees of a school district or the governing 1 body of a charter school to prepare a plan to improve the literacy of pupils enrolled 2 in an elementary school. Such a plan must include procedures to assess the 3 proficiency of a pupil in reading during each grade level of elementary school, as is 4 determined to be necessary, by using assessments that have been approved by the 5 State Board of Education by regulation. (NRS 388.157) This bill authorizes the 6 Board of Trustees of the Washoe County School District to establish and administer 7 a pilot program during the 2025-2026 school year to administer an assessment other 8 than the statewide assessment to assess the proficiency of pupils in reading if the 9 State Board approves the assessment. Under this bill, the State Board is required to 10 approve such an assessment if the assessment is a valid and reliable 11 – 2 – - *AB386_R4* standards-based assessment to assess proficiency in reading and the Department of 12 Education has established a method to establish an equivalent score to a score on 13 the statewide assessment. This bill further provides that, if the Board of Trustees of 14 the Washoe County School District administers such an assessment to assess 15 proficiency in reading other than the statewide assessment, the Department is 16 required to award a grant to the School District in an amount equal to the savings to 17 the Department for not administering the statewide assessment to pupils in the 18 School District. Finally, this bill requires the Washoe County School District to 19 submit a report to the Department and the Joint Interim Standing Committee on 20 Education concerning the pilot program. 21 THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. (Deleted by amendment.) 1 Sec. 2. (Deleted by amendment.) 2 Sec. 3. 1. For the 2025-2026 school year, the Board of 3 Trustees of the Washoe County School District may establish and 4 administer a pilot program for the administration of an assessment 5 other than the statewide assessment to determine, for the purposes of 6 the plan to improve the literacy of pupils enrolled in an elementary 7 school prepared pursuant to NRS 388.157, whether pupils enrolled 8 in the Washoe County School District have achieved adequate 9 proficiency in the requisite reading skills and reading 10 comprehension skills necessary to perform at a level determined by 11 the statewide assessment to be within a level determined by the 12 State Board of Education. 13 2. Any assessment administered by the Board of Trustees of 14 the Washoe County School District pursuant to the pilot program 15 established and administered pursuant to subsection 1 must be 16 approved by the State Board of Education. The State Board of 17 Education shall approve any such assessment if: 18 (a) The assessment is a valid and reliable standards-based 19 assessment to assess the proficiency of pupils in the subject area of 20 reading; and 21 (b) The Department of Education has established for the 22 assessment a method to determine an equivalent score to a score on 23 a statewide assessment. 24 3. If, pursuant to the pilot program established and 25 administered pursuant to subsection 1, the Board of Trustees of the 26 Washoe County School District administers an assessment to assess 27 the proficiency of a pupil in the subject area of reading other than 28 the statewide assessment: 29 (a) The Board of Trustees is not required to administer the 30 statewide assessment for the purposes of the plan prepared pursuant 31 to NRS 388.157; and 32 – 3 – - *AB386_R4* (b) The Department of Education shall award a grant to the 1 Washoe County School District in an amount equal to the savings to 2 the Department for not administering the statewide assessment to 3 pupils enrolled in the Washoe County School District. 4 4. Not later than August 31, 2026, the Washoe County School 5 District shall provide a report to the Department of Education and 6 the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Education concerning the 7 pilot program established and administered pursuant to subsection 1 8 that includes, without limitation: 9 (a) Information concerning the assessment administered 10 pursuant to the pilot program; 11 (b) The method by which the assessment administered pursuant 12 to the pilot program establishes a score that is equivalent to a score 13 on the statewide assessment; and 14 (c) Information concerning the grant made to the School District 15 by the Department pursuant to subsection 3. 16 Sec. 4. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2025, and expires 17 by limitation on June 30, 2026. 18 H