AB401 - Revises provisions relating to education. (BDR 34-894)

A.B. 401 - *AB401* ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 401–ASSEMBLYMEMBER ANDERSON MARCH 11, 2025 ____________ Referred to Committee on Education SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to education. (BDR 34-894) 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; eliminating the requirement that pupils take a college and career readiness assessment selected by the State Board of Education to graduate from high school with a standard high school diploma; revising various provisions to reflect the elimination of such a requirement; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Existing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt regulations 1 requiring a pupil enrolled in grade 11 to take a college and career readiness 2 assessment to receive a standard high school diploma. (NRS 390.600) Under 3 existing law, the State Board is required to select such an assessment, and the 4 Department of Education is required to develop an informational pamphlet 5 concerning the assessment. (NRS 390.610, 390.620) Section 33 of this bill 6 eliminates the requirement for a pupil to take a college and career readiness 7 assessment to receive a standard high school diploma. Section 37 of this bill 8 repeals the requirement that the: (1) State Board select a college and career 9 readiness assessment; and (2) Department develop an informational pamphlet 10 concerning the assessment. Section 30 of this bill makes a conforming change to 11 remove an internal reference to one of the sections that is repealed by section 37. 12 Existing law requires the inclusion of information concerning the college and 13 career readiness assessment in certain plans and reports. (NRS 385.112, 385A.200, 14 385A.280, 385A.410, 385A.480, 385A.490, 385A.610, 385A.620, 385A.730, 15 388G.120) Sections 1-3, 5-7, 9-11 and 20 of this bill eliminate the requirement to 16 include information concerning the college and career readiness assessment in such 17 plans and reports. 18 Existing law requires that a pupil, the parent or legal guardian of a pupil and the 19 public be provided with certain information concerning the college and career 20 readiness assessment. (NRS 388.205, 388.208, 390.015) Sections 12, 13 and 22 of 21 this bill eliminate the requirement for certain persons to provide such information. 22 – 2 – - *AB401* Existing law provides for the college and career readiness assessment to be 23 administered to pupils of charter schools, empowerment schools and pupils in a 24 program of distance education. (NRS 388.874, 388A.366, 388G.210) Sections 16, 25 17 and 21 of this bill eliminate requirements related to providing the assessment to 26 such pupils. 27 Existing law authorizes the board of trustees of a school district or the 28 governing body of a charter school to adopt a policy to provide individual 29 graduation plans to certain pupils including, without limitation, pupils who 30 performed poorly on the college and career readiness assessment. (NRS 388.227) 31 Section 14 of this bill eliminates the authority to provide for an individual 32 graduation plan on the basis of a pupil’s performance on the assessment. 33 Existing law excludes the college and career readiness assessment from the 34 applicability of certain provisions governing the security of data concerning pupils. 35 (NRS 388.283) Section 15 eliminates this provision in conformance with the 36 elimination of the requirement for a pupil to take the assessment to receive a 37 standard high school diploma. 38 Existing law requires the Department of Education and the board of trustees of 39 each school district to adopt a plan setting forth procedures to ensure the security of 40 the criterion-referenced examinations and the college and career readiness 41 assessment and provides other provisions governing the administration and security 42 of such examinations and assessments, including provisions authorizing the 43 Department to enter into a contract for the scoring of such examinations and 44 assessments and penalties for personnel who breach the security of such 45 examinations and assessments. (NRS 390.250-390.430, 390.840, 391.330, 391.750) 46 Sections 23-29 and 31-36 of this bill revise these provisions to remove references 47 to the college and career readiness assessment, thereby limiting the applicability of 48 these provisions to just the criterion-referenced examinations. 49 Sections 4, 8, 18 and 19 of this bill make conforming changes to reflect the 50 renumbering of certain provisions in section 33. 51 THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. NRS 385.112 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1 385.112 A plan to improve the achievement of pupils enrolled 2 in public schools in this State prepared pursuant to NRS 385.111 3 must include: 4 1. A review and analysis of the data upon which the report 5 required pursuant to NRS 385A.400 is based and a review and 6 analysis of any data that is more recent than the data upon which the 7 report is based. 8 2. The identification of any problems or factors common 9 among the school districts or charter schools in this State, as 10 revealed by the review and analysis. 11 3. Strategies based upon evidence-based research, as defined in 12 20 U.S.C. § 7801(21), that will strengthen the core academic 13 subjects, as set forth in NRS 389.018. 14 – 3 – - *AB401* 4. Strategies to improve the academic achievement of pupils 1 enrolled in public schools in this State, including, without limitation, 2 strategies to: 3 (a) Instruct pupils who are not achieving to their fullest 4 potential, including, without limitation: 5 (1) The curriculum appropriate to improve achievement; 6 (2) The manner by which the instruction will improve the 7 achievement and proficiency of pupils on the examinations 8 administered pursuant to NRS 390.105 ; [and the college and career 9 readiness assessment administered pursuant to NRS 390.610, 10 including, without limitation, the manner in which remediation will 11 be provided to pupils who require remediation based on the results 12 of an examination administered pursuant to NRS 390.610;] and 13 (3) An identification of the instruction and curriculum that is 14 specifically designed to improve the achievement and proficiency of 15 pupils in each group identified in the statewide system of 16 accountability for public schools; 17 (b) Improve the literacy skills of pupils; 18 (c) Improve the development of English language skills and 19 academic achievement of pupils who are English learners; 20 (d) Increase the rate of attendance of pupils and reduce the 21 number of pupils who drop out of school; 22 (e) Integrate technology into the instructional and administrative 23 programs of the school districts; 24 (f) Manage effectively the discipline of pupils; and 25 (g) Enhance the professional development offered for the 26 teachers and administrators employed at public schools in this State 27 to include the activities set forth in 20 U.S.C. § 7801(42) and to 28 address the specific needs of the pupils enrolled in public schools in 29 this State, as deemed appropriate by the State Board. 30 5. Strategies designed to provide to the pupils enrolled in 31 middle school, junior high school and high school, the teachers and 32 counselors who provide instruction to those pupils, and the parents 33 and guardians of those pupils information concerning: 34 (a) The requirements for admission to an institution of higher 35 education and the opportunities for financial aid; 36 (b) The availability of Governor Guinn Millennium 37 Scholarships pursuant to NRS 396.911 to 396.945, inclusive, and 38 Nevada Promise Scholarships pursuant to NRS 396.961 to 39 396.9685, inclusive; and 40 (c) The need for a pupil to make informed decisions about his or 41 her curriculum in middle school, junior high school and high school 42 in preparation for success after graduation. 43 – 4 – - *AB401* 6. An identification, by category, of the employees of the 1 Department who are responsible for ensuring that each provision of 2 the plan is carried out effectively. 3 7. A timeline for carrying out the plan, including, without 4 limitation: 5 (a) The rate of improvement and progress which must be 6 attained annually in meeting the goals and benchmarks established 7 by the State Board pursuant to NRS 385.113; and 8 (b) For each provision of the plan, a timeline for carrying out 9 that provision, including, without limitation, a timeline for 10 monitoring whether the provision is carried out effectively. 11 8. For each provision of the plan, measurable criteria for 12 determining whether the provision has contributed toward 13 improving the academic achievement of pupils, increasing the rate 14 of attendance of pupils and reducing the number of pupils who drop 15 out of school. 16 9. Strategies to improve the allocation of resources from this 17 State, by program and by school district, in a manner that will 18 improve the academic achievement of pupils. If this State has a 19 financial analysis program that is designed to track educational 20 expenditures and revenues to individual schools, the State Board 21 shall use that statewide program in complying with this subsection. 22 If a statewide program is not available, the State Board shall use the 23 Department’s own financial analysis program in complying with 24 this subsection. 25 10. Based upon the reallocation of resources set forth in 26 subsection 9, the resources available to the State Board and the 27 Department to carry out the plan, including, without limitation, a 28 budget for the overall cost of carrying out the plan. 29 11. A summary of the effectiveness of appropriations made by 30 the Legislature to improve the academic achievement of pupils and 31 programs approved by the Legislature to improve the academic 32 achievement of pupils. 33 12. A 5-year strategic plan which identifies the recurring issues 34 in improving the achievement and proficiency of pupils in this State 35 and which establishes strategic goals to address those issues. The 5- 36 year strategic plan must be: 37 (a) Based upon the data from previous years which is collected 38 by the Department for the plan developed pursuant to NRS 385.111; 39 and 40 (b) Designed to track the progress made in achieving the 41 strategic goals established by the Department. 42 13. Any additional plans addressing the achievement and 43 proficiency of pupils adopted by the Department. 44 – 5 – - *AB401* Sec. 2. NRS 385A.200 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1 385A.200 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, 2 the annual report of accountability prepared pursuant to NRS 3 385A.070 must include information on pupil achievement and 4 school performance, including, without limitation, pupil 5 achievement for each school in the district and the district as a 6 whole, including, without limitation, each charter school sponsored 7 by the district. The board of trustees of the district shall base its 8 report on the results of the examinations administered pursuant to 9 NRS 390.105 [and the college and career readiness assessment 10 administered pursuant to NRS 390.610] and shall compare the 11 results of those examinations for the school year for which the 12 annual report is being prepared with those of previous school years. 13 The report must include, for each school in the district, including, 14 without limitation, each charter school sponsored by the district, and 15 each grade in which the examinations and assessments were 16 administered: 17 (a) The number of pupils who took the examinations and a 18 record of attendance for the period in which the examinations were 19 administered, including an explanation of any difference in the 20 number of pupils who took the examinations and the number of 21 pupils who are enrolled in the school. 22 (b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2 of NRS 23 385A.070, pupil achievement, reported separately by gender and 24 reported separately for the groups of pupils identified in the 25 statewide system of accountability for public schools. 26 (c) A comparison of the achievement of pupils in each group 27 identified in the statewide system of accountability for public 28 schools with the performance targets established for that group. 29 (d) The percentage of pupils who were not tested. 30 (e) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2 of NRS 31 385A.070, the percentage of pupils who were not tested, reported 32 separately by gender and reported separately for the groups 33 identified in the statewide system of accountability for public 34 schools. 35 (f) The most recent 3-year trend in pupil achievement in each 36 subject area tested and each grade level tested pursuant to NRS 37 390.105 , [and the college and career readiness assessment 38 administered pursuant to NRS 390.610,] which may include 39 information regarding the trend in the achievement of pupils for 40 more than 3 years, if such information is available. 41 (g) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3 of NRS 42 385A.720, the rating of each public school in the district, including, 43 without limitation, each charter school sponsored by the district, 44 – 6 – - *AB401* pursuant to the statewide system of accountability for public 1 schools. 2 (h) Information on whether each school in the district, including, 3 without limitation, each charter school sponsored by the district, has 4 made progress based upon the model adopted by the Department 5 pursuant to NRS 390.125. 6 (i) Information that compares the results of pupils in the school 7 district, including, without limitation, pupils enrolled in charter 8 schools sponsored by the district, with the results of pupils 9 throughout this State. The information required by this paragraph 10 must be provided in consultation with the Department to ensure the 11 accuracy of the comparison. 12 (j) For each school in the district, including, without limitation, 13 each charter school sponsored by the district, information that 14 compares the results of pupils in the school with the re [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]