SB278 - Revises provisions relating to education. (BDR 34-788)

- 83rd Session (2025) Senate Bill No. 278–Senators Cruz-Crawford, Ohrenschall; Doñate, Flores and Nguyen Joint Sponsors: Assemblymembers González and Torres-Fossett CHAPTER.......... AN ACT relating to education; requiring the Commission on Professional Standards in Education to consider certain changes when adopting regulations governing licensure for teachers and other educational personnel; eliminating the use of local assessments to determine whether a pupil has a deficiency in the subject area of reading for certain purposes; revising certain reporting requirements concerning pupils who receive certain services and instruction to address a deficiency in the subject area of reading; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Existing law creates the Commission on Professional Standards in Education and requires the Commission to adopt regulations prescribing the qualifications for licensing teachers and other educational personnel. (NRS 391.011, 391.019) Section 1.1 of this bill requires the Commission to consider any changes necessary to improve access to licensure or endorsement when adopting such regulations. Existing law requires a public elementary school to provide certain programs, services and instruction to certain pupils who have a deficiency in the subject area of reading based on state or local assessments and other relevant information. (NRS 392.750, 392.755) Sections 2.6 and 3 of this bill eliminate the use of local assessments to determine whether a pupil has a deficiency in the subject area of reading. Section 3 further provides that a pupil is not required to continue receiving services or instruction to correct a deficiency in the subject area of reading if the pupil achieves a score on the statewide assessment that falls within the level established by the State Board of Education for the grade level in which the pupil is enrolled. Existing law requires the board of trustees of each school district and the governing body of a charter school to prepare a report containing certain information regarding pupils who receive intervention services and intensive instruction to address a deficiency in the subject area of reading. (NRS 388A.487, 392.775) Sections 1 and 3.5 of this bill eliminate this requirement. Section 2.2 of this bill prohibits any entity other than the State Board of Education from requiring a public school, the board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of a charter school to report information concerning pupils who receive intervention services and intensive instruction to address a deficiency in the subject area of reading. Section 2.4 of this bill applies the existing definition of “subject area of reading” to the provisions of section 2.2. – 2 – - 83rd Session (2025) EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. NRS 388A.487 is hereby amended to read as follows: 388A.487 [1.] The governing body of a charter school that operates as an elementary school shall adopt rules for the provision of intervention services and intensive instruction to pupils who are enrolled in the charter school that are consistent with NRS 392.750, 392.760 and 392.765. The rules must: [(a)] 1. Prescribe the programs and instruction which will be provided to a pupil who has been identified as deficient in the subject area of reading in accordance with the plan established pursuant to NRS 388.157. [(b)] 2. Require the school to provide to a pupil who has been identified as deficient in the subject area of reading with intervention services and intensive instruction in accordance with the plan established pursuant to NRS 388.157. [2. On or before October 15 of each year, the governing body of each charter school that operates as an elementary school shall: (a) Prepare a report concerning the number and percentage of pupils at the charter school who were: (1) Designated in grade 3 to be provided intervention services and intensive instruction while enrolled in an elementary school of a charter school pursuant to NRS 392.760 for a deficiency in the subject area of reading, including whether or not any such pupils were previously provided intervention services and intensive instruction while enrolled in an elementary school of a charter school; and (2) Received educational programs or services identified pursuant to subsection 1 of NRS 392.750 at each grade level and whose proficiency in the subject area of reading: (I) Did not improve at a rate prescribed by the governing body of a charter school, indicating a need for more intensive or different interventions; (II) Improved at a rate prescribed by the governing body of a charter school, indicating growth toward performing at a level determined by a statewide assessment to be within the level established by the State Board for pupils enrolled in the same grade in which the pupils are enrolled; and – 3 – - 83rd Session (2025) (b) Submit a copy of the report to the Department, the Legislature and the sponsor of the charter school; and (c) Post the report on the Internet website maintained by the charter school and otherwise make the report available to the parents and legal guardians of pupils enrolled in the charter school and the general public. Section 1.] Sec. 1.1. NRS 391.019 is hereby amended to read as follows: 391.019 1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.027, the Commission shall adopt regulations: (a) Prescribing the qualifications for licensing teachers and other educational personnel and the procedures for the issuance and renewal of those licenses. The regulations: (1) Must include, without limitation, the qualifications for licensing teachers and administrators pursuant to an alternative route to licensure which provides that the required education and training may be provided by any qualified provider which has been approved by the Commission, including, without limitation, institutions of higher education and other providers that operate independently of an institution of higher education. The regulations adopted pursuant to this subparagraph must: (I) Establish the requirements for approval as a qualified provider; (II) Require a qualified provider to be selective in its acceptance of students; (III) Require a qualified provider to provide in-person or virtual supervised, school-based experiences and ongoing support for its students, such as mentoring and coaching; (IV) Significantly limit the amount of course work required or provide for the waiver of required course work for students who achieve certain scores on tests; (V) Allow for the completion in 2 years or less of the education and training required under the alternative route to licensure; (VI) Provide that a person who has completed the education and training required under the alternative route to licensure and who has satisfied all other requirements for licensure may apply for a regular license pursuant to sub-subparagraph (VII) regardless of whether the person has received an offer of employment from a school district, charter school or private school; and (VII) Upon the completion by a person of the education and training required under the alternative route to licensure and the – 4 – - 83rd Session (2025) satisfaction of all other requirements for licensure, provide for the issuance of a regular license to the person pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter. (2) Must require an applicant for a license to teach middle school or junior high school education or secondary education to demonstrate proficiency in a field of specialization or area of concentration by successfully completing course work prescribed by the Department or completing a subject matter competency examination prescribed by the Department with a score deemed satisfactory. (3) Must not prescribe qualifications which are more stringent than the qualifications set forth in NRS 391.0315 for a licensed teacher who applies for an additional license in accordance with that section. (b) Identifying fields of specialization in teaching which require the specialized training of teachers. (c) Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.125, requiring teachers to obtain from the Department an endorsement in a field of specialization to be eligible to teach in that field of specialization. (d) Setting forth the educational requirements a teacher must satisfy to qualify for an endorsement in each field of specialization. (e) Setting forth the qualifications and requirements for obtaining a license or endorsement to teach American Sign Language, including, without limitation, being registered with the Aging and Disability Services Division of the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to NRS 656A.100 to engage in the practice of sign language interpreting in a primary or secondary educational setting. (f) Requiring teachers and other educational personnel to be registered with the Aging and Disability Services Division pursuant to NRS 656A.100 to engage in the practice of sign language interpreting in a primary or secondary educational setting if they: (1) Provide instruction or other educational services; and (2) Concurrently engage in the practice of sign language interpreting, as defined in NRS 656A.060. (g) Prescribing course work on parental involvement and family engagement. The Commission shall: (1) Work in cooperation with the Office of Parental Involvement and Family Engagement created by NRS 385.630 in developing the regulations required by this paragraph. (2) Establish standards for professional development training which may be used to satisfy any course work requirement prescribed pursuant to this paragraph. – 5 – - 83rd Session (2025) (h) Establishing the requirements for obtaining an endorsement on the license of a teacher, administrator or other educational personnel in cultural competency. (i) Authorizing the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue a license by endorsement to an applicant who holds an equivalent license or authorization issued by a governmental entity in another country if the Superintendent determines that the qualifications for the equivalent license or authorization are substantially similar to those prescribed pursuant to paragraph (a). (j) Establishing the requirements for obtaining an endorsement on the license of a teacher, administrator or other educational personnel in teaching courses relating to financial literacy. (k) Authorizing a person who is employed as a paraprofessional and enrolled in a program to become a teacher to complete an accelerated program of student teaching in the same or a substantially similar area in which the person is employed as a paraprofessional while remaining employed as a paraprofessional. (l) Requiring the Department to accept a program of student teaching or other teaching experience completed in another state or foreign country by an applicant for a license if the Department determines that the program or experience substantially fulfills the standards of a program of student teaching in this State. (m) Authorizing a person who is employed by a public school to provide support or other services relating to school psychology, if the person does not hold a license or endorsement as a school psychologist but is enrolled in a program that would allow the person to obtain such a license or endorsement, to complete a program of internship in school psychology while remaining employed in such a position. (n) To carry out the provisions of NRS 391B.010. 2. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 391.027, the Commission may adopt such other regulations as it deems necessary for its own government or to carry out its duties. 3. Any regulation which increases the amount of education, training or experience required for licensing: (a) Must, in addition to the requirements for publication in chapter 233B of NRS, be publicized before its adoption in a manner reasonably calculated to inform those persons affected by the change. (b) Must not become effective until at least 1 year after the date it is adopted by the Commission. (c) Is not applicable to a license in effect on the date the regulation becomes effective. – 6 – - 83rd Session (2025) 4. When adopting the regulations required by this section, the Commission shall consider any changes necessary to improve access to licensure or endorsement. Such changes may include, without limitation, changes to streamline procedures, consolidate requirements or otherwise simplify and improve the process for a person who is enrolled in a program for an alternative route to licensure or who has completed the education and training required for licensure through an alternative route to licensure. Sec. 2. (Deleted by amendment.) Sec. 2.2. Chapter 392 of NRS is hereby amended by adding thereto a new section to read as follows: Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no entity other than the State Board may require a public school, the board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of a charter school to report information relating to the provisions of NRS 392.748 to 392.785, inclusive. Sec. 2.4. NRS 392.748 is hereby amended to read as follows: 392.748 As used in NRS 392.748 to 392.785, inclusive, and section 2.2 of this act, unless the context otherwise requires, “subject area of reading” includes, without limitation, phonological and phonemic awareness, decoding skills, reading fluency and vocabulary and reading comprehension. Sec. 2.6. NRS 392.750 is hereby amended to read as follows: 392.750 If a pupil enrolled at a public elementary school in kindergarten or grade 1, 2 or 3 or who newly enrolls in a public elementary school exhibits a deficiency in the subject area of reading based upon state [or local] assessments and the observations of the pupil’s teacher, the principal of the school must provide written notice of the deficiency to the parent or legal guardian of the pupil within 30 days after the date on which the deficiency is discovered. The written notice must, without limitation: 1. Identify the educational programs and services that the pupil will receive to improve the pupil’s proficiency in the subject area of reading, including, without limitation, the programs a [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]