SB351 - Revises provisions relating to the statewide system of accountability for public schools. (BDR 34-636)

S.B. 351 - *SB351* SENATE BILL NO. 351–SENATOR BUCK MARCH 13, 2025 ____________ Referred to Committee on Education SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to the statewide system of accountability for public schools. (BDR 34-636) FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: May have Fiscal Impact. 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; requiring the Department of Education to include a method for providing additional weight to the scores of certain pupils on criterion- referenced examinations in the statewide system of accountability for public schools; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: To be eligible for certain federal funding, existing federal law requires a state to 1 have a statewide system for providing accountability for public schools. (20 U.S.C. 2 § 6311(c)) Existing law requires the statewide system of accountability to: (1) 3 include a method for rating each public school based upon the performance of the 4 school and whether each public school meets certain school achievement targets 5 and performance targets; and (2) establish school achievement targets and 6 performance targets which must be based primarily upon the measurement of the 7 progress and proficiency of pupils on the criterion-referenced examinations 8 prescribed by the State Board of Education. (NRS 385A.600, 390.105) This bill 9 requires the method used by the statewide system of accountability to rate each 10 public school, in incorporating the measurement of the progress and proficiency of 11 pupils on such examinations, to use a scoring system which places twice as much 12 weight on the progress in a subject of a pupil who, in the immediately preceding 13 year or on the last examination in that subject, received a score on an examination 14 that was lower than 75 percent of the pupils enrolled in the same grade at the same 15 school. 16 – 2 – - *SB351* THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. NRS 385A.600 is hereby amended to read as 1 follows: 2 385A.600 1. The Department shall make every effort to 3 obtain the approval necessary from the United States Department of 4 Education to ensure that the statewide system of accountability for 5 public schools complies with all requirements for the receipt of 6 federal money under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 7 of 1965, 20 U.S.C. §§ 6301 et seq., as amended. 8 2. The statewide system of accountability applies to all public 9 schools, regardless of Title I status, and must, except as otherwise 10 provided in subsection 3 of NRS 385A.720: 11 (a) Include a method to, on an annual basis, rate each public 12 school based upon the performance of the school and based upon 13 whether each public school meets the school achievement targets 14 and performance targets established pursuant to the statewide 15 system of accountability; 16 (b) Include a method to implement consequences, rewards and 17 supports for public schools based upon the ratings; 18 (c) Include a method to provide grants and other financial 19 support, to the extent that money is available from legislative 20 appropriation, to public schools receiving one of the two lowest 21 ratings of performance pursuant to the statewide system of 22 accountability for public schools; and 23 (d) Establish school achievement targets and performance 24 targets for public schools and performance targets for specific 25 groups of pupils, including, without limitation, pupils who are 26 economically disadvantaged, pupils from major racial and ethnic 27 groups, pupils with disabilities and pupils who are English learners. 28 The school achievement targets and performance targets must: 29 (1) Be based primarily upon the measurement of the progress 30 and proficiency of pupils on the examinations administered pursuant 31 to NRS 390.105; and 32 (2) For high schools, include the rate of graduation and the 33 rate of attendance. 34 3. The method used by the statewide system of accountability 35 to rate each public school must, in incorporating the measurement 36 of the progress of pupils on the examinations administered 37 pursuant to NRS 390.105, use a scoring system which places twice 38 as much weight on the progress in a subject of a pupil who, in an 39 examination administered in the immediately preceding year, 40 received a score in that subject that was lower than 75 percent of 41 the pupils enrolled in the same grade at the same school. 42 – 3 – - *SB351* 4. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3 of NRS 1 385A.720, the statewide system of accountability for public schools 2 may include a method to: 3 (a) On an annual basis, rate school districts based upon the 4 performance of the public schools within the school district and 5 whether those public schools meet the school achievement targets 6 and performance targets established pursuant to the statewide 7 system of accountability; and 8 (b) Implement consequences, rewards and supports for school 9 districts based upon the ratings. 10 Sec. 2. 1. This section becomes effective upon passage and 11 approval. 12 2. Section 1 of this act becomes effective: 13 (a) Upon passage and approval for the purpose of adopting any 14 regulations and performing any other preparatory administrative 15 tasks that are necessary to carry out the provisions of this act; and 16 (b) On July 1, 2026, for all other purposes. 17 H