70 CCSD schools drop in state’s latest performance rankings

By Brian Nordli

Friday, Sept. 12, 2014 | 5:35 p.m.

The stars are falling in the Clark County School District as more schools slipped in the latest Nevada public school rankings than increased, according to the Nevada Department of Education.

The Nevada School Performance Framework results, which were released today, rates schools on a scale of one to five stars, with one star being the lowest rating and five the highest. The rankings are meant to hold schools accountable and help parents identify the best schools for their children.

Each school’s performance is measured on the results from the state standardized tests. The state looks at the growth students have shown on the test, passing rates, how much a school was able to close the gap in achievement among different student groups, along with other indicators, such as daily attendance, graduation rates and participation rates.

This year, 50 schools improved their rating while over 70 schools took a step back in performance. Meanwhile, about 70 percent of the 348 tested schools received adequate ratings with at least three stars.

Yet there was little growth in the district. Pat Skorkowsky, the Clark County schools superintendent, said it is the result of shifting test standards in the district as the state switches to common core standards.

“We know we have hard work ahead of us to ensure the academic success of every student in every classroom,” Skorkowsky said.

Among schools that saw growth was Faiss Middle School in the southwest valley. The district celebrated the accomplishment in the school library with star confetti and a banner hung over the bookshelves congratulating the school.

Over the past two years, it has gone from a middling three-star school to a five-star school. Teachers have collaborated on better ways to teach students, instruction has been more focused on state standards and former principal Nathan Miller put more focus on making the campus clean.

Those changes were reflected in the results, said Miller, who is now the principal at Durango High School.

Faiss Middle School is one of seven other middle schools and high schools that earned five stars. In addition to Faiss, Indian Springs Middle School jumped two stars to become a five-star school.

Yet for all the success, the school district has the same number of five star schools as last year, at 53, with as many schools dropping out of the five-star rating as were added. Hancock, Piggott and Walker elementary schools made the biggest drop in the district from five stars to two stars.

The district also expanded the number of one-star schools from four to nine this year. While some of those were the result of including new schools that handle high-risk students, schools like William Tom Elementary School, Priest Elementary School and Petersen Elementary School all dropped from two stars to one.

Skorkowsky said the district plans to examine the one-star schools and find out where it is struggling.

“You look at the data first, and the circumstances around the school, what support systems are in place,” Skorkowsky said. “Then we focus on taking things from successful school and placing them at (struggling) schools.”

Results for every school can be found here, and a more in-depth look at each school can be accessed at nevadareportcard.com.