Tuesday, June 27, 2017 | 2:35 p.m.
Nevada’s federally mandated education accountability plan is strong but has room for improvement, according to an independent analysis requested by two nonprofit advocacy groups.
Bellwether Education Partners and the Collaborative for Student Success today released the review to the public. The analysis says Nevada’s plan proposes challenging standards and goals, but the state can do more to lay out long-term strategies for monitoring and improving.
Jim Cowen, executive director of the Collaborative for Student Success, said Nevada has a strong plan.
“Their ideas are especially exemplary for ensuring that previously troubled schools have improved and will continue to demonstrate progress,” he said in a news release. “We hope that other states will look for ways to incorporate this best practice.”
The Every Student Succeeds Act was signed by President Barack Obama in 2015. It requires the submission of state accountability plans to the U.S. Department of Education.
The two education groups worked with more than 30 experts to review the 17 plans submitted in April and May 2017. Remaining states are expected to submit plans to the education department in September.
“In identifying the strengths and weaknesses of accountability plans that were submitted earlier this year to the U.S. Department of Education, we’ve been able to create what is effectively a best practices clearinghouse designed to help states move beyond mere compliance with the federal law,” Cowen said. “This analysis is an invaluable resource to every state, regardless of whether it is one of the 17 that has already submitted a plan, or one of the 34 that will submit a plan in the coming months, because it provides actionable information.”
The collaborative said in a news release today that Nevada could better define its method for identifying schools that will need extra support to improve performance.
“Nevada could strengthen its plan by articulating how it intends to continuously evaluate and update its plan and modify its improvement strategies over time,” the release says. “Nevada could also explain how it will evaluate ongoing implementation efforts of its plan, as well as how it will consult with key stakeholders as the state revises its improvement strategies.”
