State standards group working to revamp school system

At public hearing at Wooster High School, the panel will focus on proposed new standards designed to ensure students know what they're supposed to know as they move from grade to grade.

New standards are being set for grades two, three, five, eight and high schools in English, language arts, mathematics and science. New standards for social science and health will follow next year.

In addition, a new high school proficiency exam, given to 11th-graders for the first time last spring, must be passed as a requirement to graduate from high school. The more difficult high school exit test showed the highest percentage ever - 39.2 percent of the juniors taking it statewide - failed.

State Schools Superintendent Mary Peterson says a new era of accountability is at hand.

"I'm hoping that people will turn out and give feedback on the draft standards that have been developed," Peterson said. "Council members worked very hard to produce a good product and I think it's very well done."

New standards for schools were mandated by state lawmakers last year in efforts to improve academic achievement of Nevada students. In the past, Nevada has been among the lowest states in student proficiency test scores.

The standards were written by a cross-section of teachers, administrators and parents working in teams.

Standards were developed for exit content and grade-level content. Exit content is what each student is supposed to know and be able to do in a subject area by the end of their schooling. Grade level is the specific knowledge required at each grade.

Expectations for grades kindergarten, one, four, six and seven will be developed this summer, and added at a later date.

Debbie Smith, chairwoman of the nine-member council which oversaw the project, said the draft standards could be adopted by the state Board of Education in August.

"We decided to plan a joint meeting with the board at that time," she said. "Right now, we're anxious to get public comment. We've already held one public hearing in Elko and another in Las Vegas."

Dave Cook, State Board of Education member, said in the past the state had educational standards, but they were vague.

"They were broad statements of expectations," Cook said. "The new standards are designed to provide a level of measurability, to establish benchmarks of performance."

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