Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

State’s school ratings – to be released Friday – closely resemble CCSD’s star rankings

Updated Wednesday, June 5, 2013 | 1:02 p.m.

The Nevada Department of Education will release its first star rating data for 317 Clark County schools on Friday.

Over the past two years, the Clark County School District released star ratings as part of its school rankings list, known as the School Performance Framework. The idea behind the rating system – which rates schools from one to five stars - was to allow families to determine the best schools for their children and for educators to model best teaching practices at the top-ranked five-star schools.

As part of Nevada's waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the state has been developing its own school rating system, modeled after Clark County's, since August. That new rating system – based on 2011-12 school year data – will be announced Friday.

Preliminary information released by the School District on Wednesday shows Clark County's school rating system came close to the state's system, which puts greater emphasis on proficiency scores than "growth," or student improvement. On Friday, the state is releasing finalized school ranking data for 317 schools. Data are not being released for 40 special education, alternative and behavioral schools.

A little more than half – 178 schools, or 56.2 percent – will maintain the same star rating in the state and CCSD listings.

About a third – 115 schools, or 36.3 percent – of Clark County's school ratings differed from the state by one star.

Just 7.6 percent of Clark County's school ratings – 24 schools – differed from the state by two stars.

Despite having a 62 percent graduation rate districtwide – which is among the lowest in the nation – the majority of Clark County Schools are considered passing under the state's rating system. About 83 percent of Clark County schools received a three, four or five-star rating.

The state is expected to release the 2012-13 school rating data in mid-September.

The School District will drop its system and move to the state's school rating system by next year, said Clark County Schools Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky. Washoe County is also undergoing the same transition from district ratings to the state’s.

"We are passing the baton over to the state," Skorkowsky said.

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