Nevada applying to opt out of No Child Left Behind

Nevada wants out of the No Child Left Behind law and will be applying for its waiver on Feb. 21, according to Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction Keith Rheault.

Another 27 states also plan to apply by the late deadline, leaving 11 states uncommitted, he said.

While some states have said the transition would be too costly because of the requirements, Rheault said that won’t be the case for Nevada. The extra cost is next to nothing.

“We’re already moving down that path anyway,” he said.

A state must have common standards for all its schools, meaning a unified definition of the knowledge and skills students should master at each grade level. Check. Nevada adopted the Common Core Standards in 2010. All but six states have done the same.

Students across a state must take the same assessment tests. Check. Nevada students annually take criterion referenced tests.

Teachers must be evaluated under a standardized system. Nevada is working on that. In late September, Gov. Brian Sandoval created the Teachers and Leaders Council to develop that system.

The biggest piece of all is how schools and districts as a whole will be held accountable. Nevada wants to use its recently created growth model. The Nevada Growth Model would weigh student growth more heavily than meeting grade-level expectations on annual tests. Testing proficient is a primary scoring factor of No Child Left Behind, which doesn’t credit students or schools with academic growth that may fall short of proficiency.

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.