School Board adopts new one- to five-star ranking system

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Principal Lucy Keaton received something unusual from her Clark County School District bosses Thursday for helping her poverty-stricken students beat the odds and produce a top-performing school.

The Hewetson Elementary School principal zip-lined over Fremont Street with 36 other elementary school principals, an act symbolizing their newly earned freedom to soar. Because of their students’ exceptional performance, these schools alone in the 357-school district now have limited autonomy.

Instead of just following district mandates, these principals will be given flexibility in setting their schools’ curriculums, spending their budgets and running day-to-day operations, Superintendent Dwight Jones said. How much flexibility is still being decided.  The zip-lining was a lighthearted celebration of a serious change in the way that Clark County public schools will be held accountable. It also marked a major shift away from more than a decade of struggling to meet the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The new system, the School Performance Framework, ranks all elementary and middle schools from one to five stars and is a key element in the state’s application to be freed from No Child Left Behind’s pass/fail rules.

"Big change is coming to the Clark County School District," said School Board member Carolyn Edwards before the board adopted the new system on Thursday night.

While 37 elementary schools earned five stars and gained autonomy, no middle schools earned five stars. The framework will be extended to high schools in a few weeks.

Unlike No Child Left Behind, which passed or failed schools based almost solely on whether students tested at grade level in a yearly standardized test, the framework takes into account much more. Academics accounts for 88 percent of a school’s score.

However, the district isn’t just looking at whether students are testing at grade level. It’s also factoring in whether students are growing in their capabilities. Schools can earn half of their academic points regardless of whether students can read, write or complete math problems at grade level if their skills are increasing to catch up with peers.

That growth will be measured using the new Nevada Growth Model, which the state Department of Education and the Clark County School District created this school year to replace No Child Left Behind.

On Tuesday, the state submitted its No Child Left Behind waiver request to the U.S. Department of Education detailing that replacement system.

The rest of a school’s ranking is based on its attendance rates, students’ response to a survey about their school and more.

In Thursday’s release about the framework, the district highlighted its top performing schools, which span wealthy and poor schools throughout Clark County. However, 64 district elementary schools earned one or two stars, meaning they’re below minimum standards.

"But it’s not a list of winners and losers," said Special Assistant to the Superintendent Ken Turner, asserting that it’s simply a clearer way to judge a school’s performance and help schools learn from one another.

Low performers won’t be punished, Jones and board members said.

"This is about learning, not punishing," Jones said.

But what if a one-star school doesn’t improve?

"If schools don’t get better, that’s not an option," Jones said. "They have to get better."

He asserted that low-performing schools that fail to improve wouldn’t be punished but would be given all the tools to succeed. In fact, low performers will be given more support and resources, he said.

Teachers filling the audience Thursday didn’t buy district officials’ statements that the ranking system wouldn’t be used punitively.

That was made most evident after Theo Small, a Sandy Miller Elementary School fifth-grade teacher, spoke at Thursday’s board meeting against the new system, with about 30 other teachers.

"Get rid of this competitive mentality," said Small, who was applauded by teachers in a standing ovation until board President Linda Young demanded they stop.

The framework isn’t meant to be competitive but "collaborative," Jones said. Struggling schools are encouraged to find a similar high-performing school to learn from, one such as Wengert Elementary School in the east valley.

Like the other five-star schools, Wengert tracks every student throughout the school year, making plans for each, eight-year Principal Suhaila Mustafa said. Her school creates its own standardized tests for all students and tailors plans for each of them. The district doesn’t require any of this.

"The five-star schools are very data-driven cultures and know where each student is at," Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez said.

Wengert achieved five stars despite having a high number of students who speak English as a second language.

Wengert made the grade under No Child Left Behind for the past four years, and a teacher hasn’t left Wengert in seven years, Mustafa said, adding: "It can be done."

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