1. Senate Bill No. 104–Committee on Human Resources


  1. and Facilities

CHAPTER........

AN ACT relating to education; revising provisions regarding the council to establish

academic standards for public schools; delaying the prospective dates by which

certain achievement and proficiency examinations used to measure the achievement

of pupils in the standards of content and performance adopted by the state board of

education must be administered in the public schools; prescribing the dates for the

administration of a high school proficiency examination that measures the

achievement of pupils in the standards of content and performance; and providing

other matters properly relating thereto.

 

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Section 45 of chapter 473, Statutes of Nevada 1997, at

page 1780, is hereby amended to read as follows:

  1. Sec. 45. 1. The council to establish academic standards for
  1. public schools, created pursuant to section 43 of this act, shall
  1. establish and submit to the state board of education:
  1. (a) On or before September 1, 1998, standards of content and
  1. performance, including, without limitation, a prescription of the
  1. resulting level of achievement, based upon the content of each
  1. course, that is expected of pupils for the following courses of study:
  1. (1) English, including reading, composition and writing.
  1. (2) Mathematics.
  1. (3) Science.
  1. (b) On or before [September 1, 1999,] January 15, 2000,
  1. standards of content and performance, including, without limitation,
  1. a prescription of the resulting level of achievement, based upon the
  1. content of each course, that is expected of pupils for the following
  1. courses of study:
  1. (1) Social studies.
  1. (2) Computer education.
  1. (3) Health and physical education.
  1. (4) The arts.
  1. 2. The council shall submit written recommendations to the
  1. state board of education:
  1. (a) On or before November 1, 1998, on the type of examinations
  1. of achievement and proficiency to be administered statewide that
  1. may be used to measure the achievement of pupils in the standards
  1. of content and performance established by the council pursuant to
  1. paragraph (a) of subsection 1. The recommendations must include
  1. the grades in which the examinations should be administered.
  1. (b) On or before [November 1, 1999,] January 15, 2000, on the
  1. type of examinations of achievement and proficiency in social
  2. studies to be administered statewide that may be used to measure
  1. the achievement of pupils in the standards of content and
  1. performance established by the council pursuant to subparagraph
  1. (1) of paragraph (b) of subsection 1. The recommendations must
  1. include the grades in which the examinations should be
  1. administered.
  1. 3. In developing the standards and examinations pursuant to
  1. subsections 1 and 2, the council shall:
  1. (a) Hold at least eight meetings. The meetings must be held in at
  1. least four different counties during the period commencing
    August 1, 1997, and expiring     [July 31, 1999.] June 30, 2001. At
  1. least four of these meetings must be held to hear public testimony
  1. concerning the proposed standards of content and performance and
  1. the examinations of achievement and proficiency.
  1. (b) Consult with licensed educational personnel in the various
  1. school districts and with other persons who have knowledge and
  1. experience concerning standards of content and performance or
  1. examinations of achievement and proficiency in education.
  1. (c) Review and consider any standards of content and
  1. performance and any examinations of achievement and proficiency:
  1. (1) Adopted by this state;
  1. (2) Adopted by the Commonwealth of Virginia or any other
  1. states;
  1. (3) Adopted by the Federal Government; or
  1. (4) Advocated in publications of entities, including, but not
  1. limited to, the "Standards Primer: A Resource for Accelerating the
  1. Pace of Reform," published in 1996 by the Education Leaders
  1. Council.
  1. 4. The state board of education shall adopt:
  1. (a) On or before January 1, 1999, the standards of content and
  1. performance established by the council pursuant to paragraph (a) of
  1. subsection 1, to take effect in the 1999-2000 school year.
  1. (b) Examinations of achievement and proficiency to be
  1. administered statewide [,] in selected grades, kindergarten through
  1. eighth, commencing in the [1999-2000] 2000-2001 school year, to
  1. measure the achievement of pupils in the standards of content and
  1. performance adopted by the state board of education pursuant to
  1. paragraph (a). In adopting the examinations, the state board shall
  1. consider the written recommendations submitted by the council
  1. pursuant to subsection 2. The examinations must be scored by a
  1. single private entity or the department of education. In the first
  1. year that the examinations are administered, the results of the
  1. examinations must be used solely to gather information and data
  1. concerning the examinations.
  1. (c) On or before [January 1,] February 28, 2000, the standards
  1. of content and performance established by the council pursuant to
  2. paragraph (b) of subsection 1, to take effect in the 2000-2001
  1. school year.
  1. (d) Examinations of achievement and proficiency in social
  1. studies to be administered statewide [,] in selected grades,
  1. kindergarten through eighth, commencing in the [2000-2001]
  1. 2001-2002 school year, to measure the achievement of pupils in
  1. social studies in the standards of content and performance adopted
  1. by the state board pursuant to paragraph (c). In adopting the
  1. examinations, the state board shall consider the written
  1. recommendations submitted by the council pursuant to subsection
  1. 2. The examinations must be scored by a single private entity or the
  1. department of education. In the first year that the examinations
  1. are administered, the results of the examinations must be used
  1. solely to gather information and data concerning the
  1. examinations.

5. Commencing in the 2001-2002 school year, the high

school proficiency examination that, pursuant to subsection 6 of

NRS 389.015, pupils must pass to receive a standard high school

diploma must measure the performance of pupils on the

standards of content and performance adopted by the state board

of education pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 4. The high

school proficiency examination that measures the performance of

pupils on those standards must first be administered to pupils

enrolled in grade 11 in the 2001-2002 school year, who must pass

the examination before the completion of grade 12 to graduate

with a standard high school diploma in the 2002-2003 school

year. Pupils who graduate from high school in the 2001-2002

school year are not required to pass the examination that

measures the performance of pupils on the standards adopted

pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 4, but must pass the

examination that is administered to pupils in the immediately

preceding school year.
  1. 6. The state board of education shall:
  1. (a) On or before February 1, 1999, submit a written report to the
  1. council and to the director of the legislative counsel bureau for
  1. transmission to the 70th session of the Nevada legislature. The
  1. written report must include a description of the standards adopted
  1. by the state board of education.
  1. (b) On or before February 1, 2001, submit a written report to the
  1. council and to the director of the legislative counsel bureau for
  1. transmission to the 71st session of the Nevada legislature. The
  1. written report must include a description of the standards adopted
  1. by the state board of education.
  1. [6.] 7. In addition to the duties prescribed in subsections 1 and
  1. 2, the council shall:
  1. (a) As soon as practicable, but not later than April 1, 1999
  1. :
  2. (1) Submit to the governor, the senate standing committee on
  1. finance and the assembly standing committee on ways and means,
  1. written reports regarding the standards adopted by the state board of
  1. education pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 4.
  1. (2) Submit to the director of the legislative counsel bureau for
  1. transmission to the 70th session of the Nevada legislature any
  1. recommendations for legislation that the council deems are
  1. necessary to incorporate into the public schools the standards that it
  1. established pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 1.
  1. (b) As soon as practicable, but not later than April 1, 2001:
  1. (1) Submit to the governor, the senate standing committee on
  1. finance and the assembly standing committee on ways and means,
  1. written reports regarding the standards adopted by the state board of
  1. education pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection 4.
  1. (2) Submit to the director of the legislative counsel bureau for
  1. transmission to the 71st session of the Nevada legislature any
  1. recommendations for legislation that the council deems are
  1. necessary to incorporate into the public schools the standards that it
  1. established pursuant to paragraphs (a) or (b) of subsection 1.
  1. [7.] 8. The council shall, on or before June 30, 1999, and on or
  1. before June 30, 2001, report to the legislative committee on
  1. education, created pursuant to section 37 of this act, regarding the
  1. standards and examinations that have been adopted by the state
  1. board of education pursuant to subsection 4.
  1. [8.] 9. The council shall, on or before June 30, 2001,
  1. coordinate its duties pursuant to this section with the legislative
  1. bureau of educational accountability and program evaluation,
  1. created pursuant to section 41 of this act, to enable the bureau to
  1. continue the duties of the council of evaluating and reporting after
  1. June 30, 2001.

Sec. 2. This act becomes effective upon passage and approval.

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