Senate Bill No. 49–Committee on Human Resources


and Facilities

CHAPTER........

AN ACT relating to education; authorizing the commission on educational technology to

appoint an advisory committee to submit recommendations to the commission

regarding the establishment, coordination and use of a telecommunications network

in the public schools of this state; revising the standards of content and performance

required to be adopted by the council to establish academic standards for public

schools; 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. NRS 388.795 is hereby amended to read as follows:

388.795 1. The commission shall establish a plan for the use of

educational technology in the public schools of this state. In preparing the

plan, the commission shall consider:

(a) Plans that have been adopted by the department and the school

districts in this state;

(b) Plans that have been adopted in other states ; [, including, but not

limited to, the Iowa Communications Network;]

(c) The information submitted to the commission by the board of

trustees of each school district pursuant to subsection 2 of NRS 385.351;

and

(d) Any other information that the commission or the committee deems

relevant to the preparation of the plan.

2. The plan established by the commission must include

recommendations for methods to:

(a) Incorporate educational technology into the public schools of this

state;

(b) Increase the number of pupils in the public schools of this state who

have access to educational technology;

(c) Increase the availability of educational technology to assist licensed

teachers and other educational personnel in complying with the

requirements of continuing education, including, but not limited to, the

receipt of credit for college courses completed through the use of

educational technology;

(d) Facilitate the exchange of ideas to improve the achievement of

pupils who are enrolled in the public schools of this state; and

(e) Address the needs of teachers in incorporating the use of educational

technology in the classroom, including, but not limited to, the completion

of training that is sufficient to enable the teachers to instruct pupils in the

use of educational technology.

3. The department shall provide:

(a) Administrative support;

(b) Equipment; an

d

(c) Office space,

as is necessary for the commission to carry out the provisions of this

section.

4. The following entities shall cooperate with the commission in

carrying out the provisions of this section:

(a) The state board.

(b) The board of trustees of each school district.

(c) The superintendent of schools of each school district.

(d) The department.

5. The commission shall:

(a) Develop technical standards for educational technology and any

electrical or structural appurtenances necessary thereto, including, without

limitation, uniform specifications for computer hardware and wiring, to

ensure that such technology is compatible, uniform and can be

interconnected throughout the public schools of this state.

(b) Allocate money to the school districts from the trust fund for

educational technology created pursuant to NRS 388.800 and any money

appropriated by the legislature for educational technology, subject to any

priorities for such allocation established by the legislature.

(c) Establish criteria for the board of trustees of a school district that

receives an allocation of money from the commission to:

(1) Repair, replace and maintain computer systems.

(2) Upgrade and improve computer hardware and software and other

educational technology.

(3) Provide training, installation and technical support related to the

use of educational technology within the district.

(d) Submit to the governor, the committee and the department its plan for

the use of educational technology in the public schools of this state and any

recommendations for legislation.

(e) Review the plan annually and make revisions as it deems necessary or

as directed by the committee or the department.

(f) In addition to the recommendations set forth in the plan pursuant to

subsection 2, make further recommendations to the committee and the

department as the commission deems necessary.

6. The commission may appoint an advisory committee composed of

members of the commission or other qualified persons to provide

recommendations to the commission regarding standards for the

establishment, coordination and use of a telecommunications network in

the public schools throughout the various school districts in this state.

The advisory committee serves at the pleasure of the commission and

without compensation unless an appropriation or other money for that

purpose is provided by the legislature.

7. As used in this section, "public school" includes the Caliente youth

center and the Nevada youth training center.

Sec. 2. Section 45 of chapter 473, Statutes of Nevada 1997, at page

1780, is hereby amended to read as follows:

Sec. 45. 1. The council to establish academic standards for

public schools, created pursuant to section 43 of this act, shall

establish and submit to the state board of education:

(a) On or before September 1, 1998, standards of content and

performance, including, without limitation, a prescription of the

resulting level of achievement, based upon the content of each

course, that is expected of pupils for the following courses of study:

(1) English, including reading, composition and writing.

(2) Mathematics.

(3) Science.

(b) On or before [September 1, 1999,] January 15, 2000,

standards of content and performance, including, without limitation,

a prescription of the resulting level of achievement, based upon the

content of each course, that is expected of pupils for the following

courses of study:

(1) Social studies.

(2) Computer education [.] and technology.

(3) Health and physical education.

(4) The arts.

2. The council shall submit written recommendations to the state

board of education:

(a) On or before November 1, 1998, on the type of examinations

of achievement and proficiency to be administered statewide that

may be used to measure the achievement of pupils in the standards

of content and performance established by the council pursuant to

paragraph (a) of subsection 1. The recommendations must include

the grades in which the examinations should be administered.

(b) On or before [November 1, 1999,] January 15, 2000, on the

type of examinations of achievement and proficiency in social

studies to be administered statewide that may be used to measure the

achievement of pupils in the standards of content and performance

established by the council pursuant to subparagraph (1) of paragraph

(b) of subsection 1. The recommendations must include the grades

in which the examinations should be administered.

3. In developing the standards and examinations pursuant to

subsections 1 and 2, the council shall:

(a) Hold at least eight meetings. The meetings must be held in at

least four different counties during the period commencing

August 1, 1997, and expiring [July 31, 1999.] June 30, 2001. At

least four of these meetings must be held to hear public testimony

concerning the proposed standards of content and performance and

the examinations of achievement and proficiency.

(b) Consult with licensed educational personnel in the various

school districts and with other persons who have knowledge and

experience concerning standards of content and performance or

examinations of achievement and proficiency in education.

(c) Review and consider any standards of content and

performance and any examinations of achievement and proficiency:

(1) Adopted by this state;

(2) Adopted by the Commonwealth of Virginia or any other

states;

(3) Adopted by the Federal Government; or

(4) Advocated in publications of entities, including, but not

limited to, the "Standards Primer: A Resource for Accelerating the

Pace of Reform," published in 1996 by the Education Leaders

Council.

4. The state board of education shall adopt:

(a) On or before January 1, 1999, the standards of content and

performance established by the council pursuant to paragraph (a) of

subsection 1, to take effect in the 1999-2000 school year.

(b) Examinations of achievement and proficiency to be

administered statewide, commencing in the 1999-2000 school year,

to measure the achievement of pupils in the standards of content and

performance adopted by the state board of education pursuant to

paragraph (a). In adopting the examinations, the state board shall

consider the written recommendations submitted by the council

pursuant to subsection 2. The examinations must be scored by a

single private entity or the department of education.

(c) On or before [January 1,] February 28, 2000, the standards

of content and performance established by the council pursuant to

paragraph (b) of subsection 1, to take effect in the 2000-2001 school

year.

(d) Examinations of achievement and proficiency in social

studies to be administered statewide, commencing in the 2000-2001

school year, to measure the achievement of pupils in social studies in

the standards of content and performance adopted by the state board

pursuant to paragraph (c). In adopting the examinations, the state

board shall consider the written recommendations submitted by the

council pursuant to subsection 2. The examinations must be scored

by a single private entity or the department of education.

5. The state board of education shall:

(a) On or before February 1, 1999, submit a written report to the

council and to the director of the legislative counsel bureau for

transmission to the 70th session of the Nevada legislature. The

written report must include a description of the standards adopted by

the state board of education.

(b) On or before February 1, 2001, submit a written report to the

council and to the director of the legislative counsel bureau for

transmission to the 71st session of the Nevada legislature. The

written report must include a description of the standards adopted by

the state board of education.

6. In addition to the duties prescribed in subsections 1 and 2, the

council shall:

(a) As soon as practicable, but not later than April 1, 1999:

(1) Submit to the governor, the senate standing committee on

finance and the assembly standing committee on ways and means,

written reports regarding the standards adopted by the state board of

education pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 4.

(2) Submit to the director of the legislative counsel bureau for

transmission to the 70th session of the Nevada legislature any

recommendations for legislation that the council deems are

necessary to incorporate into the public schools the standards that it

established pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 1.

(b) As soon as practicable, but not later than April 1, 2001:

(1) Submit to the governor, the senate standing committee on

finance and the assembly standing committee on ways and means,

written reports regarding the standards adopted by the state board of

education pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection 4.

(2) Submit to the director of the legislative counsel bureau for

transmission to the 71st session of the Nevada legislature any

recommendations for legislation that the council deems are

necessary to incorporate into the public schools the standards that it

established pursuant to paragraphs (a) or (b) of subsection 1.

7. The council shall, on or before June 30, 1999, and on or

before June 30, 2001, report to the legislative committee on

education, created pursuant to section 37 of this act, regarding the

standards and examinations adopted by the state board of education

pursuant to subsection 4.

8. The council shall, on or before June 30, 2001, coordinate its

duties pursuant to this section with the legislative bureau of

educational accountability and program evaluation, created pursuant

to section 41 of this act, to enable the bureau to continue the duties

of the council of evaluating and reporting after June 30, 2001.

9. For the purposes of this section, "social studies" means the

subjects of history, geography, economics and government.

Sec. 3. This act becomes effective upon passage and approval.

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