Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 3–Committee on Finance

FILE NUMBER........

Whereas, The education of the children of this state and our nation is a

primary concern of the residents of this state and of the United States; and

Whereas, During the past 2 years, this state has developed and enacted

sweeping reforms in the system of public education to improve the

academic achievement of students, including, without limitation, rigorous

academic standards of content and performance; and

Whereas, The rigorous new academic standards of content and

performance and other reforms made to the system of public education in

this state demand a high level of academic performance by both students

and teachers; and

Whereas, The Education Trust is an independent nonprofit

organization whose mission is to encourage collaboration among schools,

colleges and universities to promote the common goal of providing a

quality system of education; and

Whereas, The Education Trust encourages universities and school

districts to offer constructive feedback to each other, to make joint

decisions about the academic qualifications of new teachers and to establish

academic standards for persons who desire to enter into the teaching

profession that are aligned to the academic standards established for the

pupils in public schools; and

Whereas, The Council to Establish Academic Standards for public

schools in this state has concluded that teaching children in elementary

school how to read is the highest educational priority of this state; and

Whereas, There is evidence that across the nation and in this state,

persons who are enrolled in educational programs for entry into the

teaching profession do not receive sufficient training in teaching children

how to read and how to apply basic mathematical principles of

computation; and

Whereas, As part of the reform made to the system of public education

in this state, each year the school districts of this state are required,

pursuant to NRS 385.347, to report the percentage of students who

graduate from high school and who subsequently enroll in remedial courses

in reading, writing or mathematics at a university or community college

within the University and Community College System of Nevada; and

Whereas, Pursuant to NRS 396.548, the Board of Regents of the

University of Nevada requires employees of the University and Community

College System of Nevada to provide to the board of trustees of each

school district of this state information regarding:

1. The number of pupils who graduated from a high school in the

district in the immediately preceding year and enrolled in remedial courses

in reading, writing or mathematics; and

2. Any costs incurred by the University and Community College

System of Nevada to provide such remedial instruction; and

Whereas, The University and Community College System of Nevada

reported that for the summer and fall of 1997, more than 1,187 students

who graduated from high schools within this state were required to

complete remedial programs in mathematics or English, or both subjects,

and the cost of providing such remedial instruction was approximately

$414,000; and

Whereas, Further collaboration between the University and

Community College System of Nevada and the school districts of this state

that will increase the flow of information concerning the progress of

students in meeting the new academic standards and teachers in teaching

the new academic standards is essential to foster the success of the reforms

made to the system of public education in this state; and

Whereas, The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. §

1232g, is a Federal Law that is designed to protect the privacy of the

educational records of students in elementary, secondary and postsecondary

schools; and

Whereas, Pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act,

postsecondary educational institutions may not release information that

reveals personal information about the student without the consent of the

student; and

Whereas, The ability of school districts to acquire accurate and

detailed information about the academic readiness of freshmen at the

community colleges and universities of the University and Community

College System of Nevada who recently graduated from high schools in

this state is crucial for the school districts to tailor their academic programs

so that future students are prepared for the challenges of postsecondary

education; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the Assembly

Concurring, That the members of the 70th session of the Nevada

Legislature urge the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada to

ensure that the universities and community colleges within the University

and Community College System of Nevada obtain, in accordance with the

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the consent of students as is

necessary for the universities and community colleges to provide the school

districts of this state with more detailed information about the academic

readiness of freshmen and the academic deficiencies of students in

mathematics, English and science; and be it further

Resolved, That as part of the collaboration between the University and

Community College System of Nevada and the school districts of this state,

the members of the 70th session of the Nevada Legislature urge the school

districts to provide constructive feedback to the colleges of education of the

University and Community College System of Nevada concerning the

strengths and areas for improvement of teachers who are trained in such

colleges in teaching students the rigorous new academic standards adopted

for this state; and be it further

Resolved, That the Department of Education shall provide assistance

to the collaboration by means of the statewide automated system of

information concerning pupils that is maintained by the Department or by

means of other sources of information concerning pupils maintained by the

Department; and be it further

Resolved, That the Department of Education, in cooperation with the

University and Community College System of Nevada, shall study the

effectiveness of the collaboration between the University and Community

College System of Nevada and the school districts of this state and submit a

report of the results of its study and any recommendations for legislation to

the members of the 71st session of the Nevada Legislature; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and transmit a copy

of this resolution to the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada, the

board of trustees of each school district in this state and the Superintendent

of Public Instruction.

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