Assembly Bill No. 265–Assemblymen Gustavson, Angle, Beers, Claborn, Collins, Gibbons, Lee, Manendo and Nolan

 

March 1, 2001

____________

 

Referred to Committee on Education

 

SUMMARY—Requires administration of certain examinations to determine reading level of certain pupils. (BDR 34‑950)

 

FISCAL NOTE:            Effect on Local Government: Yes.

                                    Effect on the State: No.

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

AN ACT relating to education; requiring boards of trustees of school districts and governing bodies of charter schools to administer certain examinations to determine the reading level of pupils enrolled in certain grades; requiring the department of education to prepare a list of approved examinations to determine reading level; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

1-1    Section 1. Chapter 389 of NRS is hereby amended by adding thereto

1-2  the provisions set forth as sections 2 and 3.

1-3    Sec. 2.  The legislature declares that:

1-4    1.  It is essential to the educational success of the children who are

1-5  enrolled in Nevada’s public schools that they learn to read with

1-6  proficiency at an early grade level;

1-7    2.  The intended goal of the legislature is that by the year 2004 and

1-8  each year thereafter, at least 90 percent of all children who are enrolled

1-9  in the third grade in public schools throughout this state will read at or

1-10  above the third-grade reading level; and

1-11    3.  An educational system that is enhanced by the inclusion of:

1-12    (a) Instruction in reading and appropriate remediation; and

1-13    (b) Examinations to determine the reading level of children who are

1-14  enrolled in certain grade levels in elementary school,

1-15  will greatly improve the reading level of children who are enrolled in

1-16  public elementary schools throughout this state.

1-17    Sec. 3.  1.  In the spring semester of each school year, the board of

1-18  trustees of each school district shall administer to all pupils enrolled in

2-1  public schools of the school district in grades 1, 2 and 3, an examination

2-2  to determine the reading level of pupils enrolled in those grades. In the

2-3  spring semester of each school year, the governing body of a charter

2-4  school that provides instruction to pupils enrolled in grades 1, 2 or 3

2-5  shall administer to all pupils enrolled in those grades at the charter

2-6  school an examination to determine the reading level of those pupils. The

2-7  board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of a charter

2-8  school, as applicable, shall select the examination that is administered

2-9  for each grade level pursuant to this subsection from the list of approved

2-10  examinations prepared by the department pursuant to subsection 2.

2-11    2.  On or before October 1 of each year, the department shall prepare

2-12  and publish a list of examinations to determine the reading level of

2-13  pupils enrolled in grades 1, 2 and 3 that have been approved by the

2-14  department for administration by the board of trustees of each school

2-15  district and the governing body of each charter school pursuant to

2-16  subsection 1. The examinations selected by the department must be

2-17  examinations that have been proven successful in determining the

2-18  reading level of pupils. The list must contain the name of each

2-19  examination that is approved for each grade level, the vendor, if any, of

2-20  the examination and the entity from which the examination may be

2-21  obtained. On or before October 15 of each year, the department shall

2-22  transmit a copy of the list to the board of trustees of each school district

2-23  and the governing body of each charter school.

2-24    3.  The results of the examinations administered pursuant to

2-25  subsection 1 must be used by school districts and charter schools to

2-26  determine the reading level of pupils who take the examinations and to

2-27  provide appropriate remediation in reading to each pupil whose results

2-28  indicate that he is reading below grade level.

2-29    4.  The board of trustees of each school district and the governing

2-30  body of each charter school shall submit to the department the results of

2-31  the examinations in the form and manner prescribed by the

2-32  superintendent of public instruction. The results of the examinations

2-33  must be reported for each school in which the examinations were

2-34  administered. Not later than 10 days after the department receives the

2-35  results of the examinations, the department shall transmit a copy of the

2-36  results to the legislative bureau of educational accountability and

2-37  program evaluation.

2-38    Sec. 4.  1.  Commencing with the spring semester of 2002, each

2-39  board of trustees of a school district and each governing body of a charter

2-40  school shall administer the examinations required by section 3 of this act.

2-41    2.  Based upon the results of the examinations that are administered in

2-42  the spring semester of 2002, each school in which the examinations are

2-43  administered shall determine the actual number of pupils enrolled in the

2-44  third grade at the school who read at or above the third-grade reading level.

2-45  For purposes of this section, the percentage of pupils enrolled in the third

2-46  grade at a school who read at or above the third-grade reading level shall

2-47  be deemed the baseline for that school. Each school shall report its baseline

2-48  to the board of trustees of the school district or the governing body of the

2-49  charter school, as applicable. The board of trustees of each school district

3-1  and the governing body of each charter school shall transmit a report of the

3-2  baseline for each school to the department of education and the legislative

3-3  bureau of educational accountability and program evaluation.

3-4    3.  If the baseline for a school is less than 90 percent, the school shall:

3-5    (a) Determine whether the school is making satisfactory progress to

3-6  ensure that at least 90 percent of the pupils enrolled in third grade at the

3-7  school will read at or above grade level by the spring semester of 2004.

3-8    (b) Provide appropriate remediation in reading to pupils to ensure that at

3-9  least 90 percent of the pupils enrolled in third grade at the school will read

3-10  at or above grade level by the spring semester of 2004.

3-11    Sec. 5.  This act becomes effective on July 1, 2001.

 

3-12  H