Nevada Ed-Watch: State Board of Education 11/1225

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on what decisions
are being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

Nevada State Board of Education

What is the State Board of Education & what are they responsible for? The Nevada State Board of Education adopts regulations based on Nevada laws, which are passed down to individual school districts in Nevada to implement. The Board has 11 total (7 appointed and 4 publicly elected) members.

How often does the State Board meet? The Nevada State Board of Education meets once per month on Wednesdays at 9:00 AM. Click here to see the 2025 meeting materials.

Can community members engage at State Board Meetings? A time for public comment is provided at the beginning (for agenda items) and at the conclusion (on any matter) of each Board meeting. Members of the public may provide public comment in writing via email; public comment will be accepted via email for the duration of the meeting and shared with the State Board of Education during the public comment periods. Public comment may be emailed to NVBoardED@doe.nv.gov.

Click here for a list of all State Board Members.

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Nevada State Board of Education

Click here to see the regular SBOE meeting agenda.

Click here to watch the meeting playback.

What happened at the regular meeting?

Public Comment #1

Public comment was heard on the following subjects:

Supporting raising the exit age criteria for students receiving special education services under the developmental delay category
Curriculum Associates expressing support for Nevada's RBG3 assessment next steps
Supporting the Board taking up the issue on educator licensure and review

President's Report

Highlights included:

Introducing Amy Carvalho as the Nevada System of Higher Education representative to the Board
Updates on the activities of the NRS388G Subcommittee to review statutory changes to the law, and hearing community and Department input, as well as conducting informal community listening sessions for feedback
Updates on the activities of the Innovation and Excellence Committee, with a new group forming due to the requirements of SB460 pertaining to metrics for school and district performance frameworks

Interim Superintendent's Report

Highlights from the report included:

Sharing more about Dr. Wakefield's 100-day entry plan:
- Background in teaching and how it informs his approach to serving as State Superintendent
- Governance and leadership work conducted as part of his background
- Three major priorities: set a shared direction (clarifying statewide priorities, aligning efforts around what works, and celebrating success), strengthen state capacity (continuing making progress towards a more agile, responsive and service-driven Department), and lead through partnership (listening and learning to those closest to the work, strengthening trust across Nevada's education community)

Informational Items

Information Regarding the 2025 School Designations: There are 36 CSI-MRI-designated schools for the 2024-25 school year, 24 CSI-designated schools, and 57 ND1-2 star schools. Explore more about the designations.

Board Approved Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights included:

Approval of transportation documents
Approval of private school licensing renewals
Approval of minutes from past meetings

Board Received an Update on the Read by Grade 3 Task Force Work and Approved the RBG3 Assessment

The Board received a presentation on the Read by Grade 3 (RBG3) statutory requirements, the RBG3 task force overview and updates, and the Board's current statutory responsibilities related to RBG3.

Statutory requirements include that local literacy plans from districts and charter organizations are submitted for approval to the Department; literacy specialists are designated at every elementary school; there is professional learning for literacy specialists and teachers; early identification of students by assessment and teacher observations; written parental notification; student learning plans; and intensive instruction and interventions.

The RBG3 task force updates included:

Expanding the existing advisory council members to include administrators, charter and district schools, a national expert, Board members, representatives from the Nevada System of Higher Education, the Department of Education, Regional Professional Development programs, and RBG3 program leads
Modifying guidance and guardrails based on the modified language to the Good Cause Exemption (from Senate Bill 52 from the 2025 legislative session)
Recommending language changes for the good cause exemptions for English Learners and for pupils with disabilities, to be recommended for the 2027 legislative session

The State Board's current statutory responsibilities relating to RBG3 are that the Board must approve an assessment and a score to identify students who need RBG3 services. Staff outlined the RBG3 assessment RFP process, the composition of the evaluation committee members, and provided an overview on the feedback received. The evaluation committee's recommendation was to use Curriculum Associates, LLC, for the assessment. The Board voted in favor of the recommendation and to approve iReady as the statewide literacy assessment. The Department will notify the state's purchasing to work with the vendor to finalize the selection process.

Explore the presentation, and the assessment request presentation.

Board Considered Recommendations Regarding the Exit Age Criteria for Students Receiving Special Education Services Under the Developmental Delay Category

The Board considered a request to adjust the exit age criteria to be age seven for students receiving special education services under the developmental delay category. This has been an ongoing discussion for the board since May 2024, and this item follows a request for further data and discussion prior to a vote.

Additional information requested includes a number for students who exited special education at age six; how many students identified under the developmental delay who immediately continued in special education; and how many students identified under development delay who exited special education at age six became eligible again under a different category before age 10. There are systemic limitations to the data not being consistently collected or tracked and was a challenge to report on and retrieve. Recommendations offered including fixing data management and to change the developmental delay age to age seven, from age six. This would require a change to Tier 1 instruction as well as Foundational Literacy.

A motion passed to table the decision until March 2026, at which point additional data will be presented in order to facilitate a decision on whether or not to raise the age.

Board Discussed the Statutes and Regulations Governing Educator Licensure, including the State Board's Role in Suspension or Revocation of a License

Board members heard a presentation on and discussed NRS 391.322, pertaining to educator licensure, and regulations that establish the Board's authority and responsibilities concerning educator licensure – including review, sanction, suspension, or revocation of a license.

NRS 391.322 allows the State Superintendent or their designee, the Board of a school district, or the governing board of a charter school to be able to bring information to the State Board of Education regarding a complaint on a teacher. The teacher receives the notice and information pertaining to the charges. The teacher has rights to due process and can request a hearing officer. The State Board then can review and make a determination to recommend suspension, revocation, or to take no action on a license at the end of that process.

Board Conducted a Public Hearing to Solicit Comments Regarding Proposed Regulation LCB File No. R110-24 Regarding NAC Chapter 388 – Criteria for Assessment of Language and Literacy Skills in Children Under Age 6 Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind, or Visually Impaired, and Approved the Proposed Revision

The Board heard comments regarding the criteria for an assessment to evaluate the development of language and literacy skills by children who are less than six years of age and are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired, and the required qualifications of the persons involved in the administration or interpretation of that assessment.