Nevada Ed-Watch: State Board of Education 3/11/26

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 2026 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, March 11, 2026

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?

Vice President's Report

Highlights included:

• Several board members participated in Nevada Reading Week activities and highlighted an ongoing need to highlight the importance of literacy.
• NRS 388G language has been submitted to the Legislative Counsel Bureau for review and will return to the subcommittee and full State Board of Education consideration in the future.
• The At-Risk Subcommittee has not met since the last board meeting, but a meeting with the Superintendent and Commission on School Funding has taken place to discuss greater collaboration efforts.
• The Accountability Subcommittee met to discuss district performance frameworks, and are pressure testing frameworks and potential metrics. The meeting materials are posted online.

Superintendent's Report

Highlights included:

• The Superintendent of the Year is Superintendent Adam Young of White Pine County School District.
• Nevada Reading Week was launched in 1987, celebrating literacy and its importance, and this year's theme was "Book an Adventure." There was an Author Live event that took place for students, and leaders and stakeholders from throughout the state participated in reading to students and in other Nevada Reading Week activities.
• Youth Art Month is being introduced for March 2026, with the theme "the world needs art." There is a Youth Art Month festival in Reno taking place March 14 as part of the celebratory activities.
• Superintendent Wakefield introduced his strategic priorities, following up on his entry plan and key takeaways from his listening tour. A summary of the listening tour themes and takeaways accompanied board materials.
  • The vision for the Department was presented: "Every day, students are building knowledge of the world; engaging with grade-level content and instruction; solving complex problems together; and making progress toward their postsecondary goals."
  • There are five strategic priorities for the Department to ensure Nevada students thrive in school and graduate prepared for success in college, career, and life: strong foundations, empowering pathways, equipped educators and leaders, informed and connected families, and aligned systems.
    • Strong Foundations: Ensure students start strong and build the academic foundations that deeper learning depends on, including expanding Pre-K, adopting and using high-quality instructional materials, and early interventions
    • Empowering Pathways: Expand access to high-quality pathways that help students develop skills, explore interests, and prepare for their future, including graduation plans, career pathway expansion, and ensuring every diploma is a pathway to post-secondary success
    • Equipped Educators and Leaders: Attract, support, and retain strong educators and leaders to meet evolving student needs, including teacher preparation, career growth, and teacher/leader support
    • Informed and Connected Families: Enable families and communities to be active, informed partners in education, including transparency in receiving information, access to high-quality education opportunities, and quality
    • Aligned Systems: Define success and align expectations, resources, and supports to accelerate progress, including coherence on a shared vision, streamlined submissions, and coalitions

Board Approved Consent Agenda 

Consent agenda items included:

• Approval of a dual credit request with LANV and Truckee Meadows Community College
• Revised meeting minutes from the State Board of Education meeting on December 10, 2025
• Meeting minutes from the State Board of Education meeting on January 14, 2026

Review the consent agenda.

Board Heard an Update on Deferred Department Presentation

The Department requested additional time to prepare for a presentation regarding the age criteria for Developmental Delay. This item will be heard at the May board meeting.

Board Discussed 2026-2031 Statewide Plan for the Improvement of Pupils (STIP): STIP Target 1

The Board received a presentation on the 2026-2031 STIP Target 1, aligned to Senate Bill 460 and amendments to NRS 385.111. Highlights from the presentation included:

• An overview was provided of the 2026 data to inform updates to the STIP and the theory of action for the vision of the STIP.
• Target 1 focuses on universal access to high-quality PK-12 learning, ensuring structures are in place for an informed and responsive educational experience.
• Eight of 18 districts currently meet criteria for the API Mandate of ensuring evidence-based, high-quality reading and mathematics programs are used from the State-approved lists.
• For the 2024-25 school year, 5,309 Pre-K seats were offered, and 86% of programs were rated 3-stars or higher.
• In tracking K-3 literacy growth, 53.8% of students met growth targets in 2024-25, with the mandate of at least 65% of students in K-3 meeting or exceeding personalized learning growth goals.
• Districts are also tasked with showing at least a five-point annual increase in proficiency, and 14 of 18 LEAs posted gains.
• Towards the goal of a five-point annual increase in students 'on-track' to be proficient within three years; 15 LEAs increased and three declined. Five LEAs met the five-point increase benchmark.
• In grades 3-8 math, improvement was observed in every subgroup, and the 2024-25 school year reflected the third consecutive year of gains.
• Only 28.5% of graduates are earning a Career and College Diploma, indicating a gap in graduation vs. readiness. The graduation rate for CTE completers is 98.8%.
• The data and presentation highlights are aligned with the Department's core priorities to guide improvement.

Explore the presentation.

Board Discussed Aligning Board Goals with Current Measures and Metrics

Board members discussed Board goals that are tied to current measures and metrics that no longer reflect current priorities. Board members voted to hold a full board retreat to discuss Board goals and other topics more in depth. Next steps include working on potential dates and an agenda.

Board Heard an Update on 2025 Legislative Statutes Requiring State Board of Education Action

The Board received an update on education-related statutes enacted during the 2025 Legislative Session and reviewed an implementation matrix outlining changes requiring Board action. Highlights from the presentation included:

• Outlined duties of the board, including regulatory authority, selecting major statewide academic assessments, licensure actions, strategic policy driving, receiving and disseminating education data, waivers and approval, and prescribing statewide curriculum
• The scope of regulatory authority, regarding academics and curriculum, school operations, and educator and student standards
• The scope of assessment systems, including selecting the high school equivalency assessment, select criterion-referenced exam, selecting the college and career readiness exam, cut scores and data standards for literacy assessments, selection of statewide literacy assessment. Note, SB460 from the 2025 session allows districts to now select their own assessment, provided it is from a prescribed list.
• Revisions to licensure actions, including oversight of education scholarships and grant programs, and annually reviewing teacher licensure providers
• Reporting changes, including that the Department now creates the annual State of Education Report, with collaboration from the Board, and the shift from the requirement of developing a five-year plan to collaborating with the Department on the development of the plan. The Board will adopt its own mission and vision.
• Changes to waivers and approvals, including a single annual process for pupil-teacher ratio waiver requests
• Changes to policy scope and responsibilities, including new responsibilities over determining development of model curriculum following K-3 STEM Literacy Pilot and Findings, the Board being able to issue written complaints for material non-compliance, and provisions in SB460 that moved certain tasks from the Commission on School Funding to the Commission on Innovation and Excellence

Explore the presentation.

Board Heard an Update on the State Assessment Indicator and Board Responsibilities on Read by Grade 3

The Board received a presentation on the Read by Grade 3 (RBG3) assessment, and the Board's future responsibility to establish a retention score prior to the implementation date of July 1, 2028. Highlights from the presentation included:

• An overview of the Read by Grade 3 literacy risk indicator used to identify students who may need additional reading support
• Currently, the 40^th percentile rank on the NWEA Measures of Academic Process and Curriculum Associates i-Ready identifies students in grades 1-3 who qualify for additional support under RBG3. This indicator was adopted by the State Board of Education in 2016.
• Effective July 1, 2028, NRS requires that a student be retained in Grade 3 if that student does not obtain a passing score in the subject area of reading on the uniform examination prescribed by the State Board of Education.
• The State Board is required to take action on several items prior to implementation in 2028, including the establishment of a Grade 3 reading passing score for promotion to Grade 4; identification of an alternative assessment for students who do not meet the passing score; determination of the passing score for the alternative examination; and continued Board discussion to support these responsibilities.

The Department will provide a draft calendar and data sources at an upcoming meeting.

Explore the presentation.

Future Agenda Items

Suggestions for future agenda items include highlighting previous Board members and their contributions, mental health supports, and career and technical education supports.

The next meeting of the State Board of Education will be held on Wednesday, May 13, at 9:00 a.m.