Nevada Ed-Watch: State Board of Education 6/25/25

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.

Thursday, June 25, 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: 

• Support for the new Academy of Universal Metaphysics, a new private school
• Urging the board to reevaluate the timeline for the high school science assessment
• Priorities relating to the Department’s efficiency report, funding, and staffing levels

Vice President’s Report

Highlights included:

• Introducing the new student representative from Washoe County School District, Evana Lan
• Updates from the Innovation and Excellence Commission, including the initiation of a measurement and accountability sub-committee
• Attending several events, including the Department’s two-day AI in education conference, happening this week in Las Vegas, and the Dean’s Future Scholars program at University of Nevada, Reno
• Celebrating the graduation ceremony and resource fair for high school students in the foster system, and offering supports during their transition into independent living
• Updates from the At-Risk Subcommittee, including being given a presentation on the current state of at-risk student funding and their upcoming meeting on June 30

Interim Superintendent’s Report

Highlights included:

• Celebrating the Dean’s Future Scholars program at University of Nevada, Reno
• Holding the AI in education conference this week
• Working with school districts to gather and validate school-level data for the upcoming data release
• Developing internal work plans to prioritize and guide work efforts, specifically in response to the legislative session and the efficiency audit
• Navigating federal funding updates as they occur and responding accordingly
• Reviewing all education-related education legislation that passed, as well as the biennial budget upload, including Senate Bill 81, which is the omnibus clean-up bill, designed to streamline reporting requirements and scholarship programs, and Senate Bill 460, which addresses a number of education issues, including Read by 3 assessments, revising the NEPF, reduces class size reporting requirements, introducing K-3 literacy STEM pilot, and further revises the NSPF; the legislation also introduces several new accountability metrics and systems, codifies the Science of Reading, revises the scopes of work for the Commission of School Funding and the Commission on Innovation, and provides for the impaneling of a School District Oversight Board.
• Securing a one-year extension on the MAP assessment for the upcoming school year to allow for a smoother transition to the post-legislative ecosystem

Informational Items

• Recap of the Legislative Session: Staff reviewed several bills and their associated impacts to the Board and Department, including potential additional reporting, developing processes, council and commission appointments, and additional activities. Explore the recap here.
• Delta Academy: Nevada Alternative Performance Framework (APF): The Delta Academy governing board conducted an internal audit of students who qualified under the APF and determined that the school no longer qualifies under the APF. The Board requests that the school be moved to the Nevada School Performance Framework for the 2025-26 school year. Explore the request.

Board Approved Consent Agenda 

The consent agenda item was:

• Approval of private school license renewals

Board Approved the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) Redesign Field Study Year 1 Review and Recommendations for Year 2

The Board received a presentation on the NEPF Redesign Field Study, approved in June 2024, including the implementation of NEPF rubrics, tools, and summative evaluation scoring for administrators and feedback. There were 85 schools that field-tested the rubrics and tools. Scoring formulas changed, as well as requirements for collected evidence to pieces per standard, instead of two pieces per indicator. The view was also changed to be more concise, eliminate extra verbiage, and consolidate pages.

On surveys regarding the field study, 83% of administrators and 66% of teachers thought the consolidation of the rubric pages improved clarity. Results were mixed on questions relating to growth and understanding, but most administrators agreed that the redesign was an efficient use of time.

Identified challenges include the change in scoring levels, shifting mindsets from indicators to holistic scoring, inconsistencies across buildings, and more time for discussions that drive change. Suggestions included creating a checklist for justifying scores, more training on evidence collection and coaching cycles, and reducing redundancies.

In response to some of these challenges, the Department has created an additional tool for participants for pre- and post-observation conferences, to help guide discussions and identify areas of growth.

The recommendation from the Teachers and Leaders Council was to expand the NEPF Redesign Field Study via an open invitation to all districts, and from the Department, the recommendation was to expand the field study and continue with the original participants as a two-year cohort.

After discussion, the board voted to continue the field study and leave the study open for additional districts to participate.

Explore the presentation.

Board Reviewed the Nevada Department of Education Efficiency Report

Dr. Steve Canavero, Interim Superintendent, presented the NDOE Efficiency Report.

The study was commissioned under former State Superintendent Ebert and was conducted by Public Works. It examines organizational and operational effectiveness and efficiencies, and involved significant internal (staff) engagement, as well as external stakeholder feedback (district personnel, etc.). Revisiting and reorganizing workflows, improving communications channels, and maximizing organizational efficiencies are top-of-mind to the department.

In the biennial budget bill, several new positions to increase capacity were introduced. At the end of the legislative session, the legislature approved the Department for eight additional positions, aligned with the efficiency report’s recommendations on increasing staffing and reorganization.

The team has catalogued every report they are required to produce and that require a touchpoint with districts; the Department is working to reduce redundancy of those reports and inputs required of it, to leverage already existing data available to the Department.

The team is meeting regularly to bring actionable recommendations on structural changes and organizational culture to maximize efficiencies, and building new structures from those recommendations.

Organizational culture and climate, as well as recruitment and retention tools and structures, are also being considered.

Regular updates will be provided regarding these operational changes from the efficiency assessment.

Board members and the Interim Superintendent discussed the dual role of the Department as a regulator and support service, the importance of team culture, how the incoming State Superintendent may use this report as a guiding document, and additional opportunities for presentations and information-sharing for public engagement with the document and in further updates.

Explore the report.

Board Discussed the State Testing Calendar

The Board heard an overview on the current state testing calendar, including the required assessment windows and timelines, the 2025-26 calendar, and information on data validation conducted during the assessments.

Board members discussed the number of instructional days prior to assessments beginning and potential flexibility on timing with the SBAC.

Explore the presentation and calendar.

Board Approved the Procurement Timeline and Key Activities of the Nevada Ready Assessments

The Board approved the timeline and activities to facilitate the upcoming procurement of the federally mandated Nevada summative assessments for grades 3-8 math and English Language Arts. The Board has four areas of authority and decisions: scope of work, selection criteria, evaluation committee, and approving the awarded contract.

Critical elements for state assessment peer review include a statewide system of standards and assessments; assessment system operations; technical quality – validity; technical quality – other; inclusion of all students; achievement standards and reporting. The Nevada assessments submitted for federal peer review and their status is as follows:

• Smarter Balanced ELA and Math: Meets requirements
• Nevada Science Assessments – Partially meets requirements, with additional evidence requested
• Nevada Alternate Assessments – Substantially meets requirements, with additional evidence requested
• WIDA (English Learner assessment) – Partially meets requirements, with additional evidence requested
• ACT – Substantially meets requirements, with additional evidence requested

The RFP procurement process includes the Department obtaining guidance from SBE and stakeholders, the Board providing input based on feedback, the Department writing the RFP and State Purchasing facilitating the RFP process. The Board would review the RFP committee’s recommendation. If approved, it would go to the Board of Examiners for review. If it is not approved, the solicitation process begins again.

The timeline would begin in November 2025, and the State Board would vote on recommendation in December 2025, with a contract start date of April 2026.

Options for next steps include participating in meetings initiated by the Department (Board kept apprised); participating and providing input, co-leading the meetings; or the Board leading the work with the Department supporting. After discussion, the Board voted to participate and provide input, co-leading the meeting.

Explore the presentation.

Board Approved the Steps Towards Finalizing the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Search Criteria and Recruitment Process

The timeline of the search is targeting a July 1 launch date for the position to be opened, and closed on July 20. Staff would then post redacted applications, and they would be reviewed. 

Board members discussed priority qualifications, the need for classroom experience, depth of education experience, communication strengths of the candidates, and the importance of adhering to a timeline. Board members agreed to add in language specifying Nevada knowledge, a commitment to strengthening public education, community responsiveness, thinking inclusively with student subgroups, and visionary leadership to the job description. The Board voted to move forward with the application process, with the addition of the preferred qualifications and rewording a qualification regarding student subgroups, with Member Braxton reviewing the final application prior to it being posted.

The Board also voted that the full board would determine a rubric and review all candidates. Board members will submit ideas for candidate performance tasks and interview questions, and staff will compile those into a draft, which the Board will consider at their next meeting. A proposed screening tool was presented for review and discussion, providing guidance on providing examples and additional clarity. Additional artifacts to accompany the application materials include a written statement on vision and plans, and staff will work with Member Braxton reviewing to bring back to the full Board for deliberation in July.

Explore the Superintendent Search Survey results.

Public Comment #2

Public comment was heard on the following subjects: 

• Clarity and consistency in more inclusive language regarding students with disabilities

Future Agenda Items

Suggestions for future agenda items include an overview of the current composition of the State Board of Education.

The next meeting of the State Board of Education will be held on Wednesday, July 30, at 9:00 a.m. A special meeting will be called in July to finalize the scoring rubric for the State Superintendent role.