More schools get low marks

CARSON CITY -- The latest report card on Nevada's 654 public elementary and secondary schools and programs shows an increase over last year's total of schools that received low marks, the state Department of Education said Friday.

The designations are based on criteria imposed by the federal No Child Left Behind Act and by state laws designed to bring the schools in line with the federal requirements.

State schools chief Keith Rheault said a breakdown of the 654 schools showed that 249 were designated as "in need of improvement" or on a "watch list." That's up from 198 a year ago.

Rheault said this year has been "extremely challenging" because school districts and the state Department of Education faced budget cuts imposed because of a slump in projected revenues. He also said performance expectations went up.

Of the 249 schools that failed to meet the standard, 118 are on the watch list, which gives them a year to improve before they are designated in need of improvement. That's up from 67 a year ago.

The report also shows that six public schools have "exemplary" ratings, down from 23 last year, and 57 have "high achieving" ratings, down from 96 last year. State and federal laws require schools to move all their students to "proficient" or better performance levels by the 2013-14 school year.

Rheault previously cautioned that schools would face a bigger challenge in the 2007-2008 school year because the state's performance expectations were raised for English and for mathematics.

School performance is based on test scores of various student groups. If one of the subgroups fails to meet the goals, the entire school is listed as not having made adequate yearly progress.

If a school fails to make adequate yearly progress for one year, it's placed on the watch list. If that progress isn't achieved for two or more consecutive years in math or English, the "improvement needed" label attaches.

To get off that list, a school has to make adequate yearly progress for two years in a row. If the low ranking persists for three or more years, remedial efforts can include the state's involvement in a school's management.