EDITORIAL: Latest K-12 rankings show Nevada needs all-of-the-above approach

New year, unfortunately same as the old year.

The first week of 2016 brought with it another dismal report on the state of K-12 education in Nevada. Education Week's annual Quality Counts report and rankings pegged the Silver State dead last, behind the other 49 states and the District of Columbia. Nevada's overall score in the rankings was 65.2, a solid D by any measure, and in fact, the state got D's in all four metrics in the study: 66.5 in chance for success, which also rated 51st; 66.2 in achievement, which ranked 38th; and 62.8 in finance (46th).

Education Week's report comes two months after the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed Nevada lagging, as well. In a sampling of fourth-graders tested, 32 percent were proficient in math and only 29 percent were proficient in reading. Eighth-graders fared worse, with 26 percent proficient in math and 27 percent proficient in reading. Those numbers put Nevada among the bottom 10 states in the NAEP.

What neither the Education Week nor NAEP results can fairly take into account is Nevada's significant number of English Language Learners — one of every five students in the state. The state's NAEP rates are 4 to 7 points higher across the board when ELL students are removed from the calculation.

Still, the two reports accurately point to continued problems in the state's public education system. And when you're dead last, no option that seeks improvement should be dismissed. Nevada's numbers show that the state needs an all-of-the-above approach to improve K-12 results. And that definitely includes the new Education Savings Accounts law, which last week was put on hold by a court injunction sought by opponents who said it would drain critical funding resources from Nevada's public schools and is unconstitutional.

The argument that people make in trying to kill ESAs is the idea that we just need to put more resources into public schools. This is completely wrong. Nevada's low national standing underscores why ESA legislation was put forth in the 2015 session.

Any new spending should be put toward initiatives that we know can produce gains. And to further student success, there must also be choice, reform and accountability. Anything less will bring more bad news in next year's rankings.