2011 Nevada Revised Statutes
Chapter 385 - State Administrative Organization
NRS 385.3785 - Commission: Establishment of program of educational excellence; allocations of money to public schools and consortiums of public schools; Department required to provide list of priorities of schools; review of certain information by Commission.

1. The Commission shall:

(a) Establish a program of educational excellence designed exclusively for pupils enrolled in kindergarten through grade 6 in public schools in this State based upon:

(1) The plan to improve the achievement of pupils prepared by the State Board pursuant to NRS 385.34691;

(2) The plan to improve the achievement of pupils prepared by the principal of each school pursuant to NRS 385.357, which may include a program of innovation, the turnaround plan for the school implemented pursuant to NRS 385.37603 or the plan for restructuring the school implemented pursuant to NRS 385.37607, whichever is applicable for the school; and

(3) Any other information that the Commission considers relevant to the development of the program of educational excellence.

(b) Identify programs, practices and strategies that have proven effective in improving the academic achievement and proficiency of pupils.

(c) Develop a concise application and simple procedures for the submission of applications by public schools and consortiums of public schools, including, without limitation, charter schools, for participation in a program of educational excellence and for grants of money from the Account. Grants of money must be made for programs designed for the achievement of pupils that are linked to the plan to improve the achievement of pupils or for innovative programs, or both, or that are linked to the turnaround plan for the school or the plan for restructuring the school, if applicable, or for innovative programs, or both. The Commission shall not award a grant of money from the Account for a program to provide full-day kindergarten. All public schools and consortiums of public schools, including, without limitation, charter schools, are eligible to submit such an application, regardless of whether the schools have made adequate yearly progress or failed to make adequate yearly progress. A public school or a consortium of public schools selected for participation may be approved by the Commission for participation for a period not to exceed 2 years, but may reapply.

(d) Prescribe a long-range timeline for the review, approval and evaluation of applications received from public schools and consortiums of public schools that desire to participate in the program.

(e) Establish guidelines for the review, evaluation and approval of applications for grants of money from the Account, including, without limitation, consideration of the list of priorities of public schools provided by the Department pursuant to subsection 6. To ensure consistency in the review, evaluation and approval of applications, if the guidelines authorize the review and evaluation of applications by less than the entire membership of the Commission, money must not be allocated from the Account for a grant until the entire membership of the Commission has reviewed and approved the application for the grant.

(f) Prescribe accountability measures to be carried out by a public school that participates in the program if that public school does not meet the annual measurable objectives established by the State Board pursuant to NRS 385.361, including, without limitation:

(1) The specific levels of achievement expected of schools that participate; and

(2) Conditions for schools that do not meet the grant criteria but desire to continue participation in the program and receive money from the Account, including, without limitation, a review of the leadership at the school and recommendations regarding changes to the appropriate body.

(g) Determine the amount of money that is available from the Account for those public schools and consortiums of public schools that are selected to participate in the program.

(h) Allocate money to public schools and consortiums of public schools from the Account. Allocations must be distributed not later than September 30 of each year.

(i) Establish criteria for public schools and consortiums of public schools that participate in the program and receive an allocation of money from the Account to evaluate the effectiveness of the allocation in improving the achievement of pupils, including, without limitation, a detailed analysis of:

(1) The achievement of pupils enrolled at each school that received money from the allocation based upon measurable criteria identified in, as applicable, the:

(I) Plan to improve the achievement of pupils for the school prepared pursuant to NRS 385.357;

(II) Turnaround plan for the school implemented pursuant to NRS 385.37603; or

(III) Plan for restructuring the school implemented pursuant to NRS 385.37607;

(2) If applicable, the effectiveness of the program of innovation on the achievement of pupils and the overall effectiveness for pupils and staff;

(3) The implementation of the applicable plans for improvement, including, without limitation, an analysis of whether the school is meeting the measurable objectives identified in the plan; and

(4) The attainment of measurable progress on the annual list of adequate yearly progress of school districts and schools.

2. To the extent money is available, the Commission shall make allocations of money to public schools and consortiums of public schools for effective programs for grades 7 through 12 that are designed to improve the achievement of pupils and effective programs of innovation for pupils. In making such allocations, the Commission shall comply with the requirements of this section.

3. An application submitted pursuant to this section must include a written statement which:

(a) Indicates whether the public school or consortium of public schools is submitting the application for the continuation of an existing program or for the establishment of a new program; and

(b) Identifies all other sources of money that the public school or consortium of public schools has requested or received for the continuation or establishment of:

(1) The program for which the application is submitted; or

(2) A substantially similar program.

4. The Commission shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that grants of money provided pursuant to this section reflect the economic and geographic diversity of this State.

5. If a public school or consortium of public schools that receives money pursuant to subsection 1 or 2:

(a) Does not meet the criteria for effectiveness as prescribed in paragraph (i) of subsection 1;

(b) Does not, as a result of the program for which the grant of money was awarded, show improvement in the achievement of pupils, as determined in an evaluation conducted pursuant to subsection 3 of NRS 385.379; or

(c) Does not implement the program for which the money was received, as determined in an audit conducted pursuant to subsection 4 of NRS 385.3789 or an evaluation conducted pursuant to subsection 3 of NRS 385.379,

over a 2-year period, the Commission may consider not awarding future allocations of money to that public school or consortium of public schools.

6. On or before August 15 of each year, the Department shall provide a list of priorities of public schools that indicates:

(a) The adequate yearly progress status of schools in the immediately preceding year; and

(b) The public schools that are considered Title I eligible by the Department based upon the poverty level of the pupils enrolled in a school in comparison to the poverty level of the pupils in the school district as a whole,

for consideration by the Commission in its development of procedures for the applications.

7. A public school, including, without limitation, a charter school, or a consortium of public schools may request assistance from the school district in which the school is located in preparing an application for a grant of money pursuant to this section. A school district shall assist each public school or consortium of public schools that requests assistance pursuant to this subsection to ensure that the application of the school:

(a) Is based directly upon, as applicable, the:

(1) Plan to improve the achievement of pupils prepared for the school pursuant to NRS 385.357;

(2) Turnaround plan for the school implemented pursuant to NRS 385.37603; or

(3) Plan for restructuring the school implemented pursuant to NRS 385.37607;

(b) Is developed in accordance with the criteria established by the Commission; and

(c) Is complete and complies with all technical requirements for the submission of an application.

A school district may make recommendations to the individual schools and consortiums of public schools. Such schools and consortiums of public schools are not required to follow the recommendations of a school district.

8. In carrying out the requirements of this section, the Commission shall review and consider the programs of remedial study adopted by the Department pursuant to NRS 385.389, the list of approved providers of supplemental educational services maintained by the Department pursuant to NRS 385.384 and the recommendations submitted by the Committee pursuant to NRS 218E.615 concerning programs, practices and strategies that have proven effective in improving the academic achievement and proficiency of pupils.

9. The Commission shall not award a grant of money from the Account for a program of remedial study that is available commercially unless that program has been adopted by the Department pursuant to NRS 385.389.

10. If a consortium of public schools is formed for the purpose of submitting an application pursuant to this section, the public schools within the consortium do not need to be located within the same school district.

(Added to NRS by 2005, 1972; A 2007, 1956, 2375; 2009, 241, 2323; 2011, 573, 3496)