The state will need to make major changes to meet the new federal IDEA requirements for students with IEPs. Reliance on multiple-choice items and the graduation requirement do not meet the fairness standard. Nevada has no requirements for preservice training in assessment for teachers. It does not evaluate teacher competence in assessment, nor does it survey educators regarding their professional development needs in assessment. The state provides math and reading in-service programs that cover assessment, including scoring writing.
Teachers score the writing assessments using rubrics developed by a state advisory committee.
The state needs to address professional development in assessment, which it largely has not done. Teacher involvement in scoring is positive. It is the district's responsibility to determine what information to report to parents and the public, with a number of elements, including test scores, required by law. Print materials are provided to parents. They are released in English only.