National education survey puts Nevada near bottom

The state received a ranking of 43rd in the nation when it comes to a student's chances of successfully going through public school, to college and into a job. The Quality Counts 2007 report released by Wednesday shows Nevada in a bad light, but it doesn't reflect the achievement of the Douglas County School District, according to Assistant Superintendent Nancy Bryant.

"Douglas County consistently performs at or above in almost all areas," said Bryant. "No one is on the watch list, the graduation rate is higher and AP (advanced placement) scores are higher."

The school district shows above-average passing scores in reading.

"We certainly have a way to go but this study doesn't reflect Douglas County," she said.

Bryant said more growth is needed in math and for the English as second language and special education populations.

All Douglas schools achieved adequate yearly progress, an assessment required since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

In the Chance-for-Success Index, where Nevada was 44th in the nation, is based on 13 indicators such as family income, parents' education and employment, whether children's parents are fluent in English and the number of high school graduates.

The report gave 55.9 percent as the Nevada's average high school graduation rate for the 2003 through 2005 school years. The study did not include a breakdown by county.

According to the department of education's Nevada Accountability Report, the average state graduation rate for the 2005-2006 school year was 64.9 percent, still below the national average of 69.6 percent. Douglas County School District graduated 85.4 percent the same year.

The graduation rate, as reported by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center which compiled the Quality Counts 2007 report, is based on figures submitted by the U.S. Department of Education.

The rate of 55.9 percent in the Quality Counts report is the average number of students graduating with a standard four-year diploma. Certificates of attendance, adult diplomas, high school equivalency certificates (GED) and diplomas earned in five years don't figure into the states' graduation rates.

In other sections of the report, Nevada ranked 44th in K-12 achievement, 33rd in academic standards and school accountability and 25th on educational alignment policies which have to do with how many policies are in place through the students' school years to get them ready for the world of work.

Quality Counts 2007 is based on state-supplied information from 2003 to 2005. The report is completed by Editorial Projects in Education Research Center from Bethesda, Md. For a complete report on Nevada, go to edweek.org and "State Highlights Reports."

The Nevada Accountability Report is available through the Nevada Department of Education at www.doe.nv.gov or at nevadareportcard.com.