The Nevada Legislature has made a requirement of school districts to implement a uniform system of teacher evaluations that are to be set in place next year.
This year Humboldt County School District is implementing what they term as "NEPF lite" (Nevada Educator Performance Framework). This is the evaluation tool for assessing the performance of teachers and administrators, and which the HCSD will introduce in stages to district teachers.
Assistant Superintendent Dawn Hagness said Senate Bill 407 requires the district to update board policy to align with the expected changes of NEPF. Student achievement is a required part of the teacher evaluation this year; however the state does not say how student achievement should be included.
The district is introducing a modified policy and will use the aggregate district star rating, expected to be a three-star rating, to meet the student achievement requirement. Essentially, the student achievement component will be a wash for every teacher in district, and they will be evaluated on professional and instructional responsibilities, said Hagness.
Board member Bruce Braginton said he liked how the modified policy addresses the two ends of effective teaching. A highly-effective teacher won't be penalized for being included in a three-star rating. Teachers on the low end can't just "coast" because the policy also includes a method to address their capabilities.
Additionally, Hagness said, the teachers will be subject to three observations by administrators. When full implementation of NEPF takes place next year, teachers will be subject to six observations.
Dr. Dave Jensen, superintendent, said the start of the school year had gone well. No major transportation issues were reported, and he said he stayed late at the district office on Monday expecting calls of children missing buses, but no calls came in. Initial response to the new food service provider, Chartwells, was positive and they were working out some kinks in their service.
Both Jensen and Hagness toured the schools on the first day of school.
Jensen said Winnemucca Grammar School first grade has high enrollment numbers at 21 to one, and the district and school principal will monitor those numbers. Some classes had student-teacher ratios which were less than projected.
Enrollment figures for the district were expected to be either flat or at a slight decline. As of Tuesday, 3,429 students are enrolled in HCSD, down 88 students from last year's 3,517 count day. Jensen reminded the board that some students do not begin school until the second week, and the official count day is during the third week of September.
School board members once again discussed their goals for the year, but did not finalize them. Improving graduation rates, increased board member visibility in the community and ongoing professional development are the tentative goals with details being worked out for the next board meeting.
Director of Innovation Kelly Novi said board members were invited to attend the open house evenings at the rural schools. Orvada held their open house this past Thursday. Kings River open house will be Friday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m., and Denio's will be held Thursday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. with a parent advisory meeting at 5 p.m.
Novi said as of Aug. 26, Denio has 11 students, Orvada 34, and Kings River has 22 students enrolled. He and Noel Morton, director of performance, toured the rural schools and met with administrators in each school. Morton is the principal of rural schools and Novi is the vice principal.
The board members also approved leave of absences for two district employees.[[In-content Ad]]
