Connect with us

Nevada

Report: Less Than 20 Percent of High School Students in Nevada Are Proficient in Math – Nevada Globe

Published

on

Report: Less Than 20 Percent of High School Students in Nevada Are Proficient in Math – Nevada Globe


In a recent study by Scholaroo, Nevada ranks 46th in the nation in education and the latest report card provided by the Nevada Department of Education (NVDOE) supports their findings. The report provides data on student performance, absenteeism, graduation and state-wide school quality.

Overall, less than 50 percent of all students are proficient in math and English. 32.6 percent of students demonstrated proficiency in math – a 1.3 percentage-point increase compared with the 2022-23 school year. In English, the statewide proficiency rate was 41.3 percent – up 0.3 percentage points from the previous year.

Data provided by the Nevada Department of Education (Screenshot)

Breaking down the data by grade, third through eighth grade students showed gains in both math and English. For a second consecutive year, all grade levels and student groups made improvements in math proficiency.

Third graders had the highest level of math proficiency at 43.2 percent, followed by fourth graders at 39.8 percent, and fifth graders at 31.8 percent.

Advertisement

In English, students also made gains or proficiency levels remained steady for all student groups by race/ethnicity. Fifth graders demonstrated the highest level of proficiency at 45.3 percent, followed by fourth graders at 43.5 percent, and seventh graders at 42 percent. Students in grades three, six, seven, and eight experienced a decrease in proficiency in English compared with the previous year.

The largest gain in English proficiency was among Black students, with a 1.3 percentage-point increase. Overall, The largest gains by race/ethnicity were among Asian students (2.2 percentage-point increase), and Black students (2.1 percentage-point increase).

In Science, Nevada middle school students saw a 3.6 percentage-point gain in science compared with the 2022-23 school year. High school students showed a 0.1 percentage-point decrease, while elementary school students had a 5.2 percentage-point decrease.

“Are we there yet? Absolutely not. Do we know the road to success? We absolutely do and we need to make sure that we continue on that path at an accelerator rate. What that means is, meeting students where they are at, understanding their individual learning styles and being engaged,” said Superintendent of Public Education Jhone Ebert in a released statement.

Chronic absenteeism improved to 25.9 percent from 34.9 percent the previous year. Students are considered chronically absent when they miss 10 percent or more of school days.

Advertisement

“This 9 percent improvement in the chronic absenteeism rate is a major accomplishment that reflects concerted efforts across our education system and community to ensure that students are in class learning,” Ebert said.

Nevada’s high school graduation rate for the Class of 2023 decreased to 81.4 percent compared with 81.7 percent the previous year. Yet, less than 20 percent of high school students are proficient in math and only 45 percent are proficient in English.

Fuzzy math? The graduation numbers simply do not reflect the proficiency rates. We have contacted the NV DOE’s Public Information Officer for clarification on graduation data.

Education Budget 2024-2025

Ebert further credits Governor Joe Lombardo for providing a historic education budget and resources to improve education.

“The Governor introduced AB 400, which the legislatures passed, the governor signed to put 140 million dollars in for our youngest learners. Those from birth all the way up to age 6 are now receiving additional resources so they have a great start to their education.”

During the last legislative session, Lombardo signed a historic K-12 education budget, investing $12 billion over the next biennium, adding an additional $2.6 billon to the budget. Last September, Lombardo and State Superintendent John Ebert announced an “Acing Accountability” intiative. The initiative established accountability metrics related to the $2.6 billion investment in K-12 education. The metrics were designed to ensure that “resources are tied to performance.”

Advertisement

Despite the historic investment, an audit performed earlier this year found existing shortcomings, prompting the governor to promise additional education reforms, including advancing legislation to make it easier to remove a school superintendent and put a school district under state control.

Governor Lombardo advocates for Opportunity Scholarships for low- income students (Photo: @JosephMLombardo)

“In one of my first Executive Orders last year, I mandated an audit of Nevada’s 17 Public School Districts and the State Public Charter School Authority. I firmly believe that our unprecedented investment into K-12 education warrants unprecedented accountability and fiscal responsibility. The audit highlighted existing shortcomings within our education system, and my administration will use the audit’s findings to shape our Acing Accountability initiative and education reform in our state.”

As reported by The Globe, the battle for school choice took center stage during the last legislative session, but the Democratic majority stripped the funding necessary for Opportunity Scholarships forcing hundreds of low-income students into the state’s failing public school system.

In a unanimous vote, the Democratic majority on the Interim Finance Committee refused to approve Governor Lombardo’s proposed $3.4 million to protect hundreds of Opportunity Scholarships for low-income students. Republican members of the committee unanimously approved the funding

Following the vote, Governor Joe Lombardo released the following statement: “In an act of callous partisanship, today Democrats turned their backs on hundreds of low-income students that our traditional school system has failed or left behind. Forcibly removing hundreds of low-income students from their schools after the school year has already begun is devastating and simply incomprehensible. My administration grieves with the hundreds of students who will be crushed by Democrats removing them from their friends, teachers, and schools, and my administration remains more committed than ever to fighting for all Nevada students. Our fight continues.”

Valeria Gurr, Senior Fellow at School Choice Now, told The Globe, “The latest reports show what we already knew. Our students have been the victims of an educational system that is not serving them well — for decades. It’s not only that they are not proficient in math and reading, but that they are also stuck in overcrowded classrooms with lack of support that they need to become successful. Parents need more options, and they need them now.”

Advertisement

Editor’s note: In grade school, the average student-teacher ratio is 21:1. To view performance data for the state, school districts, and schools, visit the Nevada Report Card website at nevadareportcard.nv.gov.

 

 

 

 

Advertisement

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email





Source link

Nevada

Local artists on Northern Nevada stages, now through Labor Day weekend

Published

on

Local artists on Northern Nevada stages, now through Labor Day weekend


play

You love to see it: local artists on local stages. Here are 12 shows featuring local artists between now and Labor Day, including rock, metal, punk, folk, jazz, hip-hop and more.

Advertisement

Bark Hardly

This indie-folk group from Reno headlines an all-local bill with Glitter Bats, Sad Giants and Anabelle and the Desert Scrubs. It starts at 7 p.m. at Holland Project, 140 Vesta St.

The show is July 10. Tickets are $12. Details: 775-742-1858 or hollandreno.org.

Thrashmob

It’s an all-local hip-hop night featuring this artist as headliner. They perform at 7 p.m. at Club Underground, 555 E. 4th St.

The show is July 11. Tickets are $20-$25. Details at clubundergroundreno.com.

Shared Scars

This Reno metal band celebrates the release of its new EP with a show that also features area metal bands Emberwake, Desolist, Titvn and Everglade. It all begins at 7 p.m. at The Alpine, 324 E. 4th St.

Advertisement

The show is July 11. Tickets are $20-$25. Details at thealpine-reno.com.

Cruz Control featuring Bree Rose

Rock, soul and hip-hop mix with this group from Reno. They play at 7 p.m. the first night and 8 p.m. subsequent nights at Terrace Lounge, Peppermill Resort Casino, 2707 S. Virginia St.

Free shows are July 16-18. Details at peppermillreno.com.

Next Question

The popular indie-punk group from Reno kicks off its tour at this show, which also features locals Blackstallion and Ring Pop Wedding. It begins at 7 p.m. at Holland Project, 140 Vesta St.

Advertisement

The show is July 17. Tickets are $10-$12. Details: 775-742-1858 or hollandreno.org.

Vampirates

The longtime local progressive-punk/noise band performs with Sacramento ska punks Lesdystics and local hardcore punk band The Scattering. It all begins at 7:30 p.m. at Lost Highway, 1526 S. Wells Ave.

The show is July 17 and there is a $10 suggested donation. Details at instagram.com/corrigans_losthighway.

Fireman’s Ball Reignited

A benefit for the Silver City Volunteer Fire Department, this show features some big northern Nevada and regional names including former Tahoe resident and country-rock singer/songwriter Matt Axton. Also on the bill are Darren Senn, Charity Kiss and Next Question, among others. It all starts at 1 p.m. at Silver City Park, 385 High St., Silver City.

This free show, with donations accepted, is July 18. Details at instagram.com/silvercityvfd_nv.

Advertisement

Everything Sucks Fest 2026

The annual punk-band event returns, this time with locals Hired Fun, Irreplaceable Beings, Flicker And Fade and Cold Amber Medicine. It begins at 4 p.m. at Shoe Tree Brewing Co., 1496 Old Hot Springs Road, Carson City.

This free show is July 25. Details at instagram.com/shoetreebrewing.

Reno Jazz Orchestra with Matt Mauser

For their Artown show, this local group will be joined by Mauser, an “America’s Got Talent” finalist who specializes in pop and jazz standards. The show starts at 7 p.m. at Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road.

This show is July 29. Tickets are $35. Details at artown.org.

Reno Devilles

Rockabilly meets surf-rock with this local band. They play at 8 p.m. at Pele Utu, 1275 Stardust St.

Advertisement

This free show is Aug. 1. Details at instagram.com/peleutureno.

Jakota Wass

A country singer/songwriter from Gardnerville, Wass plays at 7 p.m. at the Outdoor Stage, Brewery Arts Center, 449 W. King St., Carson City.

The free show is Aug. 8. Details at breweryarts.org.

The Electric

A straight-ahead alternative rock band from Reno, the Electric headline an all-local bill that also features Sad Giants and The Jackeyes. They play at 7 p.m. at Holland Project, 140 Vesta St.

The show is Aug. 15. Tickets are $8-$10. Details: 775-742-1858 or hollandreno.org.

Advertisement

Cape Fear Quartet

This swing-jazz quartet from Reno performs at 8 p.m. at Pele Utu, 1275 Stardust St.

This free show is Aug. 15. Details at instagram.com/peleutureno.

Jelly Bread

Soul music meets alternative rock with this Reno group. They perform at 7 p.m. at the Outdoor Stage, Brewery Arts Center, 449 W. King St., Carson City.

The free show is Aug. 15. Details at breweryarts.org.

Band Wars Music Festival

An extension of the contest at Club Underground earlier this year, the participants now get to play at Bartley Ranch. Contest winners No One Good are joined by Split Persona, Interstate, Giant Skunk and Quitter, among others. It all begins at 2 p.m. at Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road.

Advertisement

The show is Sept. 5. Tickets are $25-$35. Details at clubundergroundreno.com.





Source link

Continue Reading

Nevada

Odd and beguiling ‘Rose of Nevada’ will haunt viewers

Published

on

Odd and beguiling ‘Rose of Nevada’ will haunt viewers


The dilapidated fishing vessel from which “Rose of Nevada” takes its name disappeared into the sea off the coast of Cornwall, England, in 1993, bringing with it two members of a shorthanded crew. A young fisherman who had called out sick that day later died by suicide; some speculate because of survivor’s guilt. There’s a lot of speculation about that old boat. It was the kind of tragedy from which a tight-knit community never really recovers, and this quaint Cornish fishing village has since been stricken by decades of poverty and rot. Now, 33 years later, the Rose has mysteriously returned. It just showed up, ship-shape and empty, sitting there in the harbor one misty Monday morning. All she needs now is another crew.

How and why the boat returned is not for me to say, nor are such matters of much concern to writer-director Mark Jenkin. A time travel adventure with the cadence of a ghost story, “Rose of Nevada” haunts the viewer like the sound of a faint, distant horn on a foggy night. George MacKay stars as Nick, a loving husband and doting dad who has been out of work for some time now. He’s also a bit of a dummy, caving in their apartment’s roof while trying to patch a leak during a rainstorm. Nick finds himself crewing the Rose out of financial necessity — he’s literally trying to put a roof over his family’s heads — while Callum Turner’s gruff drifter Liam comes aboard seemingly because he’s got nothing better to do.

George MacKay (left) and Callum Turner in writer-director Mark Jenkin’s “Rose of Nevada.” (Courtesy Ian Kingsnorth/Bosena)

Any other movie would probably try to explain exactly how these boys return from their maiden voyage with a robust catch to find themselves transported back to 1993. They discover their little town thriving and keep running into younger, happier versions of characters we’ve met in the miserable present. Everyone seems to know who Nick and Liam are, but they’re calling them different names. It’s as if the two have somehow stepped into the shoes of those doomed crewmembers from 33 years ago, brought back here by the Rose either to fix history or repeat it.

Part of what makes the movie so mesmerizing is Jenkin’s artisanal approach. He shoots on an ancient, hand-cranked 16mm Bolex camera — a model slightly less advanced than what my film school class was using three decades ago. Jenkin leans into the grainy imperfections of the image, keeping in all the scratches and light leaks that professional labs and technicians typically scrub out. It’s impossible to capture synchronized sound with this equipment, so background noises and the necessarily sparse dialogue are added later in post-production, lending an eerie, uncanny quality to the proceedings.

Advertisement

The set of self-imposed limitations creates its own aesthetic. Jenkin’s hand-cranked camera won’t run for more than 28 seconds at a time, forcing him to tell the story in a series of punchy, discrete images. Instead of wide establishing shots, he favors tight closeups made even more claustrophobic by 16mm’s boxy 1.33 aspect ratio. Our brains assemble the scenes almost like a mental jigsaw puzzle, getting a full sense of the boat without ever getting a complete look at it. Same goes for the town. It’s amazing how many gaps your mind fills in for you when prompted properly.

Jenkin takes a similar approach to the screenplay, allowing rhyming images and visual cues to provide most of the exposition. I went back and watched the movie a second time to try and understand how I always felt like I knew what was happening, even though I couldn’t possibly explain what was going on. The rhythms of the picture feel almost like a dream, obeying their own strict logic that locks in perfectly at the end. Jenkin’s previous picture, the cryptic Cornish island folk tale “Enys Men,” tried similar tactics, but with annoying, off-putting results. Two of the reasons this film connects so much better are the appealing lead performances by MacKay and Turner, a couple of genuine movie stars with whom we are happy to get lost at sea.

From left, Callum Turner and George MacKay in writer-director Mark Jenkin's
From left, Callum Turner and George MacKay in writer-director Mark Jenkin’s “Rose of Nevada.” (Courtesy Steve Tanner/1-2 Special)

MacKay made no impression at all in the insipid, Oscar-winning World War I gimmick film “1917,” but has since revealed himself to be one of our most adventurous young actors. He was electrifying as a bi-curious, homophobic hooligan in the 2024 Boston Underground Film Festival favorite “Femme,” and nailed multiple roles from swoon-worthy stud to psychopathic incel stalker in Bertrand Bonello’s brain-melting “The Beast.” There’s a performative aspect when most actors play dumb, a theatricality that reminds the audience they’re actually smarter than the character. As our stranded family man Nick, MacKay offers no such condescension. He’s a dim bulb with a big heart in an unfathomable situation; his eyes sometimes touchingly, hilariously blank. So much is already beyond Nick, and then all this happens.

Most readers probably know Turner as Mr. Dua Lipa. For those who have trouble keeping track of their cute British boys, he’s the jug-eared, scruffy one who isn’t Josh O’Connor. I’ve never understood the hubbub about this guy, but he won me over here. It’s tough to recall a character in a science-fiction story quite like Liam, who, when experiencing something as foundation-shattering as time travel, figures, “Sure, why not?” and rolls with it. MacKay has some hilarious reaction shots to his screen partner’s blithe acceptance of their new reality. Though I suppose it helps that in this alternate 1993 timeline, Liam winds up with a beautiful wife and daughter, while Nick just gets stuck with overbearing parents.

I’ve been turning over the movie’s ending in my mind for a couple of weeks. “Rose of Nevada” comes to a conclusion both hopeful and bittersweet, depending on how you want to read it. This is an odd, beguiling film that doesn’t look or sound like anything else you’ll see in theaters this year. The raggedly beautiful imagery is a feast of rust and decay, the film itself dinged up like it’s followed the boat here from a distant, mysterious time.


“Rose of Nevada” opens at the Coolidge Corner Theatre on Friday, July 10.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Nevada

UNR tests whether cow manure can help restore Nevada landscapes after wildfires

Published

on

UNR tests whether cow manure can help restore Nevada landscapes after wildfires


After decades of cheatgrass-fueled wildfires across Nevada, researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno are testing whether cattle can help restore damaged rangelands by spreading native seeds as they graze.

Cheatgrass, an invasive plant common across the Great Basin, dries out early and can fuel larger wildfires, making it harder for native vegetation to return. UNR postdoctoral scholar William Richardson said the plant helps create a self-reinforcing cycle.

“Cheatgrass grows, it creates more wildfires, that allows more cheatgrass to grow, and it becomes a bigger and bigger issue. That’s why we’re seeing all these mega fires spreading across the Great Basin,” Richardson said.

The challenge continues after flames are out. In Nevada’s arid climate, native plants can struggle to reestablish, while cheatgrass often returns quickly.

Advertisement

UNR tests whether cow manure can help restore Nevada landscapes after wildfires

“We struggle with getting five to eight inches of rain a year. Trying to restore a native community in those very arid conditions are extremely difficult,” Richardson said.

Ewe won’t believe it: Sheep munch away at Reno’s wildfire worries in Arrowcreek area

Ranchers already use targeted grazing to reduce cheatgrass. Now, UNR researchers are studying whether cattle can also help reseed the landscape. The approach mixes native grass seeds into protein supplements cattle already eat. Researchers then track whether the seeds can survive digestion and be spread naturally across the range after being deposited in manure.

“We’re already using cattle to combat cheatgrass through targeted grazing, and the ultimate goal is to bring native species back across the landscape, so why don’t we combine those two ideas?” Richardson said.

Advertisement

In lab testing, researchers evaluated special seed coatings designed to help some seeds survive a cow’s digestive system. The results showed certain species could make it through the process and still germinate after being deposited in manure, Richardson said, though some seeds need more protection than others.

UNR tests whether cow manure can help restore Nevada landscapes after wildfires

UNR tests whether cow manure can help restore Nevada landscapes after wildfires

“Some species naturally have a very thin seed coat and require more protection, while others can go through the gut of a cow easy peasy lemon squeezy,” he said.

The project is expected to move into field testing this fall at Horseshoe Ranch near Eureka, where researchers will track whether seeds can not only survive digestion but also establish new plants on the landscape.

“It’s a passive way to restore the landscape. Instead of having to go in with a tractor or seed from an airplane, you can use cows that are already there,” Richardson said.

Advertisement
UNR tests whether cow manure can help restore Nevada landscapes after wildfires

UNR tests whether cow manure can help restore Nevada landscapes after wildfires

Researchers said the method is not intended to replace traditional restoration work, but to add another tool for land managers and ranchers. If the field trials are successful, they said the approach could eventually help restore thousands — or even hundreds of thousands — of acres across the Great Basin.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending