Nevada gives report to public
By submitted, 09/18/20 2:37 PM
ROSSTON – On September 17, Rick McAfee, superintendent of the Nevada School District, and his staff conducted the annual report to the public before its regular monthly school board meeting. The public was thanked for their support in the recent passing of the millage vote. This allowed the district to keep the millage rate the same, with no increase.
They reviewed the budgets for the District, Federal Programs, ESA, Special Education, Gifted and Talented Programs, Supplemental Programs, School Improvement Plan, and Literacy Plan.
McAfee explained that the Federal Department of Education is using the Every Student Succeeds Act for school regulations. Under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) schools are given a school index score which uses 5 points of data (weighted achievement, growth score, school quality, 4 year graduation rate, 5 year graduation rate) to then be assigned a letter grade. In 2018-2019 both Nevada High School and Nevada Elementary School were assigned a “C” letter Grade. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was not a reported letter grade for the school year 2019-2020.
Jason Arrington (high school principal) said Nevada High School is “Accredited” for meeting all required standards of the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. It was also noted that this information is found at the districts web site www.nevadaschooldistrict.net at any time. Arrington also explain the following ways the high school is implementing to meet the goals of the school improvement and literacy plan:
- ILT times for remediation and enrichment
- All teachers are trained in the RISE program
- Acellus is used for differentiated instruction
Tonda Pennington (elementary principal) said Nevada Elementary is also “accredited” for meeting all required standards of the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Mrs. Pennington went over the following steps that Nevada Elementary School is taking to meet the goals of the school improvement and literacy plans.
- Intervention block set aside for remediation and enrichment
- Acellus and IXL programs are being used to provide differentiated instruction
- All teachers are trained in the RISE program
- STAR reading is being used to monitor student’s reading progress
McAfee reported the Nevada School District has offered a virtual academy for families who have chosen to keep their students at home because of the pandemic. The school district has also adopted a Blended Learning Model this year for grades K-12. This will allow students to continue to learn from home in the event of school closures due to weather, COVID -19, or other emergencies.
McAfee reported the Nevada School District is committed to teach, evaluate, and disseminate programs and strategies that grow children’s abilities to think skillfully and critically. Mr. McAfee also stated ESA, State Professional Development, and Title I funds will be used to provide quality professional development being used to ensure that students of Nevada school district are being taught using the most up-to-date and best practices in the educational field.
Mr. McAfee invited parents to become more involved and partner with the school in helping address academic and graduation issues for their students by:
- Attending Parent Teacher Conferences.
- Meeting with teachers, counselors, and administrators.
- Ensuring their student is prepared daily for school.
- Monitoring their students’ classroom and homework assignments.
- Contacting the school district at 870-871-2418 if there are any problems that we can assist with.
