This year, officials with Washoe County Schools are hopeful 80 percent of high school seniors in the district will be able to graduate on time. That would mark the highest graduation rate in the district’s history. At the same time, ACT scores have slipped and are beginning to lag behind the rest of the state.
In addition, the Nevada Department of Education will use a new set of standards to determine how schools across the state are performing. That framework will determine whether a school receives a rating of one to five stars. But what makes this rubric different from those used in the past is that it places greater emphasis on determining whether students are showing growth.
Reno Public Radio’s Education Reporter Paul Boger sat down with Washoe County School Superintendent Traci Davis to talk about the rubric and about the opportunities and challenges facing the district.
Editor's Note: This interview has been edited for time and clarity.