Nevada R-5 board reviews school improvement plan

Nevada Daily Mail

Assistant Superintendent Christie Peterson presented the Nevada R-5 school board with the district's Comprehensive School Improvement Plan, during a meeting Wednesday night.

"Any organization needs a set of goals and objectives and we are no different," Peterson said. "This is not only a good idea, it is a required document by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for accreditation purposes."

Peterson said the district's goals haven't changed but the way the district tries to achieve them has. "Our vision, mission and goals haven't changed but the way we approach those goals has," Peterson said.

Each year, administrators and the board review the plan, making changes when needed.

Among the aspects of education addressed by the plan are academic achievement, including No Child Left Behind goals, enriching curriculum, providing for the needs of all learners, including those with special needs, preparing students for life after high school, high attendance goals, keeping the dropout rate low, upgrading facilities as needed maintaining high quality nursing service, food service and safety, continuing incentive programs such as Renaissance, and setting other goals and implementing a plan to meet them.

The plan evaluates the strengths of the districts and identifies any weaknesses, then sets forth a plan to maintain and improve programs and services.

Specific goals include high marks by students on the MAP tests, an average daily attendance of 95 percent or more, a dropout rate of 3 percent or less, a rate of 100 percent of students who go on to further their education or secure jobs upon leaving high school, facility improvements -- especially related to technology, improvements in transportation and other support services and increased safety levels.

"The CSIP is evaluated by the district's success and degree of improvement over the years," Peterson said.

"I believe that we should be very proud and pleased with the improvements we have made in each of the seven critical areas. I believe that this improvement is credited to good faculty and staff, good community support and by the single-minded focus of the board on high achievement."

In other business, the board voted to declare a replica 1934 Ford Coupe kit car the automotive class put together as surplus property so it could be sold.

The car has a 351 Ford racing engine, chrome wheels, a 1,600 watt Sony stereo, an automatic transmission and remote control doors.

The district has set the minimum bid price on the car at $30,000.