| 8th Grade Credit Requirements Measure |
A Measure within the NSPF school rating system that evaluates a school's rate of 8th graders meeting credit requirements outlined in NAC 389.445. |
| 95% Assessment Participation |
A requirement of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that states at least 95% of a state's students and subgroups must participate in the state Math and ELA assessments. |
| 9th Grade Credit Requirements Measure |
A Measure within the NSPF high school rating system that evaluates a school's rate of 9th graders meeting credit requirements outlined in NAC 389.659. |
| Academic Achievement Indicator |
An Indicator within the NSPF and APF rating systems that includes Math, ELA, and Science proficiency Measures. |
| Academic Learning Plan (ALP) Measure |
A Measure within the NSPF and APF rating systems that evaluates a school's rate of students who have an academic learning plan that outlines goals and courses needed for promotion to high school, per NRS 388.165. |
| Academic Peer Group |
A reference group of students who have similar score histories in which growth is measured against. |
| Achievement Level (AL) |
A level of achievement on an assessment; a student receiving an AL 1 or 2 is considered non-proficient, while a student receiving an AL 3 or 4 is considered proficient. |
| Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) |
A designation given to low-performing schools, as required by ESSA; ATSI schools are schools in need of improvement due to very low-performing subgroups. |
| Adequate Growth Percentile (AGP) |
The minimum SGP a student must earn on a CRT/ELPA assessment in order to reach proficiency in a given timeframe; AGP Measures are included in the NSPF rating system that evaluate a school's rate of students meeting their AGP in Math, ELA, and ELPA. |
| Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) |
The rate at which 9th graders graduate by the end of the 12th grade. |
| Adjusted Diploma |
The diploma which evidences the graduation from high school of a pupil with a disability after the pupil has met special requirements or adjusted standards. |
| Administrator |
A person who spends at least 50 percent of his or her work year supervising other staff or licensed personnel, or both, and who is not classified by the board of trustees of the school district as a professional-technical employee. |
| Adult Diploma |
The diploma which evidences the graduation from high school of a person who has met the requirements for graduation through an adult high school program established by a school district; or an alternative program for the education of pupils at risk of dropping out of school established by a school district pursuant to NRS 388.537. |
| Advanced Diploma |
The diploma awarded to students who complete requirements above and beyond what is required for a regular diploma. |
| Advanced Placement (AP) |
A program which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. |
| Alternative Diploma |
The diploma awarded to students with significant cognitive disabilities who pass an alternate assessment prescribed by the State Board of Education. |
| Alternative Performance Framework (APF) |
An accountability system established by the state that is supplemental to the NSPF and designed to highlight qualifying schools who serve high-needs populations; at least 75% of the students enrolled in a qualifying school must meet criteria specific to the school’s mission. |
| American College Test (ACT) |
A standardized assessment for high school students used as Nevada's college and career readiness assessment required by NRS 390.600. |
| American Indian or Alaska Native |
A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. |
| Approaches Standards (AS) |
One of the four assessment achievement levels in which a student inconsistently and/or incompletely applies skills and/or strategies; requires targeted remediation. |
| Asian |
A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. |
| Assessment |
A test or method for measuring student academic performance in various content areas such as Math, ELA, Science, etc. |
| Black or African American |
A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. |
| Bullying |
Written, verbal or electronic expressions or physical acts or gestures, or any combination thereof, that are directed at a person or group of persons, or a single severe and willful act or expression that is directed at a person or group of persons (NRS 388.122). |
| Career and Technical Education (CTE) |
A term applied to schools, institutions, and educational programs that specialize in the skilled trades, applied sciences, modern technologies, and career preparation. |
| Charter School |
A public school funded by the state and set up by a committee with the desire to provide an educational situation that better meets the needs of some students. |
| Chronic Absenteeism |
Chronic absenteeism is a school quality measure that captures the rate of students who are absent for 10% or more of their enrolled days. |
| Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) |
The CRDC collects data on leading civil rights indicators related to access and barriers to educational opportunity at early childhood through grade 12 levels. The CRDC collects data from public local educational agencies (LEA) and schools, including juvenile justice facilities, charter schools, alternative schools, and schools serving only students with disabilities. |
| Cohort |
A specific group of students established for tracking purposes. |
| College and Career Readiness Indicator |
An Indicator within the NSPF high school rating system that includes Measures related to college and career readiness. |
| College and Career Ready (CCR) Diploma |
A diploma which includes college-ready endorsement that reflects students who have completed certain coursework or obtained experience that makes them qualified for and prepared to succeed in college without the need for remediation; and, a career-ready endorsement that reflects students who have completed certain coursework or obtained certain experience that makes them qualified for and prepared to succeed in post-secondary education or job training in high-demand occupations. |
| Community Eligible Provision (CEP) |
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas. CEP allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications. Instead, schools that adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific means-tested programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). |
| Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) |
A designation given to low-performing schools, as required by ESSA; CSI schools are schools in need of improvement due to very low overall school performance. |
| Count day |
Count day was the fourth Friday of the school year on which each Nevada school district was required to conduct an annual official enrollment for the current school year; relevant to historical data only. |
| Credit Deficiency |
Not having enough credits to progress to the next grade or graduate. |
| Criterion Referenced Test (CRT) |
A test of specific academic standards on which a student’s achievement is compared to an expected level of achievement. |
| Cyber-bullying |
Bullying through the use of electronic communication (NRS 388.123). The term includes the use of electronic communication to transmit or distribute a sexual image of a minor. As used in this section, “sexual image” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 200.737 |
| Data Validation |
The process of ensuring data—such as assessment or school rating data—are accurate and of good quality. |
| Designation |
See School Designation |
| Disaggregated data |
Data that is broken down into smaller subpopulations or subcategories. |
| District Sponsored Charter School |
Charter schools which are sponsored by the Local Education Agency. |
| Dropout |
Any pupil who withdrew during the previous school year for any reason specified in subsection 3 of NAC 387.215. |
| Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment (DC/DE) |
Classes where students can earn high school credit and college credit at the same time. |
| Economically Disadvantaged (ED) |
A subgroup used in Nevada reporting that is comprised of students determined to be eligible for free and reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program; currently interchangeable with FRL. |
| Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) |
The federal law that authorizes funding and contains the current requirements for Title 1 and other federal educational programs. Enacted in 1965, reauthorized as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2002, and reauthorized as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015. |
| Elementary School |
In Nevada, an elementary school is a public school in which grade work is not given above that included in the eighth grade, according to the regularly adopted state course of study, per NRS 388.020. |
| Emergent/Developing (ED) Achievement Level |
One of the four assessment achievement levels in which student occasionally and/or does not apply skills and/or strategies and requires extensive remediation. |
| End of Course (EOC) |
Student examinations in Math and ELA required by NRS 390.600 and NAC 390.400 from 2015-2017. |
| English Language Arts (ELA) |
Subjects such as reading, spelling, literature, and composition that aim at developing a student's comprehension and capacity for use of written and oral English language. |
| English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) |
An assessment that measures the proficiency of English learners in the English language. The current ELPA in Nevada is the WIDA ACCESS. |
| English Learners (ELs) |
Students who are unable to communicate fluently or learn effectively in English, who typically require specialized or modified instruction in both the English language and in their academic courses. Previously referred to as LEP. |
| Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) |
The 2015 reauthorization of the 1965 federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that authorizes funding and contains the current requirements for Title 1 and other federal educational programs. |
| Exceeds Standards (ES) |
One of the four achievement levels in which student comprehensively/consistently applies and generalizes skills/strategies in a variety of situations. |
| Expulsion |
The removal of a student from school for any of the reasons provided for in a school district's regulations. |
| Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) |
The federal law and associated regulations that protect the privacy of student education records, as outlined in 20 USC § 1232g and 34 CFR § 99. |
| Former English Learner (FLEP) |
A student who was previously an English Learner (EL). |
| Free or Reduced-Price Lunch (FRL) |
Students who are from households that qualify by income to receive free or reduced-price lunch at their school. |
| Full Time Equivalency (FTE) |
The number of employee hours worked that is equivalent to a full-time position; used in counting the number of staff members at a school. |
| General Educational Development (GED) |
This term normally refers to the tests of General Educational Development (GED), which provide an opportunity to earn a high school credential. The GED program, sponsored by the American Council on Education, enables individuals to demonstrate that they have acquired a level of learning comparable to that of high school graduates. |
| Growth |
The amount of academic progress a student has made over time in comparison with their academic peers; an Indicator in the NSPF elementary and middle school rating systems comprised of Math/ELA MGP and AGP Measures, and English Language AGP. |
| High Poverty School (H) |
A school that is within the bottom quartile in the state in regard to the number of students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch. |
| High Quality Sheltered Instruction (HQSI) |
A research-based instructional framework that provides clear and accessible content and academic language to ELs in pre-K–12 grade-level classes. |
| High School |
In Nevada, a high school is a public school in which subjects above the eighth grade, according to the state course of study, may be taught, per NRS 388.020. |
| High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) |
A series of Math, Reading, Science and Writing tests administered beginning in grade 10 from 2005-2014 in Nevada. Historically required for graduation from high school. |
| Highly Qualified (HQ) Teacher |
A historical term used by No Child Left Behind for a teacher who demonstrated competence in the content areas they taught, had a college degree, and was state-certified. |
| Hispanic/Latino |
A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. |
| Indicator |
A grouping of Measures used within the NSPF school rating system. Indicators, such as Academic Achievement, are comprised of Measures such as Math, ELA, and Science Proficiency. |
| Individualized Education Program (IEP) |
A written statement for each student with a disability that is receiving special education services that is developed and reviewed by the IEP Team. |
| Instructional Funding |
Funding for instructional teachers, substitute teachers, instructional paraprofessionals, pupil-use technology, software, instructional materials, trips and supplies. |
| Instructional Support Funding |
Funding for guidance and counseling, libraries and media, extracurricular activities, student health services, curriculum development, staff development, sabbaticals, program management, therapists, psychologists, evaluators, personal attendants, and social workers. |
| International Baccalaureate (IB) |
A two-year educational program aimed at 16 to 19 year olds that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education and is recognized by many universities worldwide. |
| Leadership Funding |
Funding for principals, assistant principals, administrative support, deputies, senior administrators, researchers, program evaluators, superintendents, school board representatives, and legal staff. |
| Local Education Agency (LEA) |
An LEA includes, without limitation, the board of trustees of a school district and the sponsor of a charter school, as provided in NRS 388E.035. |
| Long Term Goals (LTGs) |
Academic achievement goals currently set by Nevada for 2022 that are focused on reducing the percentage of non-proficient students and increasing high school graduation rates. |
| Low Poverty School (L) |
A school that is within the top quartile in the state in regard to the number of students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch. |
| Measure |
A gauge of performance used within the NSPF and APF school rating systems; Measures such as Chronic Absenteeism are grouped into Indicators. |
| Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) |
A computer-adaptive assessment utilized to monitor student growth to inform and personalize instruction. |
| Measures of Interim Progress (MIPs) |
Annual goals set by Nevada for academic achievement that are focused on reducing the percentage of non-proficient students in Math/ELA from the previous year and increasing high school graduation rates. |
| Median Growth Percentile (MGP) |
MGPs are determined by identifying the median SGP for the students at each school level; MGP Measures within the NSPF elementary and middle school rating systems evaluate a school's median SGP in Math and ELA. |
| Meets Standards (MS) |
One of the four achievement levels in which student consistently applies skills/strategies without need for remediation. |
| Middle School |
In Nevada, a middle school is a public school in which the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grades are taught under a course of study prescribed and approved by the State Board, per NRS 388.020. |
| National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) |
A biannual (every other year) national representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander |
A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. |
| Nevada Academic Content Standards |
Nevada Academic Content Standards serve as expectations for what students should know and be able to do by the end of each school year. The standards serve as a model for effective teaching and learning by informing educators what the foundational outcomes of a course of study should be. |
| Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) |
Codified administrative regulations of the Executive Branch of the State of Nevada. |
| Nevada Alternate Assessment (NAA) |
Nevada's assessment of alternate achievement standards that is administered to less than 1% of all students who meet the strict criteria required to participate in the assessment. |
| Nevada Department of Education (NDE) |
The State of Nevada's educational agency. |
| Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) |
A framework that evaluates the effectiveness of teachers in Nevada. |
| Nevada Growth Model of Achievement |
See Growth. |
| Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) |
Codified laws of the State of Nevada. |
| Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF) |
The Nevada school rating system, where each public school in the state is issued an annual index score and star rating from 1-5 based on that school’s performance on specific Measures. |
| Nevada Science Assesssments |
The science assessments given to 5th, 8th, and 10th graders. |
| Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) |
A state government unit that oversees Nevada's public system of colleges and universities. |
| New in Country (NIC) |
A term used in the NSPF school rating system that identifies certain EL students who have recently arrived in the U.S. |
| No Child Left Behind (NCLB) |
The 2002 reauthorization of the 1965 federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that authorized funding and contained requirements for Title 1 and other federal educational programs. Replaced with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015. |
| N-size |
Size of a sample population, such as a school's total enrollment or a school's subgroup size. |
| NSPF Adjusted Index Score |
Total points earned divided total points possible in the NSPF school rating system. Used when some Measures are not applicable to a school. |
| NSPF Index Score |
Total points received by a school in the NSPF school rating system. |
| Operations Funding |
Funding for transportation, food sevice, safety, building upkeep, utilities, building maintenance, data processing, and business operations. |
| Opportunity Gaps Measures |
Measures within the NSPF elementary and middle school rating systems that evaluate the number of students meeting their growth targets in the current year who were non-proficient on the prior year's assessments in both Math and ELA. |
| Other Staff |
All persons not reported as administrators or teachers, including, without limitation: school counselors, school nurses. and other employees (who spend at least 50 percent of their work year providing emotional support, noninstructional guidance or medical support to pupils); noninstructional support staff, including, without limitation: janitors, school police officers and maintenance staff; and persons classified by the board of trustees of the school district as professional-technical employees, including, without limitation: technical employees and employees on the professional-technical pay scale. |
| Parent Participation |
The participation of parents and families in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities. |
| Participation Penalty |
A deduction of points from a school's index score in the NSPF school rating system that occurs when a school has not met 95% participation requirements on Math and/or ELA assessments for two or more consecutive years. |
| Participation Warning |
A notification in the NSPF school rating system that occurs when a school has not met 95% participation requirements on Math and/or ELA assessments for the current year. |
| Point Attribution Table (PAT) |
A table used in the NSPF school rating system to link rates on a Measure to points earned on the Measure. |
| Pooled Proficiency |
A method of combining test results from multiple content areas or across grade levels to calculate a school's proficiency rate; used in the NSPF as well as the APF school rating systems. |
| Post-Secondary Preparation Measures |
Measures within the NSPF high school rating system that evaluate a school's rates of students participating in and completing college and career readiness courses or programs. |
| Proficiency |
Students demonstrating the successful acquisition of knowledge and skills they are expected to learn, as determined by established levels or cut-scores of proficiency on State-approved tests, as they progress through their education. |
| Proficiency Level |
Levels of achievement on assessment |
| Race/ethnicity |
Categories developed in 1997 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that are used to describe groups to which individuals belong, identify with, or belong in the eyes of the community. The categories do not denote scientific definitions of anthropological origins. The designations are used to categorize U.S. citizens, resident aliens, and other eligible non-citizens. Individuals are asked to first designate ethnicity as: - Hispanic or Latino or - Not Hispanic or Latino Second, individuals are asked to indicate all races that apply among the following: - American Indian or Alaska Native - Asian - Black or African American - Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander - White |
| Read-By-Grade-3 (RBG3) |
A Nevada law (SB 391, 2015) designed to improve student achievement by ensuring that all students will be able to read proficiently by the end of the 3rd grade; a Measure within the NSPF elementary school rating system that evaluates a school's percentage of 3rd grade students proficient in ELA. |
| Remedial courses |
Instructional courses designed for students deficient in the general competencies necessary for a regular postsecondary curriculum and educational setting. |
| School |
A public school, including, without limitation, a charter school. (NRS 388.127) |
| School Designation |
A classification given to low-performing schools in need of additional supports; federal law requires Nevada to designate Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools, Targeted Support and Improvement Schools (TSI), and Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) schools. |
| School Level |
Elementary, middle, or high school. |
| Shining Star School |
Historically a high performing school serving a high percentage of students in poverty (at least 75% of students eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch, 50% for high schools). High-performing is defined as earning a 4- or 5-star rating in the NSPF school rating system. Schools have not been noted as “Shining Stars” since 2019. |
| Standard Diploma |
A type of diploma awarded to students in Nevada that is fully aligned with the State's academic content standards and does not include a GED credential, certificate of attendance, or any other alternative award which evidences a pupil’s graduation from high school but which is not an adjusted diploma or an adult standard diploma. |
| Star Rating System |
The Nevada school rating system (Nevada School Performance Framework or NSPF), where each public school in the state is issued an annual index score and star rating from 1-5 based on that school’s performance on specific Measures. |
| State Assessments |
The annual state-administered assessments that each Nevada public school student must take. |
| State Education Agency (SEA) |
The Nevada Department of Education is Nevada's SEA. |
| Student Accountability Information Network (SAIN) |
The State's database that stores various longitudinal data related to Nevada students, per NRS 385A.800 et seq. |
| Student Average Daily Attendance (ADA) |
Student ADA is the percentage of the school enrollment in attendance on an "average school day" as of the 100th day of school. |
| Student Growth Percentile (SGP) |
A method of measuring student academic growth that uses historical student assessment data to model how students performed on earlier assessments, how they performed on current assessments, and the level of growth they demonstrated in between, compared with their academic peers. |
| Subgroup |
A group that is part of a larger group; in Nevada, examples of subgroups include various race/ethnicity categories, English learners (ELs), students with disabilities, students who are economically disadvantaged, students in foster care, students with military-connections, etc; subgroups may vary in different reporting categories per federal and state laws. |
| Suspension |
The temporary removal of a student from school for any of the reasons outlined in the school district regulations. |
| Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) |
A type of designation given to low-performing schools, as required by federal law; TSI schools are schools in need of improvement due to consistently underperforming subgroups. |
| Teacher |
A person licensed pursuant to chapter 391 of NRS who is classified by the board of trustees of the school district as (1) a teacher and who spends at least 50 percent of his or her work year providing instruction or (2) instructional support staff, who does not hold a supervisory position and who spends not more than 50 percent of his or her work year providing instruction to pupils. Instructional support staff includes, without limitation, librarians and persons who provide instructional support to pupils. |
| Teacher Average Daily Attendance (ADA) |
Teacher ADA is the percentage of licensed educators who provide instruction to students in classrooms on an "average school day". |
| Teacher Endorsement |
A specific area of preparation within a general license that is issued by the Department. |
| Teacher Waiver |
Allows a licensed teacher to teach special education without a proper endorsement for up to three years. |
| Title I |
The largest federally funded educational program that provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. |
| Transiency Rate |
The percentage of students who did not finish the school year at the same school they started. |
| Truancy |
An unapproved absence for one or more class periods or the equivalent of one or more class periods during a school day. |
| Two or More Races |
A category that refers to combinations of two or more races. |
