The Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF) is a system designed to measure a number of different indicators regarding schools’ performance and then assign stars to represent the number of points schools earn in each of these different indicators.   I will focus on attempting to provide clarity regarding what these indicators are and how they do (and many times do not) measure the work going on in schools within the WPCSD. While it’s tempting to pay attention to "stars"...

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One of Nevada’s priorities is developing college and career readiness skills in students prior to their graduation from high school.  This is an endeavor that the White Pine County School District supports wholeheartedly. Some people believe that preparing for college looks differently than preparing for a career.  Given that the purpose of attending college is to prepare for a career, the WPCSD subscribes to the notion that many of the skills needed to succeed in a career are...

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Did you know the following about the WPCSD 2017-2018 school year?   24 students earned an advanced diploma (accomplished by earning an extra math credit, extra science credit, and 3.25 cumulative grade point average)? 11 students graduated with a career and technical education endorsement (accomplished by earning a B or better in three years of a CTE program and passing the associated skills and employability exams)? 3 students earned associates degrees from Great Basin College...

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So many folks think that great teaching just happens naturally.  And it's true that there are some teachers who have a seemingly effortless and innate ability to make the right "teacher moves" at all of the right times.  But for most great educators, there is a huge amount of work that goes into becoming really great at their craft. The really great teachers show up way before they're supposed to and leave way after they're allowed to.  And this includes the summertime. A number...

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Over the course of the last two months, school district staff and Dr. Andy Bath have been working together to create a new and exciting partnership between community members and the school district featuring and celebrating science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).  This work is coming at a time when the entire school district has been learning about, implementing, refining, and increasing rigor levels of STEM within all classrooms. A hefty amount of professional learning has occurred...

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In February and March of 2018, the WPCSD Board of Trustees grappled with the issue of drug testing students who are involved in activities within the district. After tabling the issue to receive additional feedback from the public, coaches, and advisors, along with extensive discussion among members on the Board and the district's legal counsel, the Board held the required first and second readings of the policy and adopted it effective for the 2018-2019 school year. Essentially, the policy...

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One of the parts of my life for which I am so grateful is the powerful effect of music.  I began my music studies at the age of 9 with Minus Alderman on the piano. She taught me to read music, to count, to understand key signatures, and to practice.  I later learned from Dauna Allred how to connect piano with emotion and to play from my heart. In middle school and high school, I continued with instrumental music, learning to play the tuba, baritone, and trumpet from Sherm Hawkins and...

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The White Pine County School District’s vision is to “change the world by promoting, supporting, and ensuring high levels of learning.”  The District Performance Plan (DPP) specifically outlines a number of strategies and measurable outcomes which assist staff in monitoring success.  One such measure is that of the graduation rate. Graduation rate is defined as the number of students who complete all required courses with the grades necessary to demonstrate proficiency,...

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Our commitment to students’ success in literacy endeavors within the framework of Nevada K.I.D.S. Read, Nevada’s Read by Grade 3 Program, weaves together colorful threads with our White Pine County School District’s vision. We will change the world by creating a world class learning environment where all participants work interdependently to achieve our mission which is to promote, support, and ensure high levels of learning. Literacy is our district’s brand of success. Literacy...

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The WPCSD has employees who are regularly recognized and associated publicly as being the “face” of the organization.  These include teachers, principals, coaches, and board members.  But the district also has many, many support personnel who show up to work every day and put forth excellent effort performing tasks that frequently go unnoticed and underappreciated.  Today I’d like to share a bit about what these folks do and who they are. The district has partnered...

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Happy Friday! Today I’d like to share some information regarding the WPCSD’s largest school, David E. Norman.   First, we all know that teacher quality matters.  Through all of last year and the first few weeks of this year, the Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL) initiative has worked with new and experienced teachers to fine tune their craft.  Teachers who need support in classroom management, instructional design, assessment, etc. all have a mentor who works closely...

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Good Afternoon! WPCSD staff and partners have been working diligently this summer to march along the path of continuous improvement even though school’s been out since May.  I wanted to share with you some of the great work which has been occurring. First, district teachers and support staff were involved in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) training at the end of May.  I’m so proud of our staff for engaging in this great learning despite being worn out...

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White Pine County School District staff, primarily Building Capacity Leadership Cadre, has met regularly all year long to build cohesiveness and strength to the District Performance Plan.   A number of actions have been accomplished through this work.  The most important of them was prioritizing the ideas of Literacy and College and Career Readiness as the two most important student achievement goals in every classroom in every school.   But it’s relatively easy to set priorities....

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It takes many hands working together to create something special. And making something special is even more difficult when faced with painful budgetary constraints. This is what has occurred over the last two years in the WPCSD. It's pretty amazing to look at the number of positions that no longer exist in the district and the fact that the work must continue to be done even when the people who were once responsible for doing the work are no longer in the job and have been replaced with...nobody. Over...

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Friends and Colleagues,   I am excited to share with you today several items that are the fruits of much labor during the course of the last 12-18 months.  They are also the results of some really talented and hard working people, reinforcing the idea that when people with great ideas and “never say die” attitudes get together and work for the greater good, positive outcomes are the result. First, WPHS will be receiving more than $300,000 in grant funds to use towards...

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The Nevada Association of School Superintendents (NASS) creates a platform each legislative session that is designed to communicate to lawmakers and members of the public the critical priority needs our state has if we ever wish to truly make a positive difference for Nevada students. The superintendents meet collaboratively every month and work together to craft big picture talking points that, if implemented, serve to better meet the needs of students across our great state. The final document...

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As many of you know, several years ago Nevada adopted the Nevada Academic Content Standards (NVACS) which are based upon the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).  Despite some people’s opinions about the CCSS, they are not crafted in such a way as to promote a liberal ideology.  In fact, they do not advocate for any particular ideology.  They are a set of descriptors in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics that are designed to guide teachers and explicitly describe what...

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It’s pretty common nowadays to hear horror stories where young people talk about teachers who don’t care or schools that don’t do enough to help students.  Why is this?   Well, first, it’s popular in general nowadays to bash people who are in authority or have responsibility over systems.  It seems to be human nature for many folks to be awfully willing to offer criticism and suggestions (especially in today’s immediate audience available through social...

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This is the story of Kesha Pavlik, which is shared with her permission.  Kesha came to White Pine High School as a freshman after having been enrolled in a different school out of state.  She enrolled having accumulated excessive absences in her other school and with grades of nearly straight Fs.  She was a kind, good-hearted student whose goal was to be the first high school graduate in her family in many years. Despite Kesha’s good intentions, she continued to miss school...

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Under the No Child Left Behind Act, the federal government placed a great deal of emphasis on making sure that each student met the standard.  Despite all of the difficulties this presented, the process of focusing on the few was a good thing.  It forced schools and teachers to quit paying attention to averages which can hide poor results on the strength of the majority.  However, one drawback to focusing on the few is that sometimes it caused educators to give more of their time...

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