About 100 people turned out for a Nevada Council on Academic Standards meeting here Wednesday, more than twice the number who attended a similar session in Las Vegas.
Parents, teachers and business people were among those who showed up to talk about the standards.
"I think the content is fine, but how will we know the students have learned this?" said Diane Hubele, parent of a third-grader at Roger Corbett Elementary School.
Local insurance agent Gene Cardella said the science standards were mostly fact-based rather than focused on basic concepts that encourage students to explore on their own.
Walt Johnson, assistant dean of the engineering college at the University of Nevada, Reno, said the math standards don't put enough emphasis on problem-solving and geometry.
Instead of "microscopic pieces that can be taught and memorized efficiently," Johnson said students need to learn how "to think and integrate knowledge."
Others were concerned that the standards didn't deal with students with learning disabilities or those who don't speak English as a first language. But council chairwoman Debbie Smith said those issues will be addressed in the performance standards.
The state Board of Education is scheduled to approve the new standards at an Aug. 20 meeting in Reno. If approved, the requirements could be in place in the 1999-2000 school year.
The 1997 Legislature created the council as part of efforts to upgrade Nevada schools, which have been some of the lowest-performing in the nation.
archive