To guide instruction and improve performance for all students, schools must analyze and use multiple types of assessments on multiple occasions with the goal of increasing student achievement. The Clark County School District Balanced Assessment System consists of assessments for learning (formative) and assessments of learning (summative).
Formative assessment is a deliberate process used by teachers and students during instruction. It provides actionable feedback that is used to adjust ongoing teaching and learning strategies in order to improve students’ self-assessment, and reflection, and deepen learning. The MAP Growth assessment is a formative tool that serves as the CCSD interim assessment. MAP Growth is administered in Kindergarten through Grade 10 three times a year in reading and mathematics to monitor student progress, customize learning, and set attainable goals to ensure students are increasing in achievement.
Summative assessments are often “standardized tests of learning” instruments and verify mastery of grade-level content standards. These assessments take place after learning has occurred. The Smarter Balanced Assessments, also known as SBAC, are the Nevada system for assessing students in Grades 3–8 in Mathematics and English Language Arts. This summative assessment covers the full range of college and career-ready knowledge and skills represented in the Nevada Academic Content Standards and will be administered to students during the spring.
In addition, students in Grades 5, 8, and 9 will participate in the Criterion-Referenced Test (CRT) for Science, which is aligned to the Nevada Academic Content Standards for Science based on the Next Generation Science Standards.
The Nevada Alternate Assessment (NAA) is administered to identified students in lieu of the Smarter Balanced Assessments. Approximately one percent of students participate in the NAA. The NAA assesses the performance of alternate achievement standards through direct observation of specific tasks connected to the standards.
Pursuant to the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, parents/guardians may request, at their child’s enrolled school, information regarding participating/not participating in the assessments, where applicable.
For more information on the Smarter Balanced Assessment System and the Criterion-Referenced Tests administered in Nevada, please visit smarterbalanced.org and aarsi.ccsd.net/assessment/.
To graduate, students are required to meet the testing requirements outlined for their cohort year, regardless of what year they graduate.
All high school students will be enrolled in the Core Enrollment Expectations, as provided by Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 389.018, which are aligned to the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents Core Curriculum Requirements for the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship.
To earn a diploma, students are required to take the College and Career Readiness Assessment in their junior year at no cost to them. Students with disabilities may opt out of the College and Career Readiness Assessment based on the decision of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team. The student's IEP team will determine appropriate assessments and accommodations for students with disabilities.
The following diploma types are available to CCSD students:
- Adjusted Diploma
- Advanced Diploma
The Advanced Honors Diploma will continue to be an option for students through the Cohort of 2025. This diploma is based on the requirements of the Advanced Diploma and includes additional coursework in Honors level or higher.
- College and Career Ready Diploma
- Standard Diploma or Alternative Diploma
Click here for details on each type of diploma.
Students with significant cognitive disabilities are eligible to earn an Alternative Diploma through their participation in the Nevada Alternate Assessment and their completion of the course credits required for their graduating cohort. Students earning an Alternative Diploma are eligible for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act until their 22nd birthday.
As prescribed by Nevada Administrative Code 390.135, the State Board has selected the following assessments as high school equivalency assessments: the General Education Development Test, the HiSET Exam, and the Test Assessment Secondary Completion.
To meet the minimum requirements for graduation from the Clark County School District and receive a Standard Diploma, students must take the College and Career Readiness Assessment as established by the Nevada State Board of Education and must complete 23 credits of approved coursework in the following subjects:
- English – 4 credits
- Math – 3 credits
- Science – 2 credits
- American History – 1 credit
- American Government – ½ credit
- Economics and Financial Literacy – ½ credit
- Physical Education (PE) – 2 credits
- World History or Geography – 1 credit
- Health Education – ½ credit
- Computers – ½ credit
- Electives – 6 credits
- Flex Credit – 2 credits*
*Flex Credits can be a Level II or higher Career and Technical Education course, or a fourth year of math (including Algebra II or higher), or a third year of science, or a third year of social studies.
Students who do not complete all requirements for a diploma will not be allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies.