Revises provisions relating to education. (BDR 34-894)
Summary
AB401 eliminates Nevada’s current requirement that 11th-grade pupils take a State Board-selected college and career readiness assessment in order to receive a standard high school diploma. The bill repeals the statutes that created that assessment requirement and the related informational pamphlet, and it removes numerous cross-references to the assessment throughout the education code.
The measure also makes conforming changes across accountability, graduation, charter school, empowerment school, distance education, and teacher-discipline provisions so that those laws refer only to the remaining statewide criterion-referenced examinations. In several places, the bill removes references to assessment results from academic plans, annual reports, testing-security rules, and diploma eligibility criteria, while preserving the existing requirement that pupils complete the other coursework and graduation criteria for a standard diploma.
Impact
AB401 would substantially revise Nevada education statutes by removing the college and career readiness assessment from the state’s graduation framework and from related reporting, planning, and security provisions. It repeals NRS 390.355, 390.610, and 390.620, and amends numerous sections in chapters 385, 388, 390, and 391 to delete references to the assessment and to narrow those provisions to the remaining examinations administered under NRS 390.105. The bill is effective July 1, 2026, and has a fiscal note indicating an effect on the State but not on local government.
Sentiment
The bill text and available context suggest a generally reform-oriented, likely favorable approach to reducing testing requirements and administrative burdens in the high school graduation process. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no direct evidence of formal support or opposition in the available materials. The structure of the bill indicates an intent to simplify graduation rules and eliminate a statewide assessment that no longer determines diploma eligibility.
Contention
The main policy issue is whether Nevada should continue to use a college and career readiness assessment as part of its high school accountability and counseling framework. Supporters of repeal would likely argue that the assessment is unnecessary once it is no longer tied to diploma receipt and that removing it reduces redundancy, paperwork, and testing burden. Potential opponents may be concerned that eliminating the assessment could reduce statewide data used for remediation, college-readiness planning, and school accountability, especially for students who previously relied on assessment results to identify academic weaknesses or guide graduation planning. The bill also removes related reporting and security provisions, which may draw concern from those who favor maintaining a uniform statewide benchmark.