Senate committee hears bill to expand competency-based learning, career exploration and new accountability metrics

Senator Marilyn Dondero Loop, sponsor of Senate Bill 403 and a member of the Nevada Senate representing District 8, opened the Senate Committee on Education hearing by saying, “For the record, I am Marilyn Dondero Loop representing Senate District 8 and I'm here today to present Senate Bill 403 for your consideration.”

SB 403 would reauthorize the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education through 2027, create a subcommittee on metrics, require career exploration and counseling for students in grades 6–8, allow the Department of Education to post career-exploration resources online, direct the Board of Economic Development to recommend incentives for businesses that provide career experiences, permit the Office of Economic Development to condition some tax incentives on business-provided career experiences, and authorize the State Superintendent and Nevada Department of Education to set timelines and action plans to pilot competency-based learning as an alternative to traditional credit hours.

Why it matters: proponents told the committee the bill aligns Nevada’s schools with labor-market needs and gives districts tools to measure outcomes beyond seat time. Nathan Driscoll, chief policy officer at the National Center on Education and the Economy, described the bill as building “essential building blocks” for four priorities identified by the commission: personalized competency-based learning, teacher professional environments, stronger career pathways and work-based learning, and a new performance dashboard with future-focused metrics. He said SB 403 “facilitates the transition to more competent personalized competency based learning by enabling greater flexibility where appropriate to better align with competency based approaches.”

Supporters at the hearing—school superintendents associations, higher education deans, charter-school representatives, chambers of commerce, nonprofit education organizations, employers and teachers—said the bill responds to recommendations developed by the commission after the 2023 legislative session. Susan Keema, executive director of the Nevada Association of School Superintendents, told the committee, “The Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education has been meeting for months to learn about how best to move Nevada toward a learner centered, future ready education system.” Many speakers urged continued funding and careful alignment of the proposed metrics with the state’s broader school performance framework.

Key provisions and clarifications discussed

- Metrics subcommittee: SB 403 creates a subcommittee charged with developing metrics for schools and districts. The bill as presented requires metrics to be growth-based and to include holistic measures such as civic engagement and student well-being.

- Career exploration: the bill would require occupational guidance and counseling for students in grades 6–8 and directs the Department of Education to post career-exploration resources on its website. The Board of Economic Development would be asked to recommend incentives for businesses to offer student career exploration opportunities; the Office of Economic Development could make some tax incentives contingent on businesses offering such experiences.

- Competency-based learning pilots: SB 403 allows the superintendent and Nevada Department of Education to establish timelines and action plans to implement competency-based learning as an alternative to traditional credit-hour requirements. Schools in pilot programs may apply for alternative scheduling and enrollment counting methods that better align with competency-based instruction. The sponsor noted that a full-time position in the original draft was reduced to a part-time (half-time) position in the proposed amendment.

Testimony and concerns

More than two dozen witnesses spoke in favor of SB 403, including representatives of UNLV, Nevada State University, Opportunity 180, the Vegas Chamber, UNR/NSHE and multiple community education organizations. Several educators who served on the commission described the bill as the product of months of cross-sector work with students, teachers, higher education and business leaders.

Not all testimony was full-throated support. At least one educator who testified neutrally cautioned the committee about unfunded mandates: when career and technical programs have been added in the past, lack of stable funding sometimes led districts to cut those programs during budget shortfalls. Multiple supporters echoed that point in urging the Legislature to pair policy changes with funding.

Votes at a glance (work session items taken the same day)

- SB 293 (work session): Committee moved to amend and do pass. The motion was made by the vice chair and seconded; the record shows Senator Titus cast a recorded no vote. The committee’s clerk recorded the motion as adopted with Senator Titus noted as the lone no vote on the amendment and motion to do pass.

- SB 444 (work session): Committee moved to amend and do pass; the motion carried unanimously and the chair assigned the floor statement to herself.

What the committee did next

The hearing for SB 403 closed after public testimony and the committee moved into a work session that considered other bills (SB 293 and SB 444). No final committee vote on SB 403 was recorded in the hearing transcript.

Background and next steps

SB 403 stems from the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education’s work following Senate Bill 425 (2023), which established the commission. Proponents said the bill advances several commission recommendations while reauthorizing the commission through 2027 and adding the deans (or designees) of the Colleges of Education at UNLV, UNR and Nevada State University to the commission membership. The committee did not vote on SB 403 at the hearing; further committee action, fiscal review and any amendments will determine whether the bill advances to the full Senate.

Ending note: supporters repeatedly asked the committee to pair the policy changes with sustained funding and aligned state metrics; neutral testimonies stressed that, without resources, some career and competency-based programs risk being cut when districts face budget pressures.