Charter school readies for first day

Silver State Charter School is celebrating recent successes as it readies for school to begin next week.

The school, sponsored through the Nevada Department of Education, was notified this week that it met the federal requirements for adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind act.

"It's just absolutely imperative that schools make it," said Principal Steve Knight. "That is our goal every year to make or exceed AYP. It's the benchmark by which schools are judged."

The school also is breathing a sigh of relief after the state department of education issued a statement of nonrenewal of the charter in May.

However, after appearing before the Nevada State Board of Education, the issues have been resolved for the most part, leaving only minor wording corrections to be completed. Knight said he expects the charter to be renewed by the end of this month.

The hybrid school, with grades 7-12, is a public charter school. Students do not pay to attend, rather the state allots the school the per-pupil dollars that would go to any other public school.

Silver State Charter School offers classes online, but also requires that students meet with teachers at least once a week.

School begins Monday, but only the students assigned to that day will show up. They will continue to come in as assigned.

"We're building a crescendo with our teachers," Knight said. "It's a continuous, all week long first day. It's pretty exciting."

Knight said the school will continue to focus on meeting federal standards this year.

He said students who are struggling or who have failed past tests are offered one-on-one tutoring.

"We put our best effort into it," he said.