September 2026
2027-2029 Biennial Legislative Priorities
Setting clear legislative priorities will help NDE communicate and be more responsive to other policymakers and create coalitions anchored in agreed-upon initiatives and needs. Legislative priorities create efficiency by focusing staff and the State Board on an agreed-upon agenda and setting aside legislation that does not align with that agenda. Finally, they provide a record and guide for future Board members or staff who must operationalize the policy agenda, thus increasing capacity and ensuring succession planning.
State Board Legislative Priorities for the 2027-29 Biennium
English Language Proficiency Assessment
Under Federal Requirements, states are required to annually administer a single statewide English language proficiency (ELP) Assessment to all English learners enrolled in public schools’ grades K-12. Nebraska Rule 15 requires that all English learner identified students participate in assessments.
Through the formal Request for Proposals procurement process, Cambium Assessment, Inc.
(CAI) has been identified as the qualified vendor to support this work. The contract will serve all public school English language students in grades K-12 for screening and assessment. The assessment package will include all services for English Language Proficiency Assessment. The contract will be for one year beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, the contract may be
renewed for three additional years.
Strategic Initiatives Grant Opportunities
The NDE has applied for several grants aligned to the Good Life | Great Schools | Excellent Education strategic plan. The board approved accepting grants if they are awarded including Talent Search, Statewide Assessment, Career Pathway Exploration and more.
Strategic Initiatives Grant Opportunities
Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility Special Purpose Agreement
The Board approved a revised Special Purpose Agreement for the Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility (NCYF). The current agreement was last updated in 2016. NCYF has undergone significant changes, including a name change to Compass High School and relocation from Omaha to Lincoln.
The proposed revision preserves all previously approved special purpose modifications while aligning the agreement with the school’s current program, student needs, and operational environment.
Specifically, the revision maintains all existing special purpose modifications currently in effect, expands opportunities for students in World Language and Personal Health and Physical Education, updates program requirements and instructional flexibility to better serve students and maximize the resources available at the school’s new facility.
These revisions will support Compass High School’s ability to provide meaningful educational opportunities within a correctional setting while ensuring continued alignment with its unique mission and student population.
NCYF Special Purpose Agreement
Corrections for Rule 10, 14, and 18
Rule 10, 14, and 18 school systems and interim program schools have similar requirements regarding compliance. School systems or interim programs that fall under Rule 10,14, or 18 are required to complete an annual Assurance Statement by November 1st of each year acknowledging any areas of non-compliance.
Areas of non-compliance within each Rule are considered a violation and is reported on the Assurance Statement. Areas of non-compliance require evidence that show the violation has been resolved. If the violation is unable to be resolved before February 1st, then a plan of correction may be submitted to the NDE to demonstrate how the violation will be corrected by September 1st of the following school year. Evidence of the corrected violation or a plan of correction are due to the NDE by February 1st. Board members approved the corrections.
Standards for Social Studies
Board members did not approve revised standards for Social Studies. Content area standards that are measurable, appropriately rigorous, and scaffolded become the framework for locally determined curricula. The NDE Offices of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment and Career and Technical and Adult Education have shared responsibilities for the review, revision, and development of content area standards. Standards are revised every seven years.
As part of the standards review process, all stakeholder feedback was systematically reviewed to identify recurring themes and actionable recommendations. Where appropriate, revisions were incorporated into the proposed standards while ensuring alignment with Nebraska statutes, research-based practices, and the purpose and quality of academic standards.
The standards revision process consists of stakeholder participation, public feedback, committee review, and State Board consideration.
The 2019 standards will remain in place.
Priority School Progress Plans
In May 2026, the State Board of Education identified Bayard Secondary School in Bayard Public Schools, Scribner-Snyder Secondary School in Scribner-Snyder Public Schools, and Northwest High School in Omaha Public Schools.
Priority schools work with the NDE to develop a progress plan for approval by the State Board of Education. Any progress plan shall include specific actions required by the school and the district in order to remove its classification as a priority school, including any required level of progress as indicated by the measurable indicators.
Given the timing of the school year, NDE staff collaborated with the Priority School and district staff to adjust current improvement plans and ensure it contains the necessary components outlined in statute.
Attached are the Progress Plans for each school, which include a leadership focus area, specific improvement goal, rationale for goal, desired outcomes, and indicators for success. Each goal also has an action plan. The Board approved plans for all three schools.
Scribner-Snyder Secondary School Plan
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