Alfaro’s central argument is that the College Board often skipped an important part of the test design: review by an external panel at two key points in the process. Alfaro says that sometimes items weren’t reviewed by the external panel until they were already assembled into final test forms.
The new plan for the district, which includes Las Vegas, calls for principals to handle about 80 percent of their school funds, hire and fire staff, and create a school plan with a committee of teachers, parents, and community members. Principals will have the option of purchasing “services” from the district’s central office.
The proposal, though praised by many as the best opportunity in years to change how the district does business, has been criticized for a lack of details, concerns about equity, and questions about whether it would deepen inequalities between poor and wealthy schools. A final vote on the plan was expected late last week.