The CAP Initiative
Whether you are a parent of school-aged children, an elementary school teacher or a high school principal, you share in the goal of seeing every CCSD student in a cap and gown on graduation day. In an effort to help meet that goal beginning in the 2007-2008 school year then Superintendent Walt Rulffes unveiled “Keep Your Eye on the CAP” initiative.
CAP stands for Climate, Academics and Participation. All three of these elements are areas that the school district and members of the public can focus on to improve education. CAP coincides with many of CCSD’s current objectives, which include increasing the number of graduates and increasing the quality of those graduates while decreasing the number of drop-outs and reducing the number of students taking remedial college courses following their high school graduation.
Climate
Climate, the first portion of CAP, relates to improving the culture within CCSD and creating a welcoming atmosphere in which parents, students and teachers can work together to build a better learning environment. By allowing schools and teachers to tailor their educational approach to the needs of their students, they will create a climate that encourages and fosters achievement.
Achievement
Achievement is the driving force behind the second portion of CAP academics. The seeds for academic achievement begin at the earliest levels of elementary school. Almost every study conducted about high school dropouts indicates that by the third grade it is possible to predict which students are likely to leave school without a diploma. As students advance into middle school, it becomes vital that CCSD balances the changing needs of students while also preparing them for what awaits in high school. At the high school level, it is important that CCSD implement curriculum that increases the rigors of learning and further expands students’ post-graduate options. In recent years the school district has made positive gains in these crucial areas and as a result has seen a decrease in the dropout rate, a graduation rate increase and an increasing number of schools making Adequate Yearly Progress as outlined in the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act of 2001
Participation
Participation is encouraged by CCSD, which means including the community in the process of improving education. At the heart of this effort is increasing parent involvement by inviting conversation and showing respect to the people who serve as education’s biggest allies.
College Preparation
CCSD supports the Career Pathway program of elective courses that prepares students for post-secondary education, their selected career goal and preparing students for the new Nevada Millennium Scholarship core requirements. In addition to the three years of mathematics and two years of science necessary to graduate with a high school standard diploma, students enrolling as freshmen in the fall of 2006 (graduating class of 2010) and each grade thereafter will be scheduled into a fourth year of mathematics, which will include Algebra II, and a third year of science, which will include Biology. The school district expects its students to be competitive in higher education and in the workforce.
Millennium Scholarship
In 1999, the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship initiative was enacted into law by the Nevada Legislature, creating the Millennium Scholarship trust fund to be administered by the State Treasurer. The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents adopted policy guidelines for the administration of the scholarship. Interested students are encouraged to seek assistance from their high school counselors and the admissions and financial aid offices of all colleges being considered. For more detailed information regarding program requirements, please refer to the Millennium Scholarship Program Policy and Procedures of the NSHE Board of Regents at www.nevadatreasurer.gov.
