REL West Provides Support to Lyon County, Nevada to Improve Middle and High School Math Instruction

REL West is committed to supporting partners across Nevada, Arizona, California, and Utah. This blog spotlights our collaborative efforts with Nevada's Northwest Regional Professional Development Program (NWRPDP) and the Lyon County School District (Lyon CSD) in creating and leading a district-level Professional Learning Community (PLC).

Lyon CSD is a rural local education agency (LEA) that spans more than 2,000 square miles and is situated east of Carson City in northwestern Nevada. Lyon CSD operates 20 schools and enrolls approximately 8,800 students. Lyon CSD leadership prioritized improving mathematics achievement at the middle and high school levels throughout the district. According to Executive Director of Educational Services Jim Gianotti, "We typically see students start off strong in elementary school but once they hit middle school, we see a decline in their achievement." Recent state test data confirm this, as 29.5 percent of Lyon's elementary students were proficient in math in 2022 while only 17.1 percent of middle school students were proficient.¹

To bolster math instruction, REL West and NWRPDP collaborated with Lyon CSD district and school leaders to develop and implement a robust new PLC dedicated to expanding the effective use of evidence-based instructional practices, particularly in algebra and mathematical problem-solving. Specifically, REL West and the NWRPDP coached principals and teacher leaders across its five middle schools and four high schools as they analyzed their site-level data, selected math focus areas for improvement and evidence-based math teaching strategies. These strategies were integral to developing six monthly site-based professional learning plans tailored to meet each school's unique needs and priorities. Finally, REL West coached participants to design and begin implementation of new PLC activities at their schools.

More than 20 educators took part in the in-person sessions, in many cases driving more than an hour to participate. The project helped participants acquire foundational knowledge of middle and high school math interim assessments, the data they produce, and how to use these data to identify and select relevant, evidence-based math teaching practices that can be promoted through new site-based professional learning. In a survey at the close of the project, all respondents said they had greater capacity to use research on mathematics instruction and professional learning to inform decisions about policies or practices in their schools. One participant summed it up this way, "I enjoyed the overall process. It provided me with a structure that I can take back and utilize at my school." Today, as a result of this process, Lyon CSD educators have new protocols and resources to tackle other student needs that may be identified in their state and local assessment data.

Learn more about this project by viewing this video that summarizes the project and includes interviews with Lyon County leadership and representatives from REL West and NWRPD.