1. The board of trustees of each school district shall adopt a policy for each public school in the school district in which ninth grade pupils are enrolled to develop a 4-year academic plan for each of those pupils. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, the policy must require each public school to provide each pupil with an academic plan at the beginning of the pupil’s ninth grade year. The academic plan must set forth the specific educational goals established pursuant to subsection 7 each year and the steps that the pupil intends to take in order to achieve those goals. The plan may include, without limitation, the designation of a career pathway and enrollment in dual credit courses, career and technical education courses, advanced placement courses and honors courses.

2. The policy must ensure that each pupil enrolled in ninth grade and the pupil’s parent or legal guardian are provided with, to the extent practicable, information regarding:

(a) The advanced placement courses, honors courses, international baccalaureate courses, dual credit courses, career and technical education courses, including, without limitation, career and technical skills-building programs, and any other educational programs, pathways or courses available to the pupil which will assist the pupil in the advancement of his or her education;

(b) The requirements for graduation from high school with a diploma and the types of diplomas available;

(c) The requirements for admission to the Nevada System of Higher Education, including, without limitation, the average score on the college and career readiness assessment administered pursuant to NRS 390.610 of students admitted to each community college, state college or university in the Nevada System of Higher Education, and the eligibility requirements for a Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship;

(d) The Free Application for Federal Student Aid and advice concerning how to finance enrollment in an institution that provides postsecondary and vocational education; and

(e) The charter schools within the school district.

3. The policy required by subsection 1 must require each pupil enrolled in ninth grade and the pupil’s parent or legal guardian to:

(a) Be notified of opportunities to work in consultation with a school counselor to develop and review an academic plan for the pupil;

(b) Sign the academic plan; and

(c) Review the academic plan at least once each school year in consultation with a school counselor and revise the plan if necessary.

4. If a pupil enrolls in a high school after ninth grade, an academic plan must be developed for that pupil as soon as reasonably practicable with appropriate modifications for the grade level of the pupil.

5. If an academic plan for a pupil includes enrollment in a dual credit course, the plan must address how the dual credit course will enable the pupil to achieve his or her postgraduation goals.

6. An academic plan for a pupil must be used as a guide for the pupil and the parent or legal guardian of the pupil to plan, monitor and manage the pupil’s educational and occupational development and make determinations of the appropriate courses of study for the pupil. If a pupil does not satisfy all the goals set forth in the academic plan, the pupil is eligible to graduate and receive a high school diploma if the pupil otherwise satisfies the requirements for a diploma.

7. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, a school counselor shall establish specific educational goals for each pupil in consultation with the pupil and the parent or legal guardian of the pupil, to the extent practicable, at the beginning of each pupil’s ninth grade year and as a part of the review conducted pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection 3.

8. The policy adopted pursuant to subsection 1 must require each public school in the school district to:

(a) Develop a procedure to identify a homeless pupil, unaccompanied pupil or pupil who lives in foster care; and

(b) Review the academic plan for each such pupil and adjust the plan as appropriate to maximize the accrual of credits by the pupil and the progress of the pupil towards graduation.

9. As used in this section:

(a) “Foster care” has the meaning ascribed to it in 45 C.F.R. § 1355.20.

(b) “Homeless pupil” has the meaning ascribed to the term “homeless children and youths” in 42 U.S.C. § 11434a(2).

(c) “Unaccompanied pupil” has the meaning ascribed to the term “unaccompanied youth” in 42 U.S.C. § 11434a(6).

(Added to NRS by 2007, 2178; A 2011, 647, 805; 2013, 3265; 2017, 442, 3131; 2019, 1160)