College grades low for Nevada

CARSON CITY - Nevada got some low grades in higher education in a national study that evaluates states' success in schooling residents beyond the 12th grade.

The ''Measuring Up 2000'' study was done by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, a nonpartisan think tank in San Jose, Calif.

The report graded states in their preparation of young adults to go to college, participation of residents ages 18 to 44 in higher education, affordability of college, the number of students who complete college and the benefits the state gains from its residents' level of education.

Nevada got an F in completion and two D-pluses for preparation and participation. Its highest score was a B for affordability. It got a C-minus for education's benefits to the state.

''This is a trend the governor has been aware of for a long time,'' Jack Finn, press secretary to Gov. Kenny Guinn said, noting that the governor responded to the problem in his first year in office with the Millennium Scholarship program.

The scholarship, funded by part of the state's share of the national tobacco settlement, provides up to $10,000 over four years for in-state tuition to Nevada graduates with a B or better average. More than 4,000 freshmen this year received the aid for the first time, reaching the 60 percent goal the governor's office set.

Each ''report card'' was based on broad statistics for each state, largely from the Census Bureau and the U.S. Education Department. The most recent figures were from 1998, and included all learning after high school.

''A very low percentage of Nevada's first-time, full-time college students earn a bachelor's degree within five years of enrolling,'' the report noted in giving an F for completion. ''And few students complete certificates and degrees relative to the number enrolled.''

Preparation of students for college was only slightly better. A large number of Nevada's young adults earn a high school or GED degree, it noted.

Participation in college, the report says, was as poor as students' preparation for higher education. Among adults 18 to 24, the usual college-age population, ''A very low proportion of Nevada's students go to college ... and a similarly low percentage of young adults are enrolled in education or training beyond high school.''