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Schools receive info on new SD Opportunity
Scholarships; 04 grads may apply
Information
on the
South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship reached SD high schools this week,
according to the SD Board of Regents, administrators of the program. The SD
Opportunity Scholarship is a new program that awards a $5,000 scholarship over
four years to qualifying high school graduates.
Free summer classes available to 04 grads for new
scholarship requirements
Seniors graduating in May 2004 who
need an additional course to qualify for the new South Dakota Opportunity
Scholarship may take an e-learning course from Northern State University
free of charge this summer.
State to host NCLB Summer Reading Achievers
program
South Dakota has been chosen as the
only state in the nation to host an NCLB Summer Reading Achievers program.
Board of Education meets with Governor Mike Rounds
Governor Mike Rounds met with the
South Dakota Board of Education for an hour March 16. The Governor’s
appearance highlighted the board’s regularly-scheduled March meeting.
Major rule changes made by South Dakota Board of
Education
in March
The South Dakota Board of Education
adopted a 72-page chapter of administrative rule implementing the state’s new
accountability system at its March meeting; it also changed administrative
rules related to certification of school administrators, certification of
school social workers, school bus standards.
Board looks to future actions on high school
tracks, requirements for teacher and principal certificates
Discussion at March’s South Dakota
Board of Education meeting set the stage for upcoming actions on high school
curriculum and certification requirements.
Revised SD
mathematics standards available for public review and comment
Practicing educators, as well as
parents, board members, and students are invited to log on to the department’s
website and provide feedback on the newly-revised mathematics content
standards.
SD quickly takes advantage of USDOE flexibility for
assessing new LEP students
The South Dakota Department of
Education quickly put procedures in place that take advantage of the
newly-released flexibility offered to states by the US Department of Education
for assessing new Limited English Proficient students.
SD DOE awaits more info on “highly qualified”
flexibility provisions
The SD Department of Education has
received word that the US Department of Education will be allowing additional
flexibility for teachers in “small, rural and isolated” schools who need to
meet the No Child Left Behind requirements for “highly qualified”
teachers.
DOE seeks centers for 7 ESAs in SD
The SD Department of Education
issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) in March, soliciting organizations
interested in submitting a proposal to become one of seven regional Education
Service Agencies (ESAs).
Funds available for new Even Start programs; school
district is necessary partner
The State of South Dakota,
Department of Education, announces that funds are available through the Even
Start Family Literacy Program to fund new programs.
04
Legislature passes 16 K-12 education bills
Here is a summary of the 16 K-12
education bills passed by the 2004 Legislature. All become effective July 1.
Fiscal impact of 04
Legislature positive for SD school districts
K-12 public education in South
Dakota will receive increased funding during fiscal year 05. Seven bills were
passed during the 2004 Legislative Session, and signed by Governor Mike
Rounds, that have fiscal impact on public school districts.
Bridgewater senior
calls for cooperation among communities
Scott Stahl, Bridgewater senior,
submitted an editorial on the future of small schools as a part of a
scholarship competition. It is reprinted here in its entirety.
Teacher of Year program invites additional districts to participate
It’s that time again…time to begin
the 2005 South Dakota Teacher of the Year (TOY) program! If your district
hasn’t participated before, we urge you to join this exciting program this
year.
It’s time for AP exam
review
It’s time for students in Advanced
Placement (AP) classes to start reviewing for their end-of-course exams. To
help students and teachers, the South Dakota Department of Education is
providing free access to the online AP* Exam Review, the
highly-effective online test-prep program from Apex Learning. There will be no
charge for the school or the student.
Dept. seeks nominations for “talent pool” for
workgroups, boards
The South Dakota Department of
Education is interested in receiving names of exceptional teachers,
administrators and service specialists with distinguished records of service
in the state’s public schools.
Fantastic 4th grade “Scientific Expedition” field trip offered free during May
Once again the SD Division of Parks
and Recreation, the DOE/DOH Coordinated School Health program and DOE’s
Character Education program are co-sponsoring the Fantastic Fourth Grade
“Scientific Expedition” Field Trip.
Time left to apply for
Healthy
School recognition program
Schools wanting to apply for the
Governor’s Healthy School recognition program still have time to do
so. Applications are due Friday, April 30.
Form
to participate in SD READS due April 9
South Dakota public schools interested in participating in the SD Reads
program for the 2004-2005 school year need to complete this request form and
submit (postmark) it to the Department of Education (DOE) by Friday, April 9.
April workshops bring research about effective
curriculum to SD
The South Dakota Department of
Education and McREL, Denver, are partnering to offer a set of workshops in
April that will focus on key findings from research in mathematics, science,
and reading education.
June/July dates set for “Creating
Technology-Enhanced Classroom Materials & Online Lessons”: summer
workshops for high school math and science teachers
Dates are now set for the two-day
workshops that offer specialized training for high school math and science
teachers; the training will be offered twice—in Sioux Falls July 8-9 and in
Rapid City June 15-16.
EveryTeacher Program Focuses on Career Pathway for
Teachers
South Dakota’s Teacher Quality program includes opportunities for teachers
wherever they are along their career pathway.
USDOE sends reps to SD to review Title I program
The US
Department of Education was on-site in South Dakota during March, reviewing
the state’s implementation of the Title I program.
Driver Ed updates noted before busy summer
season
As schools get ready for local driver
education classes, the Department of Education has reminders about filing
applications and about completing the student’s certificate at the end of the
training.
Watertown Middle
School lauded for “best in country” PE program
One dozen schools across the country
have been named as the charter STARS recipients in recognition of their
outstanding physical education programs by the National Association for Sport
and Physical Education (NASPE).
Two SD teachers win
2003 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science
Sally Stoll, Vermillion Middle School science teacher and Donna Peterson,
Belle Fourche Middle School mathematics teachers, have been named South
Dakota’s 2003 Presidential Award winners in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
DOE/PRC ask for input on upcoming Life Skills workshops
The Department of Education and the
NE Prevention Resource Center are asking for your input on the location and
grade level of an upcoming Life Skills workshop. If you are interested in
sending staff to a future training, please reply to either person listed below
with your preferences.
DOE hosting character ed conference in July
An opportunity to develop skills to
build a positive environment in schools is offered at the character education
conference scheduled for July 8-9 at the
RamkotaConvention Center in Pierre.
Teacher workshops offered by SD Discovery Center
The SD Discovery Center, Pierre,
recently announced its slate of summer standards-based science workshops for
teachers.
Lewis & Clark
programs available for schools, other groups
Lonis Wendt, historian, speaker,
storyteller, is now available through the SD Discovery Center in Pierre to
present Corps of Discovery programs for groups of all ages.
New online reporting for students who take STAARS exam
DOE’s Office of Special Education
is in the process of setting up an online reporting system for schools to use
when a student on an IEP takes the STAARS exam.
Revised Language Arts Standards ready for Fall, 2004
South Dakota’s K-12 Language Arts
standards have been reviewed, revised, and re-formatted to make them easier
for principals and teachers to access and apply to lesson plans.
Digital Curriculum
renewed through July 06
The Department of Education
announces that it has renewed statewide access to the Digital Curriculum package
for public schools in South Dakota until July 2006. In addition, private
schools in South Dakota can purchase Digital Curriculum direct from
AIMS at a discounted rate.
State renews WebCT
license; available to schools free of charge
The State of South Dakota recently
renewed the statewide site license that allows educators in grades K-12 across
the state to use WebCT upon completion of training.
Microsoft offers K-12 schools Windows software for
donated computers
Microsoft’s Fresh Start for
Donated Computers program replaces Windows licenses and operating systems
free of charge on computers that have been donated to K-12 schools.
Middle school
science simulations available from SD Discovery Center
The SD Discovery Center in Pierre
is finalizing a contract that will provide funding for unique educational
simulations in which SD middle school students can participate.
Bomb threat procedures available from sheriffs, county emergency coordinators
Schools that do not have written
procedures in place for responding to bomb threats are urged to contact either
the local sheriff or the county emergency coordinator for materials and
whatever other assistance is needed.
AP Resource for Students and Parents
Students and parents have many
questions regarding the value and benefit of taking AP courses and exams. In
order to provide accurate answers to these questions, CollegeBoard has
developed a new brochure, The Value of AP Courses and Exams.
"AskERIC" gets
new name and internet address
AskERIC--a personalized internet
service providing information and assistance to teachers, librarians,
counselors, administrators, and parents--has announced a new service and
name—the Educator’s Reference Desk-- to replace the resources educators
have come to depend on for more than a decade.
High school marching and jazz
bands invited to Korean War Memorial Celebration Sept. 18
Nearly 200 high school and college bands from across South Dakota have
received invitations from Governor Mike Rounds to participate in the
dedication of the Korean War Memorial, Saturday, Sept. 18 in Pierre.
May 2-8 is national Week of Classroom
Teacher
An opportunity for schools and
communities to celebrate the Week of the Classroom Teacher is May 2-8
this year.
State sells surplus property on eBay and at public auction
The State of South Dakota is selling
used vehicles and equipment on the eBay internet website between March 1-May
31. The items are all surplus property of the State of South Dakota. In
addition, the state will hold a public auction of surplus items at the Expo Center in Ft. Pierre on May 19. |
