In every issue:

• Secretary's Column
• Did You Know...
• Child and Adult Nutrition Services (CANS)

Upcoming Events

Printable Version

Admin Memo Archive

For editorial information,
contact Karon Schaack at karon.schaack@state.sd.us.

It is the policy of the Department of Education to provide services to all persons, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, disability, ancestry, or national origin, in accordance with federal and state laws.

DOE sets timelines for STAARS alternate assessment

Timelines for the revision of the STAARS alternate assessment and extended alternate achievement standards for South Dakota have been set. Goal is full implementation of the revised STAARS instrument by all SD districts for the 04-05 school year.

Benchmarks for the process include:

• South Dakota is currently in the process of revising the functional standards. Special education and regular education teachers from South Dakota met in April to take the state’s academic content standards in reading and math and create extended alternate content standards. The goal for completion of the extended alternate content standards is June 1, 2004.
• An examination of the alignment of the extended alternate content standards with the state’s academic content standards in reading and math will be conducted by the Buros Institute, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Panels of South Dakota special education and general education teachers will be convened to make judgments about the degree to which the extended alternate content standards are in alignment with the state’s academic content standards. The timeline is to have this work completed by July 1, 2004.
• The Buros Institute is conducting a review of the STAARS testing program to examine the technical quality. Recommendations will be made for ways to improve the technical quality and reporting. The timeline is to have the review completed and a revised STAARS ready to implement by September 2004.
• The revised STAARS instrument will be utilized during the 2004-2005 school year by all districts.
• A standard-setting workshop will be conducted to set performance-level expectations for the STAARS assessment. Panels of special education teachers from across the state, representing multiple grade levels for reading and mathematics, will be convened for a one-day workshop to set performance-level cut scores for the revised STAARS assessment. Timeline for completion is July 1, 2005.

Questions regarding the STAARS assessment and revision process can be directed to Ann Larsen, ann.larsen@state.sd.us, 605-773-4693.