Two South Dakota educators honored with
$25,000 awards
Marletta Eich, a 2nd-grade teacher at Washington Elementary in Madison,
and Darrell Mueller, principal at Platte Elementary School, were honored with
$25,000 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards Oct. 8. Gov. Mike
Rounds and Education Secretary Rick Melmer presented the awards.
State board to consider adoption of
graduation requirements
The South Dakota Board of Education heard the first reading regarding new
graduation requirements at its September meeting. If adopted, the new
standards would divide high school programs of study into three paths.
Student information you report affects
eligibility, funding for federal programs
Districts need to ensure that complete and accurate information is
reported on the SIMSNet student record database during the fall reporting
period. The Department of Education uses student information collected during
this period to determine eligibility and to allocate funding for a number of
federal grant programs, including Title I.
Update on administrative rule exemptions
A school district may apply for an administrative rule exemption to offer
a high school course, taught by a high school certified teacher, to 8th grade
students. The most common courses for which exemptions are filed are algebra
I, Spanish I and computers.
Paraprofessional
certification
The department issues certificates for paraprofessionals who achieve
“highly qualified” status. If you have paraprofessionals who are NOT working
in Title I programs but who have completed the requirements for “highly
qualified” status, or if they achieve “highly qualified” status during the
school year, be sure to read this article.
Five-part series to address revised math
standards
South Dakota’s new mathematics content standards are ready to roll!
Instructors will have the opportunity to learn all about the new standards
during a series of five courses starting in early November.
Mathematics tests, aligned to new standards,
available soon
The Department of Education is creating six mathematics assessments for
use in algebra I, algebra II and geometry courses. There will be a mid-year,
or semester, test and end-of-year test for each course. The tests should be
available mid-October.
Teacher-leaders coming to Pierre
Governor Rounds’ 2004 Teacher Leadership Conference will take place Oct.
25-27 at the Ramkota RiverCentre in Pierre. Approximately 500 teacher-leaders
from across the state are expected to attend. Thanks to those districts that
are participating!
STAARS alternate assessment workshops scheduled for
November
Interpretative workshops for the South Dakota Team-led Alternate
Assessment and Reporting System (STAARS) will be held Nov. 1-4 across the
state. The workshops will include an update on changes occurring in the STAARS
state testing program and technical information. Additional information
concerning students with severe disabilities also will be provided.
DDN Campus training set for fall
DDN Campus has scheduled three types of training: a Microsoft Access training,
a DDN Campus refresher training, and a DDN Campus training for new staff.
Visit www.ddncampus.net/train.htm
for dates and locations.
Schools serving migrant students have
access to free resources
The Midwest Migrant Educational Resource Center, through a contract with
the state Department of Education, provides a variety of free resources to
public schools in South Dakota that assist children (ages 3-21) of migrant
workers.
Preparation workshops to address
NAEP
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will be
administered Jan. 24-March 4, 2005. A sample of South Dakota schools statewide
has been selected to participate. Important workshops for these participating
schools will be conducted Oct. 18-21, 2004.
Free workshop targets effective teaching
practices
Quality Teaching: Meeting the Challenge, a workshop for new and veteran
teachers, will be held Nov. 9-10, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Mitchell Technical
Institute. The workshop is designed to model proven instruction strategies
that engage students in challenging standards-based work.
Career and technical education focus of
workshops
The Office of Career and Technical Education will host two workshops in
October for career and technical education instructors. Workshops are set for
Oct. 13 at Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown and Oct. 14 at Northern
State University in Aberdeen.
Funds available to assist National Board
candidates with application fee
A Candidate Subsidy Program is available to teachers seeking National
Board Certification. The program awards funds to teachers for partial payment
of their candidate fees. Subsidies of $500 to $1,000 will be awarded to
eligible National Board Certification candidates until funds are obligated.
Videos for bus
driving training available
As per ARSD 24:06:08 and SDCL 32-12A-27, an annual training is required by
all school bus drivers. If you have drivers that missed the training sessions
conducted by Harlow’s Bus Sales, please be advised that the Department of
Education has videos available for your use.
Grant money available to fund Schools That
Work
Schools interested in implementing the High Schools That Work or Making
Middle Grades That Work programs can apply for funding. The Department of
Education has received $80,000 from the Great Plains Educational Foundation to
implement the program in select schools around the state.
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