Secretary's Column
By Dr. Rick Melmer
Department of Education

CELEBRATE!

The 2005 Dakota STEP results are in, and they are impressive!

The Department of Education considers the DakotaSTEP as our primary indicator when we evaluate the success of our schools in this state. The current assessment system is a three-legged stool, with the DakotaSTEP being the most prominent member of the assessment roster. The other two indicators that we take very seriously are the ACT and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). National ACT results will be published on Aug. 17, and we expect to see our NAEP results later this year.

The DakotaSTEP results give us a state picture of our students’ abilities. The DakotaSTEP provides us with a snapshot of our achievement as it relates to our state standards. The ACT helps us know if our students are prepared for post-secondary education. The NAEP gives us a national picture to see if our students are keeping pace with their counterparts around the country.

The DakotaSTEP results are worthy of celebration for several reasons. Those reasons are outlined below.

• Our reading score for all grades was an impressive 82 percent. This is an indication of hard work on the part of educators across the state and a concerted professional development effort by the districts and our state.
• Math was close behind with a statewide score of 74 percent, up from 71 percent last year. This means that three of every four students are proficient or advanced in math.
• Our achievement results for Native American students increased to 59 percent in reading. The 2003 results were 45 percent.
• The number of schools in improvement has remained steady. Even though we would love to see the number go down, with our academic targets increasing, it is good to know that our schools are keeping pace with the increased expectations.

I hope you take some time to celebrate the positive results that we have seen this year. At the same time, we need to continue to focus our curriculum efforts on responding to the state standards in our key academic areas. Congratulations to all of you who have helped to make our 2005 DakotaSTEP results something to cheer about!