2005
  • Secretary's Column:
  • Board of Education approves Model Wellness Policy
  • Kids for Katrina Relief ends Oct. 31
  • Mini-grants to help fund wellness projects
  • Watch for department staff changes
  • National School Lunch survey due soon
  • Funds available to assist with National Board application fee
  • Teachers wanted for Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Program
  • Essay contest promotes financial independence
  • Upcoming Events

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

Raise the bar or remove the lid?

Since the inception of No Child Left Behind, there has been a great deal of emphasis nationwide – and within South Dakota – for school districts and states to “raise the bar,” so that all students are able to achieve at acceptable levels. I want to commend South Dakota’s schools for working hard to raise the bar in all academic areas. Recent Dakota STEP scores are a reflection of the effort that is being put forth towards this ambitious goal. We are seeing significant gains in our overall reading and math scores and acceptable increases in each of the sub-groups that constitute the accountability plan for No Child Left Behind.

No one would argue that it is important to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn. In fact, as we compare the United States to other countries in our world, most would acknowledge that the United States educates all students better than any other country. Over the years, when other countries were doing national comparisons with their best and brightest, we were bringing all of our students to the table when national averages were used.

I have begun to think about this philosophy in more detail since I have had an opportunity to read Thomas Friedman’s book, “The World Is Flat.” In this book, Friedman discusses the importance of the United States being competitive with other countries, especially in the areas of math and science. He notes the number of potential graduates that exist in India and China and how many of those young people will be competing with our young people for jobs across the world. After reading the book, I do agree with Friedman’s symbolic representation that the world is flat.

That brings me to the title of this article, should school districts across this state and country continue to emphasize the importance of raising the bar, or should we begin to place more importance on “removing the lid”? Are we spending enough time in our schools challenging our best and brightest kids to achieve at high levels, or are we more infatuated with bringing all kids along to an acceptable level? Please note that I am not blaming the schools but rather examining our current system and the emphasis it places on educating all kids. Do I believe that all kids should be educated? Absolutely. However, it should never be done nor was it ever intended to be done at the expense of our best and brightest kids.

So how do we, in fact, remove the lid so that our students have a chance to advance at their own pace? Here are some suggestions that many schools are implementing and others should consider as we look at removing the lid for our best and brightest kids:

  • Establish classes that allow students to move between grade levels if their abilities indicate that the students can handle the rigor.
     
  • Emphasize advanced placement (AP) courses at the high school and emphasize upper level courses at the middle school for those students that can handle the rigor.
     
  • Review district policies to ensure that barriers are removed for students that want to proceed at a faster pace. Consideration should be given to AP weighted policies that reward students for taking more difficult classes.
     
  • Require rigorous academic classes during all or part of the student’s senior year. Too many of our students are “front end loading” their classes and coasting at the end of their high school career.
     
  • Offer prep courses to assist students in achieving higher ACT and SAT scores. It appears clear that universities are placing more and more emphasis on standardized tests (ACT/SAT) for college admittance and scholarships.
     
  • Require end-of-course exams for successful completion of a course. This will ensure that students actually understand the concepts before moving on to the next class.
     
  • Use the Dakota STEP standardized test to identify the brightest students and make sure that those students are taking the most rigorous classes.

All of us love challenges. Our students are no different. We all remember teachers that challenged us in our school careers. Let’s make sure we are challenging all of our students to do their very best. Someday, they will thank us for our efforts.

Board of Education approves Model Wellness Policy

The South Dakota Board of Education has approved a Model Wellness Policy for South Dakota’s K-12 schools. Federal law requires all agencies that participate in the National School Lunch Program to have a wellness policy in place by the 2006-07 school year. (Click here to learn about a Nov. 10 workshop designed to give you a jump start on developing your school’s policy.)

Development of the Model Wellness Policy was led by the South Dakota Department of Education. A panel of experts representing organizations such as schools, child advocacy groups and the health-medical community helped to create the policy.

“Obesity is a major issue across the country as well as in South Dakota,” said Dr. Rick Melmer, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Education. “This policy gives schools a starting point and a guide to developing their own individualized policies that address nutrition and physical activity.”

According to the South Dakota Department of Health’s 2003-04 School Height and Weight Report, nearly 32 percent of South Dakota’s school children are overweight or at risk for being overweight.

The new Model Wellness Policy focuses on three major areas: nutrition education, physical activity and nutrition standards. Schools may choose to use the policy as written or revise it as needed to meet local needs and priorities. They also may create their own policy, as long as it follows federal guidelines.

As part of the federal requirement, schools must convene a committee to develop their policy. Committee members must include a food-service representative, administrator, classroom teacher, student, school board member, and community member or parent. The committee also may include a school nurse, dietitian, medical professional and local business representative.

A copy of the Model Wellness Policy is available at doe.sd.gov/oess/cans. Click on “South Dakota Department of Education Model Wellness Policy” under “Forms and Documents.”

Kids for Katrina Relief ends Oct. 31

Following Hurricane Katrina, the department invited schools to participate in Kids for Katrina Relief. The statewide initiative will raise money for schools most affected by the first of two hurricanes to hit the Gulf Coast.

The Kids for Katrina Relief effort will end Oct. 31. Participating schools are reminded to send a check payable to “South Dakota Department of Education—Katrina Relief” to the address noted below. The department will send one check to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, set up by the Louisiana Department of Education to help get south Louisiana students back into the classroom and the stable, safe environment that they need so badly at this time. At the end of the fund-raising initiative, we will announce the total amount collected by South Dakota schools.

Send checks to:
South Dakota Department of Education
Attn: Kids for Katrina Relief
700 Governors Drive
Pierre SD 57501

Mini-grants to help fund wellness projects

Looking for money for nutrition education and physical activity projects at your school? The state’s Team Nutrition and Coordinated School Health programs have teamed up to award $1,000 mini-grants to schools and childcare sites across South Dakota. Up to 10 of the 20 winning applications may be awarded to childcare sites. After-school programs also are encouraged to apply.

Last year’s mini-grant winners launched programs such as a gardening project, a fun run, a nutrition festival and nutrition education for school staff.

Applications will be available Nov. 1 on the Department of Education’s Web site. The deadline for applications will be Dec. 1, 2005, and schools will be notified by Jan. 15, 2006, if they have been awarded a mini-grant. Winners will have from Jan. 15 to May 31, 2006, to complete the nutrition and physical activities described in their grant application.

Please watch for more information and the application Nov. 1. Questions can be directed to the department’s Child and Adult Nutrition Services at (605) 773-3413.

Watch for department staff changes

The South Dakota Department of Education is pleased to announce the following staff changes. Some are new faces; others are familiar faces in new positions. All are looking forward to serving the education community.

Mark Wilson is the new director of the Office of Career and Technical Education (CTE). Most recently, Wilson was an instructor at Valley City State University, Valley City, N.D., where he also was responsible for marketing the technology education program. Prior to that, he worked for seven years in North Dakota’s Department of Career and Technical Education. Wilson can be reached at (605) 773-4773 or mark.wilson@state.sd.us. Rich Deaver, who had been serving as the interim director, will return to semi-retirement!

Stephanie Weideman now serves as the new director of the Office of Curriculum, Technology and Assessment. Prior to taking the position, Weideman was the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) coordinator for the department – a position she held for three years. She will continue to serve as the contact for the Dakota Assessment of Content Standards. Weideman can be reached at (605) 773-3783 or stephanie.weideman@state.sd.us.

For the past 15 years, Gary Skoglund held the position of state assessment director. Recently, he elected to make a career change and now serves as the NAEP coordinator. Skoglund’s extensive assessment knowledge will be a great asset to this position. He can be reached at (605) 773-5229 or gary.skoglund@state.sd.us.

Gay Pickner has assumed the responsibilities of the state assessment director. For the past three years, Pickner has worked as a curriculum technology specialist for the department. She has extensive knowledge of technology in South Dakota and has been instrumental in the development and restructuring of the CRT Web site. Pickner can be reached at (605) 280-3613 or gay.pickner@state.sd.us.

National School Lunch survey due soon

Each year, the department’s Child and Adult Nutrition Services (CANS) gathers data on the National School Lunch program in South Dakota. The information gathered is required by federal regulation.

On Sept. 19, the annual Survey of October Data was mailed to all National School Lunch Program authorized representatives. Please be sure that your district’s authorized representative completes the survey and returns it to CANS by Nov. 15. This will assure that your October claim for reimbursement will be processed.

Questions about this process can be directed to CANS at (605) 773-3413.

Funds available to assist with National Board application fee

Teachers who currently are pursuing National Board Certification can apply for a subsidy to offset a portion of their application fee.

Each year, the U.S. Department of Education allocates funds to South Dakota for the Candidate Subsidy Program. Subsidies of $500 to $1,000 are awarded to eligible candidates. Funds are provided by the U.S. Congress.

The application can be downloaded from the department’s Web site. Completed applications must be returned to the South Dakota Department of Education by Oct. 31, 2005.

Further details are included on the application. Questions can be directed to Roxie Thielen at (605) 773-4669. roxie.thielen@state.sd.us.

Teachers wanted for Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Program

If you’re a South Dakota teacher with the urge to travel, consider applying for the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program. The program allows distinguished primary and secondary school educators in the United States to travel to Japan for three weeks, in an effort to promote greater cultural understanding between the two nations. This year, up to 600 educators will be selected to participate in the 2006 program.

Participating educators will begin their visit with an orientation in Tokyo. They then will travel in groups of 20 to selected host cities outside of Tokyo, where they will have direct contact with Japanese teachers and students. They will visit cultural sites and local businesses and enjoy a brief home-stay with a Japanese family.

The visits to Japan will take place during June, October and November of 2006. Upon their return, participants share their experiences with students and communities through a variety of outreach projects.

Applications are available at www.iie.org/jfmf. The deadline to apply is Dec. 10, 2005. Teachers of all disciplines are encouraged to apply. For more information, call 1-888-527-2636 or e-mail jfmf@iie.org.

Essay contest promotes financial independence

High school seniors can turn their knowledge of finances into cash by participating in an essay contest on investing. The contest is coordinated by the South Dakota Department of Revenue and Regulation, Division of Securities.

South Dakota high school seniors are invited to submit a five-page essay that could earn them cash prizes of up to $5,000. Under the contest rules, students must write one page on each of the following five principles of investing: How Financial Markets Work, Time Value of Money, How Credit Card Debt Affects Your Ability to Invest, Understanding the Pyramid of Investment Risk, and Avoiding Investment Fraud. In addition to submitting an essay, students also must be sponsored by a teacher from their high school.

Essays will be judged based on their content as it relates to the five principles of investing. Upon being judged, each entry will be placed in one of four levels: A, B, C or D. When all papers are categorized, Securities Division officials will randomly draw two winners from Level A, with both winners receiving $5,000. Teachers sponsoring the Level A winners receive $500. One essay will be randomly drawn from each of the remaining three levels, with those students receiving cash prizes of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. The high school teacher sponsoring the most senior student essays wins $500. Chances of winning are subject to the number of entries received and the number in each level.

Deadline to submit entries to the essay contest is Jan. 14, 2006. Winners will be announced by April 30, 2006. Only hard copy entries are eligible; electronic entries will not be accepted. Contest rules and more information are available online at www.state.sd.us/securities/essay.htm.

The essay contest is funded by a grant from the Investor Protection Trust (IPT), a nonprofit organization devoted to investor education.

For more information about the program, contact Leonore Friez, investor education specialist, Division of Securities, (605) 773-4823.

Upcoming Events

For a more complete list of professional development opportunities, visit www.southdakotapd.com.

  • Leadership and curriculum mapping
  • Wellness policy topic of satellite seminar
  • Crosswalk trainings for CTE teachers scheduled
  • Jump start your local wellness policy
  • Training addresses health education standards and assessment
  • Evaluate health education curriculum at HECAT training

Leadership and curriculum mapping
A one-day workshop – Role of Building Leadership in the Curriculum Mapping Process – will be held Oct. 11 at the Ramkota in Pierre. The workshop, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., targets administrators. It will be led by Dr. Susan Udelhofen.

Key concepts that will be addressed during the workshop include:

  • Overview of curriculum mapping process
  • Curriculum consensus building and decision-making
  • Curriculum mapping and teacher evaluation
  • Strategies for finding time
  • Building leadership teams
  • Building a curriculum mapping cabinet
  • Looking at feeder patterns
  • The relationship with Education Service Agencies
  • Creating a map of mapping
  • Staff development
  • Curriculum mapping implementation plans
  • One, two and three plans
  • Mapping beyond building the maps

This workshop session is offered by the department’s Office of Curriculum, Technology and Assessment. Registration is available online at www.southdakotapd.com. For information, contact Gay Pickner at (605) 280-3613. gay.pickner@state.sd.us


Wellness policy topic of satellite seminar
A two-hour program on school wellness policy development will be held Oct. 18 via satellite and Web cast. Time is 2-4 p.m. (Central) and 1-3 p.m. (Mountain). The event is offered by the National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI).

According to information released by NFSMI: “The primary goal of this program is to provide child nutrition professionals and other key players in the school and community an opportunity to hear the most current school wellness policy information. The program will feature local school districts that have health and wellness efforts already under way. It will also allow participants the opportunity to call in and have their questions answered by a panel of experts.”

The satellite coordinates and directions for accessing the Web cast can be found at www.nfsmi.org/.

The program also will be broadcast in South Dakota through the Dakota Digital Network (DDN). The following public schools have signed up to view the broadcast: Harrisburg, Brandon Valley, Aberdeen, Redfield, Bison and Meade (Sturgis). There are still spaces available on the DDN system if your school would like to join the broadcast.

At its September meeting, the South Dakota Board of Education approved a Model Wellness Policy for South Dakota. It can be find online at doe.sd.gov/oess/cans. Click on “South Dakota Department of Education Model Wellness Policy” under “Forms and Documents.”

Anyone interested in signing up for the DDN session, should contact Amy Richards at (605) 773-4718 or amy.richards@state.sd.us.


Crosswalk trainings for CTE teachers scheduled
By April of 2006, all of the state’s career and technical education (CTE) teachers are required to have their crosswalks completed and syllabi on file with the department’s Office of Career and Technical Education.

Two upcoming workshops will train teachers in the crosswalk process and give them time to develop or update their course syllabi. The workshops are slated for Nov. 8 in Rapid City and Jan. 31 in Mitchell.

The goal of the statewide Crosswalk Project is to provide a standards-based curriculum for CTE programs that includes technical standards, academic standards and employability standards. By going through the crosswalk process, CTE teachers will:

  • Develop instructional strategies that meet the learning needs of all students;
  • Identify areas within the curriculum where academic, technical and transferable work skills need to be enhanced and integrated;
  • Meet Perkins accountability;
  • Assist schools in meeting state-adopted academic standards;
  • Help schools meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind.

Teachers can register for the workshop online at www.southdakotapd.com or by downloading the form at doe.sd.gov/octe/training and faxing or mailing it to the South Dakota Department of Education, Office of Career and Technical Education, 700 Governor’s Drive, Pierre, SD 57501. Fax: (605) 773-4236.

Jump start your local wellness policy
Get a head start on the new U.S. Department of Agriculture local wellness policy requirement! Recruit a team to attend a Nov. 10 workshop that will provide the training, information and resources necessary to develop and implement your local wellness policy. The workshop will be led by Dayle Hayes, an award-wining author and educator.

Participants can choose to attend a morning session that runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon or an afternoon session that runs from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Both sessions will be held at the Ramkota in Pierre.

The training will provide an overview of South Dakota’s new Model Wellness Policy, recently approved by the Board of Education. The workshop also will provide time for school district teams to develop an action plan for policy development and implementation for their district.

School districts are invited to bring five team members. At least one team member must be an administrator. Those districts with a full five-member team registered will receive first priority to attend the training. A minimum of three team members is required to be eligible to attend the training.

Besides an administrator, other team members might include a food service worker, teacher, student, school board member, community member, parent, nurse, dietitian, medical professional or local business representative. Registration is limited to one team per school district.

There is no cost for registration. Travel expenses, including mileage, meals and lodging, will be reimbursed by the Department of Education. The workshop is sponsored by Coordinated School Health and Child and Adult Nutrition Services.

A registration form will be available online at doe.sd.gov/oess/cans on Friday, Oct. 14.

If you have any questions, please call Child and Adult Nutrition Services at (605) 773-3413.


Training addresses health education standards and assessment
The Coordinated School Health Program will host a South Dakota Health Education Standards and Assessment Training Nov. 7-8 at the Country Inn & Suites in Watertown. Participants will receive information and skills-building opportunities related to South Dakota’s health education standards and assessment.

Participants will explore the health education standards, including the core concepts and skill categories. They will learn to align standards, assessment and instructional activities. They will practice scoring student work. And, they will learn to differentiate between assessment for the purpose of accountability and assessment for the purpose of instructional improvement.

This training is appropriate for elementary teachers, curriculum directors, health education teachers, administrators, school counselors, school nurses, parents, and other interested individuals.

One hour of graduate or undergraduate credit is available through Augustana College; the fee is $50. One hour of teacher renewal credit is available through the South Dakota Department of Education at no cost.

For questions regarding the training design and content, please contact Beth Davis, Coordinated School Health Program, at (605) 773-6808 or beth.davis@state.sd.us. To register, contact Diane Madsen at Northeast Prevention Resource Center, (605) 886-0123, ext. 217. Registration is required by Nov. 1.


Evaluate health education curriculum at HECAT training
A training event designed to assist your school in the delivery of quality health education is set for Dec. 5-6 at Cedar Shore Resort in Chamberlain. Called HECAT, the Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool was developed by the Center for Disease Control’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, in partnership with health education experts across the country. HECAT allows educators to evaluate their curriculum based on research that supports positive health behaviors among students.

South Dakota is one of five states to be awarded a unique opportunity to offer this HECAT training. “It’s especially timely for our state, as the new graduation requirement for .5 credit of health education or physical education takes effect in the fall of 2006 with incoming freshmen,” said Beth Davis, health education coordinator with the Coordinated School Health Program.

The HECAT workshop will demonstrate the process for evaluating health education curriculum to determine its quality, effectiveness and appropriateness for your students. This workshop is beneficial whether you are seeking to adopt new health education curriculum, enhance existing curriculum, or instructing pre-service health education students.

The training is sponsored by Coordinated School Health, Rocky Mountain Center for Health Education and Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Northeast Prevention Resource Center.

There is no registration fee; however, pre-registration is required. To register, contact Diane Madsen, Northeast Prevention Resource Center at (605) 886-0123, ext. 217 or dianem@humanserviceagency.org. This workshop will be capped at 30 people and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

PLEASE NOTE: Dates and activities are tentative and contingent upon final federal approval of the HECAT.