• Secretary's Column
• Highly Qualified: The next steps
• Changes clarify administrative rule
• Teacher of the Year finalists announced  
• DOE does away with DE1 form for driver’s ed
• View new social studies content standards
• Program gets kids walking at school
• Tobacco youth survey, catalog available
• Hot Topic
• Upcoming Events

Secretary's Column:

Seat Time = $$$?

I have had the opportunity to attend several conferences over the last few months, and high school reform continues to be a primary topic of discussion. Several themes emerge when high school reform is discussed, foremost of which is the need to personalize the high school curriculum. This simply means allowing students to choose a curriculum pathway that will assist them in accomplishing future postsecondary objectives. 

The South Dakota Department of Education is beginning to discuss more options for the high school experience. The concept of senior projects seems to be taking off in our state, and many districts are beginning to implement some component of the senior project model. South Dakota’s Classroom Connections laptop initiative continues to be a way that the curriculum can be a bit more personalized with students engaging in project-based assignments. Finally, the concept of internships will need to be discussed as we look for ways to personalize the high school curriculum. 

An advisory committee has been formed to discuss a Virtual High School in South Dakota. This approach would add one more dimension to the personalization of high school for students in South Dakota. 

However, even though all of the discussions mentioned above are occurring, very little discussion has taken place regarding how the funding of our educational system will follow these innovations.

Currently, school superintendents have very little incentive to move a student through his or her high school experience at an accelerated rate. Seat time equals compensation for students. Therefore, the longer the student stays in school, the more money he or she is worth to the school district. In order for our system to fundamentally change, it will require a new way of looking at funding options at the high school level. Should high schools be funded based on credits earned vs. seat time? That will be one of the fundamental questions that will face states across the country as they engage in high school reform. 

It would be my hope that superintendents and high school principals from around the state will continue to look for ways to personalize the curriculum for the students they serve. This discussion is only beginning. It is my hope that South Dakota can be one of the nation’s leaders in developing programs that will personalize the curriculum for high school students as they prepare for a world after their secondary experience.

Highly Qualified: The next steps

Despite making progress toward the goal of 100 percent highly qualified teachers, most states were not able to achieve full proficiency by the appointed deadline. As a result, the federal government has given states deemed to be making a “good faith” effort until the end of the 2006-07 school year to reach that goal. South Dakota was one of the states identified as making a “good faith” effort.

Under these new provisions, each state was required to submit a revised plan detailing actions that the state and local education agencies (LEAs) will take to reach the highly qualified goal by the end of 2006-07. South Dakota’s detailed plan includes a requirement for districts to submit a Plan for Highly Qualified Teachers to the state. The plan must indicate how the district will move any non-highly qualified teachers to an HQ status during the upcoming school year. These plans will be due to the Department of Education by Nov. 15, which allows districts to review staffing based on the annual Personnel Record Form submission.

To support local districts in their efforts, the Department of Education will provide technical assistance. A template has been developed for districts to use in creating the newly required Plan for Highly Qualified Teachers. A series of meetings will be held via the Dakota Digital Network to review requirements and discuss concerns. The live database available via the Personnel Record Form also allows districts to easily check the highly qualified status of their teachers.

Educators should note that South Dakota’s HOUSSE (High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation) rules for reaching highly qualified status will be phased out during the 2006-07 school year. The federal government previously allowed states to have HOUSSE rules in place that provided some flexibility for teachers already in the field. Once HOUSSE rules are phased out, teachers will have just two options for reaching highly qualified status: passing a content test or a major in the field of study.

Those teachers who previously obtained highly qualified status via the HOUSSE rules will remain HQ as long as they continue teaching the same subjects. Any teacher currently pursuing HQ status via HOUSSE rules will need to finish that work this school year. 

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Changes clarify administrative rule

At its July meeting, the South Dakota Board of Education approved changes to administrative rule that offer schools clarification on several issues.

Less paperwork for waivers

Currently, districts asking for a waiver of administrative rule are required to submit a form every four years. The board changed this time frame to every five years. Further, the board eliminated the requirement for those that have applied for a waiver to provide an annual report. Instead, a report will be submitted every five years to coincide with the waiver application.

Lab science defined

With the new requirements for a laboratory science in high school, questions about what constitutes a lab science have arisen. The board approved new language that defines a laboratory science as: a course providing opportunities for students to interact directly with the material world, or with data drawn from the material world, using tools that are not found in a library, media center, study hall, or classroom, and in which students use safe and appropriate laboratory techniques, as well as implement data collection techniques, models, and theories of science.

Accreditation for nonpublics clarified

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Teacher of the Year finalists announced

Seven educators have been selected as finalists for the 2007 South Dakota Teacher of the Year. All seven regional winners will be invited to Governor Rounds’ Teacher Leadership Conference, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, in Pierre, where one of them will be revealed as the 2007 South Dakota Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations go to the 2007 Regional Teacher of the Year finalists:

• ESA Region 1: Joyce Carlson, Brookings School District

• ESA Region 2: Jacey Peters, Parker School District

• ESA Region 3: Charlotte Mohling, Wessington Springs School District

• ESA Region 4: Vanya Munce, Huron School District

• ESA Region 5: Callie Rech, Isabel School District

• ESA Region 6: Tracy Scott, Agar/Blunt/Onida School District

• ESA Region 7: Nicole Swigart, Rapid City School District

South Dakota has had an annual Teacher of the Year program since 1954. This year marks the first time that regional finalists have been selected. The regional finalists were chosen from all district-level Teachers of the Year submitted by school districts within each Education Service Agency, or ESA, region.

South Dakota’s Teacher of the Year goes on to represent the state at the national level. Barbara Dowling, Sioux Falls School District, is the 2006 South Dakota Teacher of the Year. In recognition of her achievement, Dowling received cash awards from the South Dakota Community Foundation and Citibank, a technology package from the SMARTer Kids Foundation, and the use of an automobile for one year from Billion Automotive.

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DOE does away with DE1 form for driver’s ed

Districts will no longer be required to submit the DE1 form, which identified the qualifications of its driver’s education instructors. Instead, the Department of Education will generate the necessary information from its database and provide it directly to the state’s Driver’s Licensing office and exam stations. The list of properly authorized instructors will be updated twice a year.

“We rarely get the chance to eliminate paperwork for our constituents, so we are happy to be able to streamline this process,” said Melody Schopp, director of the department’s Office of Accreditation and Teacher Quality.

Districts still will be responsible to ensure that each person teaching driver’s education has a current teaching certificate with the driver’s ed endorsement, and has a valid driver’s license. However, they won’t need to report that information to the state.

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View new social studies content standards

South Dakota’s content standards for social studies have been completed and approved by the South Dakota Board of Education. The new standards are available online.

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Program gets kids walking at school

Students can earn prizes for being active through South Dakota Schools Walk! The 2006-07 school year marks the fourth year the program has been promoted by Coordinated School Health, a joint program of the South Dakota Departments of Education and Health.

South Dakota Schools Walk aims to fight childhood obesity by motivating young people to increase their level of physical activity – specifically, by walking. Students might walk before school, after school or during recess. They might rack up miles “walking” to a particular country they are studying. They might walk with local celebrities such as the mayor or a radio show host. The possibilities are endless!

“With 33 percent of our school-age children overweight or at risk for being overweight, obesity is an issue in South Dakota,” said Kari Senger, co-director of the Coordinated School Health Program. “South Dakota Schools Walk is one way to encourage students, and to model for them how to incorporate this healthy habit into their daily lives.”

This year, South Dakota Schools Walk will focus on K-6 students. Any teacher in grades K-6 can register their class to participate in a walking program. Each school sets its own guidelines for a program. Coordinated School Health provides incentives for those youngsters who participate. Students in grades K-2 will receive wrist bands, while those in grades 3-6 will receive water bottles. For taking the initiative to sign up their class, teachers will receive a gift to use in the classroom. 

Registration for this program will be available after Sept. 1, 2006, at http://www.doe.sd.gov/oess/schoolhealth/sdwalks/. Incentives are available while supplies last.

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Tobacco youth survey, catalog available

The South Dakota Department of Health announces two new tobacco related resources.  The 2005 Middle School Youth Tobacco Survey is now available online. The Tobacco Control Program has an updated catalog of tobacco prevention items. These resources are available at no cost.

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Educators to explore issues, solutions at Indian Ed summit  

Native American students account for 10 percent of the enrollment at South Dakota’s public schools. Often, these students face unique challenges within the education system. A lineup of national experts at the Indian Education Summit will help all South Dakota schools learn to better serve Native American students. This year’s summit is set for Sept. 24-26 at the Ramkota in Pierre. The theme is “Our Voice, Your Voice, One Voice.”

“This conference targets educators at all levels who work with Native American students, whether your school is on a reservation, in a community bordering a reservation or in a larger town with significant minority populations,” said Keith Moore, director of Indian education for the South Dakota Department of Education.

Keynote speakers at this year’s summit include Jim Littlejohn of Lecture Management Inc. In his presentation on Ruby Payne’s “A Framework for Understanding Poverty,” Littlejohn will address the differences between generational and situational poverty, the impact of language differences on student success and the “hidden rules” of economic classes.

James Loewen, a sociologist and best-selling author, also is slated to speak. Loewen is the author of “Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong.” He will deliver a keynote address titled “All the Lies My Teacher Told Me About Native Americans.” His breakout session, “Going Beyond the Textbook,” will provide curriculum ideas outside of traditional textbooks.

Representatives from the Montana’s education department will serve on a panel discussing that state’s successes with Native American education. Robert Cook, a teacher at Rapid City’s Central High School and a Milken Award winner from South Dakota, will present his success stories working with at-risk 9th-grade students. Other breakout sessions will address topics ranging from South Dakota’s Reading First program to the GEAR Up program.

Rounding out the lineup of speakers is Ryan Wilson, president of the National Indian Education Association, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Indian Education.

Click here to register for the summit, or call Aske Whitebird in the Office of Tribal Relations at (605) 773-3415. Cost is $75. Participants will receive a free book by either Ruby Payne or James Loewen.

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Upcoming Events

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

• The Big Picture: Merging assessment data and curriculum mapping
• Health Care Workforce Summit: Building the Workforce for 2010
• Teacher Leadership Conference set for late October

Health Care Workforce Summit: Building the Workforce for 2010

Did you know that health care is South Dakota’s number one high-growth industry? Did you know that between 2002 and 2012, nearly 11,000 additional health care workers will be needed in the state?

South Dakota’s first-ever Health Care Workforce Summit will be held Aug. 7, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., at the Ramkota in Pierre. This event will bring together key stakeholders to address the state’s healthcare workforce needs.

Approximately 170 representatives are expected to attend. Participants, who represent the healthcare and education fields, will work to develop recommendations and strategies related to: student awareness of health care careers; the pipeline from education to the medical field; recruitment and retention of health care professionals; and the availability of health-related education programs, including clinicals and internships.

These recommendations will serve as a guide as the state moves forward with its efforts to meet South Dakota’s future workforce needs.

The event is hosted by the South Dakota Departments of Education, Health and Labor. For more information about the summit, contact Sandra Durick, Department of Health, at (605) 773-4412. 

Teacher Leadership Conference set for late October

Governor Rounds’ 2006 Teacher Leadership Conference will be held Oct. 30-Nov. 1 in Pierre. Each year, the event draws approximately 400 teacher-leaders from across the state. This year’s agenda will include sessions on the 2010 Education Initiative, students at risk, school leadership, student health issues, and students living in poverty.

Later this summer, superintendents will receive a mailing inviting them to nominate teacher-leaders from their district to attend this information-packed event. Teachers attend the event free of charge, and accommodations are provided at no cost.

Please mark these important dates on your calendar and plan now to send someone from your district!

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