• Secretary's Column
• State’s standards and assessment system focus of review
• South Dakota Counts grants awarded
• Schools make steady progress under Reading First
• ELL standards removed from content standards
• Schools receive money for heating costs
• State Aid Study Task Force pushes forward
• UPDATE: State guidelines for Academic Competitiveness grants change
• Teacher Leadership Conference set for late October
• Hot Topic
• Upcoming Events

Secretary's Column:

Hello Millennials, goodbye status quo!

Things are changing. Have you noticed? If you are a “veteran” educator (I’ll let you define the meaning of veteran), you have probably seen some changes in how our schools operate. I’m not talking about the bell system, report cards or technology. I am talking about how our customers – our students and parents – are reacting to educational policies and procedures.

The millennial generation is sending its children to our schools. That means that the parents of our current school students grew up in a different generation than many of today’s educators. On the surface, that should not seem problematic – especially since we are reminded that education hasn’t changed in the last 100 years. (I happen to disagree.)

However, there is something different about our new customers. They expect things, and they are determined to get their questions answered to their satisfaction. Educators can no longer quote board policies or master contracts and expect the answer to satisfy many of our customers. You see: This generation is used to getting results, and the people that were raised in this generation (born in the late 70s/early 80s) have lived in a world where the customer rules. Companies are eager enough for business and have taken the “customer satisfaction” mission to an entirely new level. That translates to our schools as well.

The millennial generation is starting to dominate our parent group. They are running for public office, including school boards, and they are also represented in our new batch of teachers. What is the impact? Documents like board policy books that outline how we traditionally handled various situations will be questioned. Questions about discipline policies that have been in place for years will be raised – in the name of fairness to all students. Master contracts that pay people for growing a year older will be highlighted and negotiated. 

The best educators know how to adapt to changing customers. They recognize bright and capable people and see that policies/practices may need to be modified to adapt to a changing customer base. My hope is that you are prepared for this exciting time in education, when we reconsider past practices in favor of new and improved methods of delivering our educational programs.

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State’s standards and assessment system focus of review

A recent federal review found that South Dakota’s standards and assessment system under No Child Left Behind needs additional work. Like many states across the nation, South Dakota was told by the U.S. Department of Education that approval of its system is pending, as long as the state adheres to several conditions.

“We knew that our system would not receive full approval,” said Dr. Rick Melmer, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Education. “We recognize that we have a lot of work to do, but we are confident that we can make the necessary improvements by the end of next school year.”

The state's assessment used for accountability purposed is the Dakota STEP (State Test of Educational Progress). Students in grades 3-8 and 11 take the test, which currently covers math and reading. The Dakota STEP-A is an alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities. “A number of states are just getting to the point of offering the test at the required grade levels,” explained Stephanie Weideman, the department’s director of curriculum, technology and assessment. “South Dakota has been offering the test to the required grades since 2003.”

While progress has been made on the state’s standards and assessment system, department officials know that certain areas require attention. Staff members are working to address the issues as quickly as possible. “The federal review pointed to several areas of concern, which were on our radar screen,” Melmer said. “This review will speed up our timeline for making adjustments.”

The federal review identified the following areas of work: 

• Ensure rigor of state’s content standards

• Ensure alignment of assessment to content standards

• Ensure technical quality of assessments

• Develop aligned, parallel forms of assessments

• Examine extent to which the IEP and other student accommodations on assessments are congruent

In order to move into an “approved” status, South Dakota is working with the U.S. Department of Education to develop specific actions needed to address the issues outlined in the evaluation. All items must be addressed by the end of the 2006-07 school year. If they are not, the state may face a 10 percent withholding of its Title I, Part A administrative funds.

To review USDOE decision letters sent to states, visit www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/nclbfinalassess. Click on “South Dakota” or any other state. 

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South Dakota Counts grants awarded

The Department of Education has announced that the state’s seven Education Service Agencies and the Sioux Falls School District are recipients of South Dakota Counts grants. The three-year, $3 million initiative targets math instruction at the elementary level. It addresses one of the primary goals of the Governor’s 2010 Education Initiative, which is to ensure math and reading proficiency by third grade.

“South Dakota Counts is aimed at K-5 teachers, in an effort to deepen their knowledge of math content and instruction. It will help them understand how students learn math and, therefore, make them better teachers,” said Dr. Rick Melmer, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Education.

Education Service Agencies are regionally based education cooperatives. They deliver services to schools within their area. “Working through these agencies and the Sioux Falls School District, we believe we can have a positive impact on math achievement across South Dakota,” Melmer said. An estimated 186 schools are expected to participate in the program.

South Dakota Counts is designed to have a ripple effect on math instruction. One teacher-leader per participating school will go through intensive training. These teacher-leaders will train other teachers in their school buildings. Training begins this summer. The training will focus on the type of knowledge students bring to the learning process and how they connect that knowledge with formal concepts and operations. 

South Dakota Counts is made possible by a federal grant through the Mathematics and Science Partnerships program under Title II, Part B. 

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Schools make steady progress under Reading First

Reading First has wrapped up its second year in South Dakota, and the results are promising. Participating elementary schools have demonstrated steady growth, as measured by the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills), at the kindergarten through 3^rd-grade levels.

"We are excited by the gains we are seeing in students' reading proficiency," said Michelle Mehlberg, South Dakota Reading First director. "The data demonstrates that the Reading First system works in moving all students to grade level proficiency in reading." The federally funded program aims to improve children’s reading achievement through scientifically proven methods of instruction.

Fifteen schools have participated in Reading First since the 2004-05 school year, when it was first implemented in the state. The schools are located within the following districts: Bennett County, Bon Homme, McLaughlin, Mitchell, Pierre, Smee, Wagner, Watertown and White River. Many have high Native American populations.

The biggest gains were found at the kindergarten level. Prior to Reading First, 16 percent of kindergarten students in the participating schools were considered at risk for reading failure, as measured by DIBELS. In 2006, only 1 percent of kindergarten students are considered at risk for reading failure. Conversely, 44 percent were considered at low risk for reading failure in 2004, as opposed to 90 percent in 2006.

At the 3^rd-grade level, the highest grade reviewed, 18 percent of students were considered at risk for reading failure in 2004 as opposed to 12 percent in 2006. Fifty-one percent were considered at low risk for reading failure in 2004, as opposed to 61 percent in 2006.

Reading First is a six-year program funded by a $14.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Schools in the Kadoka and Tripp-Delmont districts will be added to the program for the 2006-07 school year.

For more information, contact Michelle Mehlberg, South Dakota Department of Education, at (605) 280-3614. michelle.mehlberg@state.sd.us

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ELL standards removed from content standards

The English language learner, or ELL, descriptors have been removed from the state content standards for math, reading, communication arts, science and social studies.

This was done based on recommendations from the recent federal review of the state’s standards and assessment system and the Title III Advisory Council.

It is expected that all students will become proficient in the English language and, thus, need to become proficient in the content areas based on the general content standards. Once the revised English Language Proficiency standards are developed, they will better serve this population of students and its teachers.

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Schools receive money for heating costs

One-hundred thirty school districts and three technical institutes received financial assistance to help with increased heating costs during 2005-06. The schools received a total of $2,161,676 out of a possible $2.3 million. The additional funding was made possible by legislation sponsored by Gov. Mike Rounds during the 2006 legislative session.

State Aid Study Task Force pushes forward

The State Aid Study Task Force has met twice during 2006. At its June meeting, small school factor was one major topic of discussion. The Department of Education invited a panel of small-school superintendents to share their unique perspectives with task force members. The superintendents represented the Chester, Hamlin, Hurley, Irene/Wakonda and Tea school districts.

Four superintendents and three business managers serve on the task force, which was initiated during the 2005 legislative session. The group’s final two meetings are slated for Sept. 6-7 and Nov. 15-16. A final report is due Dec. 1, 2006.

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The new Academic Competitiveness Grant Program is designed to encourage students to take more rigorous high-school courses and to place a greater emphasis on math and science education in this country. It targets low-income college students. As reported in last month’s Education Online, this new federal grant program makes $790 million available in the 2006-07 academic year and $4.5 billion over the next five years.

South Dakota had planned to use its Regents Scholars Diploma guidelines to define a “rigorous” program. However, that plan has changed. For the 2006-07 school year, South Dakota will use the following academic criteria to determine a student’s eligibility:

• Four years of English
• Three years of math (including Algebra I and a higher level course such as Algebra II, Geometry, or Data Analysis and Statistics)
• Three years of science (including at least two courses from biology, chemistry or physics)
• Three years of social studies
• One year of a foreign language

Students also may be eligible through a second option focused on Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and test scores. This option requires a minimum of two AP or IB courses in high school and a minimum passing score on the exams for those classes. Students must score 3 or higher on AP exams and 4 or higher on IB exams. 

Currently, the federal government is allowing states to use three options to determine eligibility for the grants.  

“We worked quickly to establish these options so that deserving students could benefit from the grants this year, while states had the flexibility to recognize their unique rigorous programs,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings in a news release. “As time goes on, standards will be tightened and toughened. But these initial options will give states and students the time to adjust if they start planning now.”

For more information on Academic Competitiveness and National SMART Grants, visit www.ed.gov.

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Preschool on the radar in South Dakota    

“The earlier the seed is planted and watered, the faster and larger it grows.” Those are the words of Pulitzer prize-winning economist James J. Heckman. In his paper, “Investing in Disadvantaged Young Children is an Economically Efficient Policy,” Heckman builds the case for societies to invest in preschool programs.

In the first of 13 points advocating for preschool, Heckman refers to the correlation between early learning and skill development, and productivity later in life.

“It’s a concept that most educators understand, because they’ve seen it in action,” said Deb Barnett, assistant secretary for the South Dakota Department of Education. “The better equipped a student is at a young age, the better off he will be down the road. But, the converse is true, too. The earlier a student falls behind, the harder it is for him to catch up.” 

Research regarding early education clearly demonstrates benefits, particularly for disadvantaged children. Heckman points to the economic benefits for communities, too, including:

• Raising the quality of the workforce

• Raising earnings

• Reducing crime, teenage pregnancy and welfare dependency

Currently, South Dakota is one of 12 states that do not have a state-supported preschool program. The 2010 Education Initiative calls for expanding access to quality preschool for 4-year-olds. “The preschool piece is part of a larger plan to ensure that children from age 3 to grade three get the best start possible in life,” Barnett said.

Under South Dakota’s plan, preschool would be a blended program – combining the resources of federal programs, the state, local school districts, and even private-sector partners. Barnett is heading up a work group of early learning practitioners and experts, which is developing accreditation and certification standards for preschool in South Dakota.

Any preschool, public or private, would be eligible to seek accreditation under the plan. Public school districts could subcontract with accredited private preschools. Funding would run through the state aid formula. School districts would be required to work with any accredited preschool within their boundaries.

Under the plan, qualified 4-year-olds would have access to quality preschool programs. Eligibility would be determined by income guidelines.  Students who meet the guidelines, but are not covered by federal programs such as Head Start and Special Education, would be eligible for state funds.

A review of preschool programs done by the National Institute for Early Education Research in 2004 found that states vary widely in terms of dollars invested in preschool. The range went from less than $1,000 per student at the low end to more than $8,000 at the high end. The average state spending per child was $3,500.

“We believe that preschool is a wise long-term investment,” Barnett said, “and we are looking to develop a blended preschool model that fits South Dakota’s specific needs and values.”

For more information about the 2010 Education Initiative’s preschool program, visit www.2010education.com/Preschool.htm.

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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!

Upcoming Events

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

• The Big Picture: Merging assessment data and curriculum mapping