High school waivers:
Exams to be required
At its June meeting, the South Dakota Board of Education took action on two issues related to the waiver of rules for high school credit. Learn about the new requirement for students to prove competency when they take a course for high school credit prior to entering 9th grade and in test-out situations.

Credit recovery, correspondence and VHS
Effective July 1, a new law requires school districts to use the South Dakota Virtual High School for distance courses. A number of districts have had questions about whether correspondence courses may be taken for credit recovery this summer. Read on to learn more.

CTE grant recipients announced
Forty-three schools and educational cooperatives across South Dakota will receive a total of $1.5 million to fund career and technical education initiatives during the 2007-08 school year. The one-year grants will support 60 projects.

Tech standards on the way
New K-12 educational technology standards have been drafted and are expected to go before the South Dakota Board of Education in July. The proposed standards will help to determine students’ technology proficiency.

New SPED rules mirror federal regulations
The South Dakota Board of Education recently approved administrative rule changes related to special education. The changes update the rules so that they mirror federal regulations.

2008 Dakota STEP to feature student art
Next year’s Dakota STEP covers will feature artwork created by South Dakota students. The seven winning artists will each receive a $100 savings bond from Citibank.

Grants target technology integration
Eight school districts and educational cooperatives will receive a total of $1.2 million for technology integration in the classroom. The funds, which are part of the federal Title II Part D grant, will be used for development of technology projects in math, reading and/or science.