Upcoming Events

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

• Workshops cover new reading/language arts standards
• Turning would-be dropouts into graduates
• Get online:
  Health Education Standards and Assessment Training
• Systems Change Conference targets school leaders
• LifeSkills Curriculum Training set for November

Workshops cover new reading/language arts standards
New reading/language arts standards were approved by the South Dakota Board of Education last spring. This fall, the Department of Education will host workshops designed to help educators better understand the format and content of the new standards.

Reading/Language Arts Standards Rollouts are slated for:

• Sept. 25, Sioux Falls
• Sept. 27, Watertown
• Oct. 2, Mitchell
• Oct. 3, Rapid City

Workshop participants will separate into grade groups: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. This will help participants focus on the standards they will utilize in their classrooms. Each participant will receive a copy of the standards and supplementary standards-based classroom activities.

For more information, go to www.southdakotapd.com and search for the event by date.

Turning would-be dropouts into graduates
In 2009, South Dakota’s compulsory school attendance age increases from 16 to 18. The Juvenile Justice Symposium III, Sept. 27-28, will offer practical ideas and assistance for professionals who will help would-be dropouts become high school graduates. The event will take place at the Ramkota in Pierre.

The theme of this year’s symposium is “Community Partnerships that Keep Kids in School.” Participants will hear from experts in truancy prevention, diversion programs, model court practices, and systems of care that encourage graduation of at-risk youth. Session topics include: “What works with tough kids,” “Implementing compulsory school attendance law – successes and lessons learned,” “Positive behavior interventions and supports,” and more.

The event is convened by the South Dakota Council of Juvenile Services. For information, call South Dakota Voices for Children at (605) 367-9667.

Get online:
Health Education Standards and Assessment Training
Coordinated School Health will offer an online training related to South Dakota’s health education standards and assessment. The training will be held over a four-week period beginning Nov. 1 and ending Nov. 30.

The South Dakota Health Education Standards and Assessment Training is designed to provide participants with information and skill-building opportunities related to South Dakota’s health education standards and assessment of those standards.

Participants will explore the core concepts and skill categories of the health education standards. They will learn to align standards, assessment and instructional activities as well as obtain practice in scoring student’s work. Participants 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.

Approval has been granted for one hour of graduate or undergraduate credit or for one Department of Education certificate renewal credit. The course also may be taken for no credit.

For more information about course objectives or to register, go to http://doe.sd.gov/oess/schoolhealth/training/index.asp.  Or contact Karen Keyser, Coordinated School Health, at (605) 773-6808 or karen.keyser@state.sd.us. 

Systems Change Conference targets school leaders
The 2007 Systems Change Conference will take place Nov. 14-16 at Cedar Shore Resort in Chamberlain. It is designed to be a powerful and practical professional development experience for education leaders. This year’s agenda features keynote speakers Neil Howe, best-selling author and an authority on generations in America; Dr. Rick Melmer, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Education; and Gary Marx, president of the Center for Public Outreach.

The event is hosted by the Midwest Alliance for Professional Learning and Leadership and a host of partners, including the Department of Education. For more information, visit www.systemschange.midwestmaple.org. 

LifeSkills Curriculum Training set for November
The South Dakota Departments of Education and Health, Department of Human Services and Regional Prevention Resource Centers will host a LifeSkills Curriculum Training Nov. 28-29 at the Holiday Inn City Centre in Sioux Falls.

Lifeskills Curriculum Training is a proven, highly effective substance abuse prevention program. The training is recommended for teachers, counselors, prevention advocates, safe and drug free school coordinators, and school nurses. It is designed to:

• provide students with the necessary skills to resist social pressures to smoke, drink, and use drugs;
• help students develop greater self-esteem, self-mastery, and self-confidence;
• enable students to effectively cope with social anxiety;
• increase students’ knowledge of the immediate consequences of substance abuse.

Approval has been granted for one hour of graduate or undergraduate credit or for one Department of Education certificate renewal credit. The course also may be taken for no credit.

For more information about the course objectives or to register, go to http://doe.sd.gov/oess/schoolhealth/training/index.asp.  Or contact the Coordinated School Health staff at (605) 773-3261.