AYP coming later this month
Superintendents should be on the lookout for adequate yearly progress results later this month. Immediately following, the department will host three informational meetings designed to help districts work through the data to ensure its accuracy.

New name, same Virtual School
The South Dakota Virtual High School has a new name. It’s South Dakota Virtual School (minus the “High”). With this change comes a slightly revised Web address, but Virtual School continues to operate as it has in the past.

Bus driver training hits the streets
All schools and contractors must require bus drivers to attend annual training. To help districts meet this requirement, a series of Bus Driver In-Service workshops has been slated for locations across South Dakota.

Keeping kids in school
This fall, the Department of Education will host FREE one-day workshops designed to help districts find better ways to engage at-risk students. It’s part of the statewide conversation regarding compulsory attendance to age 18.

FY09 State Aid:
Return certification form to receive additional dollars
In order to receive the 3 percent increase in the per-student allocation for FY09, districts must submit a form that indicates they have raised teacher salaries and benefits by 3 percent. If you haven’t already done so, please submit your form now.

Grants to boost curriculum, target technical skills
Thirty-seven schools and educational cooperatives across South Dakota will receive a total of $1.5 million to fund career and technical education initiatives during the 2008-09 school year. The one-year grants will support 50 projects.