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• Melmer accepts position at USD
• AYP coming later this month
• New name, same Virtual School
• Bus driver training hits the streets
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Secretary's Column

Livid over laptops

No matter how long a person is involved in leadership, you continue to be surprised from time to time. Over the years, I have had a few moments where I thought an issue was a “no-brainer,” “slam dunk,” “can of corn” (pick your metaphor) and then discovered that my assessment was wrong.

I can still recall the battle that we had in Watertown when we proposed a weighted grade system for Advanced Placement courses. That debate occurred in 2001, and I am just starting to heal from the experience! If you are a leader, you can probably relate to that feeling of surprise when an idea that seemed pure as the driven South Dakota snow was judged by others to be full of problems and obstacles.

Over the past several years, I have found the debate over the movement to a 1:1 laptop environment for our high school students as one of those issues that seems so right, but others paint it as being so wrong. How can you argue against putting 21st century tools in the hands of our high school students? To be fair, some of the debate has been over how the money has been used to pay for the initiative. However, I can’t help believe that if the project was about providing medicine for needy children, there would be no debate about how we arrived at the financial resources to accomplish the task.

Clearly, many adults still struggle with the idea of giving students a computer for use in the schools. The rationale for this debate escapes me. There are a number of inconsistencies in the argument, but below are just a few.

• Each year the schools across this state spend millions (yes – millions) on textbooks for students. How many times have the districts been asked about guarantees that test scores will rise or that there will be some tangible benefit for this expenditure? Even though there is virtually no expectation of return on a textbook expenditure, we seem to think that technology purchases are worthy of that expectation. The next time new pads are purchased for the football team, let’s ask the coach how many more wins will result from the purchase (forget I said that – football coaches are already under enough pressure to win!).

• Speaking of results, we fully expect to see many positive benefits from this initiative. We are already hearing that students are better researchers, problem solvers, writers and communicators. However, if you are not invested in the idea, then you want more data. Improved test scores seem to be the litmus test that most opponents identify as the real proof of the success or failure of the laptop initiative. However, if you think of technology in a business setting, do the computers in an office improve the bottom line or do they make it easier for a business to be successful? Providing our students with technology gives each of them the opportunity to be successful in a world saturated with technology.

• No one argues that technology is important. We applaud schools and districts for providing technology for their students. We “ooh” and “aah” over labs and technology rich environments in a school. However, if we attempt to give each student a computer, it is considered excessive and unnecessary.

• One final head scratcher: How are our poorest students supposed to compete in today’s world? How can we expect them to even have a chance to be successful if they have little or no exposure to technology? Our current environment gives students limited exposure to technology during the school day, but outside of the day, we estimate that 20 to 30 percent of our students have no access to technology for academic purposes.

Over the past three months, I have had a chance to visit two schools that were considered to be top-flight schools. One was in the country of Singapore, and the other was a high school in Austin, Texas. You can probably guess how they attacked the issue of technology – with 1:1 access for all students. This concept is no longer a novelty but rather a necessary step to help our students to prepare for a technology rich world. Let’s quit debating the inevitable and support an initiative that a rural state needs to be competitive in today’s environment.

After five years at the helm of the Department of Education, Secretary Rick Melmer has accepted a position with the University of South Dakota. Melmer will serve as dean of USD’s School of Education. He is expected to stay with DOE until November.

In a recent “edCast”  interview, Melmer said several factors contributed to the decision. He points to three in particular: the fact that he and his wife will be “empty nesters” this fall, uncertainty about his position when Gov. Rounds leaves office, and a desire to stay in the state.

“Ideally it would have been nice to have this happen towards the end of the governor’s term in 2010, but that isn’t how things work,” Melmer said. “So I guess you take advantage of the opportunities when they come along.”

“This job is much more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be,” Melmer continued. “The joy has far outweighed the challenges or the problems.”

Under his tenure, the Department of Education has focused its efforts on building and maintaining relationships with the state’s school districts and school leaders. Initiatives related to teacher quality, online learning (Classroom Connections and Virtual School), Indian education, and high school reform all have been launched under Melmer’s leadership.

As USD’s dean of education, Melmer will oversee four main areas: teacher preparation, administrator development, the counseling program, and the health, physical education and recreation program.
 

Superintendents should be on the lookout for adequate yearly progress results later this month. The department expects to mail unofficial, preliminary AYP results on July 29. Immediately following, the department will host three informational meetings designed to help districts work through the data to ensure its accuracy.

“As of today, we’re still on track for mailing our first set of preliminary AYP results to districts on July 29,” said Judy Merriman, data manager for the Department of Education. The department provides a short window of time for districts to review their student data and preliminary results, prior to the public release of information. “We want our AYP results to be as accurate as possible, so we give districts this time to carefully review their data. If we find any inconsistencies or errors in the data, we work together to resolve them before going public.”

To help districts work through this process, the department will host three informational meetings – all held via Webinar. Department staff will provide guidance on what to look for when reviewing data, and school representatives can ask questions. An invitation to attend one of these informational sessions will be e-mailed to superintendents later this month.

2008 AYP Informational Meetings
Via Live Meeting (telephone and online format)

Aug. 1, 10 a.m.-noon
Aug. 6, 10 a.m.-noon
Aug. 6, 2-4 p.m.

New name, same Virtual School

As of July 1, 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.

The name change came about during the 2008 legislative session. House Bill 1312 proposed the change, and legislators agreed since Virtual School has the capability to serve junior high as well as high school students.

Other than a slightly revised logo and Web address (www.sdvs.k12.sd.us), this change shouldn’t have much impact. Please remember to update your favorites with the new URL!

Bus driver training hits the streets

According to South Dakota Administrative Rule, all schools and contractors must require bus drivers to attend annual training. Districts also are required to provide documentation as evidence they have fulfilled this rule.

To help districts meet the requirement, a series of workshops has been slated for locations across South Dakota. The Bus Driver In-Service workshops begin later this month and run through the middle of August. Topics range from defensive driving for bus drivers to school bus first aid.

For more information and details on how to register, click here.