- Secretary's Column
- Hot Topic Follow DOE on Twitter
- Legislative preview 2010
- Special pricing available on parent notification system
- American Indian students the focus of state's Race to the Top plan
- New grad requirements explained
- Grants available for out-of-school programs
- School Height and Weight Report issued
- Upcoming Events
- Dakota STEP Pretest Workshops slated for February
- Workshop to address civic education
- Training for early childhood: Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling
- Math, science, English teachers: Get paid for summer learning
- Dakota STEP Pretest Workshops slated for February
Secretary's Column
By Tom Oster
Department of Education
Odds and ends
--60 Minutes with the Secretary
The department will host a 60 Minutes with the Secretary teleconference for superintendents on Fri., Jan. 15 , at 1 p.m. (Central Time). I plan to talk about several legislative items - among them, charter schools - and ARRA updates, including the details of South Dakota's Race to the Top application.
--Race to the Top
As many of you are aware, the department's Race to the Top application focuses on improving student achievement for the state's largest group of underperforming students: American Indians. The plan calls for establishing a residential high school and two years of postsecondary with a STEM focus for Native students.
Besides impacting this critical student population, the plan does have broader applicability across the state. I will attempt to explain those connections during our 60 Minutes teleconference (noted above).
--Charter Schools
The Department of Education will run a bill this session to allow for the establishment of charter schools in South Dakota. I encourage you to review the bill online at http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2010/Bills/SB63P.pdf before our teleconference.
The bill really has two major parts. The bill's first eight pages cover charter schools established under the auspices of a local school district. Section 3 of the bill specifically states that the sponsor of a charter school shall be the school board of the district in which the school resides.
The bill is clear that a charter school can only be established with the approval of the local school board. The only exception comes in the last two pages of the bill, which outline a pilot charter school to be established under the auspices of the state Board of Education. This pilot charter school is the STEM school outlined in the Department of Education's Race to the Top application.
Again, I plan to speak to the charter school bill during our 60 Minutes teleconference.
The department will be on Twitter throughout the legislative session, bringing you timely updates on the progress of education-related bills. I admit . this is a bit of a stretch for me. But if we're telling our students they need to have 21st century skills, I think we, as education leaders, need to stretch ourselves as well.
If you don't like the Twitter format, we've got an easy "out" for you. We will post our Twitter messages on our Department of Education homepage as well. So you can simply go to doe.sd.gov, or you can experiment with us and enter the world of social media.
--Federal Appropriations Bill
Back in December, President Obama signed into law an omnibus appropriations bill, which includes funding for the U.S. Department of Education. Overall, the bill included $63.7 billion in discretionary spending for the agency's education programs, which is about a 2 percent increase over FY 2009. The bill includes funding for Title I grants to local education agencies; special education state grants; state grants for teacher quality; and more.
Hot Topic: Follow DOE on Twitter
Looking for quick updates during the legislative session? The Department of Education is on Twitter and will provide timely posts regarding education-related bills.
To follow us:
1) Go to www.twitter.com
2) Click "Sign Up Now" to create an account.
3) Once you are logged into your account, click
on "Find People" and type "sddoe" in the Search
box.
4) Hit the "Follow sddoe" option under the
"Actions" icon.
For educators who want to follow the action but don't want to sign up for a Twitter account, you can simply check the DOE homepage at doe.sd.gov. All "tweets" will be posted there.
Legislative preview 2010
What's on the docket for education bills this session? Standards for teachers, charter schools, and practical changes designed to make your life easier - to name a few.
Here's a look at the bills the department will forward during the 2010 legislative session.
SB 24 would establish standards for teachers - defining expected performance at three levels: beginning teachers, professional teachers and instructional leaders. The bill would require districts seeking accreditation to evaluate the performance of certified teachers on an annual basis. It also calls for a work group to develop the standards and a model evaluation tool.
SB 63 would allow for the establishment of charter schools in South Dakota. However, only a local school board could approve or deny an application to establish a charter school within its boundaries. The only exception would be a pilot charter school for American Indian students that could be established contingent upon funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's Race to the Top program.
The "50 percent rule" bill (HB 1020) would allow districts to transfer local SPED funds in an amount not greater than 50 percent of its annual increase in federal IDEA dollars to any other fund. The funds could be used to carry out any activities allowable under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Another proposed SPED-related bill (HB 1021) would allow districts to credit any federal SPED dollars to either the Special Education fund or the Capital Outlay fund for any equipment purchase approved by the Department of Education.
With HB 1024, the department will seek to remove the requirement for districts to keep a hard copy of each teacher's certificate on file at the district level. Instead, districts would be able to verify the validity of a teacher's certificate by confirming it through the department's online certification database (known as Teacher 411 and available online 24/7).
Other DOE-sponsored bills include:
HB 1023 Revise requirements for makeup time
SB 22 Establish fund for Birth to Three donations
SB 23 Eliminate two-year delay of certain rule changes that increase teacher certification fees
SB 25 Transferring students and state aid
Special pricing available on parent notification system
Districts can take advantage of special pricing negotiated with SchoolReach for its parent notification system.
The Basic package of services includes unlimited voice broadcast messaging, unlimited e-mailing with document attachment, and unlimited text messaging, as well as other bundled services.
Schools typically use the system to communicate with parents regarding school closure due to weather, school attendance, parent-teacher conferences and similar topics.
"In a time when budgets are tight, it's nice to be able to use our statewide leveraging power to get schools the best price possible on this technology," said Secretary of Education Tom Oster.
The negotiated Basic package price is $2.25 per student (with a $400 minimum). Two other packages - Plus and Enhanced - with additional features are also available at special pricing.
Schools currently using SchoolReach will be able to access the new pricing as they renew their contracts.
SchoolReach is one of the leading providers of parent notification systems in South Dakota.
For more information, contact Bill O'Dea, SchoolReach, at (605) 892-5330 or bodea@schoolreach.com.
Grants available for out-of-school programs
Applications for this year's 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants are now being accepted. The grant targets after-school and other programs that take place outside of regular school time. The deadline to apply is Feb. 19.
Grant recipients may be schools, but community organizations and other nonprofits are eligible to receive funding as well. In order to be considered for a grant, the children in the program's service area must attend schools where 40 percent or more students are eligible for free and reduced lunches.
Grants range from $50,000 to $150,000 per year for each of five years. Authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the grant's specific purposes are to:
1) Provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including tutorial services, to help students (particularly students in high-poverty areas) meet state and local performance standards in core academic subjects such as reading and math;
2) Offer students a broad array of additional services, programs and activities such as youth development activities; drug and violence prevention programs; counseling programs; art, music and recreation programs; technology education programs and character education programs, designed to reinforce and complement participating students' regular academic programs;
3) Offer literacy and related educational development opportunities to the families of students served by community learning centers.
To access an application, go to http://doe.sd.gov/oess/21cent/appprocess.asp
For more information, contact Sue Burgard, Department of Education, at (605) 773-5238 or sue.burgard@state.sd.us.
School Height and Weight Report issued
The Department of Health's 2008-09 School Height and Weight Report was issued November 2009.
Among the report's findings:
. Of the 40,000+ students (ages 5-19) in the study, a total of 33.6 percent were considered "overweight" or "obese" in 2008-09.
. There was a slight increase in the "overweight" category from 16.8 percent in 2007-08 to 17 percent in 2008-09.
. There was a slight increase in the "obese" category from 16.3 percent in 2007-08 to 16.6 percent in 2008-09.
To view the entire report, visit the Department of Health's Web site at http://doh.sd.gov/SchoolWeight/default.aspx. Click on the 2008-09 Report or Summary.
Upcoming Events
- Dakota STEP Pretest Workshops slated for February
- Workshop to address civic education
- Training for early childhood: Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling
- Math, science, English teachers: Get paid for summer learning
Dakota STEP Pretest Workshops slated for February
The 2010 Dakota STEP Pretest Workshops will be held at locations statewide the week of Feb. 1. The half-day sessions cover the basics of administering the annual assessment required under No Child Left Behind.
Dates and locations of the workshops are as follows:
Monday, Feb. 1 - Ramkota, Rapid City
Tuesday, Feb. 2 - Chamber of Commerce meeting
room, Pierre
Wednesday, Feb. 3 - Ramkota, Aberdeen
Thursday and Friday, Feb. 4-5 - Ramada, Sioux Falls
All workshops are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 1:30 p.m. Registration starts at 8 a.m.
To register for a Dakota STEP Workshop, go to the escWorks Web site at http://www.escweb.net/sd_esa/default.aspx. Remember, you must register for an account before you can sign up for the workshop.
Workshop to address civic education
If government and politics is "your thing," you won't want to miss the 2010 Civic Education Workshop. The profession development opportunity will take place Feb. 21-23 at the Ramada in Aberdeen.
This workshop is divided into four sessions:
. We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
. Representative Democracy in America
- Engaging Students in Responsible Citizenship
. Engaging Students in Local and State Issues
- South Dakota Project Citizen
. Legislative Education for Greater Inquiry & Study:
Elementary Students as "Little Leaders" to High
School Students as "Active Citizens"
The workshop is sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, The Chiesman Center for Democracy and the South Dakota Humanities Council. These sponsors will cover mileage, hotel room and meals. The first 15 teachers to sign up for the workshop also will receive $150 for stipend/substitute pay.
Participants are eligible for graduate credit through the University of Sioux Falls as well as continuing education credits. The workshop is limited to 25 teachers; veterans of the programs are welcome to apply.
For more information or to register, contact:
DeVee Dietz, Chiesman Center for Democracy, ddietz@chiesman.org
Stephanie Horsley, South Dakota Humanities Council, Stephanie.Horsley@sdstate.edu
Training for early childhood:
Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling
The department's Special Education Programs will host two separate Early Childhood Literacy LETRS training. The free training will be led by Lucy Hart Paulson, a speech-language pathologist with a research focus on early literacy.
Early Childhood LETRS is appropriate for early childhood educators working with preschool and kindergarten children as well as early elementary children experiencing difficulty with the literacy process. It is also appropriate for early care and education providers who are interested in enhancing their own interactions with the children in their care.
The program provides descriptions of the development of language and literacy in ways that create a deeper understanding of these important processes, while offering practical strategies for building these skills in young children.
Dates and locations are as follows:
April 29-30 - Ramada Inn & Suites, 1300 W. Russell St., Sioux Falls (Session ID: 42359)
Sept. 30-Oct. 1 - Ramkota, 2111 N. LaCrosse, Rapid City (Session ID: 42363)
Space is limited. To register, visit the escWorks Web site at http://www.escweb.net/SD_ESA/default.aspx
Questions? Contact Elizabeth.Jehangiri@state.sd.us or call (605) 295-2949.
Math, science, English teachers:
Get paid for summer learning
Learning Power Summer Institutes for math, science and English teachers will be offered twice this summer at Black Hills State University: July 19-22 and 26-29.
Participants will discover strategies to enhance their instructional practice. They also will receive a $400 stipend and earn one graduate credit. On-campus lodging and meals are provided as well.
The four-day institute immerses secondary (grades 6-12) math, science and English teachers into rich, hands-on curriculum strategies for impacting student learning. Participants receive teacher guides packed with lessons and strategies to enhance classroom instruction. Produced by Laying the Foundation, the materials are designed to strengthen instruction for all levels of secondary learners.
South Dakota's Learning Power program is funded by a grant from the National Math and Science Initiative. The aim of this professional development activity is to raise the bar for instruction and learning, so more students are prepared for higher-level learning and Advanced Placement courses. The summer institute focuses on pre-AP and enhancing the capacity of teachers to provide a challenging curriculum for all students.
An application form is available at www.learningpower.tie.net. Applications are due April 30. Applicants will receive e-mail notification of acceptance by May 7.
Slots for the summer institute are limited. Preference will be given to early applicants and to applications reflecting team involvement.
For more information, contact MaryLou McGirr, project coordinator, at (605) 394-1876 or mmcgirr@tie.net.
