2012
- Secretary's Column:
A conversation about the future
- Tech Corner:
South Dakota’s Broadband Initiative continues to bring faster Internet to schools
- Hot Topics:
Reduced federal grant allocations partially restored
More information on Personal Finance Standards released
February is National Career and Technical Education Month
- Changes to school nutrition programs finalized
- Civil Rights Data Collection efforts underway
- New census estimates released, affect federal allocations
- Support network offered for new teachers
- Nominations sought for School Resource Officer of the Year
- Submission deadline nearing for grants to fund after-school programs
- Upcoming Events
- Dropout Prevention webinar
Feb. 7, Online
- Life Skills Training
Feb. 29 – March 1, Chamberlain
- Raising the Standards
March 12 - 13, Rapid City
- Early Childhood Education Conference
April 12-14, Spearfish
- 26th Annual TIE Conference
April 15-17, Sioux Falls
Secretary's Column:
By Dr. Melody Schopp
Department of Education
A conversation about the future
As you are well aware, the governor’s education proposal has stirred heated conversation across the state. No matter where you stand on the issue, I believe it’s critical that we have a serious discussion about the future of education in South Dakota. And I commend the governor for his courage and commitment to initiating this public conversation.
With the introduction of HB 1234, a door has been opened, a conversation has been started, and as an education community, we are at a significant crossroads. We can take this opportunity to work through the issues and find solutions that allow us to continue to positively impact the children and communities we serve, or we can try to shut the door.
From my perspective, there appears to be significant political will for change. There also is a willingness to listen. The governor has indicated his openness to new ideas – he has said many times that his is “a plan,” not “the plan.” And, in fact, the department and Governor’s Office have been having conversations with many of you and your lobbyists in Pierre to talk about ideas that have arisen as a result of this statewide conversation.
While this legislative conversation is the focus of much of our efforts right now, the department continues to forge ahead with implementation of the Common Core. As you recall, the governor has called for $8.4 million for training efforts related to Common Core and evaluation of teachers using the new state standards (the Danielson framework). We also are moving forward in pursuing relief from some of the tenets of No Child Left Behind with our federal flexibility waiver.
All of these pieces are coming together at one time, which makes this a very exciting and challenging time for the education field. I am confident that, as a K-12 system, we will rise to the challenges and continue to serve the young people of this state in a professional and caring manner – with an eye to the ultimate goal of preparing students who are college, career and life ready.
Tech Corner
South Dakota’s Broadband Initiative continues to bring faster Internet to schools
The state’s Broadband Initiative, led by the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications, or BIT, in partnership with the state Department of Education and 15 local telecommunications providers, continues to expand across the state. Recently, the school districts of Volga, Lake Preston, Arlington, DeSmet and Iroquois have been provided with access to faster Internet.
To date, 132 out of 152 districts have at least one Ethernet connection within the district. Nine of these districts continue to have projects in progress and 20 districts are currently on the schedule to complete the conversion to an Ethernet connection; allowing for faster and more reliable Internet access. Construction schedules, weather, cost and manpower at the provider level are all factors affecting when services will be available in a particular area. The long range plan is to make high-speed broadband services available to every school district in the state.
“In today’s world, technology is integrated into the teaching and learning process, so it is important that our teachers and students have access to quality resources. The Broadband Initiative is one critical piece of the technology puzzle for schools,” said Dr. Melody Schopp, Secretary of the Department of Education.
This improvement to the districts is funded by a $20 million federal broadband stimulus grant and matched with another $5 million from SDN Communications.
Follow the effort on Twitter @broadbandsd, or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BroadbandSD?ref=ts&v=wall . Contact BIT with questions at broadband@state.sd.us.
Hot Topics:
Reduced federal grant allocations partially restored
Districts that were notified back in October of a reduction to their school year 2011-12 ESEA Title I Part A, ESEA Title II Part A and IDEA Part B Section 611 grant allocations can expect to see some of the cut funds returned to their allocation. In late December 2011, Congress restored most of the federal education program funding that was cut in late September. The revised allocations will be posted as they become available at http://doe.sd.gov/ofm/grantallocations.asp.
More information on Personal Finance Standards released
Personal Finance Standards were adopted by the South Dakota Board of Education in July 2011. Recently, a committee completed work on a set of disaggregated standards, which gives more information about what the students should know, understand and be able to do, as well as a list of key vocabulary words.
Click here to view the disaggregated standards, and please forward these on to your personal finance teacher(s). Contact Gerald Gramm with any questions.
February is National Career and Technical Education Month
It’s Career and Technical Education Month across the country, and to help celebrate, Governor Daugaard has proclaimed Tuesday, Feb. 7, as Career and Technical Student Organization Day in South Dakota. State officers from the CTSOs will be at the Capitol in Pierre that day to meet with their local legislators and discuss the importance of their organizations.
For more ideas on how to celebrate Career and Technical Education Month in your school,
visit ACTE’s website.
Changes to school nutrition programs finalized
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture rolled out the final requirements related to changes to the school meal pattern.
The biggest change to the school meal pattern will require schools to limit portion sizes and calorie count based on age of the students being served. It also calls on schools to offer more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while cutting back on sodium and saturated fats in meals.
Along with the changes come an increase in the reimbursement rate – the first in 30 years – which is welcome news to schools. Under the new plan, schools will receive an additional six cents per meal.
Important information, including a timeline for implementation, for schools can be found on pages 62. Contact Sandra Kangas in the South Dakota Department of Education’s Child and Adult Nutrition Services office with questions.
Civil Rights Data Collection efforts underway
Recently, all superintendents should have received a letter regarding the upcoming mandatory Civil Rights Data Collection, or CRDC, from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights. The 2011-12 CRDC will collect data for the 2011-12 school year from all schools and school districts in South Dakota. This is not a new data collection; however, the last time the CRDC was conducted as a universal collection was in 2000.
The purpose of the Civil Rights Data Collection is to obtain data related to the nation's public school districts and elementary and secondary schools’ obligation to provide equal educational opportunity. To fulfill this goal, the CRDC collects a variety of information, including student enrollment and educational programs and services data that are disaggregated by race/ethnicity, sex, limited English proficiency, and disability.
The CRDC is a mandatory data collection, authorized under the statutes and regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and under the Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. § 3413).
Go to the OCR website (http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/data.html?src=rt) for access to the 2011-12 survey form with definitions and FAQ.
New census estimates released, affect federal allocations
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, or SAIPE, for income year 2010. The SAIPE includes school district level populations and poverty counts for children ages 5-17. These school district level estimates will be included in the formulas used to calculate allocations for the school year 2012-13 Title I Part A program. The school district estimates are available on the Census Bureau’s SAIPE website.
A school district can challenge the Census Bureau SAIPE estimates if it believes an estimate is incorrect. Information on the challenge procedures and an explanation on how the SAIPE counts are obtained can also be found on the Census Bureau’s SAIPE website. The challenge period for the 2010 estimates ends Feb. 27, 2012. Any challenge should be made directly to the Census Bureau, as the South Dakota Department of Education has no control over these estimates.
Support network offered for new teachers
The Teacher to Teacher Support Network, or TTSN, is an online platform intended to serve as a community of practice and provide instructional support, supplemental to local efforts, for teachers throughout the state and in particular to first-year teachers.
TTSN is accepting names of first and second year teachers for the online mentoring program until Feb. 10. Mentee teachers must be in their first or second year of teaching in a South Dakota school. The mentee teacher will be matched with an online mentor, an accomplished South Dakota teacher who has either completed a series of e-mentoring courses or are currently enrolled in the e-mentor course series. The mentee will communicate with his or her mentor on a weekly basis while focusing on the mentee’s learning goals. Upon successful completion of program requirements, each mentee teacher will receive a stipend and graduate credit.
If you have a first or second year teacher in your district interested in the program, please direct them to the Mentor Program Interest Survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VFM8XRB.
For more information, click here(LINK TO http://sdttsn.wikispaces.com/TTSN+Mentor+Partner+Program) or contact Lanette Johnston.
Nominations sought for School Resource Officer of the Year
Nominations are now being accepted for this year’s School Officer of the Year Award. The South Dakota Association of School Resource Officers, or SDASRO, is glad to support this fourth annual award.
SDASRO , which began in 2007, strives for great working relationships between school officers and school personnel. The officer picked for this award should display professionalism, dedication and commitment to their respective school or district.
The SDASRO Executive Board will make the selection from those nominated, and may call the prospective recipient’s school district and/ or employer to get supervisor appraisals. The nominees will be announced at the annual conference.
Nominations must be postmarked by March 9 in order to be considered and must include a letter of recommendation of no more than 400 words in length.
Submission deadline nearing for grants to fund after-school programs
Applications for the next round of 21st Century Community Learning Center, or 21st CCLC, grants are due later this month. The centers provide students with academic enrichment opportunities and activities designed to complement the students’ regular school instruction.
Grant award amounts range from $50,000 to $150,000 per year, and the life of the grant is five years. While funds are often awarded to schools, other organizations are also eligible to apply. The grants must specifically support programs offered outside of regular school hours.
The learning centers are intended to assist students from high-poverty and low-achieving schools in need of additional support. Funding for this grant comes from the federal government in the form of a formula grant to the states. Because it is authorized under No Child Left Behind, programming must include an academic component and content-specific enrichment activities.
Grant applications must be submitted to the South Dakota Department of Education by Feb. 24.
Find more information and application online at http://www.doe.sd.gov/oatq/21cent.asp.
Upcoming Events
- Dropout Prevention webinar
Feb. 7, Online
- Life Skills Training
Feb. 29 – March 1, Chamberlain
- Raising the Standardss
March 12 - 13, Rapid City
- Early Childhood Education Conference
April 12-14, Spearfish
- 26th Annual TIE Conference
April 15-17, Sioux Falls
Dropout Prevention webinar
Feb. 7, Online
Make plans to join the South Dakota Department of Education, Special Education Programs, for a webinar on dropout prevention with Deb Dillon, Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 10 a.m. CST. Ms. Dillon, principal of Woodrow Wilson High School and Director of Alternative Programs in Fargo Public Schools, will present on “Fargo’s Systematic Approach to Dropout Prevention.”
Deb was recently honored by the National Dropout Prevention Network with a Crystal Star Award of Excellence in Dropout Prevention at the 2011 National Dropout Prevention Network Conference. She credits the Fargo Public Schools for their exceptional support of nontraditional students and their willingness to honestly tackle the issue of dropout prevention.
To join the meeting log on to:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/stateofsd/join?id=Sped&role=attend
Meeting ID: Sped
Entry Code: (none required)
Telephone conferencing:
To connect to the audio portion of the conference, call
Toll-free: +1 (866) 410-8397, Participant code: 6057738195
If you have questions or need assistance, contact Melissa Flor.
Life Skills Training
Feb. 29 – March 1, Chamberlain
Life Skills Training is a proven, highly effective, substance abuse prevention program designed to provide students with the necessary skills to resist social pressures to smoke, drink and use drugs; to help them develop greater self-esteem, self-mastery, and self-confidence; to enable children to effectively cope with social anxiety; and to increase their knowledge of the immediate consequences of substance use.
Raising the Standards
March 12 - 13, Rapid City
Coordinated School Health will be hosting this training titled, “Raising the Standards: A Skills-Based Approach to Health Education.” The training is designed to provide teachers with specific competencies and skills to transform traditional health education lessons into engaging 21st century, skills-based lessons, and to use assessment as motivation for learning as well as assessment of learning.
Elementary, middle, and high school teachers responsible for health education in their school districts are encouraged to attend.
Early Childhood Education Conference
April 12-14, Spearfish
The theme for this year’s conference is “Planting the Seeds of Change.” There are tried and true best practices available to parents and early childhood education professionals alike, but there are always new and improved methods we may utilize to develop our future leaders.
For more information or to register go to:http://sdececonference-org.doodlekit.com/home.
26th Annual TIE Conference
April 15-17, Sioux Falls
The annual TIE Conference has gained a reputation for having the best classroom teachers, network administrators and education administrators share their strategies, methods and best practices. This year’s event will feature dozens of four-hour, in-depth workshops, nearly 100 breakout sessions, three world-class keynote speakers, an expanded exhibit hall, prizes and much more.
Watch tie.net/ for more information as the conference date approaches.
