2012
- Secretary's Column:
Recognizing South Dakota’s outstanding teachers
- Local Teacher Reward Plan Advisory Council meets
- State Report Card available online
- New federal regulations address boilers and generators
- School library data ready to compare and contrast
- State’s ACT scores steady, still above national average
- Upcoming Events
- IEP Workshops
Aug. 28 – Nov. 29, Various locations statewide
- School Climate Work Group meeting
Sept. 11, Sioux Falls
- Teacher Evaluation Work Group meeting
Sept. 20, Pierre
- 9th Annual Indian Education Summit
Sept. 23-25, Chamberlain
- 13th Annual Systems Change Conference
Oct. 10-12, Chamberlain
- 5th Annual Parent Conference
Oct. 27, Rapid City
Secretary's Column:
By Dr. Melody Schopp
Department of Education
Recognizing South Dakota’s outstanding teachers
District-level Teachers of the Year from across South Dakota will be honored at a banquet hosted by the Department of Education during the annual Systems Change Conference, Oct. 10-12, in Chamberlain.
The department will cover conference registration, lodging and meals during the conference for your district’s 2011-12 Teacher of the Year. The banquet will be held the evening of Oct. 11.
This is a great opportunity to recognize and reward your district-level Teacher of the Year for always going the extra mile, and it is a great opportunity for your teachers to network with other outstanding professionals from around the state and to bring what they have learned back to your district.
Superintendents, I would encourage you to provide us with the name of your 2011-12 district-level Teacher of the Year by Sept. 15, so we can invite him or her to the annual banquet.
Thank you for all that you and your teachers do for South Dakota students, and have a great school year!
Local Teacher Reward Plan Advisory Council meets
The Local Teacher Reward Plan Advisory Council spent much of its day-long August meeting discussing incentive pay plans for teachers that have been used by other states.
Dr. Tim Mitchell, superintendent of the Rapid City Area Schools, gave a presentation on the ProComp Plan, which has been used in the Denver School District for the past nine years.
The ProComp Plan has four components: Knowledge and Skills, Professional Evaluation, Student Growth, and Market Incentives.
“I don’t think it’s perfect but it’s an example of what one school district has done,” Mitchell said. “It’s been neat to see the evolution of it over nine years.”
It started out as a four-year Pay for Performance pilot project in 16 Denver schools from 1999-2003. It measured teacher objective setting and student growth. The pilot found that teachers who set the highest objectives had students with the highest growth.
Today, it’s a bargained agreement between the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and Denver Public Schools. A task force with representation from both groups was formed to make sure the ProComp Plan is doing what it set out to accomplish. Interest from the private sector has helped it expand.
“It was designed to link teacher compensation more directly with the mission and goals of both groups,” Mitchell said. “The teachers were on board. I think that’s key. The teachers have to be on board from the beginning in order to be successful.”
The plan followed national trends by incorporating professional learning, rewarding increases in student achievement, and basing its plan on additional criteria, including a group evaluation component, additional responsibilities taken on by teachers, and a high needs component.
The Local Teacher Reward Plan Advisory Council was tasked with formulating a model plan and is one step closer to completion. The Local Teacher Reward Plan Advisory Council will have its next meeting in October, and members hope to have work wrapped up by December.
USDA resource helps schools, parents transition to new meal pattern
The 2012-13 school year marks the beginning of school meal changes under the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act. Changes will be phased in, beginning this year, with full implementation by 2022. However, most of the changes will occur by 2014-15. Among other things, schools must now offer fruit daily at lunchtime, and this year half of all grain-based foods served must be whole grain-rich. (http://www.doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2012/Feb/documents/USDAchang.pdf)
With any new federal regulations, comes the need for support and resources on how to implement changes. In response, the United States Department of Agriculture has come out with the “The School Day Just Got Healthier Toolkit.”
This collection of resources is separated by audience. School administrators, school staff, parents, and students all play unique roles within the changes to the school food environment. The toolkit is separated to help direct individuals to the most relevant and valuable tools and resources created for their specific role.
The toolkit includes many different tools including brochures, fact sheets, FAQs, fliers, school lessons, templates and much more. The ultimate goal of the USDA’s “The School Day just got Healthier” is to help prepare everyone for the changes to school meals this school year.
State Report Card available online
The 2012 Report Card, which details student progress on South Dakota’s state assessment, was made available online last month.
There was a slight uptick in reading and math scores on the state assessment, delivered last spring, with 75.5 percent of students scoring either proficient or advanced in reading. That was up about one-tenth of a percentage point from last year. The percent of students scoring proficient or advanced in math went from 76.5 percent a year ago to 76.7 percent this year.
The Dakota STEP and Dakota STEP-A were administered to about 62,000 students in grades 3-8 and 11 in the spring of 2012. The Dakota STEP-A is an alternate version of the assessment for students who have a significant cognitive disability.
The 2012 Report Card, including district- and school-level results, is available on the Department of Education’s web site at doe.sd.gov . Follow the “Report Card” link under “Quick Links” on the left-hand side of the page.
New federal regulations address boilers and generators
The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized new federal standards for generators and boilers. The federal standard for generators applies to both new and existing generators. The federal standard for boilers applies to both new and existing boilers that use coal, diesel or biomass as a fuel source. The requirements for the generators and boilers vary on the size, age and its use.
If your school currently has a generator or a coal, diesel, or biomass fired boiler or is considering purchasing a new system, please contact the South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources so staff can assist you in complying with these federal regulations. Additionally, you may also need to submit an application for an air quality permit to operate the generator or boiler.
To determine if these federal standards apply, please fill out and submit the appropriate forms on the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources website: http://denr.sd.gov/des/aq/airpermits.aspx
To review the federal standards, go to EPA’s webpage. For generators, the webpage is: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/rice/ricepg.html
For boilers, the webpage is: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/boiler/boilerpg.html
If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Brakke, Engineer I, at (605) 773-3151.
School library data ready to compare and contrast
The State Library now has your 2011-12 school library statistics available for access and comparisons. Bibliostat’s Connect, http://connect.informata.com, is an online tool that gives you easy access to comparative statistics and facts about school libraries in South Dakota.
With Connect, school administrators can quickly and easily identify peer school libraries and then compare your library to others on any of hundreds of measures. You will need the unique login and password assigned to your school district for the annual School Library Survey on Collect. Once into the database, select “South Dakota Schools,” and proceed. All data from the previous two school years in addition to 2011-12 is included.
Can’t remember your login or password? Contact the State Library at (800) 423-6665, or either of the school library coordinators: Joan Upell at (605) 295-3152 or Mary G. Johnson at (605) 295-3173.
State’s ACT scores steady, still above national average
South Dakota’s average composite ACT score remains unchanged from last year at 21.8, where it has been for the past three years. The national average was also unchanged from a year ago, sitting at 21.1 as it has been for four of the past five years.
The test is commonly used by postsecondary institutions as a benchmark for college entrance and readiness. In South Dakota, 81 percent of graduating seniors took the ACT, which is high for states that don’t require ACT testing for graduation.
Upcoming Events
- IEP Workshops
Aug. 28 – Nov. 29, Various locations statewide
- School Climate Work Group meeting
Sept. 11, Sioux Falls
- Teacher Evaluation Work Group meeting
Sept. 20, Pierre
- 9th Annual Indian Education Summit
Sept. 23-25, Chamberlain
- 13th Annual Systems Change Conference
Oct. 10-12, Chamberlain
- 5th Annual Parent Conference
Oct. 27, Rapid City
IEP Workshops
Aug. 28 – Nov. 29, Various locations statewide
The IEP workshop will take you through all the essentials needed to provide students with a program that results in educational benefit. Workshops run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in their respective time zones and six contact hours will be offered. Presenters will cover all areas of special education, from referral to placement to IEP development. This interactive workshop will help you analyze data and write appropriate IEPs for students with varying disabilities. Registration is limited to 50 participants at each site. For registration and a complete list of dates and locations, go to; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDRVcTFFNVVfcktJc284REhaTzlfaXc6MA
School Climate Work Group meeting
Sept. 11, Sioux Falls
The School Climate Workgroup will be meeting Tuesday, Sept. 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CT) at the Hilton Garden Inn, Sioux Falls. Stakeholders from throughout South Dakota will meet to discuss and plan activities regarding conditions for learning (school climate) in public schools throughout the State.
Stakeholders will receive information regarding accountability indicators; learn and receive background information from other states regarding school climate, bullying and student health; discuss and develop a Statewide students, parents, teachers and administrators survey to get their perspective on the issues; and discuss strategies for “Conditions for Learning” professional development.
Teacher Evaluation Work Group meeting
Sept. 20, Pierre
This will be the third meeting of the Teacher Evaluation Work Group, appointed as part of House Bill 1234. The group's purpose is to provide input in developing the four-tier rating system and evaluation instrument used by districts for teacher evaluation.
9th Annual Indian Education Summit
Sept. 23-25, Chamberlain
This year’s Indian Education Summit will be held at the Cedar Shore Resort, located right on the Missouri River near Chamberlain and Oacoma. This event is quickly becoming a staple to bring partners from across South Dakota together to learn and to share ideas and insights to address the educational needs of American Indian students. Many sessions will be geared for K-12; many others will emphasize preschool and higher education strands. Go to indianeducation.sd.gov/summit.aspx for more information.
13th Annual Systems Change Conference
Oct. 10-12, Chamberlain
This year’s Systems Change Conference will be held at the Cedar Shore Resort, located on the Missouri River near Chamberlain and Oacoma. Long regarded as one of the region’s premier professional development events for educators, this event also features the announcement of the South Dakota Teacher of the Year, during a special recognition banquet. Graduate credit and DOE contact hours are available. For more information, or to register, watch www.systemschange.midwestmaple.org.
5th Annual Parent Conference
Oct. 27, Rapid City
This year’s Learning Starts at Home Conference for Parents will take place in Rapid City. The conference is free to attend, but preregistration is requested. Co-sponsored by the South Dakota Department of Education and the Parent Information Resource Network, the event provides parents and educators with resources to help reach their children and foster student learning.
