2006 Annual Report

Progress to 2010

With the goal of providing a vision for the future of education in South Dakota, Governor Mike Rounds launched the 2010 Education Initiative. This strategic, goal-oriented plan guided the Department of Education’s work throughout the 2005-06 school year.

Launched in January 2006, the 2010 Education plan consists of six goals. These goals and accompanying action steps are designed to steer South Dakota’s public education system into the 21st century. Just six months into the plan, measurable progress is evident in several areas:

• Lobbied for mandatory kindergarten, which will become effective July 1, 2010

• Approved Early Learning Guidelines, which will set the stage for a pre-K initiative

• Launched South Dakota Counts, a $3 million initiative aimed at improving K-5 math instruction and achievement

• Developed a Senior Project model designed to add rigor to the senior year

• Created the statewide GEAR UP program aimed at improving Native American graduation rates

• Successfully lobbied to develop South Dakota’s Virtual High School, a clearinghouse of distance learning opportunities

• Initiated a laptop project that will serve 20 pilot school districts and 5,000 students

The following pages describe some of the department’s major accomplishments during 2005-06. Many of them fall under the 2010 Education Initiative.

Impacting student outcomes

When it comes to education, all efforts boil down to one thing: Are students learning? In South Dakota, the answer is “yes.” Last year’s Dakota STEP results show that 74 percent of students were proficient or advanced in math, and 82 percent in reading. The Dakota STEP measures students’ mastery of the state’s content standards. However, there is room for growth. Dakota STEP scores in math have trailed reading for several years, and achievement gaps between particular subgroups of students exist.

• To improve math instruction at the elementary level, the department launched South Dakota Counts, a statewide math initiative. The three-year, $3 million program provides intensive training in math content and pedagogy for elementary teachers. The training is designed to help teachers understand how students learn math, and therefore, make them better teachers.

• Reading First, a program that has proven effective in addressing the achievement gap, finished its second year. Fifteen schools, many with high Native American populations, participated. Data from participating schools shows that the percentage of kindergarten students considered at low risk for reading failure went from 44 percent in 2004 to 90 percent in 2006. At the same time, kindergarten students considered at high risk for reading failure went from 16 percent to 1 percent.

• To assist teachers in gauging their students’ mastery of the state’s content standards, the Department of Education is developing optional benchmark exams. When completed, these assessments will be available Kindergarten through 12th grade in math, science and language arts. Teachers will access test items, or entire tests, online. They can use the results to make necessary adjustments in their instruction.

Taking aim at teacher retention

Reviewing state aid formula

A task force, led by the Department of Education, spent the past year examining the current state aid funding formula. The group is tackling issues such as sparsity, small school factor and declining/increasing enrollment. An interim report included two recommendations: repeal the 150 percent of assessed value statute (SDCL 10-6-74) and eliminate the current fund balance statute (SDCL 13-13-73.2). The task force will issue a final report by Dec. 1, 2006. This report will serve as a resource for the governor and legislators as they debate the future of education funding in South Dakota.

Supporting Native American students

Native American students make up nearly 10 percent of the student population in South Dakota’s public schools. Currently, only 66 percent of these students graduate from high school. Furthermore, only 2 percent of students enrolled in the state’s public universities are Native American. Recognizing the unique challenges these students face, the Department of Education is working to find ways to support Native American students in their quest for education.

• A Director of Indian Education was hired to lead the department’s efforts in addressing issues related to Native American education. This position acts as a liaison between the department and South Dakota’s Native American community and schools; advocates for cultural awareness in our school systems; and seeks to impact student outcomes.

• As part of the 2010 Education Initiative, the department and its partner, the Oceti Sakowin Educational Consortium, secured a $6.9 million grant to launch GEAR UP statewide. GEAR UP is a program designed to assist Native American students in making a successful transition from high school to higher education. The program provides intensive academic and social support to students and their families, to ensure that students are properly prepared to enter college. It targets Native American youth in grades 7-12.

Addressing school funding

Improving services to educators

The Department of Education takes seriously its mission to provide “learning, leadership and service” to South Dakota’s education community. In an effort to better serve educators, the department made two major requirements – the Consolidated Application and teacher certification and renewal – available online during 2005-06. This new availability offers educators a convenient and time-saving option. Teachers now can apply or reapply for a certificate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. School administrators will find the online Consolidation Application a more streamlined, efficient process.

Shining the spotlight on young learners

The research is clear. Youngsters who participate in quality preschool programs reap the benefits later in life. They tend to have better test scores, better graduation rates and increased earnings as adults. Currently, South Dakota is one of 12 states that do not offer state-supported preschool. The 2010 Education Initiative calls for establishing accreditation and certification standards for South Dakota’s preschools. It also calls for expanding access to quality preschool for 4-yearolds across the state.

Early in 2006, a Kids Cabinet was established. This group, representing state government agencies that serve children, will coordinate state-level services for youth, serve as a springboard to launch new initiatives, and provide a safety net for all South Dakota children.

During the 2006 Legislature, the Department of Education lobbied for mandatory kindergarten. Making kindergarten a requirement to enter 1st grade is a logical, and necessary, step for properly preparing students for formal schooling. Under the new law, parents will have the option of choosing when to enroll their child (age 5 or 6) or to home school. School districts have flexibility in determining the length of a school day. This requirement will take effect July 1, 2010.

Early Learning Guidelines, covering children ages 3 to 5, were introduced. A team of professionals and parents from the early childhood community developed the framework. The guidelines provide a list of skills and understandings that children should develop, in order for them to start kindergarten ready to succeed. The department also assembled a work group to develop accreditation and certification standards for preschools in South Dakota.

Preparing students for the world

Across the nation, high school reform has taken center stage, where people such as Bill Gates are advocating for change. The 2010 Education Initiative includes a comprehensive plan for making high school more rigorous and relevant for South Dakota students. Utilizing innovative options such as personal learning plans, senior projects, one-to-one laptops and virtual learning, South Dakota will give its students the best preparation for higher education and the work force.

• South Dakota’s Classroom Connections was introduced during the 2005-06 school year. The project is aimed at increasing students’ 21st century skills – skills that are a necessity in today’s competitive work force. Through this project, the state reimburses school districts $1 for every $2 spent to purchase laptop computers for their high school students. Twenty school districts were selected as pilot sites. Teachers received their laptops and intensive training summer 2006.

• In an effort to strengthen the senior year, the department created a Senior Project Framework. Senior projects require students to demonstrate their four years of learning. The process helps to give meaning to the senior year. The Senior Project Framework offers a step-by-step guide to implementing senior projects. More than 70 schools have gone through training to learn about this effective strategy.

• During the 2006 legislative session, the department successfully advocated for creation of a statewide virtual high school. Distance learning can be an attractive option. It may provide an alternative for students who need credit recovery, students who don’t flourish in a traditional environment, or students who want to take a particular course that’s not offered at their school. The department is working with an advisory council to develop policies that will result in consistent, high-quality virtual coursework aligned with the state’s content standards.

Creating a healthy future

Increasing rates of obesity among American youth pose a serious threat to the nation’s future health and productivity. According to the Department of Health’s 2004-05 School Height and Weight Report, 33 percent of the state’s school children are overweight or at risk for being overweight. Programs offered through Child and Adult Nutrition Services and Coordinated School Health, housed within the Department of Education, seek to promote healthy lifestyle choices by students.

• Working with a team of experts, the department developed a Model Wellness Policy. School districts can use this resource as a guide to creating local policies that address nutrition and physical activity. Federal law requires all agencies that participate in the National School Lunch Program to have a wellness policy in place by the 2006-07 school year. South Dakota’s Model Wellness Policy provides districts with a launch pad to develop their own unique programs.

• South Dakota’s new graduation requirements include one-half credit of health or physical education. A working group, led by the department, spent much of 2005-06 developing content standards for this new requirement.

• More than 200 schools participated in South Dakota Schools Walk. The program is designed to fight childhood obesity by motivating youngsters to increase the level of physical activity in their daily routine. Students earned prizes for the number of miles walked. Schools Walk is an initiative of the Coordinated School Health Program, within the South Dakota Departments of Education and Health.

School Year 2004-05 At Risk For Overweight and Overweight Body Mass Index for Age

Forging a new path for the State Library