Teacher Education Programs

Application for Program Approval
Approved SD Programs

The Teacher Education Program assures that K-12 educators are well prepared and qualified to serve South Dakota schools. Rules adopted by the South Dakota Board of Education establish standards that educators must meet to be recommended for certification; the rules also provide the standards for postsecondary institutions' teacher preparation programs.

Any institution seeking to recommend candidates for certification must have its programs approved by the State Board of Education. The Department of Education reviews the courses and experiences an institution requires candidates to complete and recommends approval to the state board on a seven-year cycle. In addition, the institutions must also be accredited by a regional accrediting agency or by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).



Unit Review

Unit and Program Review Booklet
A unit review looks at the education program’s commitment to overall preparation of teacher candidates. This could include the unit’s teacher education program admission, mission, conceptual framework, assessment system, and field experience policies and procedures.

Institutions that seek NCATE accreditation have a review team selected by NCATE’s Board of Examiners, in addition to a State Board of Examiners team selected jointly by the institution and the Department of Education. At an onsite visit, the NCATE Board of Examiners uses NCATE and State standards to review the teacher education unit with the assistance of the State Board of Examiners.

Non-NCATE institutions are visited by a State Board of Examiners team only and are reviewed according solely to South Dakota Administrative Rule.

Members of the State team may include:
- practitioners and administrators from elementary and secondary schools,
- faculty from higher education and appropriate Department of Education representatives,
- observers from the South Dakota Education Association, Associated School Boards of South Dakota, School Administrators of South Dakota, the South Dakota Board of Education and the South Dakota Board of Regents.


Team members must validate the accuracy of the institutional self-study by examining documents and conducting interviews. This validation process helps determine if each standard is Met or Not Met.



Program Review

The institution’s teacher preparation programs are reviewed prior to the onsite visit by a team of trained program reviewers. The reviewers may include:

- practitioners and administrators from elementary and secondary schools; and,
- faculty from higher education and appropriate Department of Education representatives

Although the program reviewers do not join the Board of Examiners team at the onsite visit, the reviewers may request the members of the State Board of Examiners team investigate any outstanding concerns that the reviewer may have noted from their initial program review.

Program Review Templates
7-12 Agriculture K-12 Art (NAEA)
K-12 Art (NASAD) Birth-Preschool
Early Child 7-12 Business
7-12 Marketing 7-12 Career and Technical
K-12 Curriculum Director 7-12 Drama/Theater
SPED K-8 Elementary
SPED Blended 7-12 Family/ Consumer Sciences
K-12 World Language K-12 Health
K-12 PE K-12 South Dakota Indian Studies
7-12 Industrial Technology 7-12 English/Language Arts
7-12 Mass Comm/Journalism 7-12 Speech/Debate
7-12 Math Com Math/Science
K-12 Music Education PK-12, PK-8, or 7-12 Principals
K-12 Reading Specialists PK-12 School Library Media
School Psychologists Counselor
7-12 Science Education 7-12 Social Studies Education
PK-12 Career Superintendents K-12 Computer Science


Teacher Education Programs
 Augustana College
 Dr. Sheryl Feinstein, Education Department Chair, 605-274-5211
 Julie Simko, Certification Official, 605-274-5486
 Black Hills State University
  Dr. Patricia Simpson, Dean, 605-642-6551
 Micheline Nelson, Certification Official, 605-642-6077
 April Meeker, Records Official, 605-642-6567
 Dakota State University
 Dr. Gale Wiedow, Interim Dean, 605-256-5177
 Crystal Pauli, Certification Official, 605-256-7331
 Sandy Anderson, Registrar, 605-256-5144
 Dakota Wesleyan University
 Dr. Mark Halling, Education Department Chair, 605-995-2199
  Michelle Hellman , Certification Official, 605-995-2127
  Karen Knoell, Records Official, 605-995-2647
 Mount Marty College
 Dr. Susan Kalsow, Dean, 605-668-1506
 Northern State University
 Dr. Constance Geier, Dean, School of Education, 605-626-2415
 Cherie Sauer, Certification Official, 605-626-7768
 Presentation College
 Stephanie Hansen, Education Department Chair, 605-229-8389
 Oglala Lakota College
 Tom Raymond, Education Department Chair/ Certification Officer, 605-455-6014
 Cindy Iron Cloud, Registrar's Office, 605-455-6032
 Sinte Gleska University
 Cheryl Medearis, Education Department Chair, 605-856-8117
 Jack Herman, Records Official, 605-856-8100 Ext. 8476
 Sisseton Wahpeton College
 Whitney Renville, Education Programs Coordinator, 605-856-3966, ext: 1122
 South Dakota State University
 Dr. Jill Thorngren, Dean, College of Education, 605-688-6181
 Teresa Telkamp, Certification Official, 605-688-5039
 University of Sioux Falls
Julie McAreavey, Education Department Chair, 605-331-6644
Registrar, 605-331-6732
 University of South Dakota
Dr. Hee-sook-Choi, Dean, 605-677-5437
Donna Tucker, Certification Official, 605-677-5611


Contact

For any questions contact Steve Fiechtner at 605-773-4774. Click here for the Administrative Rules.