As part of DOE's recently announced statewide literacy initiative, South Dakota educators have access to free professional development around literacy instruction. DOE has partnered with the AIM Institute to provide teachers with training to effectively teach reading based on the Science of Reading.

There are pathways, or options, for everyone in the school setting from paraprofessionals and non-core teachers to teachers of core subjects and administrators.

Five different courses are offered: Pathways to Proficient Reading, Pathways to Proficient Writing, Pathways to Literacy Leadership, Early Childhood Bundle, and Steps to Literacy II bundle. Continuing education contact hours and/or graduate credits are available.

Learn more about how you can support literacy in your school and finding the Aim Pathway that is right for you.

The application window for CTE Collaborative Equipment Grants is now open. With the aim of supporting and modernizing career and technical education (CTE) programs across South Dakota, the grants are available for multiple school districts that collaborate to expand CTE opportunities to more students.

Data-Driven Literacy Instruction is a two-day, face-to-face training to support educators in using data to drive instruction in foundational literacy skills – specifically in phonemic awareness and phonics instruction. Join Dr. Heidi Beverine-Curry from The Reading League to learn more about how to administer the PAST assessment and use the results to develop lessons for your students.

The training will take place on two days: Sept. 14 and Oct. 19 (9 a.m. – 4 p.m. both days). Both events will be held at the Holiday Inn in Sioux Falls.

DOE's Office of Special Education invites special education and general education professionals who work with students with significant cognitive disabilities to attend Standards-Based Instruction: Core Content Connectors.

The in-person workshop will provide key information, strategies, and examples on how to utilize core content connectors to ensure high quality instruction for students who participate in alternate assessments and learn through alternate academic achievement standards. Workshop participants will leave with practical ideas to use with students the very next day.

Teachers can attend one of two workshops: one in Sioux Falls on Oct. 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CT), and the other in Rapid City on Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (MT). See workshop flyer for more details. Register online by Oct. 10. Questions? Contact Stacy Holzbauer.

• IEP Process: Growing in Knowledge and Experience: Participants will gain a basic understanding of documentation requirements in the IEP process.
• IEP Advance: Preparing for the special education eligibility determinations; are you on the correct path? The content will focus on reviewing existing data, the development of the individualized PPWN consent (evaluation plan) and tips to ensure consistency and compliance from PPWN consent to the eligibility determination meeting.
• Transition IEP Workshop: An overview will be provided of how the transition process can guide IEP development to assist the student in achieving post-secondary goals. Primary focus will be on Indicator 13 requirements, as well as other IDEA transition requirements.
• Mapping the Way Through Early Childhood Special Education: This workshop will provide an overview of the Birth-3 transition process through age 8. The training will begin with district responsibility in Birth-3 and the referral and evaluation from Birth-3 to Part B 619 (Indicator 12). The journey will lead through the early childhood IEP process, PPWN consent, evaluations, MDT, goals (Indicator 7), service time (Indicator 7), and Least Restrictive Environment (Indicator 6). Participants will be able to use scenarios to help improve their knowledge in the EC IEP process.