Teach SD, Sept. 27, 2023

Sept. 27, 2023

Screen shot of a sdhistory.sd.gov. Link.

South Dakota History Hub launched

A new website offers teachers free resources connected to social studies standards.

Content Standards under Review

The South Dakota Science Standards and the CTE Government & Public Administration Standards are now under review. Both sets of standards were developed with input from South Dakota educators. They will go through a series of four public hearings hosted by the Board of Education Standards -- with the first hearing to be held at the board’s Oct. 20 meeting in Aberdeen. Review the proposed standards and submit public comment via DOE's website.

Three South Dakota Schools designated Blue Ribbon Schools by U.S. DOE

Bridgewater-Emery Elementary, Fred Assam Elementary, and Castlewood High School earn this prestigious distinction.

Educators wanted for state assessment virtual item review

Educators at South Dakota public schools are invited to apply to participate in virtual item review for the South Dakota state assessments in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. Chosen educators will complete a virtual, synchronous review of pre-field test items for ELA/Literacy or Math considering content, fairness, and accessibility criteria. Item quality criteria will be provided to item reviewers at the beginning of the meetings.

ELA item review will take place Nov. 15-17, noon-6 p.m. CT; Math will take place Nov. 13-17, noon-6 p.m. CT. If interested, please apply by Oct. 6. Questions? Email the Assessment Team.

Child standing in garden holding box of freshly picked veggies.

South Dakota Crunch Off kicks off!

The annual event celebrates locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Work-Based Learning in middle of triangle. Around triangle are the words: Explore, Engage, Experience.

Website supports connecting students to industry

Career Ready SD features resources for educators, students, and industry to create high-quality work-based learning experiences.

Celebrate National Archives Month!

Archives Month is celebrated nationally every year in October to highlight the importance of historical documents and records. In South Dakota, it’s a way to celebrate important places and documents that tell the history of our state.

To help South Dakotans learn more about state history and the State Archives, consider marking Archives Month with your class by participating in Adventures with Flat Doane. From the South Dakota State Historical Society:

South Dakota’s first historian, Doane Robinson, was accidentally flattened during some enthusiastic collections processing. Now that he’s free, we’re sending Doane to meet our wonderful friends. Flat Doane can be downloaded and printed from the State Archives website. Snap a photo with Doane at your favorite historical site, archives, museum, library, or post office and share it on social media with the hashtag #FlatDoane. You can also email your pics to statearchives@state.sd.us. We’ll be tracking and sharing Doane’s adventures through October!

2024 Teacher of the Year to be named Thursday, Sept. 28

The 2024 South Dakota Teacher of the Year will be announced on Thursday, Sept. 28, in Mitchell. The winner will participate alongside other state teachers of the year in various professional learning opportunities throughout next year. Meet the candidates for 2024 South Dakota Teacher of the Year. To learn more about the program, visit the DOE’s Teacher of the Year program webpage.

Survey for teachers and school librarians

A survey about the South Dakota State Library’s database subscription, Swank K-12 Video Streaming, will be available Oct. 2-13 for teachers and school librarians to complete. Educators can attend a live virtual demo of the Swank K-12 Video Streaming database on Oct. 18 at 4:30 p.m. CT.

This section highlights upcoming professional development opportunities offered by the Department of Education. For a full list of trainings, visit DOE's new professional development platform at https://sded.sd.gov.

Book study: “Teaching Behavior -
Managing Classrooms Through Effective Instruction”
Oct. 6-Nov. 10, Virtual

Dr. Terrance M. Scott is an expert in behavior and special education. In this book, Scott ties methods of instruction to behavior outcomes in the classroom. The book offers practical tools for managing all types of students and classrooms.

Teaching Behavior – Managing Classrooms Through Effective Instruction will help readers find tools to address behavior challenges in the classroom. Ultimately, participants will be able to use what they learn in the book to help students find academic success.

This book study is hosted by DOE’s Office of Student Wellness and Supports. To participate, please register by Oct. 1. Registration is open now, and limited to 50 people. The book study will run Oct. 6- Nov. 10. Register at sded.sd.gov. Those who complete the course can earn one graduate credit from the University of Sioux Falls, or 15 continuing education contact hours.

Check & Connect Training
Oct. 3-4
Sioux Falls and Rapid City

Check & Connect is an evidence-based intervention being made available to South Dakota schools at no cost. The program has long proven successful at keeping kids on track toward graduation.

A Check & Connect mentor works directly with students to help them gain skills in persistence and problem-solving.

Two training sessions for mentors are scheduled for early October. Participants will learn about the Check & Connect program, the population of students they will be mentoring, how to best meet students’ needs, and more. Follow the links below to register for an event.

This opportunity is funded with federal dollars available to the South Dakota Department of Education through the American Rescue Plan. Please contact Rebecca Cain at DOE with any questions.

Conducting a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and using that data to write a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
Oct. 26-27: Sioux Falls
Nov. 2-3: Rapid City

A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a process used to collect information about a problem behavior, and then determine why the behavior is happening. Once an FBA has been completed, it is used to write a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP), which outlines the interventions that will be used to reinforce desired behaviors and reduce or replace challenging behaviors.

The Department of Education (DOE) is conducting training in Sioux Falls and Rapid City on FBAs and BIPs. The training will help participants identify when an FBA-BIP is necessary, understand how to use FBA data to determine the reason problem behavior is occurring, and learn the critical components of function-based BIPs.

To register for this FREE training, click on the links below:

Registration is open now. Upon completion, participants will receive 12 continuing education contact hours. Contact Rebecca Cain at DOE for more information.

2023 Indian Education Summit
Nov. 16-17, Huron

The annual Indian Education Summit will be held Nov. 16-17 in Huron, with Youth Day to be held Nov. 18. Mark your calendars now. A schedule and speaker announcements will be forthcoming. Visit the Indian Education Summit website now and check back often.