PD targets literacy instruction based on Science of Reading
In fall 2023, the Department of Education (DOE) launched a literacy campaign called “Moving Literacy Forward,” an effort to improve literacy outcomes for students, and to build better readers across the state. The effort aims to ensure that K-12 teachers have the tools to teach literacy in accordance with research-proven techniques, collectively known as the Science of Reading.
The Science of Reading incorporates phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Educators who are trained on this approach to literacy education develop strong readers in the classroom.
“The main focus of the effort is on ensuring that teachers are able to get the training they need to implement Science of Reading practices in the classroom,” said Secretary of Education Joe Graves. “These literacy efforts are grounded in long-term planning with an eye towards long-term results. We have made a strong start, with well over 1,000 South Dakota educators taking part in the training we have provided thus far.”
The upcoming professional development opportunities offered by the department are free to South Dakota teachers and administrators; those who complete the courses are eligible to receive continuing education contact hours (CECHs) or graduate credits.
Option 1: Online courses
In 2023, the department began offering a professional development tool called AIM Pathways. This in-depth, online course provides five different pathways to train educators in the best practices of instruction depending upon the role the educator plays in the school.
Erica Bottolfson, a Title I teacher at Vermillion Elementary School, took the Early Childhood Bundle AIM Pathways course in the 2023-24 school year. She found the course to be valuable in that it helped her to understand how the brain works when a child learns to read, and she has since incorporated the strategies she learned into her reading intervention groups. “I have found that the programs that focus on the Science of Reading and provide explicit and systematic lessons are the most effective,” Bottolfson said. “Several [of my] students that have not had success in the past are beginning to read for the first time, which is always exciting!”
The AIM Pathways courses are fully online and can be completed over the course of a year. Registration for three courses, Pathways to Proficient Reading, Pathways to Proficient Writing, and Pathways to Literacy Leadership, opened earlier this month. For more information on these courses, and to sign up, visit AIM Pathways Training for South Dakota.
Option 2: In-person workshops
Educators who prefer in-person training can take advantage of Foundational Reading Courses during the summer of 2025. Teachers who take these courses will have opportunities to study best practices for teaching reading and writing. The courses also offer strategies for explicit instruction and teaching students with reading challenges. Four workshops, ranging from two days to five days, will take place in Sioux Falls, Madison, Chamberlain, Brookings, and Spearfish. Teachers who successfully complete the training will be able to receive CECHs or graduate credits. For course details, dates, and locations, visit the Summer 2025 Foundational Reading Courses page.
Option 3: Literacy conference
New in 2025 is a literacy conference, called Elevate. Educate. Empower. Moving Literacy Forward Across South Dakota. This two-day event, to be held June 2-3, 2025, will feature keynote speeches and breakout sessions designed to address literacy instruction from all angles. Topics of discussion will include the Science of Reading, tiered instruction and interventions, English language learner literacy strategies, writing instruction for lower and upper grades, birth to 3 literacy, and many more.
“This conference is designed for all educators in South Dakota for whom literacy is instrumental to the success of their students,” said Patti Lager, an English language arts specialist with the DOE. “We hope to see teachers, librarians, paraprofessionals, reading coaches, and administrators come together to discuss and share the best practices grounded in the Science of Reading, which will help to move literacy forward. The conference will be a great way for educators to connect with each other and learn new strategies designed for student success in reading and writing.”
To learn more about the conference, and to register, visit Elevate. Educate. Empower.