Office of Curriculum, Technology, & Assessment

Preface

In this era of education reform, health education standards are critical to the healthy development of children and adolescents. South Dakota Health Education Standards improve student learning by providing a foundation for curriculum development, instruction and assessment of student performance.

The South Dakota Health Education Content Standards were modeled after the National Health Education Standards written in 1995. The National Health Education Standards were developed by the Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards including the Association for the Advancement of Health Education, the American School Health Association, the American Public Health Association and the American Cancer Society.

The original SD Health Education Standards were approved by the State Board of Education in 1996. In conjunction with other South Dakota education initiatives, the 1996 standards were expanded to include indicators, benchmarks and sample grade level activities.

The Coordinated School Health Program in Department of Education & Cultural Affairs (DOE) and Department of Health (DOH) funded the writing process and selection of teacher writers to develop South Dakota's Health Education Standards. The writing committee consisted of South Dakota teachers from elementary through post-secondary levels who revised and enhanced the 1996 Health Education Standards to align with the format of other South Dakota content standards.

The Health Education Standards were sent out for peer review and presented to numerous groups for input. They were approved by the State Board of Education in March 2000.