- Secretary's Column
- Hot Topic: Proposed standards outline effective teaching - Comment now
- Board adopts Common Core standards for English, math
- Harms joins staff as Title I director
- State’s NAEP pilot scores among best
- Grants available for out-of-school-time programs
- Work group to determine ACCESS exit criteria
- Orders for large print, Braille textbooks due soon
- Upcoming Events
- IEP Workshops
January-Febuary, locations statewide
- Dakota STEP-A Pre-Test Workshops
January, locations statewide
-
CTE 101
Feb. 5, Pierre
-
Dakota STEP Spring Workshops
Febuary, locations statewide
Secretary's Column
By Tom Oster
Department of Education
Milestones
Earlier this week, the South Dakota Board of Education addressed two important issues regarding the future of education in our state. While they may not have hit the radar screen of the general public, I consider both issues to be milestones in the education world.
First, the board voted to adopt the Common Core standards in English language arts and math. Such a notion would have been unheard of 15 years ago, when we didn’t even have consistent standards across the state.
Under this country’s current education system, we have 50 different sets of standards and 50 different assessments. The Common Core will help to provide consistency regarding when and how key concepts are taught in our schools. This consistency is crucial in today’s world where students and families are highly mobile. It makes sense to have rigorous expectations for all students – no matter where they live – as they all end up entering the same highly competitive, global economy when they leave school.
Because of this consistency and because of the level of rigor at which the standards were set, I believe adoption of the Common Core was the right thing to do for kids. Further, by eliminating the need for 50 assessments, it should save states money.
Second, the board voted to move the proposed teaching standards to a public hearing.
By providing teachers, and those that evaluate them, with basic standards, we are creating a shared expectation of what good teaching looks like across our state. We are all shooting at the same target, if you will. Too often, evaluation is looked at as a punitive process. With the proposed framework, which the board will consider adopting, the evaluation becomes more of a growth process for teachers. It’s not just a checklist, but rather a standard of achievement.
I encourage administrators and teachers to review the proposed standards for teaching, which are basically Charlotte Danielson’s “Framework for Teaching” and to provide feedback to the department. The board is expected to consider the issue at its March 2011 meeting.
Finally, I would like to close by wishing all of you the best in the year ahead. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as secretary of education, and I consider it a privilege to have served the schools, educators and students of South Dakota. I encourage you to keep up the good work that you do. Thank you.
Proposed standards outline effective teaching
Comment now
A work group charged with developing teaching standards for South Dakota has recommended the adoption of Charlotte Danielson’s “Framework for Teaching.” The recommendation came at the South Dakota Board of Education meeting Nov. 29 in Mitchell. The board moved the issue to public hearing.
“What we found as we sorted through all of the resources out there is that our group’s initial description of what makes an effective teacher matched closely with Danielson’s framework,” Dr. Melody Schopp told board members. Schopp, who is the deputy director of the state Department of Education, leads the work group.
Danielson’s framework outlines 22 main components of effective teaching in four areas: Planning and Preparation, Classroom Environment, Professional Responsibilities and Instruction. The 22 components cover a range of activities, from demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy to engaging students in learning and communicating with families.
“Having standards in place clearly spells out the expectations we have for our teachers in South Dakota,” Schopp said. The expectation is that the standards will be used to help teachers grow as professionals.
One reason the group liked Danielson’s framework was because of its foundation in research, Schopp said. Many group members also felt the framework was clearly written and easy to understand – for educators and non-educators alike.
South Dakota began the process of developing teaching standards earlier this year, when the Legislature passed a bill – SB 24 – requiring that all public school districts evaluate teachers on a prescribed basis, and that standards be in place by July 1, 2011. The bill also charges the work group with helping to develop an evaluation tool that school districts may use.
Since this summer, the group’s 24 members, who include teachers, administrators, parents and education association representatives, have reviewed other states’ standards for teaching, as well as those created by InTASC, the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium.
Harms joins staff as Title I director
Dr. Kristine Harms has joined the Department of Education as the state’s new Title I director. Most recently, Harms served as director of education at Aurora Plains Academy. Previously, she taught at Dakota Wesleyan University and Huron University. While at Huron University, she held several positions, including chair of the education department. Harms holds a doctorate of education from the University of South Dakota.
State’s NAEP pilot scores among best
South Dakota’s 12th grade reading and math scores are well above the national average, according to results released last month by the National Assessment Governing Board. South Dakota was one of 11 states to participate in a 2009 pilot program that provided state-level results for the National Assessment of Educational Progress at 12th grade.
In reading, South Dakota’s 12th graders had an average score of 292, compared to the national average of 287. In math, South Dakota’s 12th graders had an average score of 160, compared to the national average of 152.
“Our students have typically performed well at both grades 4 and 8, and our 12th graders were no different,” said Secretary of Education Tom Oster. “South Dakota was one of five states with higher average scores than the nation in both reading and math.”
Besides South Dakota, NAEP pilot states included Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Dakota and West Virginia.
Forty percent of South Dakota’s 12th grade students scored at or above the proficient level in reading, compared to the national average of 37 percent. When these same students were in 8th grade, only 35 percent scored at or above proficient. “It was good to see that growth from 8th to 12th grade, especially when we’ve seen a bit of a dip on our Dakota STEP scores at 11th grade,” Oster said.
In math, the trend went in the opposite direction. A larger percentage of students scored in the proficient and advanced categories in 8th grade, which may indicate a need for more exposure to rigorous math concepts. The state’s new graduation requirements, which began with this year’s incoming freshmen, require all students to take Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry.
For more information, visit www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.
Grants available for out-of-school-time programs
Applications for 21st Century Community Learning Center grants are now being accepted. Schools, community organizations and other nonprofits that work together to enhance youth education may apply. Grant awards range from $50,000 to $150,000 per year for five years. The deadline to apply is Feb. 18, 2011.
The purpose of the 21st CCLC grants is to strengthen outside-of-school-time opportunities, such as after-school, Saturday and summer programs that support student learning and development and help students meet performance standards in core academic subjects such as reading and math. The grants help the sponsors provide academic enrichment activities and activities that complement regular academic programs to students who attend high-poverty schools or schools identified for school improvement.
The South Dakota Department of Education anticipates awarding up to seven grants. In order to qualify for the grants, the applicant must be serving students from school districts in which 40 percent or more of the students qualify for free and reduced-price meals or be a schoolwide Title I school or district.
Authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the law’s specific purposes are to:
(1) Provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including tutorial services, to help students (particularly students in high-poverty areas) meet state and local student performance standards in core academic subjects such as reading and mathematics;
(2) Offer students a broad array of additional services, programs and activities such as youth development activities; drug and violence prevention programs; counseling programs; art, music and recreation programs; technology education programs and character education programs, designed to reinforce and complement participating students’ regular academic programs; and
(3) Offer literacy and related educational development opportunities to the families of students served by community learning centers.
An application is available at http://doe.sd.gov/oatq/21cent.asp. Applicants must submit the original and four copies of the application. To be eligible for the grants, the applications must be postmarked by Feb. 18, 2011. For more information, contact Sue Burgard or Jill Cotton at the Department of Education, (605) 773-3134.
Work group to determine ACCESS exit criteria
Nominate one of your teachers
Teachers of English language learners, along with general and special education teachers in grades K-12, are needed to serve on a work group. Participants will help to shape the future of South Dakota’s exit criteria for the ACCESS, which is used to evaluate the progress of English language learners.
The work group will meet March 8 at the Ramada in Sioux Falls.
Administrators are invited to nominate teachers for this important work. To do so, you will need to complete the online Nomination Form.
The nomination site will close Jan. 7, 2011. The department will contact teachers who have been chosen for the work group by Jan. 28.
The Department of Education will reimburse participants for mileage, meals and lodging (at state rate) and will pay a stipend of $125.00 per day (8 hours of work). The department also will reimburse school districts for substitute pay at a rate of $70.00 per day.
Professional development activities provide teachers with opportunities to utilize their experience to impact education in South Dakota.
Questions can be directed to Gay Pickner at the Department of Education (605) 773-3247 or gay.pickner@state.sd.us.
Orders for large print, Braille textbooks due soon
Jan. 15, 2011, is the deadline for schools to order textbooks in alternative formats for the 2011-12 school year. Why so early? Producing textbooks in large print and Braille can take anywhere from six weeks to nine months.
Although it will accept textbook orders at any time, the South Dakota State Library can only guarantee that orders placed by Jan. 15 will be delivered by the beginning of the following school year.
Need to order? Contact Colleen Kirby at the State Library. Call 1-800-423-6665.
Upcoming Events
- IEP Workshops
January-Febuary, locations statewide
- Dakota STEP-A Pre-Test Workshops
January, locations statewide
-
CTE 101
Feb. 5, Pierre
-
Dakota STEP Spring Workshops
Febuary, locations statewide
IEP Workshops
The Department of Education’s Special Education Programs is conducting several IEP Workshops this winter. Workshops will cover information regarding: child find and pre-referral strategies; determining suspected areas of disabilities; prior notice/consent and procedural safeguards; evaluation procedures and reporting; developing and implementing an IEP. The workshops provide six contact hours.
Upcoming dates:
Jan. 5, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Central Services
1101 N Western Ave, Sioux Falls
Session ID: 46784
Jan. 6, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Central Services
1101 N Western Ave, Sioux Falls
Session is full.
Jan. 13, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Northern State University, Aberdeen
Centennial Rooms B&D
Session ID: 46717
Feb. 2, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Explorer Elementary
4010 West 82nd Street, Sioux Falls
Session ID: 46947
Feb. 10, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Western Dakota Technical Institute, Rapid City
Session is full.
To register for an event, go to http://www.escweb.net/sd_esa/ and enter the appropriate Session ID.
Dakota STEP-A Pre-Test Workshops
The department’s Special Education Programs is hosting several Dakota STEP-A Pre-Test Workshops in January. The workshops are intended primarily for those responsible for administering the Dakota STEP-A, and those who distribute and return materials.
Topics covered will include but are not limited to: updates to the rating form; student eligibility for Dakota STEP-A; selecting and developing high quality supporting evidence submissions; completing the rating form; role of the second rater; test security; and receiving/packing/shipping test materials. The workshops provide three contact hours.
Dates:
Jan. 10, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Ramkota, Rapid City
Session ID: 46948
Jan. 11, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
AmericInn, Fort Pierre
Session ID: 46949
Jan. 12, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Ramkota, Aberdeen
Session ID: 46950
Jan. 13, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Ramkota, Sioux Falls
Session ID: 46951
To register for an event, go to http://www.escweb.net/sd_esa/ and enter the appropriate Session ID.
CTE 101
Feb. 5, Pierre
CTE 101 is a workshop that fulfills certification requirements to become a South Dakota certified CTE teacher within individual career and technical content areas. Attendees will receive a certificate of completion. The workshop runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be held at the Kings Inn in Pierre.
To register for an event, go to http://www.escweb.net/sd_esa/ and enter Session ID number: 47095. Registration for this event begins Dec. 15, 2010.
Dakota STEP Spring Workshops
The Department of Education, along with Pearson, will host Dakota STEP Pre-Test Workshops the week of Feb. 7. Topics to be covered include: Dakota STEP test updates for 2011; test ordering and shipping; test security; test accommodations; and more. In addition, attendees will receive information about the 8th grade technology assessment; the DACS/Achievement Series; and end-of-course exams.
Dates:
Feb. 7, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Ramkota, Rapid City
Session ID: 46018
Feb. 8, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Ramkota, Pierre
Session ID: 46019
Feb. 9, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Ramkota, Aberdeen
Session ID: 46020
Feb. 10, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Ramada, Sioux Falls
Session ID: 46021
To register for an event, go to http://www.escweb.net/sd_esa/ and enter the appropriate Session ID.
