2012
- Secretary's Column:
Governor’s budget supports department focus on student outcomes
- Governor’s budget includes funding aimed at ensuring college, career readiness
- Applications for Davis-Bahcall Scholarship, summer science program now open
- U.S. Department of Ed releases Civil Rights, Educational Equity report
- Winners of EPSCoR funds announced
- Clean diesel grant applications due this month
- Planning a visit to Pierre? Consider the Cultural Heritage Center
- Teacher part of Smarter Balanced writing team
- Upcoming Events
- Differentiating Workshop for ELL teachers
Dec. 11 in Fort Pierre OR Dec. 13 in Brookings
- Common Core and School Libraries
Dec. 11 in Watertown, Dec. 12 in Brookings OR Dec. 13 in Sioux Falls
- 2012 Regional Transition Forums
Dec. 14, Rapid City
- Work-Based Learning Opportunities Training
Jan. 23, 2013, Pierre
Secretary's Column:
By Dr. Melody Schopp
Department of Education
Governor’s budget supports department focus on student outcomes
The governor presented his proposed budget for FY 14 earlier this week. We are pleased that so many of the education-related budget items support the department’s aim to focus the education conversation on student outcomes, with the ultimate aspiration that all students will be college, career and life ready.
Moving forward, the department plans to focus very clearly on ensuring that students are on track in their learning progressions to graduate high school ready for the next step, be that continued education, careers or the military. The effort to address remediation at the high school level, prior to a student entering postsecondary, is one way we can keep a particular group of struggling students on track. In addition, we will be looking to expand the Jobs for America’s Graduates program in the state; this is another way we can assist a specific group of students who are at risk of dropping out and keeping them on a proven path to graduation and postsecondary options. Funding for Advanced Placement courses offered via the South Dakota Virtual School will keep another group of students engaged and fully prepared for their postsecondary experiences. And, finally, funding for the National Career Readiness Certificate program provides that career readiness piece that we have been lacking thus far.
While we have a clear picture of efforts at the high school level, the department also plans to focus our efforts on the other end of the spectrum: the early grades. Students need to be proficient in reading and math early on, if they are to stay on track for high school graduation. At the present time, we are delving into our data and looking at best practices to determine how best to target our resources to this end.
Across the spectrum, the department will support teachers and leaders through training designed to help them to grow as professionals, and to give them the tools and experience they need to be effective facilitators of the educational process.
So, while the 2013 legislative session has not yet begun, we are hopeful that the education conversations this year will center around specific student outcomes and ensuring that all South Dakota students leave our K-12 schools prepared for that next step!
Governor’s budget includes funding aimed at ensuring college, career readiness
Gov. Dennis Daugaard presented his proposed budget for FY 14 earlier this week. Below are highlights as they pertain to K-12 education. Many of the education-related items in the budget support the Department of Education’s efforts to focus on student outcomes, and the overall aspiration that students are on track to graduate high school college, career and life ready.
STATE AID & TECHNOLOGY
Related to state aid and technology, the governor has proposed:
--A 3% increase in the per-pupil allocation for general state aid to education. That would put the PSA at $4,625.65.
--A 3% increase in each of the special education disability allocations and funding for the Extraordinary Cost Fund.
--An increase of $580,000 in the Technology in Schools budget, to cover increasing bandwidth costs, etc.
--Funding to purchase teacher evaluation software, aligned to the state’s standards for teaching, for use in each of the 151 public school districts. (This includes one-time set-up funds in FY 13, as well as ongoing software costs for FY 14 and beyond.)
COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS
Related to student outcomes for college and career readiness, the governor has proposed:
--Funding for the Accuplacer exam for students whose ACT scores would place them in need of remediation at the Board of Regents’ institutions. This also includes the cost of coursework these students would take – using MyFoundations Lab via the South Dakota Virtual School – in order to make them eligible to take the college-level courses and avoid remediation at the university level.
--Funding for the administration of the WorkKeys exams, which lead to a National Career Readiness Certificate ( NCRC), in one high school grade level. The NCRC is a portable credential that demonstrates achievement of a certain level of workplace employability skills in Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information. WorkKeys assessments measure "real world" skills that employers believe are critical to job success. This would also meet the need for a career readiness indicator in the state’s new accountability system.
--Funding to maintain the Advanced Placement courses currently being offered by Learning Power via the South Dakota Virtual School. The dollars would cover course and instruction costs for approximately 300 students. The AP courses are in the areas of math, science and English.
--One-time funds to expand the Jobs for America’s Graduates, or JAG, program in additional districts in South Dakota. JAG is a is a state-based non-profit organization dedicated to preventing dropouts among young people who are most at-risk. In more than three decades of operation, JAG has delivered consistent, compelling results in helping young people stay in school through graduation, pursue postsecondary education and secure quality entry-level jobs.
The governor’s full budget proposal is posted on the Bureau of Finance and Management’s website.
Applications for Davis-Bahcall Scholarship, summer science program now open
High school seniors and college freshmen can now apply for Davis-Bahcall Scholarships and the chance to study next summer at the Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory in Lead, Princeton University in New Jersey, and overseas if funding allows.
Applications are available on the South Dakota Department of Education’s website (http://www.doe.sd.gov/secretary/scholarships.asp). Up to 12 South Dakota students will receive scholarships. The deadline to apply is Jan. 15, 2013.
Select students will be invited to interview for the program at various locations in the state, and recipients will be announced by early March. Davis-Bahcall Scholarship recipients spend one month in the summer studying fields such as physics, engineering and geology, learning from distinguished professors from around the world.
In addition to the one-month summer study, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to apply for pre-selected summer internships.
To be eligible for the scholarships, high school seniors or college freshmen must attend public or private high schools or postsecondary institutions in South Dakota. Home-school students also are eligible. Students must have a demonstrated interest in science and intend to pursue advanced degrees in math, science, engineering or technology.
The scholarships, which are funded by the 3M company and the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium, are named for renowned physicists Dr. Ray Davis and Dr. John Bahcall.
Contact the Department of Education’s Sam Shaw with any questions at Sam.Shaw@state.sd.us.
U.S. Department of Ed releases Civil Rights, Educational Equity report
In November, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights released a report describing OCR’s progress and activity over the last four years on civil rights enforcement and educational equity.
The report, “Helping to Ensure Equal Access to Education,” describes how OCR has transformed its enforcement approach to better promote and advance educational equity for all students, while maximizing the office’s efficiency and impact, even as the number of complaints received by OCR has grown by almost a quarter over the last four years. OCR both received and resolved more than 28,500 complaints during this time period.
The report also discusses OCR’s work to:
• support the equal rights of students to a safe school environment and to resources and programs they need to be prepared for college and careers;
• revamp the Civil Rights Data Collection to provide educators and the public with a clearer picture of the “equity health” of schools; and
• align its efforts with President Obama’s goal of restoring this nation’s position as a global leader in the proportion of college graduates by 2020, by improving educational equity and excellence.
The report also documents a range of systemic improvements OCR has made in how it operates.
To access the report, go to: http://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/ocr/report-to-president-2009-12.pdf.
Winners of EPSCoR funds announced
Twelve science, technology, engineering and math projects will be funded this year in South Dakota as part of a new round of EPSCoR grants. School districts and other educational organizations across the state will receive a total of $200,000 to enhance, expand and develop new opportunities in those areas.
Funding for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, grants is provided through the National Science Foundation. Projects range from dual-credit opportunities in the information technology field and robotics to cutting-edge courses in pre-engineering and biosciences. South Dakota EPSCoR is the title organization that partners with the Department of Education on the project, with K-12 educational outreach as the primary focus of the overall grant.
Applicants were encouraged to collaborate by combining resources to provide secondary career and technical education opportunities in regional, multi-center or cooperative approaches. The Department of Education received 19 applications to fund projects.
EPSCoR funds were awarded to the following:
• Brookings School District
• Canton School District
• East Dakota Educational Cooperative
• Harding County School District
• Lake Area Multi District
• Mitchell School District
• Rapid City School District
• Sioux Falls School District – Gateway Camps
• Sioux Falls School District – Information Technology program
• Sioux Falls School District – Project Lead The Way Teacher Training
• Sioux Falls School District – VEX Competition
• Sisseton School District
Clean diesel grant applications due this month
Applications for the fifth round of funding under the South Dakota Clean Diesel Grant Program are due to the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources by Dec. 21.
The program provides funds to assist schools in purchasing new public school buses to replace old, high-emitting diesel school buses, and to equip in-use diesel school buses with exhaust control retrofit devices that significantly reduce toxic soot emissions. The primary goal of the program is to reduce school children’s exposure to both fine particulate and smog-forming pollution.
There is no cost for the exhaust control retrofits. Eligibility for the retrofits includes any South Dakota public school district that directly provides transportation services. Total award per school district for a replacement bus will be approximately 25 percent of replacement cost and may be more depending on the number of successful applicants. Districts that have not received a replacement bus in previous rounds will have preference.
DENR intends to award funds to as many eligible applicants throughout the state as possible.
For more information about the program, or contact the DENR Air Quality office at (605) 773-3151, or go to: http://denr.sd.gov/des/aq/aadera.aspx.
Planning a visit to Pierre? Consider the Cultural Heritage Center
Bringing a group of students to Pierre to see the State Legislature in action? Make a stop at the museum in the Cultural Heritage Center a part of your day. The museum features The South Dakota Experience, covering the history of the state from its earliest inhabitants to present day. The Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota culture, stories of explorers, settlers and statesmen – find it all in the museum. To see highlights from the exhibit, go to: http://history.sd.gov/Museum/Exhibits/gallery.aspx
In the changing gallery, enjoy Our South Dakota: Big Land / Big Ideas / Big Heart. The hands-on exhibit explores the physical realities of our state through activities such as driving a combine, dishing out ice cream, or playing games with friends. Visit Our South Dakota and feel how the land helps shape our lives.
The Cultural Heritage Center museum is set up for a self-guided experience. Guided tours can also be arranged. To schedule a class visit, contact Jeff Mammenga at
605-773-6000 or jeff.mammenga@state.sd.us.
Teacher part of Smarter Balanced writing team
South Dakota teacher Meghan Wounded Head, of Hamlin School District, provided representation on one of the task writing teams for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. SBAC recently released sample items and performance tasks (http://www.smarterbalanced.org/sample-items-and-performance-tasks/) related to the new assessment aligned to the Common Core, which will be used beginning in 2014-15. Wounded Head wrote a guest column about her experience for the Online Zebra’s Teacher Feature.
Hot Topics
South Dakota represented on Nutrition Association’s National Board of Directors
South Dakota now has representation on the School Nutrition Association’s National Board of Directors. Brandon Valley School District Food Services Director Gay Anderson was voted in as the board’s Education Committee Chair during SNA’s 2012 elections. For more information, visit the School Nutrition Association website at: www.schoolnutrition.org.
Rapid City teacher presented with $25,000 Milken
Congratulations to Alayna Siemonsma! The fourth-grade teacher and literacy leader at South Park Elementary School in Rapid City received the surprise of a lifetime last month when she was presented with a Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award. The award, which comes with an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000, was bestowed upon her during a school assembly. Find out more at: http://www.mff.org/newsroom/news.taf?page=videos&vid=1292.
Upcoming Events
Differentiating Workshop for ELL teachers
Dec. 11 in Fort Pierre OR Dec. 13 in Brookings
The South Dakota Department of Education, along with WIDA, will hold face to face workshops Dec. 11 in Ft. Pierre at the AmericInn and Dec. 13 in Brookings at the Days Inn.
This workshop, The More, the Merrier in Differentiating for English Language Learners, is designed as an introductory level training for content and ESL teachers in meeting the needs of ELLs. It will provide teachers opportunities to explore academic language differentiation during content instruction and assessment. Participants will explore the use of WIDA’s English language proficiency data and the CAN DO Descriptors.
Sessions begin each day at 8:30 a.m., with registration at 8 a.m., and will run until 4 p.m. There will be an hour break for lunch on your own.
Attendees should bring their ACCESS 2012 Student Roster Reports and/or Teacher Reports and an assignment or task recently used with their mainstream students in a content class. Teachers should also download the CAN DO Descriptors for the grade levels of their ELLs prior to attending. (To download, go to: http://wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/index.aspx.)
To register for either workshop, go to: http://tinyurl.com/9klwxu5 .
Common Core and School Libraries
Nov. 15 –29, Various locations statewide
Dec. 11 in Watertown, Dec. 12 in Brookings OR Dec. 13 in Sioux Falls
The South Dakota State Library, in conjunction with the South Dakota Library Association, will be holding regional meetings at six locations for certified-teacher librarians, paraprofessional librarians, district librarians, library aides, and administrators who wish to learn more about the Common Core State Standards, and specifically the “4th R” – Research, as they relate to school libraries.
The regional meetings will be held from 1-4 p.m. as follows:
Tuesday, Dec. 11 – Watertown High School Library, Watertown
Wednesday, Dec. 12 – Brookings Middle School Library, Brookings
Thursday, Dec. 13 – Roosevelt High School Library, Sioux Falls
The meetings came about after a group of library professionals met for a School Library Summit in Pierre in August to discuss current services within the state’s school libraries. As one of four goals set by the summit group, regional meetings were indicated as a way to provide training on the Common Core, as well as to provide a time for networking and collaboration for school librarians around the state.
To register for this free event, go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SDregional2012
Please contact Mary G. Johnson at (605) 295-3173, or mary.johnson@state.sd.us, if you have questions or need further information.
2012 Regional Transition Forums
Dec. 14, Rapid City
Transition Forums are informal, interactive meetings to discuss collaboration between agencies, schools, and families so students with disabilities can receive appropriate services and supports during the transition to adulthood process. Check out the DOE Calendar of Events for start time and exact location. For more information, contact Melissa Flor at melissa.flor@state.sd.us.
Work-Based Learning Opportunities Training
Jan. 23, 2013, Pierre
Come and learn all about Entrepreneurship Experience, Senior Experience, Service Learning and Youth Internship, strategies for implementation and resources to get started. This training is designed for those who are new to work-based learning or those who would like to revise their current program to meet high school graduation requirements.
This training is designed for the teams of educators that will be implementing Capstone experiences or Service Learning. Plan to bring individuals that will be involved locally – teachers, administrators, counselors and/or community partners. All team members should bring a laptop to the training.
Beginning in school year 2013-14, schools must offer a Capstone Experience (Senior Experience, Youth Internship or Entrepreneurship Experience) OR Service Learning. Not all of the options have to be offered, though a school could choose to offer them all if they wish.
