June 2017
		HOT TOPICS South Dakota releases education plan South Dakota has released its state plan for education required under the Every Student Succeeds Act. The release kicked off a comment period in which members of the public are invited to weigh in on the proposed plan. Update: State Board of Education actions An archive of the South Dakota Board of Education’s May 15 meeting is available on the Board’s Meeting Archive webpage. The board took a number of actions, including the following: Approved new career and technical education content standards in six career clusters. Approved a set of administrative rules related to funding for the technical institutes; student attendance drops; accountability; and teacher standards and evaluation. Rules related to principal evaluation were pulled for further discussion with the field. Approved cut scores for several Praxis tests. Reminder: Important deadlines June 9 is the final date to submit student data for the 2016-17 school year (via Infinite Campus) and Safe, Drug and Gun Free Schools data. This is also the date that the Personnel Record Form, or PRF, closes. The “Year-End Signoff Document” is due back to the Department of Education on June 16.
		Don’t miss the SD Education Conference July 11-12 in Pierre This year’s conference will feature three keynote speakers and a wide variety of sessions on topics including suicide prevention and parent and family engagement. Watch the video for more details, then get registered on the conference website.
		Special education report now available online Information regarding school districts’ performance on improving the educational outcomes of students with disabilities is now available online. The Special Education Report is released annually. The report addresses the federal special education program known as Part B.
		Hattie Kauffman to speak at 2017 Indian Education Summit Registration is now open for the 2017 Indian Education Summit. Longtime CBS broadcaster Hattie Kauffman will be one of the keynote speakers. The event will also feature a screening of the new film, “Neither Wolf Nor Dog,” along with an appearance by Kent Nerburn, author of the book upon which the film is based.
		Jeff Peterson named Outstanding Biology Teacher of the Year In a surprise ceremony, West Central High School biology teacher Jeff Peterson (second from right) was named South Dakota’s Outstanding Biology Teacher of the Year. He receives a grant sponsored by Sanford Health to attend the national biology teachers convention in St. Louis in the fall and is invited to attend a formal award ceremony with other state winners. Kudos, Jeff!
		State Library recognizes 21st Century School Libraries Nine school libraries have received the 21st Century School Library Award for 2017. This award recognizes school libraries as Effective, Enhanced or Exemplary, based on performance in three key areas. Representatives of the selected libraries will be honored at the annual Systems Change Conference Oct. 20 in Rapid City.
		SDSHS names Eimers 2017 History Teacher of the Year Congratulations to Marlene Eimers, who teaches 4th grade in Redfield! The South Dakota State Historical Society recently presented her with the Governor’s Award for 2017 History Teacher of the Year. She is pictured here with SDSHS Vice President David A. Wolff (left) and SDSHS Director Jay D. Vogt.
		Sign up to administer NCRC assessment If you haven't already, now is the time to plan for National Career Readiness Certificate assessments in your school district during SY 2017-18 for high school juniors and seniors. Schools must apply to administer the NCRC tests. Access the application on SDMyLife’s NCRC webpage. Questions? Contact Barb Unruh or Heather Nelson at the Department of Labor and Regulation.
		2017 SD Workforce Education Grant recipients announced Five South Dakota Workforce Education Grants, totaling $1,040,000, have been awarded to four South Dakota school districts and one private nonprofit corporation. The purpose of the grant program is to provide the opportunity to make transformative change in career and technical education programs.
		Upcoming Events A complete listing of events is available at GoSignMeUp. Advanced Data Use Skills for Educators (Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Using Data for Educators.) June 26-Aug. 11, online MTSS Summer Education Conference June 28-29, Chamberlain (Note: This conference is on as scheduled. Any link indicating that it has been canceled is wrong.) Teacher Observation, Evidence Collection and Feedback Training July 10, Pierre South Dakota Education Conference July 11-12, Pierre Board of Education July 17, Pierre School Library Boot Camp July 17-20, Pierre Register for graduate credit Register for undergraduate credit SD-STARS Workshop for new STARS Certified Trainers July 25, Pierre SD CTE Conference July 31-Aug. 1, Brookings SD-STARS Training Booster for STARS Certified Trainers Aug. 1, online Indian Education Summit Sept. 24-26, Pierre
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