South Dakota Department of Education staff have been meeting with education stakeholders across the state this spring to gather input on revising state graduation requirements.

South Dakota’s current graduation requirements were adopted in 2009. It’s important that we revisit graduation requirements from time to time, to ensure they are still meeting the needs of our students.

Proposed changes aim to provide flexibility and increase student engagement in meeting academic and career goals.

The addition of three endorsements (Advanced, Advanced Career and Advanced Honors), which students can earn beyond the basic high school graduation requirements, would allow students to more effectively hone in on what they plan to do after high school.

Students would have the choice of earning none, one, two, or all three of these endorsements. An endorsement would allow a student to demonstrate his or her specific preparations for a particular pathway after high school.

Increasing flexibility is intended to help personalize each student’s path to success. For instance, with an Advanced Career endorsement, a student could graduate high school with recognition on his or her transcript not only for traditional academic courses but also for real-world work-based learning experiences and certification.

Rigor remains vitally important. Base graduation requirements in this proposal remove some previous course dictates, but districts retain the right to establish requirements above and beyond the state-mandated minimum. Districts should always counsel each student to pursue challenging coursework in order to achieve his or her highest potential.

At its May 8 meeting in Vermillion, the Board of Education Standards will hold a first reading of these proposed revisions. I encourage you and your staff to take a close look at the proposal, which we have posted, along with several supporting documents, on our website: http://doe.sd.gov/gradrequirements/.

We anticipate that the official public comment period will open sometime in mid-June and run through mid-July. The Board of Education Standards will hold a public hearing on the proposal at its July 16 meeting.

Now more than ever, it is vital that once students graduate high school, they have a clear idea of what their next steps will be. That is the driving force behind this proposal.

Thank you for everything you do for South Dakota students. If you have any questions or concerns, my inbox, phone line and door are open.

South Dakota’s current graduation requirements date back nearly a decade. Recently, education stakeholders from across South Dakota have come together to discuss whether these requirements continue to meet the needs of our youth, our employers and our communities. Through these conversations, a proposal to revise graduation requirements was developed.

The proposal combines opportunities for rigor, student engagement and flexibility, in order to build a foundation for success. The proposal was developed to provide students with multiple opportunities to meet their postsecondary and career goals within a framework of general high school graduation requirements.

Learn more about the proposed state graduation requirements by visiting the Proposed High School Graduation Requirements (2018) webpage [http://doe.sd.gov/gradrequirements/].  

What are the next steps?
In the months ahead, educators are encouraged to engage in the statewide conversation about the proposal. A first reading of the proposal is scheduled for the May 8 Board of Education Standards meeting. The official public comment period is expected to open around the middle of June and run through mid-July, with a public hearing before the Board of Education Standards on July 16.

In the meantime, you are invited to become familiar with the proposal. Unofficial feedback can be sent via the email link on the webpage mentioned above.

The Personnel Record Form is open. The deadline to make any changes to this school year’s database is June 8. It is important to log into the system via http://doe.sd.gov/prf. Click on “PRF Log-in Screen,” then select DE69PERS to enter SY 2018 staffing data. This is different from prior years and is needed to ensure that records are connected to the new online certification system and database.

Review and update the PRF with any changes in staffing, FTEs, salaries, assignments, etc. Review plans of intent for accuracy. Please note that it will be critical for next fall’s PRF process to occur in a timely manner, as teacher compensation data will be undergoing legislative review. 

Information in the PRF is used for state, district and school report cards, data requests, federal reporting and teacher compensation reports for public schools.

Please remember that the Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) and MCV4 (Meningococcal ACYW) vaccines are required for entry into the 6th grade. Just prior to the end of the school year can be a good time to remind parents of students who will be 6th graders in the fall of this requirement.

Schools may find this flyer from the Department of Health [http://doh.sd.gov/documents/Family/Immunize/6th-grade-requirements.pdf] useful in communicating this requirement with parents.

In 2016, meningococcal infection was added to the list of diseases specified in South Dakota Codified Law 13-28-7.1 [http://sdlegislature.gov/statutes/DisplayStatute.aspx?Statute=13-28-7.1&Type=Statute] for which the Department of Education, based on recommendations from the Department of Health, can require vaccination for school entry in South Dakota.

With the change, school entry requirements for South Dakota 6th grade students include:

• One dose of Tdap vaccine
• One dose of MCV4

The South Dakota Indian Education Summit targets educators of all content areas and grade levels, as well as administrators and school board members. The goal of the summit is to provide training on best practices in the field of Indian education. Have an idea for a presentation to share with your colleagues? Submit a proposal today! The 2018 summit is scheduled for Sept. 23-25 in Pierre.

Read more at http://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2018/May/documents/2018-IES.docx.

A new listserv has been created for the purpose of providing collaboration and support to educators who primarily work with Native American students. The listserv aims to provide an online venue for educators to collaborate with each other, as well as share enrichment opportunities (scholarships, camps, professional development, etc.). Subscribe via the K12 Data Center [http://k12.sd.us/MailingList/NativeAmericanStudentSupport].

There are a number of resources available to school personnel, students and families through the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Initiative. Please be aware of the following:

• In January 2017, a new citations process was put into place, and the JJRI Oversight Council has created a document [http://jjri.sd.gov/docs/Juvenile%20Citations.pdf] to assist in the process for new diversion options.
• Another emphasis is providing services in communities before citation, especially in the areas of behavior and mental health.  The Department of Social Services website has contact information for services:
• Substance Use Disorder Services [http://dss.sd.gov/formsandpubs/docs/BH/sud_flyer.pdf]
• Community Mental Health Centers [http://dss.sd.gov/formsandpubs/docs/BH/cmhc_flyer.pdf]
• Schools can also contact local social services offices [https://dss.sd.gov/behavioralhealth/agencycounty.aspx] for faculty and staff training.  A few recommendations are “Youth Mental Health First Aid,” “Ending the Silence,” and “Trauma Informed Health.” 
• The 2017 Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Initiative resources website provides [http://jjri.sd.gov/resources.aspx] detailed reports about the initiative since its implementation 18 months ago.

Through a special collaboration, Children's Home Society of South Dakota and the Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment at the University of South Dakota have been able to bring ACEs training to South Dakota professionals and to develop ACE Master Trainers in our state. Learn more about ACEs and how to schedule a free training in your community.

Read more at https://www.sdcpcm.com/aces-education/.

SD Comprehensive Needs Assessment Framework and Process
May 2, online

Board of Education Standards
May 8, Vermillion [http://doe.sd.gov/board/]

DOE Information-Sharing: What you need to know about federal & state law changes
May 9, Mitchell

IEP Q Training
May 10, Mitchell

Effective Core EL Program
May 10, Mitchell
May 11, Aberdeen

• Effective Core EL Program (remote; live feed of Aberdeen event)
  May 11, Rapid City

SD English Learner Chats (3:45-4:30 p.m. CDT)
May 15 [http://doe.sd.gov/title/documents/17-ELwebinar.pdf]

2018-19 Consolidated Application Workshop
May 22, Pierre

How to Coach Teachers to Teach Almost Anything
May 29-31, Pierre [http://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2018/May/documents/CoachingSession.pdf]

SDMyLife: Next Generation
May 30, Rapid City
May 31, Mitchell
June 1, Sioux Falls

The Fundamentals of Using Data for Educators
June 11, Aberdeen
June 13, Rapid City
June 18, Yankton

Crisis Management for School-Based Incidents – Partnering with Rural Law Enforcement, First Responders and Local School Systems
June 19, Pierre [https://sdoem.eventsmart.com/events/crisis-management-school-based-incidents-pierre/]
June 21, Sioux Falls [https://sdoem.eventsmart.com/events/crisis-management-school-based-incidents-sioux-falls/]

2018 MTSS Summer Education Conference
June 20-21, Oacoma [http://www.cvent.com/events/2018-mtss-summer-education-conference/event-summary-88b446845a8043eb89894207409580da.aspx]

Advanced Data Use Skills for Educators
June 25-Aug. 12, online

School Library Boot Camp
July 23-26, Pierre [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sdslbootcamp2018]

CTE Conference
July 29-31, Rapid City [http://doe.sd.gov/octe/training.aspx]

Top 20 Training
July 30-31, Rapid City
Aug. 1-2, Sioux Falls

Behavior De-escalation Training
July 30, Sioux Falls
Aug. 3, Rapid City
Aug. 10, Aberdeen
Aug. 14, Fort Pierre

Keeping Students in School: Training for District Employees Working with Students without Permanent Homes
Aug. 1, Pierre

Title III/Migrant Consortia Kickoff
Aug. 1, Pierre

SD Department of Education Annual Conference
“Well-Rounded Education = Success”
Aug. 1-2, Pierre

Save the Date! Indian Education Summit
Sept. 23-25, Pierre