The South Dakota Department of Education will again send letters to public school students for two initiatives: proactive admissions and college readiness coursework. The target date to mail the letters is the week of Oct. 15. The letters were not sent out sooner because ACT scores from last year’s administration(s) became available later than usual. ACT is now including the July test administration in its compilation of scores.

Proactive admissions
Through the proactive admissions initiative, the South Dakota Department of Education reaches out to qualifying South Dakota high school students in the fall of their senior year to alert them that they have already met criteria for guaranteed general acceptance into the state’s six public universities and four technical institutes.

Guaranteed general acceptance is automatic eligibility for admission into any of South Dakota’s six public universities and four technical institutes, based on Smarter Balanced test or ACT scores.

South Dakota students who earn a Level 3 or 4 on the English language arts and math portions of the 11th grade Smarter Balanced test or an ACT composite score of 18 or higher earn guaranteed general acceptance into the South Dakota public university or technical institute of their choice. (Note: South Dakota School of Mines & Technology requires 18 in English and 20 in math on the ACT.)

College readiness coursework
College readiness coursework, provided by the Department of Education, includes courses intended to assist high school seniors who need continued support in developing the skills necessary to enroll in credit-bearing coursework at the postsecondary level.

Students who scored at a Level 2 on the 11th grade Smarter Balanced test or had an ACT English sub-score below 18/math sub-score below 20 are eligible for this opportunity.

Coursework can be completed in one of two ways: online through the South Dakota Virtual School, or a school district can offer the coursework as a face-to-face option with a highly qualified math or English teacher supporting the students.

• Online college readiness coursework ranges in cost from $125 to $175. However, if students complete the coursework, they can be reimbursed for the full cost.
• Website: https://sdvs.k12.sd.us/Students/CollegeReadiness.aspx

It is possible for a student to receive both proactive admissions and college readiness coursework letters. This happens when a student has an ACT composite score of 18 or higher but either their ACT English subscore is below 18 or their ACT math subscore is below 20.

The department encourages districts to talk with students and parents about college readiness coursework. Based on numbers from the last two years, there are many more students who would benefit from the program than are taking advantage of the program.

For more information on proactive admissions, check out the Proactive Admissions page on SDMyLife. There is also a College Readiness Courses page on SDMyLife.

SD-STARS reports
To help districts identify which students received the proactive admissions and/or college readiness coursework letters, there is a report in SD-STARS called S0.002.00-A – Proactive Admission and Remedial Coursework. The report provides a list of students who were considered and those who qualified for proactive admissions and/or college readiness coursework.

The report is found under the “Student Outcomes Report” category in the Reports menu within SD-STARS. Users with the following permissions will be able to see the report: school principal, school management, district superintendent, district management and district assessment. This report will be updated for the 2018-19 school year in early October, about the time the letters are sent.

The report helps users answer questions like, “Which of my students qualify for proactive admissions?” or “Which of my students qualify for college readiness coursework?” It contains a student list with basic demographic information, test scores and indicators for whether a student qualifies for proactive admissions or college readiness coursework. Addresses are included to show where the letters were sent.