The South Dakota Department of Education’s Virtual Math Coaching program is launching a Winter 2019-Spring 2020 coaching cohort in January. Please share this application link with your K-12 math teachers who are in or beyond their third year of teaching.

With this 2019-20 cohort, the program is expanded to include K-12 coaches and teachers. The program provides an opportunity for math educators throughout the state to have rich discussions about lesson planning and best practices in math instruction, in addition to giving each other specific, personalized feedback.

As participants of the program, teachers will:

• Receive free professional development specific to math teaching, including one regional face-to-face workshop and one virtual conversation reflecting on a math lesson during spring 2019, and additional conversations during the 2019-20 school year.
• Receive specific, personalized feedback from an experienced math educator reflecting on the teacher’s lesson plans, teaching routines, students’ mathematical discourse, and goals for improving instruction and student learning.

• Attend one regional face-to-face kick-off event in March:
  • March 4, Sioux Falls
  • March 5, Pierre
  • March 7, Rapid City

The purpose of this event is to introduce coaches to teachers, share this cohort’s teaching focus, and practice using the coaching process and the technology used for coaching.

The Department of Education will reimburse participating teachers for mileage to events and reimburse schools for the cost of substitutes.

• Complete one coaching cycle between coaches and teachers before May 2019, to consist of:
  • Sharing lesson plans
  • Recording lessons to submit for feedback
  • Watching lessons with coaches
  • Engaging in feedback conversations
• Timeframe of Virtual Coaching commitment for participating teachers: March 2019-May 2020

Please encourage your K-12 math teachers to apply to participate in this valuable program.

Questions? Please contact the department’s math specialist, Stephanie Higdon.