Education Online, July 2019

July 2019

HOT TOPICS
	Comprehensive Needs Assessment regional workshops planned The South Dakota Department of Education is offering a year-long regional workshop series leading schools and districts through the newly developed South Dakota Comprehensive Needs Assessment Framework and Process. More details to come. For now, please indicate your school’s interest in participating by completing this survey.

	Why should new principals sign up for the Principal Leadership and Development program? Registration is open for the 2019-20 Principal Leadership and Development program, sponsored by DOE and School Administrators of South Dakota. This program helps early-career administrators acclimate to their new role. Hear from your colleagues about the value they’ve gotten out of the program.

	SDPB covers Statewide Mentor Program Summer Academy South Dakota Public Broadcasting spoke with a mentoring pair at last month’s Statewide Mentor Program Summer Academy in Sioux Falls. If you have new hires in your district who are first-year teachers, there is still time to get them signed up for mentoring. Visit our mentoring webpage for details. SDPB’s In the Moment: Statewide Mentor Program Summer Academy

Refresher: SD’s model teacher evaluation system and process
South Dakota's model system for teacher evaluation was developed by the South Dakota Commission on Teaching and Learning. It includes a focus on professional practices and a focus on student growth as measured by student learning objectives, or SLOs. As you prepare for the 2019-20 school year, now is a great time to review this model.

Check out unpacked standards workshops for administrators
DOE is offering trainings for curriculum directors and administrators this summer and fall. Each district is encouraged to send at least one curriculum director and/or administrator to the training to ensure that learning and instruction in districts is aligned to the current state content standards in math and English language arts. The training will also support processes connecting to the district accreditation review.

Aug. 7, Sioux Falls (registration open)
Oct. 9, Chamberlain (registration information coming)

Reminder: SPED Interim Legislative Committee meets July 11
The first meeting of the Special Education Interim Legislative Committee is scheduled for July 11 in Sioux Falls. The committee was established by SB 3 during the 2019 session. Three superintendents, a SPED director, a school business manager, and a school board member are among committee members. The committee’s purpose is to study the cost and coordination of special education services in the state.

School culture and poverty-in-schools resource kits available
The South Dakota Department of Education is offering resource kits to help schools work with students in poverty and improve school culture. Make these kits part of your back-to-school planning:

Encourage your multi-grade teachers to sign up for PD program

Beginning with a two-day kick-off conference in August, the Department of Education is sponsoring a professional development and support program for K-12 teachers in the multi-grade instructional setting, multi-grade rural schools, and multi-grade Hutterite Colony schools. Please encourage multi-grade teachers in your schools and districts to participate.

What’s the latest in Perkins V planning?

DOE’s Division of Career and Technical Education has compiled data from responses at the spring Improve19 meetings. Access this report on our Perkins V webpage. Recently, we teamed with several partners to distribute a survey to employers to get feedback on how business connects with schools. And at this month’s CTE Conference in Mitchell, we will debut a framework of the Perkins V plan and begin taking feedback. We’ll continue to talk with stakeholders from across the spectrum over the summer to shape what’s next in CTE.

Grant funds six out-of-school time programs

A total of six 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants have been awarded to provide funding for academic enrichment opportunities for students. These grants support out-of-school time activities. This year’s recipients include:

Black Hills Special Services Cooperative
- Discovery Center at Knollwood Heights Elementary (Rapid City)
- Discovery Center at General Beadle Elementary (Rapid City)
Boys and Girls Club of Lower Brule – Wakan Yeja
Enemy Swim Day School – Toka Nuwan Wayawa Tipi Out of School Time Program
Three Rivers Special Services Cooperative – Stanley County GOLD Program
Volunteers of America – Dakotas Kidz Count

ESSA State Plan Revision Workgroup met June 19

The ESSA State Plan Revision Workgroup held its second meeting June 19 in Fort Pierre and is expected to meet several times in the months ahead, with the intention of submitting a revised State Plan to the U.S. Department of Education by early 2020. A list of group members, along with notes from the group’s meetings are posted on the department’s ESSA Implementation webpage.

Upcoming Events

A complete listing of events is available at GoSignMeUp.

Summer book studies on English learner topics
Self-paced, online

Board of Education Standards
July 15, Pierre

National Customized Learning Summit
July 16-18, Rapid City

Co-Teaching & Collaboration (for educators working with English learners)
July 22, Mitchell
July 23, Aberdeen

School Nutrition Association/Child and Adult Nutrition Services Conference & Workshops
July 23-25, Pierre

CTE Conference
July 28-30, Mitchell

2019 IEP Workshops
Various dates and locations statewide, summer and fall

New to Infinite Campus training
Aug. 6, Pierre

Aligning Instructional Practices to ELA and Math Standards Using the Unpacked Documents
Aug. 7, Sioux Falls (registration open)
Oct. 9, Chamberlain (registration information coming)

Active Shooter Workshop
Aug. 13, Pierre

SD-STARS for Beginners webinar
Aug. 28

Save the Date! Indian Education Summit
Sept. 22-24, Pierre

SD-STARS topical webinar
Sept. 25

School Library Boot Camp
Sept. 25, Spearfish, and online

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