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 [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewfL1fKpdhOHycvklh7ch0IXfWTd55dJNi2bkHVg5UQAmOqg/viewform]. Read more at https://doe.sd.gov/documents/CNA-training.pdf.

Why should new principals sign up for the Principal Leadership and Development program? Registration [https://compensation.sasd.org/memberlogin.aspx] 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. Andes Central 6-12 Principal Bill Hummel: The mentor program for principals was beneficial in three ways: Networking with other administrators Informative: We were able to ask questions and were given examples of calendar events or situations that might arise during the year. Comfort: It allowed me to realize that we are all dealing with the same issues and the knowledge base is out there to help you. Arlington School District K-12 Principal Lisa Parry: Being paired with Belinda Miller, Sioux Valley High School's veteran principal, was critical to my success as a first-year administrator. When I found myself feeling uncertain or overwhelmed, I would call or email Belinda, and she would provide sage advice. As I grow and evolve, I know I will continue to collaborate with her, and I hope ours will grow into a mutually beneficial relationship. Dakota Valley Elementary Principal Kristi Maloney: As a new principal, there were so many things that I needed to learn and understand to be effective in my new role; the most pressing being how to effectively transition from teacher to administrator. The Principal Leadership and Development program was an excellent way for me to begin learning and growing as an administrator, differently than I had grown as a teacher, and allowed me to connect and network with others who were in similar situations. I was assigned a mentor with whom I was able to problem-solve, plan, and share in order to keep small things small, and with whom I will be able to collaborate for the length of our careers as we both navigate the unique position of building principal. Dell Rapids High School Principal Drew Bunkers: The Principal Leadership and Development program was a tremendous aspect of my professional growth during my first two years as a building administrator. You will not find a better opportunity to learn from veterans in the education field while also networking and bonding with others just beginning their leadership careers in their respective schools. I found every session to be beneficial and believe the greatest takeaway from the program will be the friendships I was able to develop with other early-career principals in my area. Georgia Morse Middle School (Pierre) Principal Dr. Kyley Cumbow: The principal mentoring program is a great professional development opportunity for both new principals and for mentors. The greatest outcome for the program is the “cohort” that naturally develops and creates a greater networking system for both principals. This is an avenue that helps alleviate some of the isolation that principals in South Dakota can experience. I highly recommend this program for all of South Dakota’s new principals. Madison Middle School Principal Dr. Cotton Koch: The mentoring program provided me the opportunity to work with two principals. I enjoyed the professional collaboration and reflection that comes with mentoring a person. For me it was rewarding to give back to our profession and work with innovative leaders in our state. Martin Grade School Principal Amie Kuxhaus: I would recommend new principals participate in the Principal Leadership and Development program. It was a great way to get to know and network with other principals across the state. Many of the topics that were shared at conferences and webinars helped focus and develop instructional leadership skills. It also gave me resources (other principals) to call and bounce ideas off and ask what is working for them. It felt like there was a support system that was working along with me through my first years as a principal. Stanley County Elementary Principal Terri Mehlhaff: The Principal Leadership and Development program offered great networking with both new and experienced administrators across our state. The relationships and support from other administrators has been priceless. The program also met my needs by providing a variety of topics to discuss, readily available resources, and strategies to take back to my building. I have grown greatly as an administrator in the areas of confidence, communication, and self-reflection as a result of participating in this program. Wagner High School Principal Neil Goter: I believe in the program as it gives starts to set up networks with other peers in the profession. It gives the new principal a sounding board for ideas and problem solving as well as for the experienced principal to hear some new ideas. Overall it is a good program for new principals to feel welcomed into the profession.

	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 [https://doe.sd.gov/mentoring/] for details. SDPB’s In the Moment: Statewide Mentor Program Summer Academy [https://listen.sdpb.org/post/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.

Read more at https://doe.sd.gov/TeacherEffectiveness/.

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) [https://southdakota.gosignmeup.com/public/Course/browse?courseid=12651]
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 [http://sdlegislature.gov/docs/Interim/2019/agendas/ASPE07112019.pdf]. The committee was established by SB 3 [http://sdlegislature.gov/docs/legsession/2019/Bills/SB3ENR.pdf] 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:

Poverty in our Schools resource kit [https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2019/july/documents/Poverty1.pdf]
School Culture resource kit [https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2019/july/documents/SchoolCulture.pdf]

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 the 2019-20 Multi-Grade Teacher Professional Development & Support Program for K-12 teachers in the multi-grade instructional setting, multi-grade rural schools, and multi-grade Hutterite Colony schools. The goals of the program are to strengthen multi-grade instructional planning and unit design.

Please encourage multi-grade teachers in your schools and districts to participate.

Rationale:
Many rural schools, and nearly all Hutterite Colony attendance centers, are structured in multi-grade classrooms. Multi-grade teaching presents unique challenges in regards to knowledge of multiple grade-level standards, unit design and planning, instructional practices, and assessment.

While differentiation within a grade-level classroom is standard practice, current teacher preparation programs and in-service workshops may not address the uniquely challenging context of differentiating across multiple grade levels.

The main challenges for teachers in this particular setting are:

Planning for multi-grade lessons and/or multi-grade unit design
Working knowledge of multiple grade levels of state content standards
Instructional practices – differentiation across multiple grade-level standards
Incorporating strategies and instruction to build academic language skills

Activities:
Part One: Two-day Kick-Off Conference at the MacKay Building in Pierre:

Aug. 13, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. CT and
Aug. 14, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. CT

Part Two: Book Study (book provided to participants at August kick-off event)

September through December 2019
Module One: Introduction to Differentiation
Module Two: Strategies and Planning
Module Three: Differentiation in Content, Process, and Assessment

Part Three: Face-to-Face Workshop

Jan. 3, 2020, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. CT, Pierre

Part Four: Putting into Action

Plan and teach one multi-grade unit
One Zoom meeting with mentor during the planning phase
Record teaching one lesson from the unit to share and reflect on with mentor

Part Five: Culminating Face-to-Face Workshop

May 29, 2020, Pierre
Reflection and sharing

Participants:
These activities will be open to any teachers in South Dakota currently teaching in a multi-grade classroom. Priority will be given to multiple teachers from the same district applying together; however, teachers may apply as single participants. Administration must support and approve involvement. A webinar will provide information. Teachers may earn three graduate-level credits for participation and completion of all activities as listed. (CEU contact hours can be awarded in lieu of graduate credits.)

Activities and requirements:
Credit-bearing activities: If a teacher is selected to participate in the credit-bearing activities, University of Sioux Falls credit registration will be shared during the kick-off conference. Following the kick-off, each participant will be teamed with a mentor to facilitate the remaining activities.

Application process:

Teachers will complete the Multi-Grade Project Application Form at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/19-20MultiGrade
Administrator support: As part of the application process, complete the Administrator Sign-Off Form found within the online application. Applicants will be prompted to upload the form at the appropriate time.

Questions? Email Gwyneth Fastnacht [Gwyneth.fastnacht@k12.sd.us] or Tanya Vitek [Tanya.Vitek@k12.sd.us].

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 [https://doe.sd.gov/cte/PerkinsV.aspx]. 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

Read more at https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/documents/2019/0702-21CCLC.pdf.

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 [https://doe.sd.gov/ESSA/].

Upcoming Events

Except where otherwise noted, details on the following events are available at GoSignMeUp [http://southdakota.gosignmeup.com/].

Summer book studies on English learner topics
Self-paced, online [https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/educationonline/2019/June/documents/ELReading.pdf]

Board of Education Standards
July 15, Pierre [https://boardsandcommissions.sd.gov/Meetings.aspx?BoardID=32]

National Customized Learning Summit
July 16-18, Rapid City [https://web.cvent.com/event/fc5ace97-d6d8-4bf2-bd23-45bd8e0f6036/summary]

Co-Teaching & Collaboration (for educators working with English learners)
July 22, Mitchell [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/july-22-co-teaching-collaboration-mitchell-tickets-55909992292]
July 23, Aberdeen [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/july-23-co-teaching-collaboration-aberdeen-tickets-55910576038]

School Nutrition Association/Child and Adult Nutrition Services Conference & Workshops
July 23-25, Pierre [https://www.snasd.org/snasd-state-conference]

CTE Conference
July 28-30, Mitchell [https://doe.sd.gov/cte/training.aspx]

2019 IEP Workshops
Various dates and locations statewide, summer and fall [https://doe.sd.gov/pressroom/zebra/news/19/May/documents/IEP-workshop.pdf]

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 [https://sdoem.eventsmart.com/events/active-shooter-workshop-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 [https://sites.google.com/view/sdslbootcamp2019]

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