The South Dakota Board of Education Standards (BOES) has started the process of taking public comments on proposed new content standards for K-12 Schools.
Monday’s (Sept. 16, 2024) hearing in Aberdeen was the first of four that will be held during the current school year. Subject areas covered were English Language Arts, K-8 Computer Science and Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings & Standards.
State Education Secretary Joe Graves responded to criticism that the proposed Native American Oceti Sakowin standards are optional, rather than required.
Other hearings on the proposed standards will be held throughout the 2024-25 school year during board meetings in Sioux Falls (Nov. 4, 2024), Pierre (Feb. 10, 2025) and Rapid City (April 14, 2025).
Members of the public can submit written comments online until the final hearing in April 2025. At that meeting, the BOES will take final action on the proposed standards for all three subject areas during its final meeting next year.
To access the proposed standards and to provide public comment online, visit the DOE’s Content Standards: Under Review webpage. Comments sent by mail should be directed to:
Department of Education
ATTN: Shannon Malone
800 Governor’s Drive
Pierre, SD 57501
The Department of Education is responsible for preparing content standards for each grade, and the BOES hosts hearings to give the public the opportunity to provide input regarding the proposed standards.
The proposed standards were developed through the recommendations made by work groups and the DOE. Members of the work groups consisted of K-12 educators, postsecondary representatives, parents and other stakeholders.
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