Tag: Reading

Education, South DakotaLeave a comment

South Dakota ranks 21st in child well-being according to data book

Gary Dickson

South Dakota’s education rankings show a decline in fourth-grade reading proficiency and eighth-grade math skills. Despite some improvements, disparities in educational attainment persist for low-income and minority students. The state also faces challenges in children’s health insurance coverage. Investment in early education and support for families is crucial to address these issues and ensure children thrive. Continue reading South Dakota ranks 21st in child well-being according to data book

Education, Government, South DakotaLeave a comment

South Dakota literacy improvements likely to cost more than $6 million

Gary Dickson

South Dakota educators have pointed to dramatic literacy successes in the state of Mississippi as evidence for lawmakers to support a proposed $6 million investment into expanded phonics-based reading curriculum and teacher training.

But as the appropriation supported by Gov. Kristi Noem moves forward in the Legislature, a top literacy official in Mississippi said that while South Dakota’s plan is a good place to start, a one-time investment is unlikely to reverse falling reading rates in the Rushmore State.

House Bill 1022 would provide the South Dakota Department of Education with $6 million for a four-year statewide teacher training effort in the science of reading (SOR), an intensive approach to reading instruction at the elementary level that relies in part on phonics, or using sounds within words rather than letters to help children read. Continue reading South Dakota literacy improvements likely to cost more than $6 million