Goals and Objectives
GOAL ONE
By 2010, all third-grade students will be proficient - or on a path to become proficient - in reading and math.
Currently, 85 percent of third-grade students are proficient in reading and 78 percent are proficient in math. (Source: South Dakota's 2005 Report Card)
OBJECTIVES
BACKGROUND
SUMMARY
The Starting Strong piece of 2010E does two important things:
HIGHLIGHTS
The Starting Strong piece of 2010E does two important things:
FUNDING
South Dakota will use a blended approach to funding preschool, which would maximize existing resources. School districts could fund programs through a combination of Title I, Head Start, Special Education and state dollars. Eligibility for state funds would be determined by the same guidelines used for the national free and reduced lunch program. Funding streams will need to be identified at the state level.
Starting Strong
GOAL ONE
By 2010, all third-grade students will be proficient - or on a path to become proficient - in reading and math.
Currently, 85 percent of third-grade students are proficient in reading and 78 percent are proficient in math. (Source: South Dakota's 2005 Report Card)
OBJECTIVES
- Ensure that all students entering kindergarten are performing at developmentally appropriate levels.
- Demonstrate annual growth of 2 percent in reading and 5 percent in math in the primary grades (K-2), as measured by the Dakota STEP.
BACKGROUND
- To reach Goal One, the 2010E plan calls for targeting youngsters before they enter kindergarten.
- In a recent study by the National Institute for Early Education Research, South Dakota was identified as one of just 12 states nationwide that does not have a state-supported preschool program.
- A landmark, long-term study of early education - the High/Scope Perry Preschool project - documented a return on investment of more than $17 for every tax dollar invested in the preschool program.
- Experience demonstrates that the earlier students fall behind, the harder it is for them to catch up.
SUMMARY
The Starting Strong piece of 2010E does two important things:
- It initiates coordination of services for preschool programs to ensure that our youngest learners have the best start as they begin their K-12 academic experience.
- It provides support to teachers in the primary grades to ensure that all students are proficient in reading and math by third grade.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Starting Strong piece of 2010E does two important things:
- A Kids Cabinet, consisting of state agencies that serve children, will be established. The group will:
- Coordinate services for children provided by the state
- Serve as a springboard to launch new initiatives
- Provide a safety net for all South Dakota children
- The initiative provides for statewide preschool screening for all 3-year-olds. The process will begin with an assessment of existing services to identify any gaps that currently exist.
- Under the plan, qualified 4-year-olds will have access to quality preschool programs. (See separate fact sheet on preschool.)
- Kindergarten will become mandatory July 1, 2010. In fall of 2004, approximately 10,700 students were enrolled in kindergarten at public and private schools.
- Teachers at the K-3 level will receive targeted training designed to keep them abreast of the latest research-based strategies for teaching math and reading.
- An assessment tool for primary grades, currently nonexistent, will be established to assist teachers in measuring student progress.
- A curriculum guide for parents of primary-grade students will be produced. Commonly referred to as "refrigerator curriculum," the guide will outline basic concepts that a child should be able to master at a particular grade.
FUNDING
South Dakota will use a blended approach to funding preschool, which would maximize existing resources. School districts could fund programs through a combination of Title I, Head Start, Special Education and state dollars. Eligibility for state funds would be determined by the same guidelines used for the national free and reduced lunch program. Funding streams will need to be identified at the state level.
