Wild West Conference June 17, 2011

* Provide my vision for South Dakota’s education community * Provide clarity of work going forward * Provide my assurance of my passion to support schools even during difficult financial times

“Being in power is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

* Difficult financial times * NCLB is outdated * Reauthorization needs to happen “yesterday” * Challenged with high stakes, low morale, minimal funding * However… we continue to provide high quality educational opportunities for students

Like the blueprint for your house * Building block of life * A recipe or a code for constructing other components of cells * Bodies constantly recycling old cells out and replacing them with new cells. * DNA is the long-term storage of information of how to build the new cells and the whole body.

* I want to provide a blueprint for South Dakota education which is: * Provides a recipe for our education system to move forward * Recycles out antiquated practices and replaces them with new * Integrates and focuses initiatives to provide systemic leadership for change

* Double helix structure results from the way that hydrogen bonds connect the base pairs of the each strand and because of how base pairs "stack" on top of each other. * Moreover, the twisty double helix shape is essential for the stability of the DNA molecule.

* As we release our education goals, we want to make sure we can articulate: * Clarity of how our work bonds together * Clarity of how each component builds (stacks) on each one * Provide the stability for education during these difficult fiscal times.

* Meeting AYP * NOT ! * Instead… * Helping our students to be college and career ready!

Rigorous Standards Common Core Standards Three Year Implementation Plan Robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that young people need for success in college and careers.

Rigorous Standards Common Core Standards Danielson Standards/Evaluation Great Teachers & Leaders Three year implementation The quality of teaching is the single most important determinant of student learning

Rigorous Standards Common Core Standards Danielson Standards/Evaluation Quality Teachers School Accountability New Accountability System New accountability needs to focus on factors that identify schools most in need and reward others NCLB lacks the ability to determine school effectiveness

* Alignment of performance goals to college- and career-ready standards. * Annual determinations for each school and district with multiple measures – not an “AYP” determination only. * Focus on student outcomes – status & growth. * Continued Commitment to Disaggregation – but with logic! * Reporting of timely, actionable, and accessible data. * Deeper diagnostic reviews. * Building school and district capacity. * Targeting lowest performing schools. * Innovation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.

Rigorous Standards Common Core Standards Danielson Standards/Evaluation Quality Teachers School Accountability New Accountability System Healthy Students Embrace Healthy Lifestyle Strong correlation between physical activity & achievement Health is perhaps single most important long-term gift we can give to students

Rigorous Standards Common Core Standards Danielson Standards/Evaluation Quality Teachers School Accountability New Accountability System Healthy Students Career Planning Embrace Healthy Lifestyle SD MyLife (Personal Learning Plans)

Technology Innovations in instruction Career & Technical Ed Advanced Placement Alternative Education Project Based Learning

* The chemical structure of everyone’s DNA is the same * However, everyone has a different sequence which makes everyone’s DNA unique

* The foundation of our schools are built on the same principals: * Standards * Accountability * Teachers and leaders * However, how we arrive there varies based on the culture and makeup of your school

* I want to celebrate your uniqueness and embrace the stability that I hope we can help to provide through clear, concise, and interwoven goals and initiatives