FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, Aug. 6, 2021

CONTACT: Mary Stadick Smith, South Dakota Department of Education, 605-773-7228, or

Ruth Raveling, South Dakota Department of Education, 605-773-2593

Proposed content standards posted for public comment

PIERRE, S.D. – Proposed content standards in several subject areas are now posted for public comment on the South Dakota Department of Education’s website. The subject areas are:

• Career and technical education (Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications; Finance; Health Science; Human Services; Manufacturing)
• Fine arts
• Social studies

“Content standards provide a road map for what students should know and be able to do by the end of each grade,” said Secretary of Education Tiffany Sanderson. “They set broad expectations for student learning, and we look forward to South Dakotans weighing in on this important conversation.”

State law charges the Department of Education with preparing content standards for each grade. The Board of Education Standards, in turn, is responsible for hosting four hearings, to give members of the public the opportunity to provide input regarding the proposed standards.   

The board will hold the first public hearing on these proposed standards at its Sept. 20 meeting at Holgate Middle School in Aberdeen. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. (Central). The other three hearings will be held throughout the 2021-22 school year at board meetings in Sioux Falls, Pierre, and Rapid City. The board will take final action on the proposed standards at the last of these meetings.

In addition to making public comment at the four hearings, members of the public can submit written comment at any time, up until the final hearing, via an online tool or standard mail.

The proposed standards were developed through recommendations made by work groups and the Department of Education. Members of the work groups consisted of K-12 educators, postsecondary representatives, parents, representatives of business and industry, and other stakeholders.

To access the proposed standards and to provide public comment via the online tool, visit the Department of Education’s Content Standards: Under Review webpage. Comments sent by mail should be directed to: Department of Education, ATTN: Laura Scheibe or Shannon Malone, 800 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501.

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