CHAPTER 24:43:02
STATE ACCREDITATION AND APPROVAL SYSTEM
Section
24:43:02:01 Public school districts required to maintain state accreditation.
24:43:02:02 State accreditation system defined.
24:43:02:03 Eligibility for state accreditation -- Compliance with regulations and district improvement plan.
24:43:02:04 Approval of district improvement plan.
24:43:02:05 Five-year accreditation cycle.
24:43:02:06 Accreditation review.
24:43:02:07 Amended improvement plan.
24:43:02:08 Plan of Intent.
24:43:02:01. Public school districts required to maintain state accreditation. A South Dakota public school district must maintain state accreditation during the previous school fiscal year to be eligible to receive state aid to education per SDCL 13-13-18.
Source: 31 SDR 178, adopted May 4, 2005, effective July 1, 2005.
General Authority: SDCL 1-45-13, 13-1-12.1, 13-3-1.4, 13-3-47.
Law Implemented: SDCL 13-13-18.
24:43:02:02. State accreditation system defined. For purposes of this article, the term state accreditation system, means a system established by the state to ensure that all public and non public school districts and public and non public schools comply with state law, administrative rule, and Department of Education policy in order that a uniform and free system of public education is maintained and open to all. The accreditation status of all public school districts shall be available to the public in department publications and on the department website.
Source: 31 SDR 178, adopted May 4, 2005, effective July 1, 2005; 34 SDR 127, effective November 14, 2007.
General Authority: SDCL 1-45-13, 13-1-12.1, 13-3-1.4, 13-3-47, 13-13-18.
Law Implemented: SDCL 13-1-12.1, 13-3-47.
24:43:02:03. Eligibility for state accreditation -- Compliance with regulations and district improvement plan. To be eligible for state accreditation, the school board of a public school district, or of a nonpublic school seeking accreditation, shall:
(1) Submit annual regulatory reports and assurances as required by the Department of Education, and in compliance with timelines set and made known by the department; and
(2) Establish, implement, and annually review an approved five-year district improvement plan. The contents and format of a public school district, or a nonpublic school, improvement plan, and the timelines for submission, shall be specified and made known by the Department of Education, and shall include all schools, attendance centers, and programs in the public school district or nonpublic school that are registered with the department and counted in the public school district or nonpublic school's annual ADM calculations.
Source: 31 SDR 178, adopted May 24, 2005, effective July 1, 2005; 33 SDR 55, effective October 2, 2006.
General Authority: SDCL 1-45-13, 13-1-12.1, 13-3-1.4, 13-3-47.
Law Implemented: SDCL 13-1-12.1.
24:43:02:04. Approval of district improvement plan. The Department of Education shall establish and make known criteria for approval of the five-year district improvement plan based on state law and administrative rule.
Source: 31 SDR 178, adopted May 4, 2005, effective July 1, 2005.
24:43:02:05. Five-year accreditation cycle. Public school district accreditation, and the accreditation of nonpublic schools that are seeking accreditation, is conducted by the Department of Education in a five-year cycle. The five-year accreditation cycle shall be reset beginning with the 2018-2019 school year in order to equitably distribute the number of accreditation reviews conducted each year. Transitional reviews shall be scheduled by the department in consultation with the accredited schools or districts. Transitional reviews of accredited schools or districts shall occur from the 2018-2019 school year to the 2022-2023 school year, and be prioritized according to data analysis and criteria set by the department and made available on the department's publicly available website. Transitional reviews shall be conducted in accordance with the requirements of chapter 24:43:02.
A regular five-year accreditation cycle shall be established by the 2022-2023 school year.
Source: 31 SDR 178, adopted May 24, 2005, effective July 1, 2005; 33 SDR 55, effective October 2, 2006; 44 SDR 192, effective July 2, 2018.
General Authority: SDCL 13-1-12.1, 13-3-1.4, 13-3-47, 13-13-18.
Law Implemented: SDCL 13-1-12.1.
24:43:02:06. Accreditation review. At the conclusion of the five-year cycle, at a time mutually agreed upon, any public school district or nonpublic school that is eligible for continued state accreditation shall undergo a comprehensive review by the Department of Education to:
(1) Assess progress with the comprehensive improvement plan;
(2) Review the public school district or nonpublic school's performance during the preceding five years, including the documented academic performance of its students;
(3) Provide a general assessment of educational practices;
(4) Make recommendations regarding the review findings for the purpose of improving educational practices beyond the level of minimum compliance to foster practices of continuous improvement; and
(5) Determine that the public school district or nonpublic school, including all related schools and programs, is in compliance with state laws and administrative rules.
Source: 31 SDR 178, adopted May 4, 2005, effective July 1, 2005; 33 SDR 55, effective October 2, 2006; 40 SDR 40, effective September 11, 2013.
General Authority: SDCL 13-1-12.1, 13-3-1.4, 13-3-47, 13-13-18.
Law Implemented: SDCL 13-1-12.1.
24:43:02:07. Amended improvement plan. A school board may submit to the department an amendment to its improvement plan at any time during the five-year cycle. The amendment shall conform to the requirements for content and format specified by the department for the original plan, and shall be reviewed upon receipt. The department shall inform the board in writing of the approval or disapproval of the amendment; the transaction shall become a permanent part of the district's accreditation records.
Source: 31 SDR 178, adopted May 4, 2005, effective July 1, 2005.
General Authority: SDCL 13-1-12.1, 13-3-1.4, 13-3-47, 13-13-18.
Law Implemented: SDCL 13-1-12.1.
24:43:02:08. Plan of Intent. Any district employing teachers or administrators who are non certified or are serving outside of their current certification shall have on file with the Department of Education a plan of intent stating how the district intends to ensure that all teachers and administrators are serving on a valid certificate in their certified areas. The plan of intent must be fulfilled in one calendar year. The district may request a one-time, one-year extension to the duration of the plan of intent to be granted at the culmination of the first year of the plan of intent cycle.
Source: 34 SDR 127, effective November 14, 2007.
General Authority: SDCL 13-1-12.1, 13-42-3.
Law Implemented: SDCL 13-42-1 to 13-42-4.
