South Dakota
$6 million dollars approved to improve literacy rates across South Dakota
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – According to the South Dakota Report Card, English language arts proficiency was at 50% among all students in South Dakota, with some districts showing rates as low as 20%.
On March 5th, Governor Kristi Noem signed into law a bill appropriating $6 million to expand phonics-based reading curriculum and teacher training. That funding, which will be used over four years, will allow elementary students to learn to read with a more intensive approach that relies on using sounds within words rather than letters.
South Dakota Education Secretary Joseph Graves says the switch to phonics-based, learning is essential to improving literacy rates and says it will work as it has in other states.
“Education researchers have demonstrated very clearly that there is a science of reading and that it means that we need to return a very systematic instruction in phonics. That will get us our best results for our students. This program has been demonstrated that it will work and in fact, it has already been working in other states,” Graves said.
Mississippi is one of those states to see strides with phonics. However, Mississippi’s director of the Elementary Education and Reading Office Tenette Smith has said she believes it will take South Dakota much more than the four-year, $6 million plan to make this goal long-lasting. Graves, however, says with the progress the state has made with previous funds, four years will be plenty of time to reach the goal.
“This next four years what we believe we’ll be able to do is get everybody else trained beginning after next year to provide the training and create the modules such that they will not only train the people in the field right now but also have the wherewithal to train incoming teach candidates and that way we’ll cover everybody,” Graves said.
Graves emphasized that reading is the core of everything else and says this is a fundamental goal that the state needs to get right and he believes will happen.
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While education can lead to higher paying careers, it all starts with finding that first actual job. At the most recent Board of Technical Education meeting, the state’s education leaders dove into the latest job placement rates.
Advocates say institutional effectiveness, measured in terms of graduate outcomes, job placement, and pay rates for outgoing students, is a critical assessment for higher education institutions, including trade schools. Trade schools that focus on specialty careers like construction, welding, nursing, or IT.
Jenna Reis is the policy and data analyst of the Board of Technical Education. She said the state takes a close look when collecting data.
“Before I jump into the numbers, I want to provide some brief context into how this data is collected,” Reis said. “Our technical college will lead the process, surveying their students starting six months after they complete their programs. In addition, students can supplement information using the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulations reemployment assistance, or that unemployment assistance record to fill in any gaps.”
Reis said these numbers highlight the kind of return on investment students at South Dakota trade schools are getting.
“If we look at employment first, among graduates who are employable, this years’ data shows 99 percent are employed, 93 percent are employed in a program-related field, and 85 percent are employed within their field in South Dakota,” Reis said. “These are strong numbers, in fact, you may notice in the chart we have very few graduates who are not in the labor market or are still seeking employment.”
That combines with an average salary of $53,000 annually for full-time work for these graduates.
The full data breakdown can be found in an online report.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at May 23, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 23 drawing
07-18-40-55-68, Mega Ball: 18
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from May 23 drawing
04-11-15-19-38, Lucky Ball: 04
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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