South Dakota

South Dakota schools are working to drive literacy rates back up

Published

2 years ago

February 5, 2024

South Dakota schools are working to drive literacy rates back up

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – South Dakota ranks 11th in the nation in literacy rates; that high ranking may not last. Post-pandemic, rates continue to drop.

According to the National Literacy Institute, illiteracy has become so prevalent that 130 million Americans cannot read a simple story to their children. Reading is the backbone of anything that you want to do in life. Kids who struggle to read not only fall behind in school but can also fall behind emotionally and socially as well.

“So, if you’re not reading well, you start to look around and think ‘Why is this so hard for me when that person over there, my friend, is done way ahead of me.’ So, then it starts to really work on a child’s sense of who they are,” says Coralee Alley, a school psychologist.

Kids who continue to struggle will eventually find other ways to survive, which can cause disturbances and anxious behavior.

“A lot of times when reading is a struggle day after day, about middle school, you can start to see, or earlier, some really more interfering behaviors,” Alley continues.

South Dakota maintains a high national reading average but after the pandemic, schools have noticed a steady drop in reading rates. Now, kids reading at basic levels are seen reading at below-basic levels.

To combat this, kids are now getting ahead by starting to read earlier.

“We start with early literacy, and we offer story times that engage the kids with songs, puppets, and a variety of stories with various themes. We also offer reading initiatives where it motivates kids to read at home and we make these custom tracking charts like a thousand books before kindergarten. Summer and winter reading, and they get proud tracking their accomplishments and turning them in for prizes, Laurinda Tapper from the Rapid City Public Library explains.

There are 5 major steps kids should take when it comes to mastering reading: language development, comprehension, phonemic awareness, phonics, and application

A major way to help your child get better at reading is simply by reading to them. Having physical books in the area can impact a child’s reading ability.

“Kids model behavior, right? They model their peers’ behavior; they model the adults’. Kids who live in homes where books are laid out say they see people reading, are like 60% more likely to be a good reader as they get older,” Alley concludes.

It is important to know what is behind the child’s difficulty, to take the right steps to get them into reading.

“The most important thing besides finding what interests them is to read at the right level. So, if they are reading something too easy, they are not going to grow in their literacy, but if they read something too difficult it’s going to discourage reading,” says Tapper.

House Bill 1022 would provide the South Dakota Department of Education with $6 million for a four-year statewide teacher training effort in the science of reading (SOR), an intensive approach to reading instruction at the elementary level that relies in part on phonics, or using sounds within words rather than letters to help children read.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 5, 2026

Published

5 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 5, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 5 drawing

17-20-23-30-33, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire 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.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

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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South Dakota

DOE selects nine school districts for 2026 South Dakota Perkins Reserve grant

Published

17 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

DOE selects nine school districts for 2026 South Dakota Perkins Reserve grant

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Nine school districts have been selected as recipients of the 2026 Perkins Reserve Grant by the South Dakota Department of Education.

The grant provides major equipment upgrades for Career and Technical Education programs, helping to equip students with the skills and experiences needed for post-secondary education and the workforce.

“CTE programs are constantly evolving to match the pace of workforce needs,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Joseph Graves.

“The South Dakota Perkins Reserve Grant aids schools in equipping students with current technologies, resources, and tools, offering students a realistic, hands-on learning experience that will strengthen their marketability to colleges or employers once they leave the K-12 education system.”

The following school districts have been named as the 2026 recipients:

Aberdeen School District:
- Awarded $30,233 for new precision machine equipment for the manufacturing program.
De Smet School District:
- Awarded $15,898 for modernizing metal fabrication within agriculture programs.
Lake Preston School District:
- Awarded $43,160 for expansion of program offers in multiple career clusters to strengthen industrial alignment.
McLaughlin School District:
- Awarded $11,997 to purchase equipment to offer a new culinary arts program.
Menno School District:
- Awarded $32,844 to purchase small engines and attend professional development opportunities to enhance the agricultural mechanics program.
Mitchell School District:
- Awarded $38,663 for the modernization of the automotive technology lab.
Timber Lake School District:
- Awarded $42,400 for the expansion of agriculture course offerings to strengthen industry alignment.
Wakpala School District:
- Awarded $40,145 to purchase a skid steer simulator to enhance the agriculture and construction program.
Wolsey-Wessington School District:
- Awarded $26,201 to purchase industry-aligned equipment to enhance the agriculture and construction program.

You can learn more about the South Dakota Perkins Reserve Grant at doe.sd.gov.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for March 4, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing

07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 4 drawing

33-38-39-47-51, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from March 4 drawing

02-18-22-30-32

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing

12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire 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.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

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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