Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Postsecondary Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District report shows most graduates enroll at South Dakota universities; career-readiness test to be discontinued locally
Summary
Dr. Zeke, the district staff member who presented the post‑secondary report, told the Sioux Falls School District 49‑5 Board of Education the district tracks graduate pathways to inform curriculum and program planning.
Dr. Zeke, the district staff member who presented the Sioux Falls School District 49‑5 post‑secondary report, told the school board the district tracks where graduates go after high school to inform curriculum and program planning.
The presentation showed that roughly 59% of graduates enroll in some form of post‑secondary education during their first year, and that the top destinations for district graduates include South Dakota State University, the University of South Dakota and Southeast Technical College. “A high percentage of our students who graduate in the Sioux Falls from the Sioux Falls school district go to South Dakota State and the University of South Dakota,” Dr. Zeke said.
The report included multi‑year tracking that follows cohorts for several years after graduation and highlighted different student pathways: immediate employment, two‑year and four‑year schools, technical training, apprenticeships and returning to education after gap years.
Dr. Zeke also said the district will no longer administer the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) in the district. He described the change as tied to an earlier state initiative that had paid for testing through the Department of Labor; “they are no longer gonna do that moving forward. So we chose not to follow that, going into this year,” he said. In the district’s final year of administering the assessment, he said about 89% of students who took it achieved a bronze level or higher.
Board members asked how the data informs curriculum decisions such as dual credit, career and technical education (CTE) and internships. Dr. Zeke said district staff meet with local post‑secondary partners including Southeast Technical College, SDSU and USD to align course offerings and discussed new initiatives such as an apprenticeship program allowing juniors and seniors to earn wages and credentials during the school day or summer. He also referenced an emerging cyber apprenticeship program and a teacher pathway program that allows paraeducators to earn credentials while gaining classroom experience.
A board member asked about supports for first‑generation college students. Dr. Zeke said the district partners with TRIO programs from USD and SDSU and is piloting college and career access counselors at Jefferson High School to help students secure dual credit and other supports. Board members suggested a future work session to show the career exploration process from middle school through high school.
A motion to acknowledge the post‑secondary report was made and approved by voice vote.
The board did not set policy changes in the presentation; presenters and board members described the report as informational and said it will guide discussion of curriculum alignment and pathway expansion.
