Why It Matters
South Dakota has adopted revised mathematics standards for public schools, replacing a framework in use for more than a decade. The new requirements will shape what students learn in math classrooms statewide, though education officials acknowledge the approved document contains errors that will require correction.
The vote came despite warnings from classroom teachers and university faculty that the standards were not ready for implementation.
What Happened
The South Dakota Board of Education Standards voted unanimously Monday in Rapid City to approve the revised math standards. The decision followed six months of review and more than 50 changes to the original proposal.
Crystal McMachen, a middle school math teacher in Rapid City, identified three errors during the meeting, including duplicated standards and inconsistent wording between grade levels. She urged the board to reject the standards, saying they appeared insufficiently reviewed.
State Education Secretary Joe Graves told board members the department would bring back technical corrections at a later date. He said the current standards, adapted from Common Core, were unnecessarily complex. The new framework draws from standards used in other states and from materials developed by Hillsdale College, a private Christian institution in Michigan.
By the Numbers
Approximately 44 percent of South Dakota students scored proficient or above on state math tests annually over the past five years. A 20-person revision committee reviewed the proposal after it was developed by a statewide advisory group. Education officials accepted more than 80 percent of actionable changes recommended during the public comment period.
Zoom Out
Several states have revised math standards in recent years, with debates often centering on the balance between procedural skills and conceptual understanding. South Dakota previously worked with Hillsdale College on social studies standards approved in 2023.
Sharon Vestal, a mathematics professor at South Dakota State University and president of the state’s Council of Teachers of Mathematics, said the new standards prioritize procedures over concepts and make mathematics less precise. She attended every public hearing held on the proposal.
What’s Next
The state Department of Education will move forward with implementation of the standards. Officials indicated they would return to the board with corrections for technical errors that do not involve substantive content changes. The timeline for those fixes was not specified.