STATE FUNDING GUIDE

South Dakota

South Dakota has no single named literacy statute; the Board of Education Standards adopted revised ELA standards grounded in the science of reading (finalized April 2025), supported by the SD DOE Literacy Framework and a 2024 legislative investment of roughly $6 million for science-of-reading teacher training. The main money districts can access for intervention work is the Elevating Literacy Across South Dakota (ELA-SD) grant, funded by a $54 million federal Comprehensive Literacy State Development award, with the first competitive subgrants awarded in December 2025. No dedicated recurring state literacy fund for curriculum purchases was identified; districts typically use federal Title I/IDEA alongside ELA-SD subgrants.

South Dakota Literacy Framework / science-of-reading ELA standards adoption (2025)

How schools fund reading intervention in South Dakota

The state-level programs below are the streams South Dakota districts most often use for evidence-based reading intervention purchases, alongside the federal streams available everywhere.

Elevating Literacy Across South Dakota (ELA-SD) Grant

SD DOE subgrants 95% of its $54 million federal CLSD award to districts through competitive two-year and four-year grants prioritizing districts with high percentages of students reading below grade level; funds can cover literacy coaches, teacher training, and curriculum aligned with the SD Literacy Framework and science of reading.

State science-of-reading training appropriation (2024)

The 2024 Legislature invested about $6 million so educators statewide can access free science-of-reading professional development through SD DOE; this covers PD rather than curriculum, but reduces the training cost of implementing a new intervention.

Approved-list note: South Dakota does not publish a state-approved reading intervention program list; ELA-SD subgrant spending must align with the South Dakota Literacy Framework and the science of reading.

Official state resource →