Title-1
Title-2
Title-2
Title-3
Title-4
Renzulli Learning
South Dakota Career Readiness Alignment
A Comprehensive Guide to Integrating Renzulli Learning with State Standards
Renzulli Learning helps South Dakota schools prepare students to be college, career, and life ready by developing critical thinking, creativity, and executive function (planning, organization, working memory, self-regulation)—the durable skills that drive success in postsecondary education, the workforce, and adult life.
The South Dakota Department of Education’s aspiration is that all students leave the K–12 system college, career, and life ready, tying preparation to both workforce needs and readiness for credit-bearing postsecondary coursework.
South Dakota requires every student in grades 9–12 to have a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) documenting a minimum of 22 units of credit that meet state graduation requirements.
Through Career Ready SD and Work-Based Learning (WBL), the state emphasizes connecting students and industry so that work experiences bridge academic, technical, and employability skill development—helping students become college, career, and life ready while businesses develop their future workforce.
South Dakota Frameworks We Support
Career & Technical Education (CTE) – South Dakota Department of Education –
https://doe.sd.gov/cte/Career Ready SD – Work-Based Learning – https://careerready.sd.gov
South Dakota MyLife (SDMyLife) – Career Planning & Exploration (Grades 6–12) –
https://sdmylife.com/Personal Learning Plans (PLP) – 22-Credit Requirement (Grades 9–12) –
https://sdmylife.com/personal-learning-plansSouth Dakota High School Graduation Requirements – Base Diploma (22 Credits) –
https://doe.sd.gov/gradrequirements/documents/Grad-Infographic.pdf
How Renzulli Learning Supports South Dakota's Career Readiness Goals
Grade Band | South Dakota Focus | Renzulli Learning Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| K–5 Career Awareness & Readiness Habits | Build early career awareness and show students that today’s learning connects to tomorrow’s careers. South Dakota emphasizes career, college, and life readiness as a K–12 aspiration and promotes early exposure to career options and the relationship between education and future opportunities. | The Renzulli Profiler surfaces each child’s interests, strengths, and learning preferences. Early project-based learning (PBL) around community helpers and real-world issues, plus daily plan–do–review routines, builds Executive Function (EF) (planning, focus, self-regulation) and habits of self-direction, collaboration, and problem-solving, laying the foundation for SDMyLife and PLP work in later grades. |
| 6–8 Career Exploration, SDMyLife & PLP Foundations | Middle school students deepen career exploration and begin structured use of SDMyLife and similar tools to understand themselves, explore careers, and start planning coursework. State guidance highlights career awareness in elementary, exploration in middle school, and preparation in high school along the WBL continuum. | The Personal Success Plan (PSP) in Renzulli functions as an early Personal Learning Plan: students set goals, reflect, and collect evidence of growth. EF assessment pinpoints planning/working-memory needs; structured research and design challenges connect students to South Dakota career clusters, CTE options, and SDMyLife exploration; 21st-century skills activities (creativity, collaboration, communication) support the state’s vision for college, career, and life readiness. |
| 9–12 PLPs, CTE, WBL & Graduation (22 Credits) | All students in grades 9–12 must have a Personal Learning Plan documenting at least 22 units of credit that satisfy state graduation requirements, with options for advanced endorsements. PLPs, CTE programs, SDMyLife, and Career Ready SD WBL help students design pathways that lead directly to college, technical education, the military, or employment. | Capstones, internships, and Type III projects in Renzulli align with CTE sequences and WBL stages (Exploration, Engagement, Experiences). EF reporting supports on-time task completion, organization, and workplace habits; PSP/PLP artifacts map cleanly to course planning, SDMyLife activities, and local graduation reviews. Creativity (including CTC-aligned tasks) produces industry-relevant products, presentations, and digital portfolios that demonstrate the academic, technical, and employability skills valued in South Dakota’s accountability system and CTE/WBL initiatives. |
| At-Risk / Transition (College, Career & Life Ready) | The state’s ESSA plan and guidance emphasize ensuring that all students, including those with higher needs, leave the K–12 system college, career, and life ready, using career planning, PLPs, WBL, and CTE to connect school to adult life and workforce demands. | Leadership and workplace modules in Renzulli build confidence, employability, and self-advocacy. Regular PSP/PLP check-ins provide structure and accountability; progress monitoring aligns with South Dakota’s college-, career-, and life-ready aspiration. Embedded Executive Function routines reinforce persistence, organization, and adaptability as students transition to two- and four-year colleges, technical institutes, apprenticeships, the military, or employment. |
Core Capabilities (K–12)
21st-Century & Durable Skills
Structured activities strengthen creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, adaptability, and professionalism—the same broad competencies South Dakota highlights in career, college, and life ready messaging and Career Ready SD work-based learning resources that emphasize academic, technical, and employability skills.Executive Function (EF)
Built-in assessment and growth routines for planning, organization, working memory, and self-regulation help educators scaffold the habits students need to succeed in core courses, CTE pathways, credit-bearing WBL experiences, and PLP-driven graduation plans.Personal Success Plan (PSP) / Personal Learning Plan Alignment
Goal-setting, reflection, and evidence of growth in PSP align directly with South Dakota’s Personal Learning Plan requirement (grades 9–12, minimum 22 credits), giving counselors and teachers a living portfolio that ties together SDMyLife exploration, course planning, CTE participation, and WBL experiences.Project-Based Enrichment
Student-driven investigations connect to South Dakota’s key industries, regional labor-market needs, and community issues, pairing naturally with CTE coursework and Career Ready SD WBL (Exploration, Engagement, Experiences) to generate artifacts that can be referenced in PLPs, advanced endorsements, and postsecondary advising.Profiler-Powered Personalization
Interests, strengths, and learning styles from the Renzulli Profiler drive differentiated enrichment and pathway planning so students choose courses, CTE programs, SDMyLife career paths, WBL opportunities, and postsecondary options that genuinely reflect who they are—supporting the state’s goal that students leave high school college, career, and life ready.
Research Evidence & Long-Term Outcomes
SEM foundation, career-relevant gains
Enrichment-oriented models like the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM)—the foundation of Renzulli Learning—are associated with improved academic performance, more students choosing rigorous coursework (including STEM), and greater entry into high-value postsecondary fields, all strong indicators of college and career readiness.CTE & Postsecondary Outcomes in South Dakota
A study of Nebraska and South Dakota found that completing a sequence of CTE courses is associated with higher rates of on-time graduation and improved postsecondary enrollment and completion, underscoring the value of CTE-aligned, project-based learning like that supported in Renzulli Learning.Executive Function as the engine
EF assessment plus project workflows build self-management, focus, and perseverance—skills central to success in 22-credit graduation requirements, Personal Learning Plans, CTE pathways, and Work-Based Learning, and critical to South Dakota’s aspiration that all students leave K–12 college, career, and life ready.
Why South Dakota Districts Choose Renzulli Learning
Aligned & Documented
Direct support for South Dakota CTE, Career Ready SD work-based learning, SDMyLife exploration, Personal Learning Plans (22-credit requirement), and state graduation expectations, all within a coherent, student-centered approach to college, career, and life readiness.
Measurable Skill Development
Actionable Executive Function data, creativity assessment and growth, and 21st-century skill rubrics help schools show impact on the academic, technical, and employability skills that South Dakota ties to career, college, and life ready graduates and to CTE/WBL outcomes.
Future-Ready & Human-Centered
Renzulli Learning builds uniquely human strengths—creativity, critical thinking, leadership, collaboration—that complement AI and automation, positioning South Dakota students to thrive in a rapidly changing labor market while remaining grounded in local workforce needs and high-demand sectors.
Ready to Implement South Dakota Career Readiness Standards?
See how Executive Function, creativity, and 21st-century skills translate into stronger Personal Learning Plans, CTE and Work-Based Learning participation, and postsecondary success for South Dakota students.
Start Your Free Trial Today!
Your free trial gives you Full Access to Renzulli Learning for 30 Days!