The amendment clarifies and streamlines the rules for awarding high school credit for extracurricular activities by specifying that fine arts credit (up to one credit total, one-fourth per activity) and physical education credit (up to one-half credit total, one-fourth per activity) can be earned through documented alignment with state content standards, while also tightening language around career and technical education course approval requirements. This NARROWS the bill's scope by establishing clearer limits on extracurricular credit eligibility rather than broadly directing amendment of all graduation requirements.
26.112.13 26.112.14 101st Legislative Session 1008 2026 South Dakota Legislature House Bill 1008 HOUSE EDUCATION ENGROSSED Introduced by: Representative Rice Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. An Act to direct the amendment of the Administrative Rules of South Dakota 1 regarding the awarding of high school credit for participation in 2 extracurricular athletics. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA: 4 Section 1. No later than September 30, 2026, the South Dakota Board of Education 5 Standards shall, pursuant to chapter 1-26, provide for and file with the secretary of state, the 6 amendment of § 24:43:11:02, as set forth below: 7 24:43:11:02. General requirements for high school graduation. The units of 8 credit number of credits required for high school graduation must include the following at 9 least: 10 (1) Four units or more credits of language arts that, which must include the following: 11 (a) One unit credit of writing; 12 (b) One-half unit credit of speech or debate; and 13 (c) One unit credit of literature that must include one-half unit credit of 14 American literature; 15 (2) Three units or more credits of social studies that, which must include the following: 16 (a) One unit credit of U.S. history; and 17 (b) One-half unit credit of U.S. government; 18 (3) Three units or more credits of mathematics that, which must include one unit credit 19 of algebra I; 20 (4) Three units or more credits of science that, which must include one unit of biology; 21 (5) One unit or more credit in any combination of the following: 22 (a) Approved career and technical education courses; 23 (b) A capstone experience; and 24 (c) World languages; 25 (6) One-half unit credit of personal finance or economics; 26 26.112.13 26.112.14 2 1008 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. (7) One unit credit of fine arts; 1 (8) One-half unit credit of physical education; 2 (9) One-half unit credit of health or health integration; and 3 (10) Five and one-half units credits of electives. 4 A state-approved advanced computer science course may be substituted for one 5 unit credit of science, but may not be substituted for provided that the science course 6 being replaced is not biology. 7 Within the coursework outlined above, a student may earn one or more advanced 8 endorsement, but is not required to do so. A student may earn one or more of the following 9 advanced endorsements: advanced, advanced career, and advanced honors. Substitutions 10 for laboratory science, using a state-approved computer science course, do not apply to 11 the advanced and advanced honors endorsements. 12 Students A student may be granted up to one credit in fine arts for participation in 13 extracurricular activities. A maximum of one-fourth credit may be granted for each 14 extracurricular activity each school year. In order to grant credit, a district must document 15 the alignment of the activity with A student may be granted a maximum of one-fourth 16 credit for each extracurricular activity each school year. In order to grant credit, the school 17 district shall document how the extracurricular activity aligns with the fine arts content 18 standards as approved by the South Dakota Board of Education Standards. 19 A student may be granted up to one-half credit in physical education for 20 participation in school-sanctioned extracurricular varsity athletic activities. A student may 21 be granted a maximum of one-fourth credit for each extracurricular varsity athletic activity 22 each school year. In order to grant credit for participation in an extracurricular varsity 23 athletic activity, the school district shall document how the varsity athletic activity aligns 24 with the physical education standards approved by the South Dakota Board of Education 25 Standards. 26 Academic core content credit may be earned by completing an approved career 27 and technical education course. Approval to offer credit must be obtained through an 28 application process with the Department of Education. The application must include: 29 (1) Course syllabus; 30 (2) Standards based curriculum; 31 (3) Teacher certification; 32 (4) Assessment of standards by methods including end-of-course exams, authentic 33 assessment, project-based learning or rubrics a copy of the teacher's certification 34 26.112.13 26.112.14 3 1008 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. and a course syllabus that includes assessment standards and demonstrates that 1 curriculum is based on state content standards. 2 Source: 10 SDR 111, effective April 24, 1984; 11 SDR 96, 11 SDR 112, effective 3 July 1, 1985; 16 SDR 214, effective June 12, 1990; 23 SDR 31, effective September 8, 4 1996; 27 SDR 75, adopted January 17, 2001; 29 SDR 140, adopted April 1, 2003; 31 SDR 5 129, adopted March 2, 2005, effective July 1, 2009; transferred from § 24:03:06:06.01, 6 31 SDR 178, adopted May 4, 2005, effective July 1, 2005; 33 SDR 55, adopted September 7 11, 2006, effective September 1, 2007; 33 SDR 55, adopted September 11, 2006, 8 effective September 1, 2009; 36 SDR 96, effective December 8, 2009; 45 SDR 35, 9 effective September 19, 2018. 10 General Authority: SDCL 13-1-12.1, 13-3-47. 11 Law Implemented: SDCL 13-3-1.4, 13-33-1, 13-33-19. 12