ABERDEEN, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota’s schedule for making changes in K-12 education standards is changing.

The state Board of Education Standards approved adjustments to the schedule on Friday.

Health education standards will now be considered in 2025-26. They had been scheduled for 2023-24.

Social studies standards will now be considered in 2029-30. They had been scheduled for 2028-29.

Computer science standards also will be added. Those will be scheduled for the state board to start considering in fall 2024 and will come up again in 2029-30, according to Shannon Malone. She is the director of learning and instruction in the state Department of Education.

Normally, the schedule calls for revisions to be considered every seven years. Malone said the computer science standards will be on a five-year schedule because technology rapidly changes. “And that may be a little too long,” she said.

Board member Steve Perkins of Sioux Falls asked whether the standards-revision schedule can be changed at any time by the board.

“Yes,” replied Malone, “that is correct.” She said the department takes feedback from stakeholders and could bring proposed adjustments back any time that stakeholders don’t see the standards meeting their needs.

“A number of people think that these were chiseled in Mount Sinai or something for the period,” Perkins commented.

Board president Terry Nebelsick asked Secretary Joe Graves, who oversees the department for the governor, whether he was comfortable moving forward with the changes.

“Absolutely,” Graves said.

On Friday, the board held the first of four required public hearings on proposed revisions to the government and public administration cluster of CTE standards and to science standards.

No one testified in person or remotely on either set of proposals. The board received written comments from one person on proposed changes to the government and public administration cluster standards and from three people on proposed changes to science standards.

The next public hearing will be at the board’s November 20 meeting in Sioux Falls at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. CT.