Second Grade is built on the national frameworks that most state standards are based on or closely resemble: the Common Core State Standards for math and English language arts, the national K-12 science framework (the Next Generation Science Standards*), and the C3 Framework for social studies. Every lesson lists the standard it teaches.
South Dakota State Standards for Mathematics (2026)
The state's own standardsAdopted 2026
Adopted May 4, 2026. They replace the 2018 standards, which followed Common Core, and were described as a move away from Common Core. The Grade 2 topics (place value to 1,000, coins and bills, time to 5 minutes, equal shares) stay close to the national framework. The DOE page gives no classroom start date yet.
Official standards (opens in a new tab)South Dakota English Language Arts & Literacy Standards (2025)
Based on the Common Core, with the state's own changesAdopted 2025
Adopted April 14, 2025. They keep the College and Career Readiness anchor standards and Common Core numbering and put more weight on phonics (science of reading). 2025-26 is the transition year, classrooms teach to them in 2026-27, and testing starts spring 2027.
Official standards (opens in a new tab)South Dakota Science Standards (2024)
Based on the national science framework, with the state's own changesAdopted 2024
Adopted April 22, 2024. The state says it used the Next Generation Science Standards* and the Framework for K-12 Science Education as references and folded engineering design into the science standards. Grade 2 uses the same topics and codes as the national standards.
Official standards (opens in a new tab)South Dakota Social Studies Standards (2023)
The state's own standards
Adopted April 17, 2023. Grade 2 is a history year: 'World: 315-1492 and America: 1787-1908'. It covers the fall of Rome through the Renaissance alongside the early United States under the Constitution, plus civics and map skills.
Official standards (opens in a new tab)Social studies: Grade 2 covers world history from 315 to 1492 and U.S. history from 1787 to 1908. Children also find landmarks such as Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial on a map. The national framework does not assign these periods to Grade 2.
Add at homeAdd a 20-minute session to find Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial on a South Dakota map. For the history periods, add a short string timeline like the one in Week 24, using library picture books.
ELA: cursive is part of Grade 2 (2.L.2.a, write legibly in print and cursive). Common Core has no cursive standard.
Add at homeAdd 10 minutes of cursive practice 3 times a week from Week 19, starting with the lowercase letters c, a, d and g, which all begin with the same stroke. Use lined paper and have your child trace, then copy, 3 letters a session, and later join them into short words like cat and dad.
Verified: 2026-09-30. Standards change; always check your state's official page.