WILLISTON, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) and the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee (EOC) released the 2023 SC School Report Card results, which showed overall improvement but a few areas that need improvement.
The release came during a ceremony at Kelly Edwards Elementary School in Williston, South Carolina. The Report Cards are meant to highlight student performance information and other elements of school quality and effectiveness gathered over the 2022-2023 school year.
The latest results show 22.5% of the schools in South Carolina received an overall rating of Excellent, representing an almost two percent increase from the previous year. Also, half of all students in the state's public schools are enrolled in a school with an overall rating of Excellent or Good.
At the press conference in Williston on Tuesday, State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver said the key to the reading improvements was a new approach to reading science.
“So in the realm of reading is the most foundational skill that our students have to have if they’re going to be successful in life. It’s a curriculum that is aligned to the science of reading," she said.
While improvements were made in English Language Arts (ELA) scores, SCDE and EOC officials noted that more than half of SC students are not meeting grade level standards in Math.
Weaver said the challenges in mathematics are a national trend.
“The research is showing us that if you want to close those gaps in math you need one-on-one or small group instruction in addition to classroom instruction time that takes place." The Superintendent added the Department of Education is working with the General Assembly to implement additional time to improve math scores.
State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver commented, “Looking forward, we must redouble our efforts to support early literacy using the Science of Reading, a strategy that we already see showing strong promise in SC’s ELA scores. We must also focus the same attention on boosting effective math materials and instruction. Our students will never get a second chance at their education, and our urgent priority must be equipping them with the foundational skills they need for success in school and life.”
“The Report Card release also shows us that we continue to do a good job graduating students out of the K-12 system but are we preparing them for what comes after?” questioned EOC Chair April Allen, citing the disconnect between the state’s 84% high school graduation rate and the data that show that only 29% of students in last year’s graduating class were college and career-ready.
The School Report Cards, based on South Carolina’s education accountability system, are required for all elementary, middle, and high schools which receive overall ratings based on a 100-point scale. The ratings follow terms outlined in state law: Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average, and Unsatisfactory. Schools also receive ratings on various indicators such as academic achievement, college and career-readiness, and graduation rate.
A random selection of schools from Richland One and Richland Two showed these results:
Richland One:
- Rosewood Elementary: Overall rating = 62 (excellent)
- Hopkins Middle School: Overall rating = 41 (average)
- Dreher High School: Overall rating = 61 (good)
Richland Two:
- Windsor Elementary: Overall rating = 40 (below average)
- Longleaf Middle School: Overall rating = 51 (good)
- Richland Northeast High School: Overall rating = 41 (below average)
Look up your school or compare schools and/or school districts at screportcards.com.