S.C. Department of Education releases 2022 Report Cards for schools, districts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
BEAUFORT – The SC Department of Education (SCDE) and the SC Education Oversight Committee (EOC) released the 2022 School Report Cards, the first to contain ratings since 2019. The Report Cards, available at www.screportcards.com, reflect data elements and student performance information from the 2021-22 school year. These state-issued report cards are required by a federal education law called the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
“I commend the effort of South Carolina educators and students,” stated EOC Executive Director Matthew Ferguson. “These results beat all expectations of what was thought possible while living through the COVID disruptions.”
The South Carolina Report Card measures progress of schools toward the goals of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. These goals include Academic Success, Preparing for Success, Multi-Lingual Learner Growth, School Climate, Graduation Rate, and producing graduates that are College and/or Career Ready.
The School Report Cards, which are 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.
An Excellent rating is defined as school performance that substantially exceeds the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of a South Carolina Graduate. District schools at the elementary level that received this rating are Beaufort, Coosa, Okatie, and Red Cedar. Schools rated Excellent at the middle school level were H.E. McCracken and River Ridge Academy. Bluffton High School also received this top rating.
Led by District Elementary School Principal of the Year Michelle Sackman, Beaufort Elementary School especially saw significant growth achieving an Excellent rating after her first year as principal of this school. “We are beyond excited with this accomplishment,” said Sackman. “Building relationships among stakeholders was pivotal to our growth. As a team, we believe in our vision of Success For All; we continue to hold the expectation that every student can and will grow and achieve.”
A Good rating is defined as school performance that exceeds the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. District schools at the elementary level that received this rating are Bluffton Elementary, Michael C. Riley, Port Royal, Pritchardville, and River Ridge Academy. Schools rated as Good at the middle school level were Bluffton Middle and Riverview. Hilton Head Island and May River high schools were also designated with a Good rating.
Everyone has persevered and we will continue to learn from our efforts as we move forward.
Dr. Frank Rodriguez, BCSD Superintendent
Schools working toward growth for the 2022-23 academic year will focus on aligning classroom assignments to the rigor of the standards, the purposeful use of multiple data points to make instructional decisions, and meaningful professional development. “We will be emphasizing inquiry mindedness and greater instruction with application,” said Chief Instructional Services Officer Dr. Mary Stratos. “Engaged student learning of standards based instruction is a top priority of our pandemic recovery efforts.”
“Although we, like many districts across the nation, still have work to do to ensure our students recover from the impact of the pandemic, educators, students, and families should be commended for their hard work and focus during a challenging year,” said Superintendent Rodriguez. “Everyone has persevered and we will continue to learn from our efforts as we move forward.”
Educators and administrators will further engage in professional learning communities (PLCs) which provide teachers with the opportunity to work collaboratively in frequent cycles of collective inquiry and action based research to obtain better results for students. “PLCs are an integral part of moving student achievement forward,” said Stratos. “It’s important to continuously refine our practices so that we can improve outcomes for our students.”
Ferguson asserts that the release of the Report Cards presents a tremendous opportunity for parents, families, community leaders, businesspeople, and others to learn what they can do to help students and schools. “The children remain our inspiration and north star in this work – we believe in their potential, and we want every child to have the opportunity to succeed,” stated Ferguson.
Additional student supports include an expansion of the district’s extended learning opportunities with community partners and more tutoring opportunities with a focus on science and math content areas, as well as increased support for multilingual learners.
State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman noted the quick rebound of schools amid the challenges brought about by the pandemic but stressed the “real challenges” to overcome. “Though many of the results we see are perhaps expected following the pandemic, we are no less concerned about drops in assessment results and the widening gaps for many of our students. We are encouraged by the growth we see, as we seek to continue the work of ensuring our educational system in South Carolina is preparing all students to be ready for college, careers, and citizenship.”
BCSD’s report card reflects that 76% percent of Beaufort County high school seniors were “College- or Career-Ready,” meaning they are prepared for college or careers after graduation. The graduation rate in the report card is measured by the percentage of students who complete high school “on time” and earn a diploma in four years. BCSD’s graduation rate for the class of 2022 reflects 86.2% of students completing “on time”.
Earlier this month, the SCDE also released advanced placement (AP) and SAT and ACT data. Nationwide, 59% of students who took AP exams scored a 3 or better. The Beaufort County School District (BCSD) outperformed the nation at 69%. BCSD expanded the number of students taking the SAT in 2022 and remains above national and state averages. The district’s ACT scores remain steady, also outperforming both the state and nation.
For more information, please see the SCDE’s Report Card press release.