Schools rate average or better on state report card

The majority of schools in South Carolina have received an average or better rating on new report cards released by the S.C. Department of Education and the state Education Oversight Committee.

The report cards are part of a merged state and federal accountability system. The 2018 report cards reflect school and district performance during the 2017-18 school year and contain overall school ratings for the first time since 2014.

How they rated

Source: SCreportcards.com
*NOTE: Four elementary schools, six middle schools and 17 high schools were not rated.

Primary schools, career centers and schools with fewer than 20 students are not included in the report.

“The report cards unveiled today are the culmination of many years of South Carolina’s hard work to design a rigorous accountability system that uses multiple measures to show the public the overall performance of our schools and districts,” State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said in the release. “I encourage students, parents and school communities to take an in-depth look and celebrate their successes and collaborate on areas where we need to improve.”

The new report cards are web-based and include new data elements required by the Every Student Succeeds Act, federal legislation governing accountability signed into law in 2015. South Carolina’s state plan for the legislation was approved by the U.S. Department of Education on May 3, according to the release. Within the new system, all elementary, middle and high schools receive overall ratings based on a 100-point scale. School districts and primary schools receive report cards but are not rated.

The S.C. Education Oversight Committee has developed a new website to give community stakeholders, business leaders and families more information about public schools and information about how they can help. The site includes information about how to act on behalf of students and schools.